“I think we found the first thing,” Boone said, going over and plucking one and putting it into my arms.
I immediately snuggled it, the soft fibers feeling so good against my skin. If only it smelled better, maybe I could use it in one of the guys beds for my own pillow for a while. Lord knows I was probably only in my own bed a couple of nights a week, and even then usually Jack or Boone stayed with me.
They started doing it after the storm and it was something that just stuck. Even Boone admitted that he’d been sleeping better through the night when we all were together.
“Okay, yes, this is totally mine,” I agreed. “What’s next? What are y’all looking for?”
“Sheets,” Jack said, steering us to the wall of neatly folded colors that were broken down by textile. “Which ones do you like the best?”
“For what?” I questioned, looking at the wall of choices and then back to the guys.
“Well we need three sets,” Boone said, running a hand over his beard. “One for my room, one for yours, and then one for the new bed upstairs.”
It took a second for my brain to process the words. The only thing that was upstairs was the attic.The nest. The last time I checked it didn’t have a bed in it.
“The bed Hunter ordered for the room came in yesterday while you were out meeting with mom and Boone grabbed the final pieces to finish the frame he made for it earlier at work,” Jack said, answering my question. “Now all you need to do is pick out what kind of sheets you want. We figured you’d probably want to feel them and we weren’t sure which color you’d prefer. Actually we should probably get a couple of packs for that bed, we don’t have any spares like we do for the ones downstairs.”
A squeak may have left my lips as I tried to calm my racing thoughts. Sure I’d bought a couple of things here and there, and things had been mysteriously appearing around the house like a special coffee cup just for me and the incredible blanket Hunter had covered me up with one night, that was obviously new and I promptly loved and claimed as mine much to the alpha’s delight.
Of course, I may have asked him to have a movie night and all but curled into him, but that was pretty much the best part.
“You okay there, baby girl?” Boone said softly into my ear. “Is this too much?”
I shook my head. “No…just a bit unexpected? I mean logically I know that I’m going to be using that space, but I think it just hit me?”
Jack crowded closer the two of them forming my own little cone of privacy.
“What just hit you?” my beta questioned.
“I’ve never actually had a nest before,” I admitted. “Well, I mean, I’ve always made a small area in my room, but never one that I was actually going to spend my heat in. Not one that I could actually pick out sheets for ahead of the time.”
A low purr spilled from Boone, the question in both of their eyes clear. “Why not, baby girl?”
“I was in school by the time my first one hit, and it made the most sense to just reserve one of the secure rooms in the city,” I said with a shrug. “You could only bring one bag of things with you, and they aren’t anything special, but it was the best I could make of the situation. I didn’t want to risk riding it out in the dorms and I certainly didn’t want to find anyone to ride it out with there, they’d take that as an invitation of some kind. That’s when I tried those suppressants I mentioned, but it didn’t work out, so I just kept using the secure rooms throughout school and then for my graduate program too.”
“Then today should be even more exciting and special,” Jack said, threading his fingers through mine. “We’ll make sure you have everything you need or want. No more sterile impersonal rooms that probably make your heat harder to get through.”
“Understatement,” I said, with a slight grimace. “You guys don’t have to do this for me though, I know I haven’t made any firm decisions about whether I want you guys there or not—”
“And you don’t have to, Autumn,” Boone said, seriously. “This isn’t about that. This is about us wanting to do something for you where the only ulterior motive is to make you smile. Even you letting us shop and help this way is a gift for us.”
“It’s home,” Jack said, simply. “We want you comfortable.”
I sucked in a deep breath, clutching Jack’s hand and my apple pillow simultaneously. They might have said that this was a gift for them, but truly it was a tremendous one for me. Deciding not to overthink things, I gave them a smile and a nod as I let that tendril of excitement bloom in me.
“I’m not sure if they have it here, but do you think we could get some sheer curtains or a canopy too?” I asked, softly. “I love the skylight but I know I’m going to probably want to feel a little more enclosed sometimes.”
“We can totally do that,” Jack nodded seriously. “What color do you want?”
“Maybe a light gray?”
“Done,” Jack said, looking like a beta on a mission. “Let me go and grab one real quick while you and Boone finish deciding on sheets, I’ll be right back.”
Best date ever.
“Even better than the seasonal Halston bowlathon?” Boone teased, a rare smirk on his lips.
“Damn it, I only usually do that with Hunter,” I pouted once I realized I’d spoken my thought out loud. “But I don’t know, the sheer number of times the good Sheriff got a gutter ball and that sexy slide Jack does were pretty noteworthy. Now if you were shirtless when you bowled all those strikes I’d have to consider it, bear.”