Chapter 27
Oriana
H oly shit. This was chaos. I’d never considered how having barely mobile babies could make for so much insanity, but I was quickly learning.
“Avery… let us help?” I asked as we stood in front of them. Avery and her packmates that I now knew as Ford, Cohen, and Mason all had dark circles under their eyes, greasy hair, and looked two seconds from falling over.
“Arden is at the clinic and we’re doing our best,” she said, voice and chin wobbling as she fought off tears. “Ori, I’m so damn tired.”
“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. You are going to go upstairs and sleep. No guilt, no alarms. Just give us a rundown on what the babies need and when, where to find stuff, and all the important stuff.”
“But,” she started until Ford stepped in.
“What she means is thank you,” he said. “They just ate, but colic is a bitch, so is teething. They want to be held and walked around a lot. We actually keep a pretty solid journal going so in case someone has to step away or Arden comes home, he knows everything.”
They took a few minutes to show us around before they passed over the babies. Quinn was deposited into Lane’s arms, Lincoln in Tate’s, and Sophie in mine.
They were adorable, and thankfully, I could tell the girls apart. Sophie’s hair was thicker and she had a cute little birthmark on her temple.
“Go. Use white noise or something. Do not come back down for the next few hours,” I said, glaring to really get my point across.
“I owe you one, Ori,” Avery said as she kissed the babies then gave my head a sleepy pat. I snorted but didn’t call her on it.
“Nope. This is family,” I reassured her. “Now, go.”
She opened her mouth but Mason threw her over his shoulder and carried her upstairs. I heard a door close and soon the sound of white noise.
Good.
“Alright, who wants a baby to hold? Who wants to clean? Do you need help, Cam?”
“No, I’ve got my tools down there already,” he said as he slid on work gloves. “I’ll help when I finish. She’s got a space heater up there so they’ll be fine for now,” he said, giving my temple a quick kiss before disappearing down into the basement, closing the door behind him.
“I’m good,” Tate said. In fact, he and Lincoln, apparently, were a good match. The baby was tangling his little chubby fingers in Tate’s beard and babbling happily.
Lane had Quinn propped on his shoulder with a burp rag, bouncing slightly and patting her back as he did. She wasn’t crying and I wasn’t messing with that.
“Alright, you want a baby or to keep bossing us around?” Roman teased.
I glanced from him to Hudson before passing Quinn over to the alpha.
“Roman and I will take the first cleaning shift,” I decided. We’d already been a pretty good cleaning team since we’d moved in together, so this wouldn’t be too different.
Plus, I swear it’s easier to clean someone else’s house than your own.
“One room at a time, work together?” Roman asked.
“Yup,” I agreed as I pulled out the cleaning supplies from the child-locked cupboard and got things ready. “Living room so they can have the babies in there as soon as possible?”
“Perfect,” he agreed as I turned toward the living room and smiled. They were so damn cute right now. All three men were cooing at the triplets and standing close, soft smiles on their faces.
“Oh no, are you coming down with it?” Roman asked, gasping dramatically.
“What?” I groaned, waiting for the punchline. This pack was the king of dad jokes.
“Baby fever,” he said, giving me a knowing look then letting his eyes trail down. “Though, I do have to say, the idea of your belly growing with my baby does something to me.”
“We’re not even all bonded yet,” I snorted as I gestured to the men in the next room.
“But you want to be?” he asked, serious now and voice pitched low enough it was between us.
“Yeah, I do,” I admitted quietly. “I feel like I shouldn’t. That maybe I’m forgiving Cameron too quickly. But when I think about what feels right… I want to forgive him. We were so young and we both made mistakes built out of pain and grief.”
“If you feel it’s right, then it’s right. Fuck everyone else. I mean, keep making him work for it, but you don’t have to stay angry or upset. There’s no rule book for this kind of thing.”
Roman was always my mate that had no issue telling me like it was. I relied on him in moments like these more than I probably should, but he was my rock. The one I knew was always honest, yet thoughtful.
“Have I said thank you lately? For being incredible? You left a whole life behind for me,” I said, studying him so I could catch every facet of his reaction.
He smiled indulgently. “It wasn’t a hardship. I wasn’t letting you get away. Plus, I loved my family and they were always around and amazing, but also a little… suffocating. Just wait until I invite them down.”
“I can’t wait,” I said, bumping my hip to his. We’d meant to plan a dinner with his family but with the doctor’s appointment going south like it did, we didn’t waste time getting down here.
“Come on, we’ve got our work cut out for us,” he said, kissing my temple before heading into the living room.
Their house was already clean, it was just the mess of having three babies and no sleep.
We made quick work of picking up then I dove in with sanitizing everything. When that was finished they settled in front of the fireplace while we moved to the kitchen.
I winced as I opened the fridge, realizing just how much takeout leftovers they had.
“No, Mama Whitaker would lose her mind,” I muttered before taking out my phone and calling. I still had her number saved.
“Hey, my girl, how are you?” she asked, Lucy’s familiar voice hitting me hard. I smiled this time instead of dreading it, letting the mom she was to me have space now.
“So, the pack and I are here while Cam is fixing Avery’s heater, and we’re trying to clean up. But… I think we need to fill their fridge again. I’m guessing they ran out of the stuff you all baby prepped for. But the triplets are teething and it’s a bit chaotic and there’s a whole lot of takeout,” I explained in a rush.
“Leave it to me, I’ll gather the others and get started,” she promised. “That girl, I told her to let me know if there was anything I could do.”
“Knowing Avery, she didn’t want to be a pain,” I said with a chuckle. “But they are napping now, they’ll wake up to a clean house, and hopefully heat if Cameron can fix it.”
“I’m glad you’re home, Oriana. This family missed you,” she said. “Give me an hour and we’ll be there. I have a backup list of quick freezer and crockpot meals we can prep. I’ll snag Sidney on the way.”
“You’re the best. See you soon,” I said before ending the call. Roman had moved on to clean the bathroom, and Tate was there, watching me while bouncing Lincoln gently.
The smile on his face was gentle enough I blushed.
“What?”
“My omega just has a big heart. I like that,” he said simply, as if he were stating an everyday fact. The easy conviction had me swallowing down a lump in my throat. I swear, these men had a way of making me feel so seen and appreciated. He noticed my reaction, moving closer and pressing his forehead to mine, trapping a giggling baby between us.
“Not alone anymore, remember? Get used to us reminding you how amazing you are,” he said, brown eyes focused on me so intently it took everything in me not to look away.
The basement door creaked open, making us step apart so I could suck in a breath.
“Hey, can someone come hold a light for me? The lighting down here sucks,” Cameron said. His hair was sticking out at a crazy angle and he had dirt across his cheek. I bit back a laugh but nodded.
“Let me snag Roman since your mom will be coming before too long to help me fill their fridge.”
Cameron winced. “She’s going to kick my ass. I’ve not called her at all.”
“Go hide then,” I said, cracking up as he retreated like his ass was on fire.
“Is his mom scary?” Tate asked, alarmed at his reaction.
“Oh no, she’s incredible. Kind, sweet, caring. But she’s also not going to let them get away with anything,” I said before grabbing Roman.
He didn’t hesitate to switch jobs once he finished scrubbing the bathroom, and was thankfully at the end of his task.
That gave me just enough time to get the kitchen where she needed. The dishes and bottles were squared away, and then I just had to face the fridge.
I frowned, having no clue what was old or new and I didn’t want to throw something away they wanted.
They’d mentioned the journal had everything… I wondered if it had contact information, too.
Then as I closed the fridge I saw the post-it. Likely there for Mama Whitaker to babysit. I pulled out my phone and tapped in Arden’s number.
“Hello?” He sounded confused.
“Hey, Arden, I’m so sorry to bother you. It’s Oriana, Cameron’s omega. We stopped by to work on the heat at your house and I sent your pack to bed. Mama Whitaker is coming over with some prepped meals for you guys so I was going to make room. Is it safe to throw the leftover takeout away?”
“God, Avery would be so embarrassed,” he said, but sounded so relieved. “But we’re in no position to say no to help. Even with a pack it’s rough and I can’t miss work anymore. Yes, Oriana, throw all of it away. If they complain, blame me, but honestly, they’ll be too grateful and well rested. Seriously, thank you, this is going to turn things around.”
“We’re family now, we’re happy to help,” I reassured him. Someone in the background called his name so we said a quick goodbye.
At that point, the babies were passed out, two on Lane’s chest and one on Hudson’s, so Tate came to my rescue, helping hold a trash bag open while I cleared the fridge and wiped it out.
Then Mama Whitaker and Sidney were there. The next twenty minutes were full of hugs, introductions, and unloading groceries.
“So, you’re back for good?” Sidney asked as Mama taught Tate how to layer the dip she was making. He listened, indulging her, as Sid and I cut up fruit and veggies for them to easily grab out when they needed fresh food.
“Yeah, I am,” I said with a grin. “I missed this town.”
“It has its way of calling my friends home,” she joked. It was a sad smile on her face and I hated that I’d also left others, not just Cameron. She waved my frown off, though, refusing to let me apologize. “Don’t. You came first and no one would blame you. I’m glad you guys are working it out. Cam was insufferable without you, he nearly got his ass kicked once a week, I swear.”
“I believe it,” I snorted. “Avery said he was an asshole. It’s crazy, he was so sweet to me before everything fell apart.”
“Yeah, gotta love trauma,” she deadpanned, making us both laugh.
As the containers piled up, we settled into easy conversations and laughter. I hadn’t realized it was just my family I left behind in my hasty escape, it was this family, too. A collection of friends and extended family that I hadn’t realized I’d missed until this moment.
“Hey, what’s this about?” I nearly jumped at Cameron’s gentle voice. I’d stopped moving and when he tossed his gloves aside to swipe a finger over my cheeks, I realized I was crying.
“Sorry, it’s stupid,” I huffed. “Just me realizing how much I missed all this.” I gestured around and was thankful they either didn’t notice, or pretended not to.
“Stop calling your emotions stupid,” Cam grumbled as he pressed a kiss to my head, lingering there and breathing me in, giving me a dose of his own scent that calmed some of the stray emotions that had bubbled up.
“There’s my son,” Mama Whitaker said, voice accusing. He didn’t back away, he met her head on.
“Hey, Mama.”
“Don’t you, ‘hey Mama’ me, boy,” she growled. “How were you not going to give me a single update, not even to tell me if she hated the snacks or your attempts at saying you’re sorry for being a dumbass?”
“Oh, ouch. I like her,” Lane said with a laugh, his voice low so he didn’t disturb the babies.
She grinned at my mates before finishing up what she was doing. With her keeping order, we managed to make a solid two weeks of meals, snacks, and easy grab items in under two hours.
“Okay, enough of this, I need baby snuggles,” she said as she ordered us to put everything away.
Lane groaned as he stood, now relieved of the babies as Lucy and Sidney took over.
He stumbled over to me and pulled me into a hug. “Well, so much for relaxing and reading tonight, huh?”
It was just him teasing. He looked too content with our evening to regret it.
“So, you have fun babysitting?”
“They’re so sweet,” he said, practically with heart eyes. “When do I get to put a baby in you?”
I burst out laughing, covering it up and burying my face in his hoodie to not wake up the babies again.
“You’re my second mate to say that tonight. You’re all ridiculous,” I accused as soon as I’d calmed my laughter. I think I was overly tired now.
Or maybe just happy and light for the first time in far too long.
“That’s because we all want to lock you down, claim you, and breed you,” he said, oddly serious now. “I’m ready to settle down and have a family. If you need time, I support that. Just know that this life? I want it. All of it.”
Lane was ridiculous and blunt, but fuck if that didn’t have fresh tears forming. God, why was I such a mess right now?!
His nostrils flared and he bit back a groan.
“I think you’re going into heat soon, Princess. Let’s get some fresh air,” he urged, leading me to the porch.
I stood against the railing, looking out at the trees while he pressed himself against my back, wrapping his arms around my shoulders and resting his head on mine.
With the fresh mountain air surrounding us, the happiness that had settled in my chest, and his heat pressing into my back, I don’t think I’d ever felt so content.
It was just another reminder that I was exactly where I needed to be.