Levi squirmed. “I’m not on speaking terms with him.”
But that only piqued Olivier’s curiosity. “Why?”
“Because.” Levi glanced warily at the shopfront windows. “I’ll, um, work on the inventory.”
Ollie followed Levi into the backroom, studying the silvery bite mark on Levi’s neck. “Because he’s your ex?”
Levi’s ears turned pink. He shoved his glasses up his nose, pulling out the inventory sheets—he usually avoided those at all costs.
“C’mon, don’t tell me you’ve forgotten what he smells like,” Olivier said.
Levi didn’t answer. But from the way his nose twitched, it seemed like he was sniffing. He remembered Cole’s scent, didn’t he? Did he want Cole back?
“Why’d you break up?” Ollie nudged him. Was it because of something small? Because they weren’t compatible?
Or had something terrible happened between them?
The bells on the front door jingled. Levi sucked in a sharp breath, his face growing inscrutable.
“Levi,” Ollie said. What had Cole done?
“I’m not here,” Levi said, glancing warily at the backroom entrance.
Giving up, Olivier wandered back into the shop. At the front door, Eric took Jenn from Cole, giving her a noisy kiss. Jenn kissed Eric back; Olivier’s heart melted. Jenn learned to kiss?
“Jenn!” Eric said, beaming. “How have you been?”
“Dada,” she said, patting Eric on the chest.
Eric’s smile widened. “Missed you, too. Thanks for watching her, Cole.”
“Anytime.” Cole shrugged.
Eric turned Jenn around, meeting Ollie’s eyes. “You think? Want her as your own?”
And Ollie stopped breathing. If he accepted Jenn as his own, if he became Jenn’s father... “Do you think she’ll be okay with it?”
Eric tilted his head to look at Jenn. “What do you think, Jenn? Want Ollie to be your Papa?”
Jenn nodded. Ollie didn’t know whether to laugh or cry; Jenn was too young to make that decision. “I meant—I meant whether Alice will be okay with it.”
Eric flashed a wry smile. “I think Alice would love to have you watching over Jenn.”
Then he handed her to Ollie. Ollie squawked, taking Jenn into his arms on instinct. She was soft and warm, heavier than before, and she smelled like soap.
If what Eric said was true, if Alice would be okay with Olivier adopting her daughter... I’m sorry I ever said anything bad about you, Alice, Olivier thought, his heart wringing tight. I hope you’ll forgive me for that.
Around him, the shop was quiet, the streets calm outside. Was that a sign of Alice’s goodwill? Ollie swallowed. Maybe things would work out, after all. And he’d always be grateful for having Jenn in his life.
“Hey,” he said quietly, meeting Jenn’s vivid green eyes. “It’s been a while. Remember me? I’m Ollie.”
“Ollie,” she said, grinning. She had more teeth now, and she seemed to understand him better. “Play?”
It was as though he’d never left. As though she wanted to have Ollie in her life all along.
Olivier swallowed hard. Imagined this baby as his own. Somewhere out there, perhaps Alice was watching them.
“Sure. I’ll play with you,” he murmured, hugging Jenn close.
Jenn patted him, and a smile crept through Olivier’s face. He truly would do his best as her father. He wanted to make Eric proud. And Alice, too.
When he looked past Jenn’s shoulder, Cole was handing a tiny black box to Eric. “Thought you might want this,” Cole said.
Eric’s eyes widened. Then he pocketed the box, glancing up at Olivier. Eric’s cheeks darkened.
“You’re actually blushing,” Ollie said, glancing at the bulge in Eric’s pocket. In all their time together, he hardly remembered Eric being flustered at all. “What was that?”
“Just a box,” Eric mumbled.
Cole coughed discreetly. “Well, I’m leaving,” he said. “Gonna sleep a bit before my shift starts. Busy times at the station. Bunch of fires in the summer.”
“Take care,” Eric said. “I’ll be moving my things out soon.”
“Sure,” Cole answered.
“Have you seen Levi?” Olivier blurted. Before mending his relationship with Cole, Ollie wouldn’t have dared tease him like this. He still was a little nervous, but it was an improvement from before. “Levi’s in the backroom somewhere.”
Behind them, Levi groaned.
Cole paused, glancing at the backroom doorway. Then his nostrils flared—as though he was sniffing through the mess of woodsy, grassy, and floral smells for Levi’s jasmine scent.
He must’ve found it, because an odd, unreadable look flitted through his face.
Eric met Olivier’s eyes; Ollie shrugged innocently.
“I smell him,” Cole said quietly.
Olivier waited, but Cole didn’t move. He wasn’t chasing Levi down.
Ollie hid his disappointment. After all, when you’d just bonded with your alpha again, you wanted everyone else to share that same happiness, right?
“See you around,” Cole said. Then he slipped out of the shop, the door swinging shut behind him.
Olivier sighed.
“What was that about?” Eric’s forehead creased.
“He’s Levi’s ex,” Ollie whispered. Eric stared at him, aghast. “They used to be bondmates.”
Eric looked at the backroom entrance, and then Cole’s retreating figure down the street. “So you gonna get them back together?”
With the way Levi and Cole hadn’t run out to meet each other, though, Olivier wasn’t sure. Their problems seemed too big for him alone to deal with. “I don’t know.”
Eric sighed, gathering Olivier and Jenn in his arms. “Then we’ll wait, but we’ll help if they need it,” Eric murmured. “Some things can’t be rushed.”
“Like you and me?” Ollie smiled wryly.
“Exactly.” Eric grinned, kissing Ollie on the forehead. Jenn kissed Ollie on the forehead, too. Ollie laughed.
“You’ll need to tell me all about Jenn,” Ollie said. “She’s learned a lot!”
“I taught her how to kiss,” Eric said, his chest puffing out with pride. “She learned your name, too. And she’s been reading books—she likes this one animal book with the flaps on the page. I gotta show you that. And she knows where her nose is, too. Jenn, where’s your nose?”
Jenn fumbled a little, pointing to her own nose. Ollie melted, his heart swelling for her.
“You’re so delightful,” he murmured, ruffling her hair. Jenn babbled at him.
“You’re delightful, too,” Eric said, dropping a kiss on Olivier’s nose. Jenn leaned in, planting a sloppy kiss on Olivier’s face.
Ollie looked at them both, his heart fluttering. With Eric and Jenn back
