10. Chris
10
CHRIS
L illian doesn't answer her phone at first, so Gray and I end up sitting at a table near the front of the shop, making dicks. I fashion one as similar to Jack's as I can manage with black velvet, and Gray makes one out of pink lace that resembles Mario's.
It's strangely cathartic, like inviting our lovers to Revv's nesting.
Lillian barges in unexpectedly with a tray of sandwiches. "Oh, I see you're… also doing this?"
I abandon Jack's fake dick and take the tray of sandwiches out of her hands. "Thank you, Lillian. Is there a chance we could talk? Revv said you had my pebbles."
She glances at Revv. "Yes, I think we should talk. There's a nice courtyard in the back where we hold our crochet classes sometimes. Let's go there."
To my relief, Revv picks up one of the sandwiches off the tray while I'm still holding it and starts eating. At least we won't have to go to the grocery store for a phallic-shaped food run.
I set the tray of sandwiches next to the register and follow Lillian outside. Behind the store, a few picnic tables are nestled under a copse of trees. It's very peaceful here. I can imagine Lillian and a group of crochet students making socks and scarves at these tables.
We sit across from one another. She's moving slower than the last time I visited. I should be coming more often. I don't know how much longer Lillian will be healthy. My alpha father is technically still alive, but his mind was claimed by Alzheimer's several years ago. He doesn't remember me when I visit him, and honestly, it's for the best.
He's never been kinder to me than he is now—when he thinks I'm a stranger.
Lillian pulls out a small rock. It's not one of my pebbles. Maybe she saved the wrong ones.
"A very long time ago, my mothers told me to find a pebble that spoke to my soul."
She tells me the story of her years trying to find a pebble as a teen and her choice to claim the rock in her hand as her pebble, even though it wasn't. Then she tells me the story of a kind, plucky omega who refused her "pebble" and the life she had with that omega, not as her mate but as her friend.
She takes my hands in her own. They're old and misshapen, hands that have lived.
"When I saw your pebbles, I knew they truly belonged to you."
I think back on that night when I dug that hole, burying my precious pebbles inside, even though parting with them was so painful. The fact that someone saw them and recognized their worth too should make me feel seen or at the very least grateful my pebbles weren't lost, but anger rises in my throat.
"Why didn't you say that to my alpha father?"
She sighs. "I should have. I'm sorry. But I was worried I couldn't save your pebbles if I did. And then… well, I thought you were more like me, and you might throw away your pebbles again if I gave them back too soon. I never chose to live my truth until my best friend insisted on it. I didn't think you had a best friend like that."
My vision blurs with tears as I realize I did. Jack.
In so many ways, Lillian and I are exactly the same.
"Where are they?" I ask.
"Autumn was a carpenter in addition to being a crafter. She used to make these whimsical little boxes. I put your pebbles in one of her boxes, then I cut a hole in the drywall behind the shelving in the back corner of our craft shop and hid the box there."
"How many did you save?"
What if we open the box, and Revv's pebble is still missing? Or what if Jack's isn't there?
"Eighteen."
I let out a big breath. That's the right number. "Will you show me which shelf they're behind? I'd like to get them."
"Of course."
She leans hard on her cane while she stands up and walks with a noticeable limp back to the entrance of the shop. I open the door for her, and she slowly makes her way inside.
Gray is still at the table with Revv, making a new dick now. If I'm not mistaken, it's the dick of the bison shifter. He stands as Lillian enters, and we all follow her to the back where she points to the shelving behind Revv's mattress. It's basically his headboard.
"You'll find a crowbar and a power drill in the trunk of my car. Try not to bust up the wall too much." She tosses her keys to Gray. He gives me a meaningful look before dashing for the exit.
"He seems like a nice boy. A little young for you, but that's okay."
I smile. She's my father's sister. She's bound to disapprove of something.
When Gray returns with the crowbar and power drill, Revv goes around collecting his dicks and putting them in a basket for safekeeping. Now that we're this close, the ache to give him one of my pebbles has become unbearable. Gray helps me remove the screws holding the shelving in place and slide the heavy metal structure away from the back wall. In the bottom corner there's a hole in the drywall just like Lillian promised. Inside is a wooden box with a penguin engraved on the lid.
I hold my breath and reach inside. The moment my fingers wrap around the corner, a sense of rightness sings through me. I blow the dust off the top and hold it out to Gray. I'm not exactly sure why. Opening it seems too intense, even a little scary.
He shakes his head. "You should be the one to open it."
I hold my breath and flip open the latch. This is it. Now that I've allowed myself to hope for a pebble to give Revv, I'll be devastated if his pebble isn't in the box. I lift the lid and finally open my eyes.
Inside, eighteen little pebbles are cushioned in velvet. I scan through the pebbles. Most of them I only feel a dull connection to. They were meant for men I've already loved and parted with years ago. But the oblong pebble that's bigger than the others almost pulses with a longing to be picked up and given away. It's such a unique rock. I suppose if you look at it close enough it sort of looks like a dick.
I almost roll my eyes when I realize that.
With trembling fingers, I pinch the pebble between my forefinger and thumb and hold it in my hand. It's shiny on one side with grooves on the other. The more I look at it, the more I love it. Just like the special man I want to give it to.
I bring the pebble to my heart. Flashbacks of the night when I buried this pebble play through my head. That night I sobbed as I chose Gray's pebble over this one. I couldn't pinpoint why, I just knew this pebble would understand if I left it. Somehow, I knew. How did I know?
Revv is standing in front of me with his baskets of dicks, staring at the pebble that should have been his years ago. The yearning in his eyes leaves no room for question. This is his pebble. Our pebble. The pebble that should have solidified our bond back when we fell in love.
I hold it out to him without a word. We've already said what needs to be said. We've loved each other fiercely without this little rock. And yet, it still makes me cry when he takes it from me, bringing it to his own heart.
Tears stream down Gray's cheeks as he reaches up to clasp his own pebble in his hand. I set my precious box of pebbles on another shelf and wrap my arms around my mates, holding them close.
From the corner of my eye, I see Lillian wave, tears on her cheeks too, and walk away. She's smiling, content. So different from my alpha father who is still bitter and angry, even without his memories.
They both got the lives they deserved. And now that I've found my pebbles, Revv is getting what he deserves too.
"Thank you, Daddy," he whispers.
"No. Thank you for being willing to wait."