Blizzards and Brews (Holiday Hollow Omegaverse)

Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

Lindsay

T he glow of mine and Adam’s bonding still swirled around me the next day. I felt like I was floating as I walked into the bar.

Then I froze.

“Holy hell,” Adam said, letting out a startled laugh at all the boxes hanging around the bar. Tinsel, garland, ornaments, and various winter themed decorations were thrown on nearly every surface.

“Janet stopped by,” Ollie said as he chuckled at our reaction. “She was afraid we wouldn’t have enough wintery decor.”

“So much for trusting us with this,” I said. Leave it to Janet to go all out.

“She said we could do the arrangement ourselves but wanted to make sure we had enough to work with,” Dustin said. “I’m starving, you guys eat yet?”

“Just breakfast,” Adam said, giving my shoulder a squeeze. It was a reminder of the breakfast we’d shared in bed that ended with me licking every inch of him before he fucked me again.

I may have been walking side to side this morning but I had zero regrets. Being able to feel Adam in my soul was the perfect love pack to any lingering insecurities I had. The depth of his love was astounding, and I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I was where I belonged.

The things he’d said, the things he’d done…it was clear that he’d thought of us countless times. He may have been inexperienced, but he wasn’t bumbling or shy. I had a feeling we’d be making up for lost time.

“Then how does pizza and wings sound? I’ll order the food to be delivered,” Spencer mused.

“We’ve got beer, that’s the trifecta,” Ollie said with a grin. He had been a whole lot happier over the last few weeks and it looked good on him.

He turned up the music pumping through the speakers and danced his way over to me. I pulled him in for a kiss, his needy moan adorable before Dustin was pulling him away.

“No hogging our girl,” he said before claiming my lips. “And we’ve got work to do.”

“Yes, boss,” Ollie snarked before tossing a handful of tinsel over us. It rained down in silver streaks so we looked like festive elves.

“You make a mess, you’re cleaning it,” Dustin warned as he picked it out of my hair and dropped it on his brother. “Come on, this is going to take longer than the Christmas decorations did. Janet is insane.”

Adam took my jacket and hung it up alongside the others before shrugging out of his.

“Come on, we can’t keep the impatient omega waiting or we’ll have to hear him complain,” he teased, earning an indignant huff from Ollie.

“Don’t make me throw tinsel on you, too,” he warned.

“Fine, but I’m picking a new playlist,” I teased. “We need something a bit less cheery and a lot more rock.”

“Fine, fine,” Ollie conceded. “Only because you’re sexy.”

I blew him a kiss before snatching his phone off of the bar and finding the playlist that was labeled with my name. Having a joint music account meant he was always adding new songs he knew I liked so it was a mix of new and old.

As his song ended I hit play, switching it over and smiling as a lively blend of drums and guitars started to blare through the speakers.

“Awesome choice, Linds,” Dustin grinned, the two of us always on the same musical page.

“Now I can work,” I said as I grabbed a box and started to sort through the chaotic mix of decorations. “This place will be festive in no time.”

We worked together seamlessly, decorating the brewery until each strand of garland and decoration was hung with care. Of course Dustin and I sang at the top of our lungs, albeit badly, and Spencer and Ollie joined in on the songs they knew. I even caught my once grump of an alpha humming along.

The entire place looked like a winter wonderland. Lights hung from the rafters, dripping down like icicles while large ornaments and snowflakes were dotted throughout the space. We even put a giant blown up penguin in the corner next to our neon logo that made the perfect photo opportunity for patrons.

“We need to test it out,” Spencer announced, looking at our handy work.

“Once sec,” Dustin said, running to the back. A minute later he was there with Leander, our chef, who was looking awfully cheeky.

“I hear I’m here to be the official pack photographer?” he said, the amount of glee in his voice concerning. With the way his eyes had twinkled upon seeing my new mating mark on my neck, I knew without a doubt that the entire town would know exactly what had happened within the hour.

And you know what? For the first time, I didn’t feel any lingering anxiety over it.

A wave of warmth flowed down the bond from Adam as I dug out my phone and passed it to Leander. “That’s exactly why you’re here.”

Seeing the looks on the guys’ faces at my statement was worth every single moment to get here.

Spencer, Adam, and Dustin stood in the back by the adorable penguin, who we named Percy, while Ollie and I stood in front of them with wide grins on our faces.

“Say Blizzards and Brews!”

All of us laughed at his choice of words, knowing damn well they were what had brought us all together. We still had a long way to go, but today felt like the first day of the rest of my life.

The flash went off just moments before my phone started ringing. I went to take it from Leander only to see that Hunter’s name was flashing on the screen.

Unease filtered through me as I accepted the call, the guys looking at me with concern.

“Hello?”

“Hey Lindsay. You got a second?” Hunter asked, the tone of his voice not the least bit promising.

“What’s going on?” I questioned.

Hunter sighed. “I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is we found your house and we brought it back to your lot. The bad news is, it’s not in good shape, Linds. We’re still trying to find Jason and I called in a few more favors out of state. I’m doing everything I can.”

“I know you are,” I assured him, swallowing the harsh lump in my throat. Adam came up to me then, raising his eyebrow questioningly as he pulled me against him and wrapped me in his arms, as if somehow getting drowned in his caramel-latte scent would take care of everything.

“I’ll let you know when I have another update,” he said, his voice gruff. “I know it’s not my place to ask, but can you call Autumn soon? I can’t keep this from her anymore. You know how much she and the girls care about you.”

“You can tell her and she can kick my ass later,” I said with a humorless laugh. “Tell her I’ll buy the first round next girls’ night and fill her in then.”

We hung up quickly after that, but that numb, surreal feeling still lingered around my brain at the news.

“I need to go,” I said, looking up to the guys.

Dustin pulled his keys from his pocket. “Where are we going, Linds?”

My heart throbbed at his words. His steadfast assumption that they’d go wherever I went.

“They found my house, and put it back on my lot. Apparently, it’s not in good shape, but I need to see it. I need to know…”

There were things that were replaceable and things that were not, and until I had the full details I knew I wouldn’t be able to begin fully processing.

“We’ve got you, firefly,” Adam promised.

I’d never been more grateful that we’d hired holiday help then when we were in the truck five minutes later. Adam and Dustin were in the front while Spencer and Ollie had me crushed between them in the back.

The two of them were purring, the sound a comfortable hum as I closed my eyes and rested my head against Spencer’s chest.

When I felt the truck stop, I almost didn’t want to open my eyes.

“Angel,” Spencer said, stroking my hair. “Whatever we find in there, we’ll face together. You’re not alone.”

I opened my eyes, finding his emerald ones on mine. Spencer and I may have not known each other as long as I had known the triplets, but there was no denying the connection between us. I’d felt it the first time I met him and it only had gotten stronger since.

“Let’s do this,” I said, finding my backbone again and steeling myself for whatever there was to find.

As we exited the car I saw that the house mostly looked the same on the outside, aside from my missing windchimes and bench I put on the small, outdoor porch.

It wasn’t until I walked through the front door that I realized exactly all I had lost.

The entire place was bare. Not even a single photo was left on the walls.

I’d purchased a tiny home for a reason, but it had never felt bigger than it did now, even with four extra bodies inside it.

My fingers trailed over the ripped wallpaper as I let out a deep breath. The guys seemed to know I needed a minute, but that didn’t stop me from feeling the tension in the air. Spencer and Adam were pumping out pheromones something fierce, and I could feel the residual anger down the bond.

There was one last place I had to check and I hoped against hope it was still intact. I’d never told anyone about it, but seeing the state of the rest of the place didn’t have me feeling particularly hopeful.

Walking over to the stairs that led up to the loft I went to the fifth stair up, running my fingers under the edge for the hidden latch. I held my breath as it opened, my built in safe coming into view, fully closed. Punching in the code I was relieved to find all my important documents there, including the remaining photos I still had of me and my parents. There was some emergency cash there too, but truthfully, I kept most of my funds in the bank.

I was angry, sad, and thankful all at the same time.

I’d lost so much this past month but I’d also gained the world too.

The anger I felt from the bond turned steadying as the guys gathered around me, and I could only imagine how it would feel if I had more bonds than Adam. Their support meant the world, and I realized it didn’t make me weak to lean on them, it just made me human. I’d do the same for them in a heartbeat.

My past might have been gone, but my future was right before me.