Page 26 of A Snowy Escape

“Bryant really should have taken you to our house to ride out the storm,” Lawson says. “We have a whole-home backup generator. All right, let’s relocate to the bedroom.”

I nod as relief washes over me.

I really just want to snuggle with the delicious-smelling alpha and let him handle the stressful parts of being snowed in. That probably makes me weak, but it’s part of being an omega. I get overwhelmed when I have to make decisions.

I have no idea what I’m even doing with my life right now. Maybe Bryant was right when he said my guardian angel was responsible for the wrong turn that led me here.

Chapter Nine

Abby

“Are you doing okay over there?” Lawson asks as I flop around, trying to get comfortable.

He’s been super respectful of my space, staying on his side of the bed.

Echo lies on the bottom of the mattress, completely unbothered by the cold.

“Yeah, I’m good,” I lie. “It’s so quiet. I guess I’m used to having background noise or something. I don’t know.”

The wind occasionally howls outside. If it was nonstop, I’d probably be able to fall back to sleep with no problem.

“I sleep with a fan, no matter how cold it gets,” Lawson says. “I need the white noise to drown out Shadow’s snoring.”

“Do you miss him?” I ask, rolling over to face him.

“Ehh, it’s only been a day.” He chuckles. “Okay, yeah, I do. I know Luka and Bryant will take good care of him, but he’s still going to pout like hell when I get home.”

“That’s cute. You’re lucky you have family and friends who can watch him.” I scoot down, pulling the blankets even tighter around my throat.

It doesn’t help, and I shiver, making my teeth chatter. The sound is even more noticeable with the room being so quiet.

“Are you still cold?”

“It’s way better than it was before you came in,” I say, hedging my words. “But yeah, I’m freezing.”

“All right,” he says, scooting closer to the middle of the mattress. “Flip over. Let’s see if we can get you warm enough that you stop shaking.”

My body jolts into motion like he barked the command.

I settle on my side, facing away from him, and shimmy backward until I can feel the heat radiating off his front.

Omegas are the ones that run fevers during heats, but Lawson is warm, and I crave it. His citrus and pine scent makes my insides buzz.

This is so bad.

I’m still baffled how I spent so much time sniffing a million scent cards, only to run into a scent match in the middle of nowhere.

The massive alpha curls around me, tucking his knees under my thighs.

“Is this okay?” he asks, planting his hand on my stomach.

“Y-Yeah,” I choke out, nodding. “Jesus. You are so warm.”

“Glad to be of service.” He chuckles. “What are your plans for after the storm? Are you heading back to Georgia to live with your brother and his pack?”

“I’m not sure,” I say softly. “I think I mentioned that they just had a baby a few months ago. I don’t want to disrupt their lives. I already feel guilty for the time my brother spent financially providing for me after our mom died. I don’t know how they’ll feel about Echo. Even asking to stay in their garage apartment feels like too much. That’s also the first place Tommy will look for me. I have a little saved from what I got when Austin sold our childhood home. I just have to be really careful with that money until I find a job.”

“What kind of work are you used to doing?”