Poor Sienna looked so frazzled. She immediately threw down her spatula and gathered Lukas into a hug.
“About time you two showed up. I thought they were going to eat me alive!”
“Sienna, they’re little girls, not crazed carnivorous beasts,” Owen snickered.
“Well, you didn’t see the way they were eyeing these burgers and hotdogs.” Sienna motioned to her stove, her hand on her hip. “I swear they were sizing me up to see if they could get me out of the way.”
“I mean, they do smell fantastic. Might have to smack me with a spatula too,” Lukas said.
“Why, I would never…!”
Sienna cut herself off mid-sentence when she saw Owen inching closer to the stove. Quick as a flash, she smacked Owen, and shooed him away.
Owen cradled his injured hand with a mock pout.
“I thought you said you wouldn’t smack!”
“Never said I wouldn’t smack you. As punishment for your sassiness, you are hereby designated as the impromptu party game director. Hop to it!” Sienna pointed outside.
“But–” Owen protested.
“Go! Anyone who dares steal from my kitchen is banished until further notice.”
Owen skulked outside, and Lukas felt a shiver run down his spine when Sienna turned to him.
“And you. I need your baking expertise. Help me finish up these cupcakes, please.”
“Cupcakes and cake? Are you insane?”
“Nah, I’m feeling lucky,” Sienna tossed a wooden spoon to him and motioned to the pantry.
Losing track of time was easy as he baked to his heart’s content. He made enough cupcakes to feed a small army, which was quite fortunate, considering there was a small army of mermaids and sea creatures just mere feet away.
Lukas watched as twelve young girls dressed in bright colors and adorned with plastic jewelry circled Owen. Or, more specifically, circled the circle of chairs Owen was standing in.
He balanced a small boom box on his shoulder as he twisted and shifted along to the tunes, waiting for the best, or worst, time to stop the song and send the young girls scrambling for a chair.
Lukas thought to himself as he idly watched the spectacle. It reminded him of a nature documentary he had watched a few months back.
“They circle and circle, closing in ever-so-slightly, waiting to strike,” Lukas said absent-mindedly while waiting on some cupcakes to come out of the oven.
“What are you talking about?” Sienna questioned, coming over to watch the spectacle. Giggling, she pried open the window further and stuck her head out.
“Little baby sharks!” She leaned out the window and yelled, “Better watch out, Owen, their teeth are sharp!”
“What!?” Owen yelled back, spinning around to pinpoint the voice over the music in his ear.
This action proved to be his downfall, as the boombox almost slipped from his shoulders. His fingers brushed the buttons, effectively silencing the music. All at once, twelve little girls scrambled to get to the last seashell chairs, and one girl flew into a chair and sent it toppling back into Owen.
“Oh, sea biscuits, I’m hit!” Owen yelled. He theatrically dropped to the ground before being covered by a giggling dogpile of children.
“Think we should rescue him?” Sienna asked.
“I don’t think there’s any hope of rescue. He knew the dangers of this party before he set foot into your yard. His fate is in their hands now.”
“I think not, Lukas. They may be numerous, and they may be ravenous, but I am the true master of the party, and they respond to my command.”
“How? They’ve already taken down an alpha, and that isn’t even their final form. How will you get them to listen to you?” Lukas asked.
“Simple, my minion. Simple.”
Sienna rubbed her hands together.
“Alright, girls, grub’s on!” Sienna yelled out the window.
Lukas watched as the girls scrambled off the wounded alpha, eager to devour their food before the presents were opened. As the dust settled, he heard Owen groan. Sienna hadn’t been lying when she said these little girls were ferocious.
Lukas smiled as he saw Hazel stand next to Owen, looking down at him. She extended her small hand down to the alpha.
“Oh, little princess, you’ve come to my rescue.” Lukas heard Owen say as he stretched out on the grass before carefully sitting up.
“I can’t leave you out here. You have to help us eat all this food,” Hazel grinned, pulling on his shirt sleeve until he stood up. “Besides, I know Lukas would be sad if you stayed out here all day.”
“Can’t argue with you there, kiddo. I’d be sad if I had to stay outside all day away from him, too,” Owen snickered. He let the little girl lead him toward the house.
“Come on, Mama’s gonna start without us!” Hazel tugged on Owen’s hand, dragging him toward the side door.
“Oh, goodness, we can’t have that!”
Lukas smiled as Owen picked up his pace, ushering the girl into the house ahead of him.
“The princess has arrived!” Owen announced mimicking fanfare with a nearby empty paper towel roll. “Let the festivities begin!”
* * *
Lukas sighed, slipping his apron over his head and folding it. Wait. Not his apron, thankfully. Neon pink really wasn’t his color; it didn’t do anything for his complexion. He had borrowed Sienna’s apron since he hadn’t expected to do any baking outside of his house.
The girls were finally fed and happy, having eaten as fast as they could so they could open gifts as soon as possible. Now they just had to finish dessert. Lukas gladly took this moment of peace to lean back against the counter, careful not to disturb the leftover food.
“You should eat, babe. You didn’t have anything this morning before we left. I promise you, Sienna is not a bad cook,” Owen whispered, smirking when Sienna waved her spatula at him.
Owen leaned back against the counter next to Lukas before biting into his burger.
“I know she’s good now, but I was her guinea pig for a while when she first started cooking, and that’s something you never forget,” Lukas grimaced.
“Maybe you can get a bit of rest in before they start opening gifts?”
“I can’t leave you and Sienna alone with an entire army sitting in this kitchen, especially not when they’re about to hit a sugar high,” Lukas said.
Lukas jumped when Sienna suddenly appeared next to him.
“Go rest, you doof. I command thee.” She pointed to the hallway. “Guest room is calling your name, so go make yourself comfy. I’ll come get you when they start opening gifts.”
“But–”
Lukas’ words caught in his throat when Sienna’s motherly gaze turned ice-cold.
“Yes, ma’am,” Lukas squeaked. His voice was suddenly small as he retreated to the guest room, leaving Owen with a quick kiss. He heard Sienna put Owen in charge of snack distribution as he entered the guest room.
Exhaling slowly, Lukas closed the door behind him, leaning against it for a moment before stepping further into the homey bedroom.
“Still looks the same.”
He had spent a lot of time in this room when he first came to Boston. Memories started flowing back as he sat on the bed. He fell back, leaving his legs dangling over the edge. His eyes drifted shut. He knew the noise outside would never allow him to go into a deep sleep, but he felt his muscles slowly relax, his only company being his thoughts.
It really had been five years. He had practically watched Hazel grow up. He had his own place, a job he loved, and now his dork of an alpha.
Time stretched on, and the most bizarre thoughts flitted through his mind as sleep crept closer. He knew he was close to falling asleep whenever he lost his train of thought mid-thought. It was as simple as going, going, gon–
Lukas’ eyes shot open as he felt a surge of nausea wash over him. Not thinking, he rushed out of the room to the bathroom across the hall. He heard a clamor in the k
itchen as he accidentally slammed the door.
He didn’t remember getting sick. The next thing he knew, Sienna was rubbing his back and asking Owen to keep an eye on the girls.
“You never get sick, Lukas. Did you eat anything funny?” Sienna asked.
“I actually haven’t eaten anything in a couple of days. I’ve been too tired to really be hungry,” Lukas said.
Sienna froze, eyeing the bite on Lukas’ neck.
“Have you checked your mark?”
Lukas tensed up and leaned back against the tub as he felt the last wave of nausea pass. “I haven’t. You don’t think…?”
“May I check?” Sienna whispered.
Lukas carefully turned around, exposing his back to his friend, shuddering at the sudden chill on his skin.
“Oh, my God, I’m gonna be an auntie,” Sienna said warmly. She lightly traced her finger around the mark on the back of Lukas’ shoulder blade.
“How’s it look?” Lukas asked.
“It’s a brilliant shade of red. You’re a few weeks along, at least. Maybe a month.” Sienna smiled, hugging Lukas.
The world seemed to get brighter as it finally hit him. Lukas didn’t know whether his pounding heart meant joy or fear. Maybe both.
“Oh, Owen… When should we tell him? Shit, how is he going to react?”
“He probably already knows, but tell him as soon as you get out of this bathroom, you doofball! He’s gonna be ecstatic!” Sienna pulled Lukas to his feet.
Wobbling, Lukas grasped the sink to balance his weight. He didn’t feel like crushing Sienna in her own bathroom. That would require too much paperwork.
“Go rest for a while longer. I’ll sneak you some Sprite and crackers.” Sienna pushed him back toward the guest room.
“About that…” Lukas snickered as he saw Owen come around the corner.
“Who’s watching the kids?” Sienna asked warily, narrowing her eyes.
“Andre and Dahlia showed up, don’t worry. They started opening gifts already,” Owen said. “Are you okay, love?”
“I’m okay. Just need a bit of rest.” Lukas wrapped his arms around Owen’s waist, resting his head against the other man’s chest.
The sound of rustling paper came from the kitchen, with excited voices following.
“She must have found the Merida doll,” Sienna giggled.
“Mama, look what Mammy and Papaw got me.” Hazel ran around the corner, skidding to a stop to avoid running into Owen. She held up the doll in the box to show Lukas and Owen. “Look!”
“Very beautiful, sweetie. Mammy knew you’d like that.” Sienna pulled Hazel into a hug.
Hazel seemed to notice that Lukas wasn’t quite himself.
“Are you okay? Mama said to stay out of the bathroom when she ran off. Did you get sick?”
Lukas’ eyes burned with fatigue, but he realized his body was humming with positive energy.
“I’m okay. Don’t worry about me right now. You should get back to your friends. They’re waiting for you.”
Hazel beamed as she sprinted back to the kitchen, prepared to open more gifts. Owen waited until he heard the sound of wrapping paper being torn up before he sighed.
“So, what’s going on? You both are acting stranger than normal,” Owen’s gaze drifted between the omegas.
Sienna and Lukas exchanged looks before Lukas smiled and took Owen’s hands in his.
“I’m pregnant.”
Owen was silent for a moment before a wide smile flashed across his face.
“So, it’s true! I thought my eyes were deceiving me. I mean, I caught a glimpse of your mark a few days ago. I thought it looked a bit swollen, but–!”
He squeezed Lukas against him in a tight hug before whispering apologies and loosening his grip.
“You won’t break him, Owen. Trust me. Squeeze to your heart’s content,” Sienna smiled.
Another squeal came from the kitchen.
“And there’s the Jack Skellington action figure set.” Sienna looked at her imaginary wristwatch. “Three, two, one.”
“I got the skeleton, Mama.” The girl looked positively stoked as she ran around the corner to show off her new toy before she whispered sadly, “But my friends don’t know what movie he’s from.”
“They don’t know what they’re missing out on, sweetpea.” Sienna looked back at Owen and Lukas.
Hazel’s gaze bounced between the three. “So why are you hanging out here? Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Better than okay, short-stuff.” Owen crouched down to her level. “We’re gonna have a short-stuff of our own.”
“You and Lukas are gonna be daddies? When?” Hazel held Sienna’s hand as she bounced with excitement.
“Sometime around January or February, we think,” Lukas whispered.
Hazel grinned, running up to hug Lukas. “You’re gonna do good. You’ll be good daddies, just like mine.”
A small choked noise came from Sienna as she turned away for a moment. Lukas worked quickly to keep Hazel’s attention on him and Owen.
The girl reached up to her neck and opened her locket to reveal a small family portrait Lukas had seen countless times, and she showed it to Owen.
“That’s my daddy. I guess he spoke a bit weird because people would always talk about his voice. I think mama said he was from brit… British?”
Sienna’s voice was quiet. “Great Britain. His name was Kieran Adgate.”
A pale man with dark hair held Sienna close in the picture. A beautiful toddler smiled broadly, cradled by both parents in the center.
“He was a good man. You must miss him a lot, Hazel,” Lukas whispered.
“Yeah. I wish he could be here, so mama didn’t have to worry so much.” Hazel looked down at the locket, smiling. “Mama? Can we go show Daddy my new dolls later?”
Sienna had composed herself, quickly putting on a smile.
“Of course, sweetie. Once everything winds down around here, we’ll head out there. Now head on back to the table. I’m sure your friends miss you.”
“They all went outside. We already opened everything, so Mammy and Papaw are gonna play with us! Thank you for the food, Mama.” Hazel hugged her mom before turning to Lukas and Owen.
“And it better be a girl! We have too many boys at my school right now!”
Lukas laughed. “Yes, ma’am. We’ll do our best.”
The house was suddenly quiet as Hazel ran out the side door, eager to play with her friends. Sienna pulled both men into a hug.
“Thank you so much for all your help today. Both of you. I think I’m gonna get everything cleaned up, and then I’ll take Hazel over to the cemetery.”
“We’ll hel–” Lukas started.
“Don’t you dare offer to stay and help clean up. You’ve done enough. Go home and get some rest, you doof.”
“I see how it’s gonna be.” Lukas crossed his arms, smiling.
Sienna giggled, jabbing Lukas’ arm.
“Go on. You two have a lot to discuss and plan for.”
Owen peppered butterfly kisses all over the side of Lukas’ face. “And we have to get ready for the Heated Hullabaloo too. It’s in five days.”
“Oh, you’re right!” Lukas gasped, looking at the clock. “It’s already four, and we need to restock. More flour, eggs, sugar…”
“And so it shall be.” Owen grinned.
Lukas started dragging Owen to the side door. Pulling it open, he turned and pointed at Sienna, “You better be there. Don’t you try to weasel out of this one. I know where you live.”
Sienna gasped dramatically.
“But… how?” she asked, casually glancing around before smirking. “Get out of here, punk. Go do your thing.” She pushed them lightly toward the door, picking up wrapping paper on the way, and tossing it in a trash bag.
“And don’t worry, I’ll be there!” she yelled as they were almost to the car.
Owen whistled as they settled down in his car. Gripping the steering wh
eel, he asked, “Where to, babe?”
“There’s this great supermarket over near Codman Square.” Lukas smiled, making a list in his head as Owen fired up the engine.
“What’s so great about it, exactly?” Owen asked.
“We can bother my friend Eliseo if he’s working.” Lukas gave a thumbs up. “Now go, go, go!”
“Yes, dear.” Owen chuckled, and pulled away from the curb.
Chapter 14
“That’s good. Just a bit harder. Keep at it.” Lukas felt the sweat rolling down his neck. It was way too hot in here.
He heard Owen’s breath hitch as he moved a bit faster.
“Perfect. Just like that. Just a little more. Careful not to get it all over you. It’s a bit sticky,” Lukas purred.
“Uh, babe?” Owen shakily asked.
“What’s wrong? Don’t stop for too long.” Lukas stared at his mate with half-lidded eyes.
“You’re doing this on purpose.” Owen’s eyes narrowed. His arm was frozen mid-stir, batter dripping from his wooden spoon. A predatory smirk settled on his lips. “What? Are we stars in a cheesy porn movie now?”
Lukas gasped, covering his mouth. “I can assure you; I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Yeah, I know exactly what you’re doing, just like you know we have guests coming over soon. I’m hurt. Absolutely devastated. I love hanging out with people, but just for today, damn our social gatherings.”
“And why is that?”
Owen put down the bowl of batter he was mixing and slowly crowded Lukas up against the kitchen island, placing his arms on both sides of the omega.
“Because all that talk, that scent. I would love nothing more than to shove all this food to the side, and let it clatter to the floor. I just wanna bend you over this island and–”
The obnoxiously loud doorbell, followed by Mimosa’s barking, startled both men.
Starry Skies for My Omega Page 13