Chapter 25
“ T hat’s the greeting I get after flying all the way from New York?”
I continued to stare at him. “I didn’t know you were coming. You never replied to the invitation.”
“I came to meet the omega that’s bewitched you into throwing your life away.”
I stiffened, already hating his tone. “A scent match has nothing to do with bewitching.”
He stepped inside, ignoring me and surveying the group lingering. Everyone who had gone upstairs to see the nursery was slowly making their way back down. The rest of my pack paused on their way to come to the door, glancing between my father and me.
“You have to be kind to Ava,” I ordered.
“I will treat her exactly as she deserves.”
Before I could move to block him, he pushed past me, beelining toward Ava and Callie.
“Which one of you is it?”
Ava raised a questioning eyebrow. “Which one of us is what?”
“My son’s omega.”
Ava lifted a tentative hand. “That would be me.”
I went straight for them, ready to intervene if necessary. I had hoped that he would’ve come here to make amends, but that wasn’t the energy he was bringing to the table.
“Why did you bond my son?”
“It wasn’t exactly on purpose.”
“I’m sure his being a multimillionaire on track to take over a Wall Street firm had nothing to do with it.”
Ava’s eyes widened. “I didn’t know any of that when we bonded.”
“Dad, stop . This is a baby shower, not an interrogation.”
He sighed and pulled out his checkbook, scribbling on it before handing a check to Ava. “Let me give you a gift then. Allow my son to go back to his life and you can cash that.”
The color drained from Ava’s face and she flipped the lever on the recliner so she could stand up. “Fuck you.” She ripped up the check and threw it back at him. “And fuck your money. You don’t have to like that Bryce is my alpha but it’s not going to change that he is.”
“He doesn’t have to be,” my dad insisted.
Ava’s omega growl had all the little hairs on the back of my neck standing up.
“You need to leave,” I told my dad, stepping between him and Ava.
“Come to New York,” he said instead of listening. “If you won’t release your claim on him, at least don’t force him to give up his entire future. If you love him, move to the city and let him resume his career.”
“No,” I snapped. “Ava’s not comfortable in New York and there’s no way in hell I’m going to pressure her to live somewhere she doesn’t feel safe. You either need to let this go or we’re done.”
“You can’t throw away everything for her.”
Before Ava could go feral on him, I locked my hand around his arm and dragged him to the door.
“What the hell are you doing? Let me go.”
I tossed him straight out the front door and followed, closing it behind me. “What the fuck is wrong with you? You flew all the way here just to be an asshole to the woman I’m falling in love with? To the woman I’m bonded to and have formed a pack with?”
“I cannot let you give up your life.”
“I’m not ,” I ground out. “This is my life now. Before Ava, your approval was the only thing I wanted, even though I didn’t feel like I would ever get it. I don’t need it anymore, though. Ava just wants me around; she doesn’t care how much money I have or what my job title is. Dad, fuck . I tried to show her the city, tried to see if we could make a life there, and she hated it. I can’t force her to stay there if she won’t be happy.”
“But are you happy?” he insisted.
“ Yes . I don’t need you to understand, but you have to accept it.”
“I didn’t get where I am in life by accepting things I don’t like.”
“My family isn’t a fucking business deal or something you can browbeat. This is the way things are, and if you’re going to treat my mate or my pack poorly, you won’t be welcome around them.”
“You can’t be serious. You’re my son. I have to take care of you if you won’t take care of yourself.”
“Oh, so now you want to take care of me? When I’m a fucking adult and don’t need you to do it? I’m not budging on this. Get your shit together or get out.”
The door opened behind us and I turned to see Ava. She stepped out calmly, standing by my side and lacing her fingers with mine.
“Mr. Carlton, you’re making a mistake.”
“Excuse me?”
“I know that you must love your son to fight for him, but you’re doing it in the wrong way. I’m not here to hurt him. I would still want a life with him without a penny to his name. He’s a kind person and you should be proud of the man your son has grown into. Don’t do this.”
“You can’t order me.”
“I can’t,” she agreed. “What I can do is promise that you will regret your behavior. Maybe not immediately, but one day. Don’t make him choose between you and us.”
“He never should’ve chosen any of you.”
“But he did. Even if you could convince him to change his mind, do you really think there would be no resentment? Trying to make him give us up or force us to move for your benefit isn’t fair. You’re not the only family to consider here.”
“Please listen to her,” I said to him.
“It takes a lot for a child to let go of a parent,” Ava continued. “One of my pack already had to let go of his mother for his own safety, and my mother is making the same mistakes that you’re making now. She wasn’t invited today. Is that the future you want?”
My dad frowned, staring at the stucco at his feet. “Bryce is my only child.”
“He doesn’t have to be,” Ava said softly. “He has a whole pack now that you could be family to, if you wanted. If you would rather try and take him away from us, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
I watched him digest her words in silence while I hoped and prayed he would change his mind. If he would just get to know them, he would see I was going to be just fine here.
My father sighed. “I can’t do this.” He turned on his heel, stalking down the driveway and into his rental car. Ava and I stood quietly as he drove away, and then her arms were wrapped around me.
“Bryce, I’m so sorry.”
I held her tightly, breathing in her sweet praline scent to anchor myself. I had never been very good at standing up to my father, but I couldn’t let him talk to Ava that way. Even if I hadn’t been well on my way to falling in love with her, seeing him speak like that to anyone made my stomach turn.
The door opened again and to my surprise it was Micah’s mother.
“Hello, my dears. Everything all right?”
“Things have been better,” I replied.
“I know it’s not the same,” she said, “but you’re part of our family now. If you’re looking for a father figure, there’s no shortage inside. Any one of my alphas will be there to fill that role if you ever want to ask for it. We take care of our own.”
I was at a loss for words. No one had ever offered me that before. Micah wasn’t even bonded into the pack and his family was welcoming us as if we had always been there.
“Come here.” She opened her arms and I slipped from Ava’s into hers. I hadn’t been hugged by a mother in so long I had forgotten what it felt like. Tears slipped out before I could stop them. “That’s all right, honey. What you did wasn’t easy. I’m proud of you for protecting yourself and your mate.”
Ava tucked herself against my side and I let it all flow out.
I wasn’t sure how long it took me to recover myself, but Micah’s mother and my beautiful omega didn’t let go of me once.
“Ready to go back in?” Mary asked.
“I think so.”
I hated the amount of attention that was on us when we came inside. Every eye was focused on me.
“Want to go upstairs?” Ava asked. “You promised to take me if I got overwhelmed. I’ll do the same for you.”
“Maybe for a few minutes,” I agreed.
“We’re going to take a quick break upstairs,” Ava announced, pulling me toward the stairs. “Keep enjoying the party. We won’t be long.”
When we were sequestered in the nest, she reached up, cupping my cheeks. “My brave alpha. I know how hard that battle must have been. Thank you for standing up for me, for us.”
“I couldn’t stand him talking that way about you.”
She drew me down for a long kiss that just scraped the surface of my desire for her. I let myself drown in the taste of her. Ava was sweetness personified, my match and my omega, all the good I had hoped for in life but never dared dream I would actually get.
“Ava, I can imagine a life without my father, as much as it hurts to do so. I can’t imagine a life without you. I don’t even want to try.”
She stared up at me, her hazel eyes shining. “I don’t want you to try either. I’m sorry everything is so complicated.”
“That’s not your fault.”
“Feels like it,” she whispered.
“He thought he could come here and force me to choose, but I will always choose you.”
Her scent flared, submerging me in caramelized sugar. I dove in again, claiming her mouth and pressing her as close as I could. My body reacted to her proximity, cock tenting and hands twitching, wanting to touch her skin.
“Bryce,” she gasped against my mouth.
We had a house full of people downstairs, but all I wanted was to remind myself that Ava and I belonged to each other.
“I’m gonna need a cold shower before we go down at this rate,” she said with a laugh. “I think I might be able to get drunk off your scent if it gets any stronger.”
“I think I’m the one who needs the cold shower,” I replied.
She didn’t step away, instead pulling me in for another kiss. “We could indulge instead of the cold showers.”
I groaned, dipping to kiss my way down her throat. “That’s a dangerous suggestion.”
“Fuck me, alpha.”
That request snapped the threads of my control. I backed her up to the edge of the nest and reached under her dress to tug down her panties. They were already damp with slick.
“I’m ready,” she insisted.
I propped her up, her hand looping behind my neck as I shucked my pants to the floor and adjusted my angle so I could work my way in. Ava braced one hand behind her and shifted her hips. Her body opened perfectly to me, her moan turning my brain to mush and hardening my cock even more.
“Give me everything you’ve got.”
Hesitation gone, I bucked into her with a snap of my hips, drinking down her perfect sounds while I rode her as hard and fast as I could. Her scent was syrup in the air. It spurred me on, invigorating me, helping me to keep a steady pace pounding into her tight cunt.
“Fuck, yes, Bryce.” Her pussy fluttered around me. “Don’t stop, alpha.”
I needed her like I needed air. My body craved her. When her breathing shifted, I kept my pace steady until she unraveled. Ava panted and moaned against my lips until I hooked my hands beneath her thighs, readjusting us so she tipped backwards against the pillows. With the new leverage and enough space for me to reach her clit, she didn’t stand a chance. Unfortunately that meant I was going to finish all too quickly. I couldn’t ignore the siren pull of her pussy clenching me as she lost herself to the rise of pleasure.
My knot set her off before she had even settled. I filled her up, half-delirious listening to the sound of her coming. I ground our hips together and squeezed the softness of her thighs.
“You’re the best mate,” I said breathlessly.
“Because we had a comfort-fuck?” she asked with a giggle.
“Because you’re you .” I sighed, stroking her cheek with my knuckles. “My perfect omega.”
All mine.
Forever.