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She nuzzles her face around my shirt, and I can’t be sure, but I think she’s seeking out where my scent is strongest.
I focus on her sweet raspberry and lemon scent until a low, vibrating purr rattles out of my chest.
“Oh, man,” Abby says softly. “You’re just playing dirty now.”
“Do you like it?”
“I love it,” she murmurs. “It’s like catnip for omegas. Omega-nip.”
I snort. “Well, I’ll keep that in mind if I ever get on your bad side.”
“I doubt that’s possible,” she says. “Thank you for all the work you’ve put in with training Echo. Not to mention, the whole giving me a place to stay thing. I don’t know where I’d be right now if I hadn’t run into Bryant that morning in his parking lot.”
“I’m grateful he ran across you too.” I bend down, kissing the top of her head like a total lovestruck weirdo.
Echo gets mouthy and rolls over onto her back, yawning and doing what I call grunt-talking.
I scratch her belly and go back to watching the TV.
It really is a perfect moment in time.
The only thing that’s missing is Shadow.
And I guess Luka and Bryant too.
The weather report rolls back around, and this time Abby is paying attention. Her small hand lands on my stomach as she pushes forward in her seat, like leaning closer might help her hear better.
“Is that something we need to worry about?” she asks, her hair falling around her face as she peeks up at me over her shoulder.
“The ice is the problematic part,” I say cautiously. “We can get a shit ton of snow without it causing much trouble. It’s a pain in the ass when you have to clean off your car so you can leave for work or go to the store, but the snowplows run around the clock when it gets bad. The problem with ice is that it drags down power lines and trees. It also sticks to the road, and it can’t be cleared in the same way snow can.”
“That sounds really freaking dangerous,” she whispers.
“We got lucky that it was mostly snow rather than ice last time. That’s how everything cleared up so fast.”
“How long could a storm like he’s talking about last?”
“Anywhere from a couple days to a week.” I shrug. “The ice won’t be coming down for that long, but it takes time to melt. Don’t stress. If that storm hits us, you’ll be coming to our house to ride it out. I would never leave you and Echo here without a generator or, at the very least, a wood-burning stove.” I laugh. “Okay, I lied. Even then, I’d probably try to convince you to come stay with us. It’s just safer that way. Especially since you don’t have any experience with this kind of weather.”
“Okay, good.” She nods, snuggling back against my side. “I’m not too proud to admit that I’d be scared shitless.”
And this is why alphas and omegas work perfectly together.
Now I just need to determine if it’s creepy to pray that the once-in-a-lifetime storm they promised us last week actually hits this time.
* * *
I barely get to see Abby for the next couple days. She spends some time with Bryant at the gym, then she’s back to work at Maxwell’s.
I’ve never wanted to hang out at my family’s restaurant. Hell, I thought it was straight-up torture when our parents forced us to work there to help our uncle out during the summer when we were growing up.
I’d be happy to sit around watching Abby work, but I’m afraid I’d fire Bev.
Luka has mentioned a handful of times that Bev isn’t fond of Abby, and I’ve never been particularly impressed by our restaurant manager. I didn’t say anything, because Luka liked her. Now that the cracks are starting to show, I’m ready to let her go at any time.
Still, it’s almost Christmas.
Firing anyone right before a big holiday is shitty, so she can stay until the new year, as long as she isn’t cruel to Abby.
