“You don’t have to eat to please us,” Benji said. “If you’re not hungry.”
“I’m starving. How could I not be when everything smells so amazing.”
It certainly did, if everything referred to our mate.
I took a plate and filled it with a waffle, a scoop of eggs, a little overcooked but hopefully okay, and three strips of bacon with singed edges. Roan filled a small bowl with fruit.
“Coffee?” Benji offered.
“Yes, please.”
We placed the dishes in front of her and stepped back. We’d worked hard, but as I looked at it all, it was so unworthy of her. Our mate deserved perfectly prepared food, and nothing we made could be described in that way.
However, Lily dug in, tasting each item before pronouncing it all delicious and eating every bit we’d put on the plate. Then she sat back and took in the kitchen. “Looks like you all worked hard.”
I followed her gaze to see the total disaster. Eggs burnt to the pan, waffle batter all over the counter, eggshells in the sink, and just about every pot, pan, and utensil used to make breakfast. “Yeah, but we didn’t mind.”
She slid off the stool and approached Benji. “You make me feel so welcome.” Tipping her face up, she rose on tiptoe and pressed her lips to his. “Thank you for last night.”
Roan was next to receive her gratitude and a kiss, then she turned to me. “Breakfast was wonderful.”
“It wasn’t. But we tried.”
“Nobody has ever gone to so much trouble just for me.” She rested her palm on my chest and kissed me, soft lips firmly against mine before she stepped back. “You are all amazing, but maybe I’m needed here.”
“You are.” Benji gave a firm nod. “But on your time.”
“What do you think… I mean, would it be all right if I spent a few days here, just to kind of see how things go?”
“If you’re ready, we’re all in.”
We decided to take Lily to pack up enough clothes and things for a few days, but I hoped we’d soon be going back for all the rest.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Lily
After I explained to Rumor and her mates that I would be staying with Roan, Benji, and Harlan for a bit, to kind of test the waters, my friend helped me pack up some of my things. Considering I didn’t have a whole lot, the two duffels she loaned me ended up holding most of my personal items. But I wasn’t giving up my little apartment just yet.
Having it there if I needed it gave me the confidence to try out life with this pack. I’d never had such security or so many people who wanted me for me, not just to use me. It was a heady feeling but also frightening. What if something changed? I’d known bad for much longer than good.
Then, as I was closing the second duffel, I heard them outside chatting with Rumor’s mates. Their friendly tones and laughter drew me to look out the window and see them there, the six big males, and three of them wanted me.
I’d seen how Rumor’s treated her, and I’d been willing to accept that they were the exception that proved the rule. All others treated omegas terribly, except them. The odds of my finding mates as wonderful as Rumor’s had to be infinitesimal, and finding even better males?
Impossible.
Yet, I thought I had.
“Ready?” Rumor moved to pick up one bag, but I quickly lifted them both. She didn’t need to be doing that in her situation. “Lily!”
“I’ve got these. We’re going to have to figure out how to get ready for the market if I’m not here.”
“How about for this week I’ll just do what I can, and when we see you at the market, we can make more plans. I think what you’re doing today is enough for today.”
“Sure?”
She hugged me hard and kissed me on the cheek. “Lily, go and be happy. If you’re not, you come back here immediately. I will send my mates for you any time of day or night.”
