“Well, if the rain stays away…” I peer up at the sky, where blue peeks through thinning clouds. “We might have the Homestead ready by the end of the month.”
“That’s…” She counts on her mud-speckled fingers. “A lot of days.”
“Twenty-one, give or take,” I confirm. “But worth waiting for, don’t you think? We’ll have the kitchen working, and Sprinkles will have his princess castle again.”
Her face brightens. “And my bedroom with the treehouse?”
“Exactly.” I tap her nose, leaving a smudge of mud neither of us minds. “Much better than trying to fit into your cabin with all your uncles, aunt, and Sprinkles.”
She lets out a long sigh. “Uncle Nat snores. Louder than Sprinkles.”
“I’ve heard it before.” A laugh escapes me. “And, if you ask Uncle Holden, I bet he’ll whip you up some biscuits and gravy this weekend.”
“No, we’ll wait for you.” Quinn gives my jacketone last tug and releases me. “I’m going to tell Sprinkles you’re coming when the big house is ready. He’ll want to clean his fur.”
Proclamation made, she spins around and dashes back toward the center of the clearing, calling for the dog to follow.
Sprinkles bounds after her, his massive paws sending up sheets of water with each step.
I rise, my knees complaining after crouching in the damp ground, and notice Leif standing a few feet off. His focus stays on Quinn, touched with a quiet affection that goes far beyond responsibility.
“She talks about you all the time.” He rubs the back of his neck, the gesture almost shy. “Last week, she informed Blake that, when she grows up, she wants to be ‘tall like Emily and build houses for people.’”
A warmth spreads through me at his words. “She’s got good taste in career paths. Though, she might need to compromise on the ‘tall’ part.”
Leif chuckles, the pleasant sound wrapping around me. “According to her, being tall is a choice you make once you’re older, like settling on a favorite ice cream flavor.”
“If only it were that simple.” I wipe my hands on my already-ruined pants. “I would’ve picked strawberry if height came in flavors.”
His eyes crinkle at the corners. “She also claims you make the best hot cocoa. Better than Holden’s, which Blake says is ‘heresy’.”
“That’s because I cheat and use real cream,” I admit, pleased by the child’s assessment. “My gran always said if you’re going to indulge, do it all the way or not at all.”
“Wise woman.”
We fall into comfortable silence, standing side by side as Quinn splashes through the puddles with renewed vigor. Sprinkles circles her, stopping occasionally to lap at the water, his tail sending arcs of spray through the air each time it swings.
“This is good for her,” Leif says after a moment. “The last few days being sick in the cabin, with everyone crammed together and the rain keeping us inside, were hard on her.”
I understand without another word. “Kids need room to be loud. To sprint everywhere. To get filthy. She didn’t have much freedom before Blake brought her into his pack. Being cooped up only heightens her anxiety.”
“I picked up on that, based on things her uncles have said.” He turns toward me, sunlight illuminating the periwinkle blue of his eyes, the intensity stealing the air from my lungs. “I want to apologize.”
My brows shoot up. “Whatever for?”
“I treated you with unnecessary wariness when I first arrived, even after you helped me with those harassers.” He grimaces. “I should have treated you better.”
I cock my head in question. “Why?”
Startled, his brow furrows. “Because you were being kind?”
“But I could have been pretending so I could get close to you and take advantage. You had no way to know my motivations,” I point out. “Never apologize for putting your safety above the kindness of a stranger.”
A chuff of surprise escapes him, and the moment stretches between us, unexpectedly intimate. I find myself noticing details I’ve overlooked, like the slight curl at the ends of his hair where it’s beginning to dry, the strength in his forearms where his sleeves remain rolled up, and the way he occupies space without being imposing.
The exact opposite of every Omega I’ve met before, but not in an unappealing way.
Quinn’s squeal breaks the moment as Sprinkles shakes himself yet again, the spray catching her full in the face.