Forbidden: Part Two – Chapter 71

Lil O’s music played quietly in the car. I knew my alphas were trying to appease me, but even my favorite music couldn’t ease my grumpiness. This morning they’d told me they had a present for me, but they refused to tell me what it was, saying it was a surprise.

Cam and Ben had pressed me between them in the backseat. My hormones were still all over the place after my heat, and I needed their touch. We’d only gotten back to town yesterday, and I felt physically sore and emotionally raw. I’d loved every moment of my heat, and my guys were taking such good care of me, but they should know better than to tease me with a gift right now. I was even irritated at Theo for being up front driving instead of sitting back here snuggling with me.

My omega was being greedy, but I’d finally come to terms with the fact that maybe that was okay. I was getting more comfortable with her existence… she was a part of me, a part that I thought I could love. She carried with her a confidence that allowed her to be demanding and needy and whatever else she wanted to be.

“Patience is not my strong suit,” I grumbled.

Theo snorted. “I think we got that message loud and clear when we tried edging you and you threatened to castrate us.”

I sniffed. “Yeah, well, I want what I want.”

Cam grinned, kissing me on the temple. “This will be worth the wait.”

I glanced over at Ben, who was staring out the window, his leg shaking. He was trying to shield his emotions from the bond, but I kept getting little bursts of anxiety. I grasped his hand in mine and squeezed.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

He met my gaze with a forced smile. “Nothing.”

Unease worked its way into my chest. He was hiding something.

Cam wrapped his arm around me, giving me a reassuring squeeze. The only thing stopping me from freaking out at Ben’s anxiety was how calm Theo and Cam were.

“Alright, enough edging. We’re here,” Theo announced, pulling into a small parking lot between two brick buildings.

We were in New River’s historic district, parked just off the adorable main street. I’d only seen this part of town in passing, but I’d always dreamed of casually strolling down the cobblestone sidewalks as I visited the shops and cafes.

“Are we going shopping?” I asked as Cam helped me out of the car. He just smiled and took my hand.

Ben appeared in front of me. “Put this on,” he said, thrusting a blindfold at me.

“Why are you acting so weird?” I asked, a slight whine in my voice as I took the blindfold. “You’re freaking me out.”

Theo huffed at Ben, pushing him out of the way. He took the blindfold out of my hands and leaned down.

“Trust us?” he asked, kissing my lips gently.

I let out a little omega growl. He knew I trusted them more than anything.

Theo chuckled, slipping the blindfold over me. He took my hand, making sure to run his fingers down his bond mark.

“You’re cute,” he said.

Before I had a chance to respond, my alphas tugged me along, carefully guiding me so I didn’t fall.

“Here we are,” Cam said after we’d walked about a block. He removed my blindfold and I blinked, staring up at an empty storefront.

The brick facade matched the neighboring shops, but this one had a pink front door. Next to the door was a large window with a striped awning over it. The view into the shop was covered up with brown paper. Rose vines grew on the side of the brick and I could only imagine how gorgeous it would look in the summer.

I was about to ask what we were doing here when my eyes caught on the pink neon sign above the large window.

My heart just about stopped.

In curly script, it read Vanilla Pie Bakery.

“No,” I gasped, turning towards Ben. He was blushing and shifting side to side.

“What do you think?” he asked, uncertainty drenching his tone.

I squealed, throwing myself at him. He scooped me up in his arms and held me tight, a wide smile spreading across his face.

“You like?”

“It’s amazing,” I said, peppering his face with kisses. He laughed, and Cam and Theo pressed in close, both smiling broadly.

I twisted in Ben’s arms so I could see the shop again. “I can’t believe it. It’s perfect.”

“The upstairs is empty, so Theo and I thought we would set up our offices up there,” Cam said, moving my hair so he could kiss his bond mark.

“Ohmygosh! We all get to work in the same building?” Literal dream come true.

Theo laughed. “Not sure how much work we’ll get done all being in the same space, but we couldn’t stand the idea of being apart from you all day.”

“They were worried you would realize that I’m the best alpha of the group,” Ben said with a wink.

I rolled my eyes and laughed. “Can we go inside?”

Ben set me down and pulled a key out of his back pocket with a flourish.

“We closed on it yesterday. It’s all ours.”

I took the key from him, practically bouncing to the front door. “That’s why we had to come back so quickly?”

Theo nodded. “Usually, we wouldn’t uproot you from the nest so soon after your heat. Research shows that an additional three days of nesting can…” He trailed off as he took in our amused expressions. He ran his hand through his hair. “Well, anyway, we thought this was worth it.”

I swung the door open, my excitement growing as I took in the empty space for the first time. The large front windows would let in so much light once we took down the paper blocking them. The walls were plaster and brick peaked through in some spots, adding charm to the historic space, and the wood floors were laid in a herringbone pattern.

“It’s going to take a lot of work to get it set up the way we want,” Ben said, taking my hand. “But it used to be a restaurant, so the back is already set up as a commercial kitchen space.”

My mind was whirring with design ideas. I wondered if we could do some sort of window seat, and then we would need smaller tables… maybe a couple of cozy accent chairs in the corner.

“You’re not mad we chose a space without you?” Ben asked. I turned towards him, taking in his worried expression. “We weren’t sure…”

I cut off his words with a kiss. He immediately wrapped his hand around my neck, dragging me against his chest as he deepened the kiss, his cock hardening against my stomach.

“I’m so happy,” I said between kisses.

I was relieved they’d bought this space without me, especially after how stressful I’d found the house-buying process. On our second day of looking at homes, I’d broken down in tears during an open house. The reminder of why we needed a new home haunted me, filling me with a mixture of anger, guilt, and sadness. We’d taken a break from house searching after that until one day when Theo had hesitantly asked if I wanted to see one more house the realtor had suggested. I’d agreed, promising myself the entire drive there that I would not cry. The second Theo showed me the secret door that led to a room he said I could make my personal library, I burst into tears because I wanted the house so bad and I was scared we wouldn’t get it. Theo had put an offer in immediately—I hadn’t even asked for how much—and then it had been ours.

A firm chest pressed against my back, and I broke the kiss to peer back at Cam.

“Oh, are we doing this again?” I asked, wiggling my butt against Cam and looking between the two of them.

Ben snorted, and Cam smacked my ass.

“Naughty omega,” he murmured, but I felt the arousal surging through the bond. “Let’s go upstairs and check out the office space.”

We headed upstairs and my eyes immediately zeroed in on the beige wall-to-wall carpet, my fingers itching to rip it up. While the design left a lot to be desired, the layout was great. There was plenty of space for all of us to have offices, and the front room looked over Main Street. One window even had a tiny balcony just big enough for a chair and a side table. I was already dreaming of sitting out there with my laptop to get work done once the weather warmed up.

As I looked out the window, I couldn’t stop tears from streaming down my face.

“What’s wrong?” Cam asked, hurrying to my side.

“I’m happy,” I responded with a sob. “You can’t do something so sweet to an omega right after their heat,” I said as I tried to keep myself from full-on ugly crying.

“You deserve all the sweetness,” Cam murmured, trying to wipe away my tears.

Theo wrapped his arms around me, pressing soft kisses to my neck and scent-marking me. His scent helped me settle. Maybe he did have a point about still needing to nest for a few days after my heat.

There was a scent missing, though.

“Where did Ben go?” I asked, looking around.

“He’s setting up one last surprise,” Theo said with a wink.

“Oh god,” I said, wiping the last of my tears. “Not sure I can handle anything more.”

They brought me to a set of metal stairs tucked away in the back corner. I was confused about where they led unless…

My jaw dropped as the door opened to the outside and I stepped onto the roof. Cam chuckled at my excitement, pulling me into his chest to shield me from the cold wind. The rooftop was a bit dingy right now—all concrete with a rusted metal railing running along the edge—but it had an amazing view of Main Street, and I could already imagine how cute it would be with string lights and seating.

My heart leapt in my chest when I saw Ben standing in the middle of the roof next to a blanket, picnic basket, and space heater. He was holding a bottle of champagne. I skipped over to him—ignoring Theo’s shouted warning to be careful. Ben dragged me to his chest, his hands and lips insistent, kissing me as though we’d been apart for years and not mere moments.

“We have to christen our new space,” Ben said, pulling away, his earlier anxiety completely gone.

I raised my eyebrows as a spark of arousal shot through me.

“Not that kind of christening,” Theo groaned, pressing his face to my hair and making me giggle.

“Next time,” Ben said with a wink. “This time, we’ll stick with champagne.”

He popped the cork and poured each of us a glass.

“To Vanilla Pie Bakery,” he said.

“To Josie and Ben,” Cam said.

“And to our future together,” Theo said.

I clinked my glass with theirs, too overwhelmed to add any words of my own. But they had said it all.

I took a sip of champagne. The future felt as bright as the rays of sunshine warming us on the winter’s day.