A Mate for Lu - Amy Bellows Page 0,33

is normal.

It doesn’t feel normal to me. My whole body is buzzing in anticipation of seeing Sam, to a degree that leaves me light-headed. I’m not sure that fated mates are supposed to be apart like this. At least not permanently.

I guess it doesn’t matter. He won’t even let me have a necklace for his pebble.

At five o’clock, there’s a knock at the door.

Mary squeals and toddles toward the living room. Morgan and Parker dash inside before I can get to the door, with Jesse following behind them. Sam calls out, “Wait for him to answer the door!”

I smile. Parker grins at Mary and pokes at her belly playfully. She lets out a delighted shriek that’s a little too loud. Jesse sweeps Mary up in their arms. It’s almost as if they know they’re step siblings. Sam watches them with a warmth in his eyes, then he turns to me.

We don’t say a word. We can’t kiss or hug each other. But his physical presence calms me in a way a Skype call never will.

“Hey,” he says.

“Hey.”

Jesse looks up from tickling Mary. Their eyes dart back and forth between Sam and me.

Sam flinches and turns away from me. He holds out his arms for Mary. Jesse passes Mary over with a question in their eyes. Sam has spoken to Mary plenty of times, but he’s never held her.

“Hello, Miss Mary. Would you like to read a book with me?” he asks.

She beams up at him. “Book!”

Sam doesn’t know that he’s fulfilling my ultimate fantasy as he sits with Mary on the couch and bends over for a board book. Mary snuggles into his lap while he reads to her with his deep, reverberating voice.

I watch a little too closely until I realize Jesse’s eyes are still on me.

“Do you want to help me dish up dinner?” I ask.

“Okay.”

Jesse follows me into the kitchen. The house is open-concept, so I can still see Sam in the corner of my eye. He’s finished the first book, and is starting on a second.

“I’m glad that you’re friends with my dad,” Jesse says quietly.

I pause in front of the rice cooker. “You know it’s against the rules, right?”

“Sometimes the rules are stupid.”

Spoken like a true teenager. Sam is going to have his hands full pretty soon. I open the cupboard next to the sink and pull out six plates. “Want to set the table?”

They take the plates from me and disperse them around the table. They do look thinner, but their sweatshirt and baggy pants hide the shape of their body.

Just like me.

I remember when I presented as an omega at thirteen. I looked at the big portion sizes my alpha father ate after a day of welding, and the comparatively small amount of food my omega father ate, and I adjusted my eating habits accordingly.

Is Jesse doing the same?

I bring the rice cooker over to the table. Normally, I’d serve myself less rice than everyone else. But this time I make all of the portion sizes even, except Mary’s. I do the same with the fish and the beans. Jesse scans the table, and I can see the wheels in their head turning. I wonder if Sam knows how observant his child is.

We won’t be able to keep our secret from them.

“Will you get the utensils?” I ask.

Jesse beelines straight for the drawer where I keep all of my forks, knives, and spoons.

Morgan sits down at the table. “You cook better than Dad.”

In the corner of my eye I see Sam’s smile at that remark.

“Don’t say that. It’s rude,” Jesse whispers.

Parker scoots in next to Morgan on the same chair. I need to get a bigger table.

Sam carries Mary to the table. Normally, she sits on my lap, but he sets her on his knee and reaches for the plate with the toddler-sized portions.

“It’s fine. You’re right. I’m not a very good cook. Maybe Lu could give me a few pointers.”

Jesse watches us both closely. They’re not sure if there’s something going on between us yet.

Underneath the table, I feel something press against my shoe. Sam smiles at me while he cuts up Mary’s food. I glance down to see his foot against mine.

He’s playing footsie with me.

For a moment, everything is perfect. Morgan makes up a silly song about halibut, Parker complains about how annoying it is, and Jesse eats. Really eats.

Mary tries to give her food to Sam, who eats it from her small spoon, while offering her pieces of fish