Knight Life In Vegas (Sin City Omegas #3)

Chapter 47

W e hosted everyone at the arena to avoid being crammed in like sardines at the apartments.

Poor Charlotte barely had a moment to breathe before my family descended. They didn’t fuck around with the concepts of step-, half, or in-law. You were family or you weren’t, and Charlotte was mine, so they’d all accepted her instantly.

I slid through the crowd and settled myself at her side, wrapping my arm around her waist. Feeling her immediately settle in the bond at my touch had my alpha instincts preening.

I had hoped to make some calm introductions, but Mamá had laser focused on Charlotte the moment she had arrived and everyone else had followed her. Everyone wore name tags to make the day easier. Sammy was practicing his penmanship and filled them out for each new arrival, being the first in our new family to have everyone gush over him. He was a little shier than his brother, but he seemed to take it in stride with Chico by his side to offer comfort and answer questions. Ollie was over the damn moon with all the attention.

“Let’s go see your papi.” My brother, Juan, hoisted Ollie up and brought him over to us.

“What’s a papi?” Ollie asked.

Juan tutted. “Not even teaching your son Spanish yet?”

“He’s only been my son for, like, a week,” I said with a laugh. “Give us a little time. Ollie, papi is the Spanish version of daddy. You can call me whatever you like.”

“I like papi.” He tipped out of Juan’s arms, reaching for me, and I gathered him to my chest. I knew he got overwhelmed by crowds after a certain point, so hopefully some cuddles would mitigate that and we would be able to stay longer.

My parents were chatting up Charlotte, though I’m sure it was closer to an interrogation. A loving one, but still intense. One of my fathers, Sol, took notes. We simply had too many people in our family not to have notes on important details. I made sure Charlotte was officially introduced to everyone from my parents, siblings, aunts and uncles, and the handful of cousins who had joined them: another reason the arena was a blessing for hosting events, even if there was a time cap to accommodate the shows.

Once everyone had officially arrived, Chico’s mom claimed Sammy, carrying him around while he talked her ear off about knight lessons.

I couldn’t imagine what a shock it must be for these boys to have gone from so little family to an absolute horde. Chico’s family was the smallest, his parents having been a pair rather than a pack and him being their only child. Dylan’s siblings were globetrotters who I was sure it would trickle in over the next year to meet the new additions to our pack. His parents politely waited their turn, but I knew if they didn’t shove in, it could be hours before my family stopped monopolizing Charlotte.

I whispered in Ollie’s ear and the boy yelled out, “I need to meet Daddy’s daddies!”

Laughter rippled through everyone and I held him aloft so he could wave to Dylan’s parents—a pack of alphas with a rare male omega.

Dylan appeared at my side and introduced Ollie to each of them. He was instantly swallowed up in a group hug.

“Did you leave our girl alone in the crowd?” Dylan asked.

“Only for a minute. Ollie will be fine with you.” I ruffled our youngest’s hair and backtracked to pull Charlotte to me, feeling her relax again.

My mom had gotten Charlotte onto telling everyone about her equestrian career. I loved hearing the pride in her voice as she spoke. Maybe she would never go back to competition, but I would bet my last dollar that she could train another champion or two.

When I felt her exhaustion butt up against her politeness, I knew she wouldn’t make an excuse for herself, so I did it for her. “I’m going to steal Charlotte for a few minutes. We’ll be back.”

I drew her away from my family and into the stables so she could breathe.

“Thank you.” She melted into my arms. “I don’t know why I’m so tired.”

“You haven’t rested that much since the heat,” I pointed out.

“I have things to do.”

I chuckled and nuzzled her hair. “Querida, if you don’t pick a time to rest, your body will pick it for you.”

She sighed and planted her face against my chest, grumbling a few words I couldn’t quite understand.

“Why don’t you fuss over Eclipse and I’ll make you a plate?”

“Unfair, using my weakness against me.”

“I have to use the weapons available to me.” I fetched a folding chair and planted it outside of Eclipse’s stall before setting her on it. “Wait here and rest.”

The catering we had ordered was spread out along one of the arena rows so people could easily walk by with their plates before finding anywhere to sit. I filled up Charlotte’s plate with potato salad, baked ham, and grilled vegetables to get her started. Hopefully it would prompt her appetite and revitalize her enough to take on the crowds again to get more. If not, she could eat where she was, or in Chico’s office. My family were used to crowds and not the best at noticing when someone had topped out their capacity for socialization.

I traced my gaze over everyone gathered, finding Beau deep in conversation with Dylan’s dads, Ollie looking like he was about two seconds away from falling asleep in Dylan’s arms. Sammy was still chatting away with Chico and his mom, my own family following behind me to fill up their plates now that I had broken the seal as the first one to do so.

Charlotte brightened when I returned. “I could’ve done that.”

“That wouldn’t have been resting. The boys are both doing just fine, too.”

Her shoulders relaxed. “Thank you.”

“We’ve got everything handled. You just need to eat. If you want to go back out afterward, that’s entirely up to you, and if not, I promise my family is very good at entertaining themselves. They’ve met everyone they came to meet and that was the important part.”

“Will you sit with me?”

“Of course.” I sat down on the concrete between two of the stalls, out of reach of each of the horses in case they decided to inspect me and thought I was worth a bite that day. Charlotte slid off her chair and onto my lap, melting against me.

“This is a million times better than the events I used to have to attend. Hiding out in the back room wasn’t an option there.”

She nibbled her way through the entire plate and sighed happily, scent marking my chest.

“What’s that for?” I asked, amused. “Everyone already knows I’m yours.”

“They need to know it a little harder.” She did it again. “You’ve made today so easy for me. The instincts are getting excitable over being taken care of so well.”

“I’m never going to turn down a scent mark from you, querida.”

I rubbed my cheek over her hair, giving her one of my own.

“Is it bad if this is my favorite part of the day?”

“It involves me, so I’m not going to say it’s bad.” It made all of my alpha instincts happy as hell that quietly cuddling together in the stables was her favorite moment so far. I purred for her, delighting in the tension draining from her muscles.

“Everyone is so nice, but it’s still overwhelming.”

“I get it. Takes time to get used to.”

“I will get used to it,” she promised. “I want to be able to spend time with your family.”

“You didn’t sprint back here the moment they arrived,” I reminded her. “You met everyone and talked. You’re doing just fine.”

“You’re so sweet to me.”

“Should I not be? That’s the entire job of an alpha with their omega.”

Charlotte set her plate aside and slid her palm up my chest to cradle the back of my neck before drawing me down into a soft kiss. Behind it was only a quiet need for connection. The surge of affection that followed nearly drowned me.

“I keep thinking it’s too soon to have fallen in love, and you all keep proving me wrong.”

My heart beat like a jackhammer, pounding against my ribs at her declaration.

“Do you think that’s okay?” she asked so quietly I had to strain to hear her.

“Do I think it’s okay to love me?”

“It’s not too fast? Dylan already told me he loves me but I don’t want you to feel pressured if I tell you that I love you.”

She squeaked when I tipped her chin up to claim her mouth. Lust burned down the bond as she laced her fingers into my hair and shifted so she was straddling my lap.

When I pulled away, she was breathless and wide eyed.

“It’s not too fast,” I promised. “And I swear I don’t feel any pressure. It’s so simple for me to tell you that I love you. I never doubted it for a moment since we bonded.”

“Really?”

I dipped in for another kiss and smiled against her lips. “Querida, it’s impossible not to love you.”

She planted her forehead against mine and looped her arms around me. “I’m starting to believe I’m worthy of it. It’s pretty impossible not to love all of you. When I was young, I would dream of a pack, and when that never came about, I made my peace with it. Fate might’ve taken its sweet time, but I can be glad about it now. I got exactly who I needed.”

“Let’s see what Mommy and Papi are up to in the stables,” Dylan loudly announced.

“We’re fine,” I called back. “Just having a cuddle.”

Dylan and Ollie came into view, our son breaking away to run full-speed toward us. Apparently his brief nap in Dylan’s arms had re-energized him. Ollie wedged himself between Charlotte and me, wriggling like a little worm until we were both cradling him.

“Are you hiding with the horsies?” Ollie asked.

“Just for a few minutes,” Charlotte replied. “I thought they might be lonely.”

“They need treats,” Ollie insisted.

Dylan laughed. “Do they? We have carrots in the fridge. Come on. I’ll take you around to give some to everyone.”

Ollie slid out of our grip, running after Dylan. Charlotte cuddled back against my chest, the two of us watching Ollie give each of the horses a carrot and a kiss on the nose.

“I like being a dad,” I said quietly.

“You do?” Charlotte traced the neckline of my shirt, nerves bubbling up.

“You raised good boys. I wasn’t expecting to speed-run a family when we met, but I’m glad we did. I love watching you with them, and I love watching my pack figure out being parents. Just like you, it’s impossible not to love our children.”

She sniffled quietly, but the nerves had disappeared, and it wasn’t sorrow driving those tears. Her happiness glowed. “I couldn’t ask for better men to join our little family. I used to be so sad that the boys barely ever got to see their father, and then when he was arrested, I couldn’t bear to take them for visits, not after what he had done. Fate was working for all of us. It knew what my boys and I needed. I’m just so grateful you guys didn’t give up on me. I know I didn’t make it very easy.”

“You’re worth it. They’re worth it, too. And I’m going to thank fate until the day I die for dropping a blessing in a pink feathered cowboy hat into my lap even when I didn’t know what it meant at the time. I know now and I fully intend to treasure you forever.”