Chapter 19 #2
Leaning down, I press my lips to hers, kissing her senseless and stealing the breath from her lungs.
Only when she is dizzy with want do I pull away.
“Thank you for offering, butterfly, but I think I need to do this on my own. I want you to meet them, though. Just not today.” Boping her gently on the nose, I revel in her sweet giggle and radiant smile.
“You should rest. Make Ridley watch every episode of Performer’s Anonymous, starting at season one. ”
“Hey! What did I do?!” Ridley protests, but there is no real depth to it. We both know he will watch anything she wants as long as this smile stays on her face.
Bea grins, pressing her face into my chest and breathing deeply. “Come back soon, okay?”
“Don’t worry, Omega. I’ll be in your bed every night you allow it.” I press another kiss to her lips, just a quick peck this time, before I lift her from the ground and deposit her in Ridley’s waiting arms. He gives me a firm nod, a silent promise that he has her.
“Oh!” I pause in the doorway. “I’ll grab stuff to make dinner tonight.”
“Fates, yes, please!” Bea groans, head lolling against Ridley’s shoulder so she can look up at him. “Orion is a phenomenal cook!”
“That makes one of us,” Ridley jokes. “But I am a laundry aficionado, so we’re even. He can cook, and I can clean.”
“And what will I do?” Bea’s lips twitch up at the corners as she waits for his answer.
“Bea Powell, badass band manager by day, knot-drunk princess by night.”
I laugh, leaving the two of them to their teasing. My chest feels lighter than I expected it would as I walk out of her apartment. The thought of facing my parents no longer terrifies me. Maybe because so much time has passed.
Or maybe it’s because of the sweet Omega in the other room. She claimed my heart, and the beginning tendrils of our bond have tethered my soul.
I think Ren would be happy to know I have someone like Bea in my corner. They would have been great friends if they had ever had the chance to meet. Though the amount of chaos they would have caused…
Who am I kidding? I would have loved every second.
Walking up the steps to my parents’ Victorian-style home, I soak in the lightly faded, pale yellow paint and dark wood accents.
Mom always loved painting the house bright colors.
She wanted to be a ray of sunshine in an otherwise dull neighborhood.
Though looking around, I see several of our neighbors have followed her lead.
Staring at the screen door, I swallow thickly, my throat clogged with emotion. My hand hesitates when I raise it to knock. The racing of my heart thuds loudly in my ears. Maybe I should have let Bea come along, after all. Her presence would have calmed the chaos raging inside me.
Suddenly, the door swings open. I find myself face-to-face with my teary-eyed mother. The gray in her hair is much more prominent now, taking over her original dark blonde.
“Hey, Mom,” I say awkwardly when she doesn’t speak.
The screen door swings open, and I quickly step back, narrowly avoiding being smacked in the face. Mom rushes me, throwing her arms around me and squeezing with all her might. “Oh, my baby! Look at you! I swear you grew half a foot!”
“Boys stop growing when they’re teenagers, May,” Dad says, appearing around the corner. “He isn’t getting taller. You’re shrinking.”
“Oh, shush, you! I’ll hear none of that nonsense!” Mom tries to discreetly wipe tears from her eyes, but the shake in her voice gives her away.
“Son.” Dad claps me on the shoulder before steering Mom back inside.
I blow out a breath and follow them. They deserve answers about everything, and honestly, I miss having them in my life. I don’t want to start my role as Bea’s Alpha without their support.
“I’m surprised to see you,” Dad tells me as he grabs a pitcher of tea from the fridge and pours three glasses. “When you didn’t answer my call, I assumed you weren’t ready.”
Accepting the glass he passes me, I set it on the table and slowly twist it between my hands. “No, I was just busy helping…” I trail off, glancing at Mom.
“She already knows everything you told me.”
I expected as much. None of my parents kept secrets from each other. “My Omega, Bea, her family stopped by to check on her. Their visit didn’t go as planned. When you called, they had just left, and I needed to make sure she was okay.”
“For the Fates to bless you with a second Omega mate, that is a wonderful thing!” Mom pats the back of my hand, smiling brightly. “Though I wish you had brought her with you!”
“She’s still recovering,” I explain.
Dad nods, takes a sip of his drink, and leans back in his chair. “You doing alright now that she’s been found?”
“Yep. There are still bumps in the road to navigate, but her other mates will be there to help.”
Mom dances in her seat, clasping her hands together. “You’re part of a pack now? Tell us about them all! I can’t wait to meet them!”
Dad grabs her chair and scoots it closer to his side. One of his arms drops around her shoulders, taking some of the wind out of her sails.
“Only when you are ready, of course!”
Smiling, I stare down into my tea. “After we’ve figured things out, I’m sure they would love that. As of right now, it’s me and another Alpha, Ridley. She has three other mates, but their situations are complicated.”
“You’ll make it work. Omega’s always find a way to bring their mates together.” Mom beams up at Dad, who grunts in response.
I’ve heard the story of how she met him and my other dads a hundred times already.
They were rivals on opposing Academy soccer teams, and she was covering their match for the school newspaper.
Their meeting may have been Fate, but they weren’t keen to agree after they realized who would be in the pack with them.
Mom wore them down one date at a time, then she ambushed them with a surprise pack date at a local laser tag venue. She kicked all of their asses, making them team up to defeat her.
To this day, whenever my dads get into a disagreement with each other, she drags them out to play. It’s cute the way they’re wrapped around her finger.
“Where are the others, anyway?”
Mom rolls her eyes. “They got conned into a work lunch. Apparently, being retired doesn’t actually mean escaping that place.”
Pops and my old man ran a local accounting firm. A career they retired from last year, according to what I saw on my sister’s social media posts.
“It’s a retirement event for their secretary, May,” Dad reminds her, laughing when she scowls harder.
“I’m sorry.” My abrupt apology sobers them both. “I should have reached out sooner, it’s just-”
“No apologies, son. You did what was best for you. If space was what you needed to hold yourself together, then we are glad you got it.”
Mom agrees, taking my hands in hers. “We will always be here, Orion, whether you come back tomorrow or a year from now. As long as you are healthy and happy, that’s all that matters to us.”
We chat for a while longer before the urge to return to Bea grows too strong. I hug Mom goodbye, relishing her light peony scent that takes me back to bedtime stories and childhood snuggles.
“Oh, son? Your mother and I may be patient, but your sister is not. When she hears you were here… well, just be prepared.” He chuckles and gives me a one-armed hug before he heads back inside.
I stare up at the late afternoon sky, hoping Fate grants me a small break before I have to deal with my younger sister again. She’s going to go overboard when she hears I have another Fate-matched mate.
I hope Bea is ready. Our family is about to grow exponentially.