Blizzards and Brews (Holiday Hollow Omegaverse)

Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Spencer

“ I told her to fix things,” Beatty said, turning her shrewd eyes toward us. She clicked her tongue and took a sip of her tea as she started to rock in her chair.

I’d only met this woman once or twice before now at the diner, but I was quickly learning that she was a very blunt, honest, and mischievous, old woman.

“She’s coming home to live with us now,” Ollie said, matter-of-fact.

Beatty nodded sagely.

“Is this her decision or yours?” she inquired.

“Mine,” Ollie replied, taking the blame.

“After this morning… we aren’t willing to risk it. She bit Ollie, she’ll agree,” I added. The way her look was making me doubt my words was intense but I wasn’t the type of alpha to back down.

Beatty continued to rock in her chair for a few moments before she nodded. “Her room is up the stairs, last room on the left. Now, that girl’s been through some shit in her life. You take care of her, you hear me?”

“Yes, ma’am,” I said.

“Go on, then,” she warned, waving us off. “I can’t wait to see what she thinks of all this.”

I’m not sure she wanted us to hear the last part, but I bit back a smile. I wondered if Beatty was helping us because she was looking out for Lindsay or if she was helping us because she wanted to see some drama. Truth be told, if she wanted to kick our ass, she probably could. I wasn’t too manly to admit she was a bit scary.

Ollie led the way up the stairs to the room at the end of the hall. He pushed open the door and we stepped inside. Both of us stopped short, looking around, then glanced at each other.

“Did she already pack everything?” Ollie wondered.

The room was nearly empty. The only traces of her were the shoes placed near the door and a backpack of clothes in the corner. She hadn’t even bothered to put them in the drawers… we checked.

We hadn’t heard the full story about the tiny home she lived in. I’d only dropped her off here. I wondered if all her things were inside that, wherever it was. She barely had any clothes, and from the price tags in the trash can, she’d bought what she had now.

It took Ollie all of five seconds to pack up the various items in the room, while I checked the bathroom, putting her few toiletries and makeup into the single bag resting on the counter.

It was sad that she was living here, yet now it looked like she had never been here at all.

Ollie brushed his fingers over mine.

“It’s okay, we can buy everything she needs.” There was sadness in his voice. He was hurt she didn’t come to them for help and I couldn’t blame him. We were new and this was killing me.

I pulled him in and gave him a tight hug, not offering words because we really didn’t know what was happening here.

“Let’s go,” I agreed, leading him down the stairs, this time not letting go of his hand. We said a quick goodbye to Beatty, who just gave us a smirk and waved us out the door.

The drive across town was short and quiet. When we pulled up in front of the two-story home, we were the only car here.

We’d gotten the text saying that she was safe, which is why Ollie was determined to go gather her things. I wasn’t going to argue… I wasn’t going to repeat this morning.

She could have space here with us.

“I didn’t get the tour earlier, show me around?” I asked my omega as he unlocked the door. He didn’t drop her things by the entryway, instead he carried them further inside as he started to talk, pointing out each room as we went.

The kitchen was huge, shining with stainless steel. The hardwood floors and black appliances gave it a sleek, modern look.

The living room was next, complete with a comfy, black sectional, big TV, and a plush, gray rug.

Despite three bachelors living here, it had a cozy touch. I had a feeling that was all Ollie.

Pictures hung throughout the space of the triplets, their parents, and Lindsay at varying stages of their life. I didn’t get a chance to inspect many of them, he was already moving on, but I made a mental note to come back later.

He stopped at the bottom of the staircase and pointed to the hallway downstairs. “That hallway leads to a mudroom, the backyard, the laundry room, a storage room, and our shared office. All the bedrooms are upstairs.”

“How many rooms does this place have?” I asked. It was big, even from the outside, but I didn’t expect it to feel so airy and open on the inside.

“Well, I’ve got two—one for sleeping and one for my nest. You saw the first last night. Then, Adam and Dustin both have one, and we have two extras. It’s like fate was looking out for us,” he said happily.

“It seems that way,” I chuckled as I watched my omega glow as he excitedly showed me around. Adam told me last night I was welcome to stay and it seemed Ollie was demanding it. It was nice to be wanted.

“This is Dustin’s room,” he said, pointing to the first door. “Adam is across the hall. Then there are two empty rooms in between us, and then I have the ones at the end.”

He pushed open the one on the left, directly next to Adam’s room, and dropped Lindsay’s things inside.

It was clear they made this room with her in mind. Most of the room was decorated in a gorgeous dark green. That mixing that with wood tones and gray, gave it a comfortable feel that wasn’t over the top.

There was a four-poster bed with a thick, wooden frame, adorned in a forest green comforter and a set of throw pillows. Someone had wound fake ivy up the posts for an extra touch.

The back wall of the room was almost entirely one huge window. A large shelf had been built to fill the space, each cubby in it holding a different plant.

This room was an oasis, comforting and alive.

She was going to love it. I wondered how long ago he worked on this for her.

My fingers brushed over the delicate leaves of the vines growing as I inspected them, taking a deep lungful of fresh air.

“When we were in high school she saw that I was upset because the flower I was trying to grow had died. She didn’t judge me, instead she helped me figure out how to take care of it properly. So now, I keep them alive until she’s ready for her room,” he said with a soft, wistful smile.

It was likely such a small thing to her, but to him, he’d kept that moment in mind all these years. He put it into practice and put effort into making sure that this space would be something she’d be happy to walk into.

He was perfect.

I brushed a kiss over his forehead. “That was very thoughtful of you. I love how big your heart is and how much you care.”

He gave a cute, lopsided smile, his cheeks flushing with warmth before he turned away to avoid more focus on him.

“As much as I’d love to keep you all to myself, I know we all need our space sometimes, so if you’ll have it, this one can be yours,” he said, pushing the door open across the hall to reveal an empty bedroom. It already had the basic furniture, so it was likely a guest room. It had the same bed that she had, only with a plain white comforter. The walls were also white, and the furniture all matched the wood of the bed.

It was basic and empty.

“I know this one doesn’t have as much heart to it, but I didn’t know you at the time. I would love to help you turn this into your own space,” he said quietly.

I turned to Ollie. “Maybe it’s time to cancel that room at the inn.”

Ollie’s eyes lit up at my words and he threw himself at me. I chuckled as I caught him, holding him tight. It wasn’t until he took a shuddering breath that I realized he was crying.

“What is it?” I asked as I squeezed him tight, letting my chest rumble to calm him.

“It’s just that my pack is finally coming together. It was something I didn’t think was going to happen. I was so afraid that she’d push me away forever.”

“And now you’ve got a bite to prove that she won’t,” I countered, swiping at his tears.

Omegas were always emotional after a heat, but I didn’t think this had anything to do with that. This had everything to do with realizing that his hope wasn’t for nothing, and I was so glad that he was going to finally experience a pack. He deserved it.

The door downstairs slammed shut and we both looked at each other. I braced myself, waiting for some screaming or fighting… something.

Adam had been alpha raging this morning, and I couldn’t blame him in the slightest. I felt the same, though I handled it a little more calmly for Ollie’s sake.

“Let’s go see how things are going down there,” I said, holding out a hand for him. He put his in mine, and we headed down the stairs, surprised to find all three of them standing there.

She looked from me to our omega. “Why do you look guilty? What did you do?” she demanded, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow at Ollie.

“Nothing. I was just making sure that you had a warm bed up there,” Ollie explained with an innocent blink.

He was good.

Her eyes narrowed and it took all of two seconds before realization dawned on her face.

“You went and got my stuff, didn’t you?” she accused.

“Speaking of,” I spoke up before it could turn into an argument, “where’s the rest of it? You can’t tell me you live out of one backpack.”

“One backpack,” Adam repeated the words slowly and calmly, despite the raging fury in his eyes.

“Look, I just need to—” He cut her off by pointing to the table.

“Sit your ass down at that table and don’t get up until you’ve explained everything to us. No more secrets.”

The look on her face had me squeezing Ollie’s hand. “Would someone mind making a pot of coffee or showing me where it is? I think we’re going to need it.”

“I’ve got it,” Ollie said, giving me a knowing look as he sent me off toward our beta.

Adam was still standing next to her, radiating frustration, although from the way they smelled it seemed like they might have had a bit of fun.

I picked Lindsay up, ignoring Adam’s protest and her squeals, and squeezed her tight to me. “Just because you smell so damn good doesn’t mean you can go giving everyone a heart attack, angel,” I said softly in her ear.

She sighed. “I wasn’t trying to, I promise.”

Helping myself, I pulled us onto the couch, sitting on one end with her directly on top of me.

Some of the fight had fled from my fiery beta, and I didn’t like the tinge of bitterness that tinged her iris and amber scent.

Dustin sat on the other end of the couch, shooting me a knowing nod that Ollie would want the middle seat next to me.

Adam however wasn’t having any of it and took a seat on the solid coffee table in front of us. His knees were touching mine and his furrowed brows dared me to say anything as he took Lindsay’s feet and placed them in his lap.

Of course, being the shit stirrer I was, I simply wagged my eyebrows at him.

Lindsay was safe and in my arms. I had a feeling whatever we were about to hear wasn’t going to be a fun story. There was no need to make any of the rest of it a bummer.

Ollie was there a few minutes later, passing out drinks and taking the seat next to me. Unabashedly he reached for Lindsay’s free hand without hesitating and I felt so proud of him in that moment.

When she threaded her fingers through his and gave him a tender look, I saw my entire world in that moment. The two of them together with me, surrounded by our pack.

Who would have thought I’d find this in Holiday Hollow?

“Lindsay–”

“I know, I know,” she said with a sigh. “You want the whole story.”

“We all do,” Dustin agreed.

“While most of you know I was seeing Jason, what I didn’t tell you is that I let him crash with me for a little while.”

A growl ripped out of Adam and I shot the alpha a warning look. If she was going to make it through this story the last thing she needed was him acting like a complete meathead.

“Sorry, firefly,” Adam grunted out. “I just wasn’t expecting that.”

“Honestly, neither was I,” she said, looking down at her cup of coffee. “I was tired and exhausted and things with him were just fun. I never really worried about anything when I was with him because it was the opposite of serious. Well, until I showed up one day a couple weeks after he started staying with me and found my entire home gone.”

That motherfucker.

Now it was my turn to give Adam a look away from Lindsay’s watchful eyes. One that promised retribution.

“I filed a police report with Hunter, and Beatty offered me a place to stay,” she continued. “I was embarrassed enough that I’d let it happen in the first place.”

“Why didn’t you come to us, buttercup?” Ollie asked, the hurt in his voice clear. “You know you always have a room here.”

She sipped her coffee then, shifting on top of me. Why that question turned her on I had no idea, but it seemed the alpha across me certainly did.

“She was embarrassed,” Adam answered for her. “But the past is in the past. Lindsay, Dustin, and I settled that at the bar before we came home. What we need to do now is figure out what comes next.”

Ohhhhh, so it was like that then. Clever alpha. No wonder she was trying to get comfortable on top of me, her cute, little ass must have been so sore.

“Honestly, I’m still really tired,” Lindsay said. “If we don’t have anything else to do at the bar until the cleaners are done, can we just have a lazy day?”

“Awww, sweets. We took it out of our beta,” I said sweetly, kissing the top of Ollie’s head. “If only she was here yesterday she could have joined us in that bath.”

“This is what I’m in for,” Adam mumbled, looking toward the ceiling. “A life of knowing way too much information about my brother.”

“You’re triplets,” I said, with a shrug. “I’m sure it’s not that hard to imagine. But don’t worry, I’m a pan who cares about what’s inside the pot. Your alpha sensibilities are safe.”

Dustin laughed playfully. “And what about my beta ones?”

“Hands off,” Ollie growled, slapping at his brother. “He’s mine and Lindsay’s. I’m not sharing him with you.”

“And what am I?” Lindsay asked. “All of your favorite toy?”

“I’m sure we can arrange that if that’s what you want, angel,” I said, bucking my hips up into her playfully.

“Nope, nope,” she said, swinging her feet off Adam’s lap and standing up. “I’m out of commission and this–” she said waving her hand around at all of us, “is going to take some time to get use to. I said I would give this a chance, but I don’t want it to be for the wrong reasons, we all deserve better than that.”

“Where are you going?” Dustin asked.

“To obviously take advantage of Ollie’s clawfoot tub,” Lindsay said. “And to give y’all a second to talk. Don’t think I missed all those looks.”

She shot us a grin before disappearing upstairs, at least she managed to have a small spring in her step.

As soon as she was gone, I leaned forward. “How do we kill–I mean find him?”

Adam looked at Dustin and ran a hand through his hair. “Knowing Hunter he already has put the word out but I want to go down to the station and have a few words with him.”

“I want to be there when we find the punk ass,” I told him. “I know you’re still getting used to accepting my new place in your life, but I won’t be satisfied until I make sure he gets what he deserves.

“On that we can agree,” Adam said with a nod.

“And Lindsay?” Dustin asked, looking towards the stairs.

“We do what we’ve always wanted to do in the first place, which I guess includes you now, Spencer,” Adam said. “We court the fuck out of her.”