Page 27 of Bailey-Rose: The Complete Duet

Sad—cry.

Angry—cry.

Hell, the first time I had an orgasm, I fucking cried, and that went over so well. Men love it when they have a weeping woman in their bed after they thought they just gave you the world.

“Talk to us, Care Bear. We can’t fix it if we don’t know what’s wrong,” Warrick pleaded.

“N-nothing,” I managed to hiccup out. “It’s perfect… everything is perfect. It’s so beautiful.”

There was a collective sigh as my guys relaxed and wrapped me up in the best group hug I’ve ever experienced. To be surrounded by them, their comforting scents filling my nose, I began to calm. Somehow we ended up sitting on the floor in a mess of limbs and one snotty Omega at the center. Vili pulled a cloth hanky out of his pocket and offered it to me. I’m not sure there could be a more precious man than him at this moment. Taking it, wiped my eyes ad I blew my nose, glad I wore waterproof mascara.

Ulysses rested his chin on my shoulder as he nuzzled behind my ear. “Welcome home, Bailey-Rose.”

Eventually, once I’d convinced everyone I was truly fine, we returned to the house’s main level and spread out on the giant sofa. To my amazement, the chaise lounges on the end could be moved to fill in the gap and create one massive sofa bed. Warrick disappeared for a bit, but when he returned, he had pillows and blankets galore. The second he dumped them on me, I squealed with delight since they carried their scent. He’d gone from room to room and collected something from each of them for me to snuggle with.

“Are you trying to make the rest of us look bad?” Gareth grumbled.

Warrick just fluttered his lashes at him. “I don’t know what you mean. Everyone knows Omegas love pillows and blankets to nest in no matter where they are.”

“Let me guess… you actually read the book the Matchers gave us last night, didn’t you?” Gareth accused.

“No! No fighting,” Vili cut in. “Silly thing to fight over. Leave it be.”

Both Alphas stared at each other for a moment, then Gareth let out a huff and flopped back on the couch. Unsure how to navigate what just happened, I occupied myself with arranging the goodies Warrick brought me until I was satisfied with the outcome. Surrounded by my Alphas, their scent grounded me in a way I didn’t realize I needed. Logically, this home might be mine, but Omegas were a fussy bunch when it came to our spaces. As wonderful as this house might be, it wouldn’t be my home until the nest was finished perfectly.

Yun-Sun offered me a tablet with The Snuggery website pulled up. This was a store every town had filled with anything and everything you could possibly need to start or update a nest. I took the offered device, but I wasn’t sure what exactly he expected me to do with it.

“Whatever you want is yours, sweetheart. There is no limit, no rules, no idea we can’t entertain, so don’t shy away from what you truly want,” he explained.

I looked from the tablet back to Yun. “Why do I need to buy all new things when I have a nest back at home?”

“We will, of course, move your clothes and personal things here,” Ulysses answered. “But it would mean the world to us as your Alphas if you would allow us to provide what you need for a nest here in the house. I know it might seem silly to you, but that will always be your room at your parents’ estate. We want to create something that’s just for us.”

It was hard to argue that logic. I knew how important it was to an Alpha to provide for his Omega. That need was hardwired into their system, and to say no would be cruel.

“Okay, I’ll go shopping if I have to,” I agreed with a dramatic sigh.

“Do you want our help, or should we put on a movie to watch while you look over the options?” Gareth asked.

“No, you guys can put on something you want to watch. Handing me this and telling me to go crazy will send me down a rabbit hole that’s going to take me a bit to come back out of. Once I have things somewhat narrowed down, then you can help me figure out what will work best in the room,” I suggested.

The guys didn’t need much convincing, and soon some action movie was playing while I dove into the beautiful world of nesting. For those who aren’t an Omega, a nest doesn’t really make sense. They don’t understand the need to build a space in their home where they can retreat when the world becomes too much. By nature, Omegas need to be grounded by their Alphas, environment, and internally for peace of mind. At the core, our purpose is to offer comfort and emotional support to our pack as well as ensuring other Omegas or Alphas are born to keep the cycle of our world going.

When a pack has an Omega, each member bonds to the Omega in one way or another, creating a united force. It also provides the Omega with protection, assistance in caring for offspring, and companionship that Omegas crave. Alphas and Betas are also drawn to community living, which is why packs form in the first place, but they don’t need it the same as Omegas do. If an Omega is left to fend for themselves with no support or care, they suffer physically and mentally. Being lonely could actually kill an Omega and cause them to give up any effort to keep living which, in turn, could result in suicide or trauma-induced illness they don’t recover from.

My doctor had warned my family to keep an eye on me for these issues since I was at a mature age and still hadn’t found a pack. It was the major reason Crew and Eli worried about looking after me on top of the heart defect. The nest I built at home meant so much to me because it was my safe space, the one place in my life where I controlled every aspect. I could hide away from everything but not fear going mad, knowing my brothers were around if I needed them.

Now that my pack found me and I was going to be moving into this home, I could understand the importance of making a fresh start. The nest I built at my parents’ home was what I needed to fill the hole in my life where a pack was supposed to be. With that void no longer in the equation, it gave me a new perspective and vision for this space. Many would say my current nest was childish and I should grow up, but that room needed to be filled with all the joy I could manage. It was a reminder that even if the world seemed like a cold, callous place that only saw me as imperfect, there were still good things about it.

Looking up from the tablet, I took a moment to study each man I was matched to. I so wanted to believe they would stay with me forever, but other than my brothers, no one had kept their promise. Each time this fear spilled out of the shadows of my insecurities, I tried to remind myself it wasn’t true. These men were created to bond with me and I for them. How could something destined since birth not work out?

“You good, baby girl?” Gareth asked, making me realize I’d been lost in thought, staring at him blankly.

“Yup,” I answered a little too loudly with a slight squeak. “Just got lost in thought, is all.”

Fingers combed through my hair, making a moan slip out at how wonderful it felt. “Anything you want to talk about?” Yun-Sun asked.

Did I want to talk about how I was feeling? Part of me felt like I’d caused enough drama today with my outburst in the parking garage that it would be better to keep this to myself. Then, on the other hand, they’d been pretty insistent about sharing how I was feeling.