26. Storm
Chapter 26
Storm
I took a deep breath before dialing Sunny. I had found out about Charlotte and Kennedy almost a week ago now, and I still hadn’t told her. If I waited much longer, she was probably going to find out from my pack mates, and if she discovered the truth about my additional family members that way, she was going to track me down and brutally beat me up in the way that only a sister could.
“Stormy! How’s it hanging?” Sunny chirped. “Your nephew is being a cranky demon. He’s lucky he’s cute.”
Luka was almost a year and a half old and painfully adorable. I wish I had more time over the year to see them, but my schoolwork and hockey had been so demanding that my sister and nephew had fallen by the wayside.
Something I was starting to seriously regret.
Sunny was my other half. She was always there for me growing up, and sure, we would bicker and fight regularly, but I knew that when shit became real, she would be there for me.
And shit was getting real now.
“Hey, Sunny. I've got some news.” As I spoke, I was trying to figure out how to word what was going on in my life.
“Did the NHL scouts finally notice you? Or is it bad news, as in, you're flunking?”
“Flunking? Me? I have good grades!” I insisted. Just because I was a bit of a party boy didn’t mean I let my grades slip.
“Yes, but you're easily distracted.” Sunny laughed.
I nodded, even though she couldn't see me. She wasn't wrong there. I did have a bit of a one-track mind that had a tendency to get me into trouble.
“It’s not that…uh…how do I say this?” My words wobbled as I spoke, and I started to stammer.
Sunny could tell. Of course, she could tell when something wasn't right with me.
“Spit it out right now, Storm,” she said in a no-nonsense tone.
“I’m a dad,” I blurted.
Sunny was quiet on the other end of the phone for a moment. I didn't say anything, waiting for her to speak first, but all that came out of her was a startled, spluttering sound.
Then the questions came.
“What? When? Who? How far along is she?” She was speaking so fast, her words were starting to blur together. “Who is she? Do I know her?”
The small part of me that liked to have fun with my twin was considering not answering and seeing how long she would continue reeling off questions. Then again, I had the distinct impression that choice would end badly for me.
“My daughter is eight months old,” I admitted.
Sunny’s incessant questioning stopped for a moment. “Oh, Storm, a daughter? Why are you only telling me about this now? You know I'm the last person to judge, considering I got pregnant at twenty.”
“Yeah, and I was an ass about it,” I pointed out. When she had first told me she was pregnant, I’d acted like the stereotypical father figure who was disappointed and angry and wanted to punch everyone in sight.
“Well, I'm more emotionally mature than you. You came around, eventually.”
“Of course, I did. Luka is adorable.”
“He is. Anyway, your daughter is already eight months old? How could you not tell me?”
“Yeah. I…I didn’t know her mom was pregnant. It’s a huge situation.”
“Wait, she kept the fact that she was pregnant from you? What sort of woman does that? She should have at least informed you. Maybe I need to have a word with this girl about being responsible. If she's a mother, she should understand that.” My sister's voice filled with fury at the idea that I had been left out in the cold when it came to my child.
Fury that I was certain was about to be turned on me when I admitted the reality of the situation.
“I kind of gave her the wrong name and a number that I changed shortly after the night we slept together, then snuck out, so she had no idea how to find me,” I said, wincing as I spoke, mentally preparing myself for her reaction.
She was silent on the other end of the phone for a moment, and I could just imagine the distant look on her face as she slowly processed what I had just told her.
“Storm!” she shouted. “Are you kidding me? So, some girl had to give birth on her own because you were an asshat? Do you remember how difficult it was for me?”
Sunny had been on her own for most of her pregnancy and only had a few friends around. She had struggled a lot, and I had hated seeing it.
I'd done the exact same thing to Kennedy.
I really was the lowest of the low, wasn’t I?
“I know… Sunny, I fucked up, I really fucked up. I need to make it right, and I don’t know how. What can I do to fix this?”
Sunny sighed. “That's a loaded question, Storm. You're going to have to grovel. I don't mean a slight I'm sorry and a gift or two. No, you need to be down on your knees, begging for forgiveness, feeding her every single craving she wanted while she was pregnant, spoiling your child rotten, and doing everything in your power to make her happy.”
“I can do that… Any ideas on what to do, specifically?”
“Give me a few hours, and I'll come up with a few ideas, but most of the ideas should come from your pea brain. How did you even find out about your daughter in the first place? What’s her name? What’s her mother’s name?”
I sighed. “That's the truly fucked-up part of this. The girl's name is Kennedy. A couple of months ago, Eli started dating an omega that he was interested in. He was talking about bringing her to meet the pack when they realized that her birth control had failed and she was pregnant. Of course, that sped up the timeline, and he brought her home to the pack to introduce her to us, so we could potentially look at courting as a pack.”
I wasn’t going to admit to Sunny that I hadn’t been one-hundred-percent on board with the pack dating, because I was a scared little boy who didn’t want to lose his freedom.
“I'm not sure I like where this is going.”
“Yeah… She came to the pack house to meet Eli’s pack and found the guy who had pretty much ghosted her while she was pregnant and simply didn't know it.”
“Holy fuck, Storm… So, she's had a child with you, and now she's pregnant with Eli's baby?”
“That’s right, and of course, he did everything right. He took her on dates, took care of her the moment she got sick. I really am the pack fuckup, aren't I?”
“I'll be honest, it's not looking good, but this is where the groveling comes in. You still haven't told me the name of your daughter.”
“Charlotte.” I sighed. “Sunny, she’s amazing. Cute as a button, and she's so curious about everything.”
“It’s a good age, an exhausting age, but a good one. Is Kennedy open to you supporting her? Frankly, given what you did to her, I wouldn't be surprised if she kicked you to the curb, as would be her right.”
“She’s let me see Charlotte a few times and promised I could see her whenever I wanted.”
“She sounds kind and understanding. I don't know if I would have been that nice if it were me.”
“If a guy had treated you like I treated Kennedy, I would be telling you to punch him in the nuts.”
Sunny snorted. “There's still plenty of time for Kennedy to do that. I give it no more than a month before she gives you a good dick slap. If she's going through her pregnancy hormones, she's going to be extra cranky, and I bet you are going to be the punching bag.”
“I think I need to fully accept my position as head groveler and punching bag for a while.”
“What does this mean for your pack?”
“Micha and Charlie are all in, and Eli is head over heels.”
“And you?”
“She’s pretty fucking amazing, Sunny. She's the only omega I've ever slept with, and she blew my fucking mind. Now, seeing her with my daughter, how I feel about her is indescribable.”
“Well, for now, I would suggest not even thinking about doing anything romantic with her. Just focus on your child and getting to know them both. It sounds like Kennedy is destined to be with your pack, so you’ve got time. Instead of jumping headfirst into penis and vagina things, like you tend to do, really take the time to get to know her. No matter what, she's going to be in your life forever because you have a child together.”
I hummed in agreement. Sunny had never told us about the guy that fathered Luka; she clammed up whenever I tried to discuss it with her. Now her son was nearly eighteen months old, and I still knew nothing about his father. I didn't know if Sunny didn't tell me because she was head over heels in love with him, and she didn't want me to be mad at him, or for some other reason. Either way, I promised to support my twin, no matter what.
“You know I'll be texting you so many questions, so I don't look like a complete idiot in front of Kennedy.”
“I would expect nothing less. Food is the best place to start. Feed her. Be there for her. Hell, offer to take the night shift one night, so she can get a full night's sleep. Hands down, I think that is the sexiest thing a man can do for a single mother.”
My chest tightened at the idea of Kennedy being a single mother. She shouldn't be. She should have had a partner. She should have had me.
“I really fucked up, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did, but now you need to fix it. I've got to go because your nephew is starting to wake up from his nap. And he is always hungry and cranky after a nap. Go and start wooing your omega. Text me with any questions.”
“Do you mind if I give her your number? It might be nice for her to know another single mother omega. You are rare creatures.”
“We are rare, like precious diamonds. Please, give her my number. She can call or text me whenever, even if it’s just to whine about you being an ass. I’m all too familiar with that.”
“I love you, Sunny.”
“I love you too, twinny.”