The Pretense (Men of Meadowfall Book 7)

by Anna Wineheart

  Cole set Jenn down, cupping Levi’s waist with one hand. Then he pulled the zipper up, his body warm behind Levi. Levi quelled the urge to lean into him. “We should hurry,” Levi mumbled, fumbling with his phone. “I don’t want to be late for the party.”

  “We could all go dressed as bees,” Cole said.

  Levi turned to stare. “I thought you wanted your sexy white shirt.”

  Cole grinned. “But we don’t have sexy white shirts for the kids.”

  Levi whacked his arm playfully. “No, we don’t want that!”

  “So bumblebees it is,” Cole said. “Makes us look like a family, doesn’t it?”

  He was inviting Levi to pretend with him, and Levi couldn’t resist. “All right.”

  Cole had the longest reach, so he was the one holding the selfie stick for the picture, his other arm wrapped around Levi’s waist.

  “Look at the smiley face,” Levi said, pointing at the sticker he’d stuck next to his phone’s secondary camera. On the screen, they were a colorful bunch—Jenn on Cole’s lap, Taylor in Levi’s arms. “Smile!”

  Jenn grinned. Levi smiled. Cole leaned in close, and kissed Levi on the cheek.

  “Cole!” Levi laughed. “That wasn’t a proper picture!”

  “Hell yeah, it was!”

  “Wanna kiss!” Jenn said. She reached across for Taylor and pulled him closer. As she leaned in to kiss his cheek, Cole brushed his lips against Levi’s ear, pressing the button on the selfie stick.

  He’d captured the picture. Levi reached for the phone, amazed when the second photo turned out sharp. It was the sort of picture you’d print on Christmas cards and send to everyone, showing off your perfect family.

  “Looks great,” Cole said, looking over Levi’s shoulder.

  Two kisses, Taylor yawning, and Cole’s eyes... they were fixed on Levi, all warm and fond. Levi’s heart skipped. “I’ll send it to Gran right away.”

  “What’s wrong?” Cole leaned away to study Levi better. “You don’t like it?”

  “No! It’s not that,” Levi said. Five weeks in, and it was still a surprise that Cole could read him so easily. What else had Cole found out about Levi, that Levi didn’t know?

  “You like me,” Levi mumbled when Cole nudged at him for an answer.

  Cole huffed. “Sure, if you can call it that.”

  “What, you don’t like me?”

  Cole rolled his eyes. “You think?”

  Judging by that look in Cole’s eyes... Cole did like him. But if it wasn’t like, then... what else was there?

  Levi stopped breathing. He can’t love me. He just can’t.

  But Cole was still watching him fondly, and Levi’s heart squeezed. “I like you,” Levi mumbled. “But just that.”

  At that, Cole’s expression grew inscrutable, like he was disappointed. He turned away, squeezing Levi’s waist. “C’mon, we’re gonna be late. But send both of those pics to me, too.”

  Levi sent them to Gran first, then Cole. “What, are you going to use them as your phone’s wallpaper?”

  “Maybe.” Cole glanced at his phone when it buzzed with the pictures. “Looks good.”

  He tapped on a few buttons, switching his home screen background to the picture with two kisses.

  “That’s cheesy,” Levi said.

  “That’s what a family with you would look like.” Cole met his eyes. He was being serious.

  Cole wants a family with me? Levi’s heart fluttered.

  “C’mon, Jenn, let’s head to the car. We’ve got everything packed.” Levi stood hurriedly, afraid. He already liked Cole. He didn’t want to fall in love, and then have his heart broken when Cole eventually left.

  Except Cole caught up with him at the front door, wrapping his fingers around Levi’s arm. His breath fell hot on Levi’s ear, and his lips brushed Levi’s skin.

  “I love you,” Cole murmured. “But no pressure. I don’t expect you to feel the same.”

  Then he brushed past Levi with Jenn, his ears pink.

  Levi stopped short at the front door, his heart pounding. Cole loved him. Cole really did. What do I do?

  His phone buzzed. When Levi looked down at it, he found a message from Gran.

  That’s adorable, Levi! I can’t wait for your baby to arrive.

  Levi swallowed hard. Should he reject Cole’s feelings, so Cole could have a chance with someone better? Neither of them was supposed to fall in love.

  He locked the front door, joining Cole at the car. Cole looked sidelong at him, as though waiting for his answer.

  “Gran messaged,” Levi said awkwardly. “She said she can’t wait for the baby to arrive.”

  Cole narrowed his eyes. “That’s it, I’m telling her about the miscarriages the next time.”

  “Don’t!” Levi squirmed. “I mean... she’ll start to wonder why I took up this... thing.” He waved vaguely at the mansion. “And she’ll realize I don’t plan to keep the promise.”

  Cole sighed. “Then we’ll deal with it. Unless you’d rather have the house.”

  Now that Levi had begun living in it with Cole, he’d realized that... the mansion wasn’t something he wanted that much, after all.

  Instead, it was Cole who had brightened Levi’s days here. It was Cole he thought about each day after work—returning to his alpha, sharing a bed with him.

  Levi gulped, looking down at his hands. “I’ll think about it.”

  Jenn and Taylor’s chatter filled the drive to the fire station. Cole reached over, his hand a comforting weight on Levi’s thigh.

  Smoke was coiling up from the back of the station when they arrived. Some people were crowded around a grill, and staff—both in uniform and casual clothes—milled around the place, children darting between them.

  And suddenly Levi felt really silly in his bumblebee outfit. He covered his face, pulling off his headband.

  “Hey.” Cole caught his hand, pulling into the staff parking. “It’s okay.”

  “I look silly,” Levi groaned, sinking down in his seat so he wouldn’t be seen. What had he been thinking, agreeing to wear Gran’s outfit to Cole’s department party?

  “We all do.” Cole grinned. “But that’s fine. The station’s like my second home, you know. We’re just another family there. Think about it. You’d feel good springing bumblebee outfits on your mom and dad and brothers, wouldn’t you?”

  Well... Cole had a point. Levi nodded slowly.

  “So it’s the same with these guys,” Cole said. “I can’t wait for you to meet them.”

  Cole stepped out of the car first. He opened the door for Jenn, rounding the trunk to pick Taylor out of his car seat. Slowly, Levi followed him out of the car. The spandex felt almost too revealing, suddenly.

  “Who is that—Oh, gods, it’s Cole!” someone called. Some of the conversations stopped as people turned to look. Levi froze, afraid of looking back at them.

  “Here, hold Taylor,” Cole said, handing the boy over. “It’ll help.”

  Levi took Taylor into his arms, waiting as Cole shut and locked the car. Taylor was warm and he squirmed, and it helped when Levi focused on his curious eyes. Then the four of them headed over to the party, where Cole waved.

  People waved back. There were friendly smiles on a number of faces, too many for Levi to memorize in one morning.

  And the scents were almost overwhelming—mostly woodsy from the alphas, with hints of grassiness from the betas, and floral notes from the omegas.

  Cole swept Jenn into his arms, leading Levi to a quiet corner. A few of the men followed them over.

  “This is Harris,” Cole said, clapping an older alpha on the shoulder. “He’s my team leader. Harris, this is Levi. And Jenn and Taylor.”

  Harris waved, looking very dignified with his salt-and-pepper hair. “Hi. Glad you’re joining us for a buzzing good time.”

  He grinned, and Levi flushed, embarrassed.

  “Hey, no flirting,” Cole said, elbowing his superior. “That’s my omega.�
��

  Levi gulped. It was different, hearing Cole’s possessiveness in public. I love you, Cole had said. And he meant it.

  Harris laughed. “You know I’ve already made commitments, Cole.”

  “Yeah, I do.” To Levi, Cole whispered loudly, “Harris is the only one of us who has an alpha and an omega. And they have three kids.”

  A younger omega stepped up next to Harris, a toddler in his arms. “Sam,” he said, holding his hand out with a smile. “Valen and I are married to Harris.”

  “Sam’s a chef at Wy’s Drive-In,” Cole said. “Have you been? If you haven’t, I’ll take you there sometime.”

  “No, I don’t think I’ve been there. What sort of food is it?” Levi shook Sam’s hand, relaxing when Sam grinned cheerfully.

  “We sell noodles in pork broth. And I really like your outfit,” Sam said in a conspiratorial whisper. “We have yellow aprons at the drive-in, but I could convince Wy to add some bumblebee stripes. They’re really cute.”

  Levi laughed. Harris glanced around, perking up when a fire truck pulled into the garage. “Hey, there’s V.”

  Harris waved. In moments, another alpha bounded over, stopping between Harris and Sam. Unlike Harris and Sam’s casual wear, Valen was dressed in the regular firefighter’s uniform.

  They made space for him, and Valen kissed them both soundly on the lips—Sam first, then Harris. Levi stared. He’d never seen a pair of alphas kiss.

  Would Cole find it weird to kiss another alpha? Levi shelved away the question to ask later.

  “This is Valen,” Cole said, grinning. “He used to be on my team, but he switched over to another one.”

  “What did I miss?” Valen asked, pulling Sam against himself. “Was out on a call. Nice outfits, by the way.”

  “Cole has an omega,” Harris said.

  “And kids already?” Valen’s eyebrows crawled up his forehead. “Wow, you move quick, bro. Last I heard, you were single.”

  “No, they’re my brothers’ kids.” Cole smiled, glancing down at Levi’s belly.

  “You have one on the way?” Valen blurted, his eyes lighting up.

  Levi sighed, squirming at the thought of talking about the baby at all. All of them looked at him; Cole hugged Levi closer. “We don’t know if it’ll work out,” Cole said, kissing Levi on the temple. “But we sure hope so.”

  There was a beat of silence, the others digesting the implications of Cole’s words.

  Sam was the first to speak. He handed his toddler over to Harris, then leaned in, giving Levi and Taylor a warm hug. “I know what it feels like. I’ve lost one of my own.”

  Levi winced, his heart aching for Sam. He wouldn’t wish miscarriages on anybody at all. Behind Sam, Valen bowed his head.

  “I’m sorry,” Levi whispered, hugging Sam back.

  “I believe in you. You’re strong, Levi. If you need someone to talk to, don’t hesitate to ask,” Sam said. “I’m either at the drive-in, or you could call.”

  “Thanks,” Levi answered, grateful. He was a stranger to all of them, and yet here they were, welcoming him, joking and offering support. And no one even laughed at the bumblebee outfits.

  “Right, I’m starving,” Valen said, sniffing at the grilled meat scents wafting over. “See you around, Cole and Levi.”

  He tugged Sam away with him, but Harris stayed behind.

  “Are these tykes the reason you’ve been tired?” Harris asked, giving Cole a pointed look.

  Cole smiled sheepishly. “Kinda. It’s also been a blast, though. They’re fantastic.”

  Jenn burped, and Cole’s smile grew.

  “I’d prefer you to be at your best,” Harris said. “Can you arrange for some help? Or plan better, at least.”

  Cole flushed, looking down. “I’ll work on that.”

  Harris clapped Cole on the shoulder, smiled at Levi, then turned away to trail after Sam and Valen.

  “We’ll figure something out,” Levi said, feeling bad for Cole. It was never good, having your supervisor call you out for something you could’ve prevented.

  Cole squeezed Levi’s hand, cheering up. “Yeah, we’ll figure it out.”

  It wasn’t really Cole’s fault that he’d been tired, though—Levi could’ve done more, too. Maybe he should’ve insisted that Cole sleep for a few more hours right before he went in for a shift.

  “One solution to that,” Brad said, stepping up to them with a wink. “Hire a babysitter.”

  Levi couldn’t help cracking a smile. He’d babysat for Brad a while back, when Brad was caring for his omega’s daughter, and when Brad and Ian had another child.

  Brad had his arm around Ian now, their son and daughter scampering nearby.

  “We’re totally stealing the bumblebee idea next Halloween,” Brad said. “Or maybe the next time there’s a dressing-up competition.”

  “Just don’t wear it to bed,” Ian said, smiling wryly. He was an older omega, and Levi had heard that Ian had once been Brad’s professor at the college.

  “Yeah? Who says I can’t wear it to bed?” Brad waggled his eyebrows, and Ian blushed.

  It was uplifting to see how these relationships had worked out—Harris with his two bondmates, and Brad with his teacher. None of them could’ve been easy, and yet...

  Levi squirmed, embarrassed that he had no idea how things between him and Cole would work out. He wasn’t so capable of bearing children, and Cole had his own misgivings.

  But at the party, no one cared about that. The firefighters were just happy to have Cole, Levi, and the children join them.

  One by one, Cole introduced Levi to the rest of the firefighters. They were curious about him, and a number of times, he received compliments on the bumblebee outfits.

  At one point, someone gathered all the available firefighters together for a group picture, and had Cole, Levi, Taylor, and Jenn stand right in the middle, surrounded by the firefighters and their families.

  “We’ll have that framed on the wall,” Valen told Cole. “And we’ll title that picture The Year of the Bumblebee Visit.”

  Cole rolled his eyes, punching Valen on the arm.

  “Do you think any of the alphas would like an omega?” Levi whispered to Cole when they had a quiet moment. “There are some single ones around that I found, but Micah’s forty and not so young anymore, so...”

  Cole growled, looking askance at him. “You were sniffing at all of them?”

  At the possessive look in Cole’s eyes, Levi blushed. “Why, are you jealous?”

  Cole wrapped his arms around Levi and Taylor, his eyes dark. “I don’t like it when you sniff at other alphas. Especially to find the single ones.”

  And Levi remembered those three words, all over again. His heart missed a beat. “I’m not looking for anyone for myself,” he said quietly. “But I want to help Micah. And maybe when Micah’s happy, you’ll forgive yourself and you can focus on your own future.”

  Cole stared at Levi for a moment. Then he hugged Levi tight. “Gods, I lo—Well.” Cole cleared his throat, his gaze intent, raking over Levi’s face. “You’re too good to me, Levi.”

  “I’m not.” Levi wet his lips nervously, wishing he could bring himself to say those three words back to Cole. “But I mean, I’m allowed to sniff at other alphas, right? If I don’t want them for myself.”

  “You can do anything you want.” Cole’s gaze pierced into him. “I don’t have to like everything you do.”

  But Levi craved Cole’s acceptance, and he craved for... well, more of Cole, period.

  “I...” Levi rolled the words across his tongue, wondering if this was the right time to say anything about what he felt. If he could say I love you, and things would still turn out okay. “I think I—”

  An alarm went off in the station, catching the attention of all firefighters in range. Cole turned, his gaze sharpening. Levi felt... relief? Disappointment?

  One of the uniformed alphas strode into the department party. “There’s been a vehicle cr
ash at the Army Recruiting Office. Possible terrorist threat. All vehicles will be deployed, Trucks 1, 4 and 7 as backup. We’ll need off-duty staff to volunteer on all backup engines.”

  In that moment, the alertness from the firefighters morphed into an air of steely resolve. Firefighters stepped forward, both uniformed and those off-duty.

  Cole turned to Levi, meeting his eyes. “I’m going.”

  14

  LEVI

  LEVI’S THROAT TIGHTENED. He was proud of Cole, but at the same time... what did this mean?

  Cole slipped his fingers into Levi’s hair, pressing a quick, hard kiss to his lips. “Be back soon,” he whispered. “If it gets late, take the kids home. Don’t wait up for me.”

  “Okay,” Levi said, eyeing Cole’s bumblebee outfit.

  “I’ll get dressed.” Cole smiled crookedly. “There’s spare shirts and pants in the lockers.”

  Then he jogged off, disappearing through a door. Levi was left with Taylor in his arms, Jenn kicking at a stone nearby, and an emptiness in his chest.

  The mood of the entire party had turned somber. The firefighters’ omegas and their children watched as, one by one, the trucks pulled out of the garage, sirens wailing.

  Levi gulped. He glanced at Sam and Ian, their solemn faces, and realized that this could lead to dire consequences. That every time the firefighters went out on a call, someone could be at risk.

  Levi buried his nose in Taylor’s shoulder, breathing in the boy’s clean soap scent. His heart pattered nervously.

  After a minute, Sam stepped over, an eye on his toddlers. “Everything okay?”

  Levi nodded. “Do you... get worried about your alphas? When they go out on calls.”

  Sam chuckled softly. “I do. But I don’t usually have them both going out at the same time, so... this is a little nerve-wracking.”

  Especially with something like a potential terrorist attack. Levi had heard things on the national news, but those incidents happened in bigger cities. Could that insidious threat rear its head here, too?

  And then he thought of Cole out there, facing down someone dangerous.

  Before Levi could panic, Sam led him over to the grill, where another omega tended to the fire.