Chapter 37
Clover
“Good morning!” A chirpy voice, followed by a weight crashing onto the nest next to me, startled me out of sleep.
I peeked out through the blankets to see bright red hair and striking green eyes. Not Parker, though she looked weirdly similar. “Uh, hi?”
“Are you cool with another omega in here?”
“I guess?” The nest was still warm around me, but I didn’t feel Logan. “Where—”
“He’s getting you breakfast,” the unknown woman told me.
“Okay, but are you planning on telling me who you are at some point?”
“Oh shit, sorry. I’m Magnolia, but you can call me Maggie, and I would prefer that you do. I’m Parker’s sister.”
“And you’re in my nest because…?”
“Because he’s an idiot who didn’t want me to meet you, and I don’t take orders from him.”
I sat up slowly, making sure all my bits were covered with bedding. Rubbing sleep out of my eyes and finger combing my hair gave me a few seconds to process everything with my sleep-addled brain. “I didn’t know Parker had a sister.”
“You moved in with him and didn’t know anything about his family?” Maggie tilted her head, red hair tumbling over her shoulders.
“Parker and I aren’t on the best terms right this second.”
Maggie made herself comfortable, sitting cross-legged with an easy smile on her face. “What did he do? No one ever tells me anything. Should I let the air out of his tires?”
I couldn’t help smiling at that. Apparently Maggie and Parker had fallen from opposite sides of their family tree. “I think his car has taken enough abuse on my behalf, but I appreciate the offer.”
Logan waltzed in wearing only sweatpants and carrying a tray. He paused sharply when he saw Maggie, and she covered her eyes with her hand. “Hey, Mags. What are you doing in my mate’s bed?”
“Befriending.” She beamed.
Logan gave me a curious glance while Maggie was temporarily without sight. I could only shrug. He rounded the nest and set the tray on the bedside table. “Should I have Jacques make up some lunch for you, Mags?”
“No, thanks. I ate before I came over.”
“Jacques?” I asked.
“Our chef, but he’s only part time, and he gets his work in early so you’re unlikely to cross paths.”
I’d forgotten they had one of those.
“I was going to have lunch with Parker,” Maggie continued, “but he said he would be out for a while, so I wanted to take advantage of the situation to meet Clover.”
“Where’s Parker?” I asked, sipping on the cinnamon hot chocolate Logan had brought me. Delish.
Maggie shrugged. “Something about an airport.”
I turned to Logan for more explanation, but he looked equally lost.
“I’ll go see if the others know anything,” he told me, dipping down to kiss me before departing on his fact-finding mission.
When the door clicked shut, Maggie dropped her hand covering her eyes. “Tell me about yourself. You’ve got Parker in such a twist and I’m super curious.”
“I do? He feels untwistable.”
My statement sent Maggie into peels of laughter. “Absolutely not. Parker gets so tangled up in himself, he’s like a doll’s hair in a day care.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at that.
“He thinks he can hide it, but I know him too well. You’ll learn that too in time. He might be a dumbass, but I promise he’s a dumbass who cares a lot.”
“You think I should give him a chance?”
“I don’t think you should do anything.” Maggie shrugged. “If he’s done something stupid, then you can let him grovel a little. I’d never tell you to let a man off the hook easily, even if he’s my brother. So, what did he do?”
“Surprised me with the equivalent of a strict-as-fuck prenup but for babies instead of marriage.”
Maggie’s eyes widened. “Want me to kick him in the dick for you? Also, babies? Is that in the plan this soon?”
“Not intentionally.”
Her gaze shot to approximately where my stomach would be through the layers of the nest, as if she could develop spontaneous X-ray vision. “You’re pregnant?”
“Yep. About four months.”
Maggie’s shriek of delight caught me off guard almost as much as her flying hug did, and I narrowly avoided spilling the last few sips of my hot chocolate.
“I’m going to be an auntie? This is so exciting!
No wonder Parker is being twice as stupid as usual.
Do you know what you’re having or which of your pack is the baby daddy? ”
“I’m unfortunately low on gossip and don’t know either of those things for sure.”
Maggie sat back, practically vibrating. “I’m going to be selfish and hope that it comes out a little redhead.”
A quick knock announced Logan’s return—unfortunately more clothed than before— and Maggie’s hand flew back over her eyes. “Well, I found out where Parker is.”
“And are you going to tell me?”
“You should probably get dressed first.”
With a sigh, I set aside my cup. “Keep your eyes closed, Maggie.”
“Roger that.”
I dug out a comfy outfit, tucking myself into leggings and a tank top.
“Parker picked up your dads from the airport,” Logan spilled out.
I froze with a sweater halfway on. “What? Why?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. Their flight got in a little over an hour ago, so I would imagine they’ll be here any minute.”
“Do we like your dads?” Maggie asked.
“They’re the best,” I responded automatically. “I just don’t know why they’re here.”
Logan blew out a breath. “I don’t pretend to understand how the fuck Parker’s brain works.”
“Am I allowed to meet them? Also, does everyone have clothes on now?”
I laughed and tapped her arm. “Fully dressed, and sure, you can meet them since you’re here.”
Logan looked a little pale. “Are they going to hate me?”
“Unlikely. Well…not as unlikely as I would hope, but I think they’ll land more on suspicion at first. I’ve never seen them take a swing at anyone before, so we should be okay on that front.”
I stumbled downstairs with Logan and Maggie on my heels, hitting the main floor right as Parker swept inside with my dads in tow.
Poppy pushed Pappa in a wheelchair up a metal ramp.
When the hell had they gotten a ramp? It wasn’t there when I got here yesterday.
Was everyone in this pack some kind of fucking wizard?
Avery had furnished and decorated a whole suite without the others knowing, and Parker had coordinated the transport of my whole family with every factor accounted for?
Had I bonded into a pack of secret supervillains?
I leaned down to hug Pappa. “What are you guys doing here?”
He kissed my cheek, holding me tightly before letting me stand again. “Well, peanut, your call got us worried, and when Parker reached out, it was hard to say no to the chance to make sure you were doing all right in person.”
“Also our first time flying first class,” Poppy said with a grin. “I can see why people like it, even if it is an extravagance.”
I hugged the rest of my dads before hugging Parker for the express purpose of digging my nails into his back and being close enough no one would overhear. “Parker, what the fuck?” I hissed quietly.
He bent to whisper in my ear. “I think it’s time we met your family and see where you came from.”
I couldn’t quite tell if he was being sarcastic or condescending or some combination of the two, but I didn’t like it. Was he hoping to uncover something that would make me unsuitable?
“If you’re mean to them, I’ll glitter-bomb your whole room and every car you ever own until the rest of fucking time.”
Parker spun me out of his grip and right into Hunter’s, who had just arrived.
“We have guests?” he asked, easily looping his arm around my shoulders. “Is this why you told me to take today off work?”
“Yep,” Parker replied.
“He brought my dads to visit.” I turned to my fathers. “Dads, this is Hunter, you clearly already know Parker, and that’s Logan and Avery. Guys, this is Pete, John, and Mike, my Poppy, Dad, and Pappa.”
“And me!” Maggie waved.
“And Parker’s sister, Maggie,” I amended.
“Pleasure to meet all of you,” Dad said, his expression tight. “Which one of you got our baby girl pregnant?”
“Dad!” Embarrassment hit me like a tsunami. Was our whole visit going to be grilling each other?
“We’re not sure on that yet,” Hunter said smoothly, “but it’s our pack’s child no matter who the father is, and we’re going to take care of Clover and the baby.”
“And if she wants to leave here?” Dad asked.
Logan stepped up to my other side. “Then we buy her a house, no strings attached. Fill up her bank account, hire whatever childcare she wants, and support her how she needs. Obviously we would prefer that she stays, but we’re not putting her on a leash to make that happen.”
Parker’s cheeks flushed as Logan pointedly looked at him when he said that.
“Exactly,” Hunter added. “Whether she decides to be our omega or not, she’ll always be the mother of our child. She won’t want for anything.”
I absorbed each word, my heart pounding. They wanted me to stay? The suite should’ve been a clue, but that had been Avery, not all of them. Hunter and Logan being so explicit about it—even if it was only to reassure my dads—loosened the stranglehold of my anxiety about the future.
“Let me show you to the guest rooms,” Parker said, interrupting the conversation.
“Guest rooms?” Pappa said incredulously. “How many does this place have?”
“Only six,” Parker replied, completely oblivious to how fucking wild that answer was.
Pappa and I shared a look, the silence between us screaming Do you see this fucking guy? Only six guest rooms and he thinks that’s bad?
The extent of my fathers’ interactions with wealth of this caliber was making fun of how out of touch they were on the news. They one hundred percent deserved that ire.
I was tempted to push Parker outside and tackle him to the ground so he could touch some grass. Their lawn was trimmed to within an inch of its life in alternating patterns, and I’d bet good money that messing it up would get his attention.
Parker wandered off, presumably assuming my dads would follow. They did, eventually, but not before collectively giving me a series of What the fuck is going on? looks.
“What kind of game is he playing?” I asked the rest of the pack.
Logan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Just Parker being Parker.”
“Don’t worry, angel.” Avery cupped my cheeks and kissed me soundly. “Parker can be a dumbass, but we’re not going to let him be too big of an idiot. We’ll keep an eye on him.”
“I wish he had given us some notice,” Hunter lamented. “They’re going to think I’m a workaholic who’s never home.”
“You are a workaholic who’s never home,” Avery countered.
“Yeah, but I don’t want Clover’s dads to worry about her. I’m trying to get everything under control so I can take time off when the baby gets here.”
“Delegate,” Avery stage-whispered.
“We both know I’m terrible at that.”
“Get less terrible at it, then,” I told him, poking his chest. “I still barely know you, and if you waste your whole month with me, I’m not giving you a do-over.”
Hunter looked like I was holding him above an erupting volcano with that statement. “Okay, message received. I’ll figure it out.”
“Good boy.” I stood on my toes and yanked him down by his lapels so I could kiss his cheek before scampering off to follow my family, leaving him flushed and stunned in my wake.
If we were giving this a shot, then dammit, we all had to do our fucking best.