Page 62 of Choosing Their Omega

“You’ll have time, actually. We… we’d love it, if you would find paint colors and other things you like to really make this place yours. We can turn one of the empty rooms into your library, with space for all of your books, if you want.”

“I want to make sure that it’s a home for you and the rest of the pack, not just for me.”

“I know you will. That’s why we want you to do it. We’ve been busy and haven’t had time the last few years, but I think we were also waiting for our Omega. Omegas nest, they like to decorate and make the house their home, and I think without even realizing it that’s what we were waiting for. We were waiting for you.”

Lily blushes again, and I shut the trap door so that nobody will fall in. I see her gaze go over my shoulder and her eyes go wide. I grin. She’s seen it.

“This is… Miles, is this a whole setup? Is this all real?”

“Yup.” I’ve got a whole astronomy setup here, including charts and maps. I’ve made part of the roof into kind of an outdoor planetarium, and even installed some rails around it like a balcony so there won’t be danger of falling off.

I pick Ben up so that he can see as I lead Lily over. “I’ve always loved the stars.” I grin down at Ben. “You want to see?”

Ben nods, eager.

Lily helps me position the telescope so that he can see the stars up above. He’s delighted by them. “I’ve never taken him up here before,” I admit, as Ben continues to stare into the telescope.

“Why not?”

“I… I guess I was just waiting for the right moment.”

“Do the others know about it?”

“Yeah, they do. I just don’t talk about it much.”

We fall into a comfortable silence as Ben looks his fill, then I settle him down on the comfy couch that I’ve set up here, the kind you usually find on a backyard porch. I pull a blanket up over him so he can rest, then help Lily look into the telescope instead.

I wrap my arms around her waist from behind, guiding her. “There you go,” I murmur in her ear.

She gasps softly. “Oh, it’s beautiful, Miles, really. You can get such a clear view.”

I bury my nose into her neck and inhale her delicious smell. I can practically taste her happiness on my tongue, and I adore it. It makes me so happy to know that she’s happy, but especially when it’s something like this, me sharing myself with her.

The feel of her body against mine is temptation itself, but I hold myself back. This isn’t about sex right now. Although I could spend all day lost in the soft curves of her body, I don’t want Lily to think that I only want her for sex. I like who she is as a person too, and I want her to see me as a person in return.

I talk her through what she’s seeing, the different stars and planets, and point out the constellations that she can see this time of year.

At last, she pulls away and looks at me. “I like that you’re so excited about this stuff. What got you into astronomy in the first place?”

I shrug. “I grew up in a small town in the Midwest, so there was a lot of space for stargazing. My parents are teachers and they always encouraged me to pursue my love of the stars. I actually, uh… almost went into astrophotography.”

“What’s that?”

“Someone who photographs pictures of space. I’d spend… man, I don’t even know how many hours capturing images of the night sky, just me and my camera, out in the middle of nowhere.”

“What changed?”

“I was scouted by a junior league team. I’d always played hockey growing up, and I knew I was good, I just didn’t realize until then how good I was. I thought about it and honestly, the money I could make as a hockey player would take care of my family better than my parents’ teacher salaries ever could. And I like how hockey pushes me to my limits. You have to be the best when you’re in the NHL.”

“You don’t seem competitive.”

“I mean, you have to be a little competitive if you’re in a sport. But I’m mostly in competition with myself.”

“I understand that.” Lily smiles and pats the telescope. “So this is a way to keep your other love in your life?”

“Something like that. I don’t really talk about it. It’s not something that most other sports players are into. They’re all about the game, and I get it. Hockey takes up your entire life and most guys are into this because they’re jocks, and they love it. They’d be fans even if they couldn’t play.”

Lily smiles softly. “But not you.”

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