The Omega's Heart (Wilde Creek Four) (19 page)

“Of course I do.”

He kept hold of Honey’s hand, but leaned down
and hugged his mom, folding her into his embrace as she started to
cry. Honey’s own eyes stung with tears at the sweet sight.

“I forgive you, Mom,” he said with a low
voice.

“Thank you,” she whispered back.

Honey brushed a tear from her cheek and
smiled at Yolanda as Jeremiah straightened. They hugged briefly and
Yolanda said, “When you’re ready for visitors, I’d love to see your
house.”

“Okay, Mom. I’ll talk to you next week,”
Jeremiah said. He opened her car door for her and shut it after she
got in. They watched her pull out of the parking lot and then they
walked to his truck.

“How are you doing?” she asked, leaning
against his shoulder as he started the engine.

“Good. It went better than I thought.”

“I’m glad. Without her, our kids wouldn’t
have a grandma. That would be a shame. Grandmas are wonderful for
spoiling their grandkids.”

Laughing, he kissed the top of her head, and
they headed back to their street to get back to their job. She was
happy for him. She would have understood if he’d wanted to cut his
mom out of his life entirely because of what the past years had
been like between them. He had a big heart, though, and Yolanda had
been sincere.

“I guess sometimes fate isn’t so nice with
finding mates,” she mused.

“I’m thankful that fate gave me such an
amazing mate.”

“No matter what happens with our kids, we’ll
never leave them to fend for themselves,” she promised.

“Damn straight,” he said, his knuckles
tightening on the wheel for a moment before he relaxed.

She didn’t know what the future held for
them. When her heat cycle started in September, if she and Jeremiah
chose to have a child then, nine months later they would be
bringing a pup into the world. Maybe their pup would shift into a
wolf someday, or maybe not, but in her mind it really didn’t
matter. She vowed right then that regardless of the outcome of
their combined DNA, her kids would grow up proud and confident in
themselves, knowing that their parents always had their backs.

Chapter 14

*Two Weeks Later*

Jeremiah spread grape jelly on toast and
arranged the triangles on a plate on either side of a ham and
cheese omelet and a pile of home fries. He’d been careful to get up
early without waking Honey. It was Valentine’s Day, and although
Brynn and Acksel were getting married that night, it was still a
day that Jeremiah wanted to celebrate with his mate before they had
to go help get things set up.

He put Honey’s plate on a tray along with a
cup of coffee fixed the way she liked and a glass of orange juice.
He pulled open the bottom drawer and lifted a stack of dish towels,
extracting a small velvet-covered box. His heart began to hammer in
his chest as he squeezed the box and straightened. This was it. He
was going to walk into the bedroom where his mate was sleeping and
ask her to marry him. They were mated – they wore each other’s
marks and were living together – but the legal marriage was as
important to him as the wolf side of his heritage. He wanted her to
have his last name, to be the woman he could introduce to people as
his wife.

He took a deep breath, shoved the box into
the back pocket of his jeans, and picked up the tray with her
breakfast. As he walked to the bedroom, he thought over what he was
going to say, because he wasn’t just asking her to marry him, he
was going to tell her the truth of his feelings. He was going to
lay it all on the line out there. He was pretty sure that she loved
him, but they hadn’t said it to each other yet, and he couldn’t ask
her to marry him before he told her he loved her. He didn’t want
her to think that he was asking her for any reason other than the
way he felt about her.

He set the tray on the dresser and climbed
into bed, curving around her back and snuggling against her
neck.

“I smell ham.”

He chuckled softly into her neck. “I couldn’t
pass up the chance to make breakfast in bed for you on our first
Valentine’s Day.”

She wiggled onto her back and cupped his
cheek. “You’re the best mate.”

“You haven’t even tasted breakfast yet.”

“I know it’ll be great.”

He reluctantly got up and picked the tray up
from the dresser. He knew if he stayed there in bed with her, he’d
never get on with the most important question he’d ever asked
anyone.

She wiggled to a seated position, pushing a
pillow behind her and tucking the blanket under her arms to cover
herself. He put the tray on her lap and leaned over to kiss
her.

“Where’s your breakfast?”

He sat down on the edge of the bed and picked
up the fork. “I made enough for both of us.”

“Did you?” She eyed the plate speculatively.
“I’m pretty hungry. There was this horny wolf in bed with me last
night. Kept me up late.”

He grinned and cut a wedge of omelet, lifting
it to her lips. She took the bite and made a satisfied sound that
traveled down his spine like an electric shock and straight to his
cock. She affected him like no other.

She took the fork from his hand and fed him a
bite. “I know you. If I don’t take the fork from you, you’ll never
eat.”

“Know me so well, do you?” he teased, taking
the fork back.

“I think so.” Her brows wiggled in jest.

They bantered as they took turns feeding each
other, and when the plate was empty and she patted her stomach with
a sweet smile and thanked him for breakfast, he carried the tray
over to the dresser and set it down.

He strode to the bed and sat down, picking up
her hand and lacing their fingers together. “Honey, I can’t tell
you what these last three weeks have meant to me. I never thought
I’d be lucky enough not only to have a mate, but to be blessed with
having the sweetest, most beautiful and selfless female ever.
You’ve got me, Honey, heart and soul. Everything I have, everything
I am or ever will be, is yours. I love you.”

Her eyes widened slightly and she rose slowly
to her knees and cupped his face. Her eyes were shining with unshed
tears. “Jeremiah Kincaid, I love you, too. You saved me. You gave
me my life back, and I don’t want to be anywhere but where you are,
forever.”

Their lips met and his blood heated as he
felt her warm, bare skin under his palms as the blanket fell away
between them. Although his wolf howled in protest, and his body
wasn’t too keen on it either, he pushed her away gently and reached
for the box in his back pocket.

She gasped, the quick intake of breath
telling him she wasn’t expecting him to propose. He opened the box
and showed her the eternity band covered with tiny diamonds. Taking
out the ring, he picked up her left hand and asked, “Will you marry
me, Honey?”

“Oh, Jer, I will. I so totally will,” she
gushed, tears slipping over her cheeks as he pushed the ring onto
her finger and then pulled her into his arms.

“Mine,” he said, smiling down at her as she
wiggled her fingers and looked at the ring.

“Yours.”

* * * * *

Jeremiah stood at the back of the family room
in Acksel and Brynn’s home and watched the ceremony between his
alphas. The room was full of their closest friends and the highly
ranked males and elders. Along the back, the omegas who had helped
to decorate the room stood silently, except for Kammie, who
sniffled quietly as she stood next to Honey.

He glanced down at his mate as she stood by
his side. The dress she had picked out was mint green and
strapless, hugging her curves and making him wish they hadn’t
needed to leave the house. She peeked up at him, her brown eyes
dancing with happiness. He wanted to kiss her and find the tiny
zipper at the back of the dress and see how quietly he could pull
it down. Her brow arched and she smiled in that secret way he
loved, when he could tell that she knew exactly what sort of dirty
thought was traipsing through his mind. She mouthed, “Love you,”
and he did the same back to her.

When the ceremony was over, they clapped and
then ducked quietly out of the room with the other omegas, grabbing
their coats and walking swiftly out the back door. They drove to
Luna’s, where the reception was being held. They’d already spent
time there making sure the other omegas were on track with the
decorating.

“Oh, it looks so amazing,” Kammie said as she
walked into Luna’s behind them.

“It really does,” Honey said.

The restaurant had been transformed. All of
the tables were covered with white linens, and the chairs had large
red bows tied at the back. In the center of each table was a
shallow bowl filled with water, candles shaped like flowers
floating in them. A garland of white silk flowers dotted with
cinnamon oil was draped along the front of the head table. Acksel
and Brynn would sit there, along with Mia, Malachi, Nila, and Brynn
and Acksel’s fathers. The center of the restaurant had been cleared
to make a dance floor, and a small DJ booth was against one
wall.

Pack members were already filing in. Jeremiah
directed two omegas to begin lighting the candles after he received
a text from Mia that said they were all on their way to the
restaurant. Honey left to help, and he walked into the kitchen and
found Quentin and Paula putting the finishing touches on the
food.

“You made the place look like a dream,
Jeremiah,” Paula said, smiling at him as she stuffed a tomato with
a mixture of cream cheese and chives.

“I can’t take the credit. Honey and Kammie
put their heads together for the decorations.”

“Don’t be modest,” Kammie said as she looked
at the cake she’d made for the couple. “It was a group effort.”

“The first of many weddings coming in the
pack,” Quentin said, smiling.

“I saw her ring, Jer. Congratulations. When’s
the big day?” Kammie asked.

“I think June. She wants it to be nice enough
so we can have the ceremony and meal outside.” The thought of
marrying her right away had floated through his mind, but he knew
it was okay to wait, too. There were a lot of weddings coming up in
the pack, and she was already his. There was no need to rush.

Honey came back in and said, “They’re coming;
we should line up and clap for them as they come inside.”

They all stopped what they were doing and
lined up at the back of the restaurant, which had filled swiftly
with pack members who hadn’t been invited to the wedding but were
joining in the celebration dinner. Jeremiah took his place next to
Honey, smiling down at her. Even when the alphas came through the
door, Jeremiah couldn’t take his eyes off his mate. She’d come to
mean everything to him.

He rested his hand on her shoulder and she
looked up at him. Her smile made him warm from the inside out. He
leaned down and whispered into her ear, “I’m so glad you’re
mine.”

She grinned, her eyes dancing with happiness.
“I wouldn’t want to be anyone else’s.”

When the wedding party was seated, Jeremiah
led Honey to the table where they would be sitting, and then joined
the other omegas in the kitchen. He didn’t want Honey carrying
plates of food. She and Kammie put their heads together and talked
quietly. Jeremiah, Adam, and Zander, the son of the owners, met in
the kitchen where pack members who were too young to shift and be
ranked were waiting in black dress pants and white shirts with red
ties.

Quentin said, “Zander and I are going to fill
the wine glasses. Jeremiah is going to handle the delivery of
platters. Be swift but careful, and for goodness sake remember to
serve the alphas first.”

Quentin and Zander headed out with wine
bottles in hand and Jeremiah began to pass out the appetizer
platters.

“What is this?” Julia, one of the females,
asked, looking at the two platters in her hands.

“This one is stuffed tomatoes and mini crab
cakes, and this one is stuffed mushrooms and burger sliders.” He
watched the young wolves walk into the room and set down the
matching platters on each table. Then he delivered the platters to
the table where Honey and Kammie sat.

“Oh, yum,” Honey said, reaching for a stuffed
mushroom. “I wish you didn’t have to miss everything.”

He kissed her forehead. “As soon as the
platters are delivered, I’ll sit down for a few minutes.”

As he walked away, he heard Kammie say, “You
guys are so cute together. I’m so happy for you both.”

He was damn happy, too.

The night moved swiftly. After the meal was
served, the couple cut the cake that Kammie had worked so hard on,
and Jeremiah was able to finally sit down and relax. The omegas had
done their job until the wedding was over and it was time to clean
up.

He speared a wedge of cake and lifted the
fork to Honey’s lips. She ate the bite and smiled at him, leaning
against his shoulder and sighing.

“Tired, sweetheart?”

“Nope. I’m just looking forward to getting
you home so I can give you my Valentine’s Day present.”

He looked down at her in surprise. “You
already gave me a watch, and you agreed to marry me, which is
really the best present ever.”

“Oh?” She gave him a mysterious look that
made his wolf perk up in curiosity. She leaned in close, her lips
brushing his ear as she whispered, “I’m wearing something
scandalously tiny and lacy under this dress. I picked it out
special for tonight.”

He growled lightly, wrapping his arms around
her waist and squeezing lightly. “Let’s go now.”

She chuckled. “We can’t. But later you can do
that thing with your claws and shred them.”

“Like that, do you?”

“I love it.” She tilted her head and looked
into his eyes. “I love you.”

He pulled her against him and sighed deeply,
happiness settling over him. “I love you too, sweetheart.”