Chapter 24 #2
“What’s wrong with you?” she asked, not holding back at all as she stepped up to face him.
“Nothing,” Ledger said with a frown.
She mimicked his expression, crossing her arms with a huff.
That seemed to break through his defenses. He shook his head and relaxed. “Can I tell you a secret?”
“I’m great at secrets. I didn’t even tell Auntie Sarah her last date smelled weird. Like cheese.”
I burst into laughter and raised my eyebrow at Sarah, who just shrugged. “She’s not wrong. He did, in fact, smell like cheese. Parmesan and garlic are great on bread, not so great on a date.”
Audrey shuddered and fought off a gag. “Oh god, no. That would be horrific.”
“It was, girl. Needless to say, we did not have a second date,” Sarah laughed.
“Okay, what’s your secret?” Lilly said, not letting anything deter her from juicy gossip.
“I’ve never been around kids, and your dad is one of my best friends, and I don’t want to ruin it by saying the wrong thing. So, for the first time in my life, I’m nervous.”
“You’ve never been nervous before?” she asked in shock. Her green eyes were wide now as she gave him her full attention.
“Not really,” Ledger admitted. “I had a not-so-nice dad, and he didn’t give me the option to be nervous about things.”
“He doesn’t sound very smart. My teacher says being nervous and other emotions are just part of being human. It’s even okay for boys to cry.”
“Your teacher’s smart.”
“She is,” Lilly agreed, suddenly serious.
My heart was practically exploding, seeing my entire pack just accepting my daughter like she was one of their own and talking to her like she was just as important to them as she was to me.
“I never thought I’d be able to have real conversations with you again,” Sarah said as she moved closer to my side, hugging me again. I tucked her into my side, offering her what comfort I could while watching Lilly and Ledger chat.
“Yet, here I am, seeing you look happier than I thought possible. With a pack, no less. And all of them are treating our Lilly like she’s their whole world.”
I sighed, hating that I’d left her on her own for so long. “Sarah. I’m sorry for giving up. I never should’ve left that burden on you,” I told her.
She shook her head, stopping me. “Let’s not go there. You lost your mate and you thought you lost your daughter as well. That’s a pain most people can’t even imagine. You don’t owe me apologies.”
“Well then, I’m going to say thank you. Thanks for raising her when I couldn’t, for being stronger than I could be at the time.”
“I would do anything for that little girl,” she said. “I love her like my own.”
“You know that no matter what happens, we always want you by our side, right?”
“No,” she said, rolling her eyes at me. “You’re going to have a pack. You don’t need your kid sister tagging along.”
“I absolutely do need my sister tagging along,” I argued.
She didn’t argue further as we watched Lilly approach Ares, who’d been hanging back.
Sometimes it felt like he was holding himself in such tight control.
Maybe he didn’t want to overwhelm us or come off as too controlling.
It was something we’d have to chat about later.
We were still learning how to do this pack thing. Even him.
“Are you in the army?” Lilly asked, eyeing his outfit. He wore dark camo pants and a black shirt, similar to the standard uniform the rest of the Alliance guards were wearing, just a bit more relaxed.
“Kind of,” he agreed. “I’m in something called the Alliance.”
“Are you part of the guys that saved Daddy’s omega from the bad guys?”
“I am,” he said. “We’re trying to help lots and lots of omegas and betas from other bad guys.”
She nodded once, looking sad for a second. “Good. Someone needs to watch over omegas. People like to hurt them.”
My heart broke. This little girl had seen more sadness than she ever should have had to endure.
“But omegas are so strong. Maybe people should stop underestimating them,” Ares said in a conspiratorial whisper.
She nodded as if that made total sense. “If I’m an omega, I’m going to be a strong omega, too. Like mommy. She and daddy made sure I was safe. Do you think I’d be able to join the Alliance like you?”
He considered it. “Maybe. But you have to be really brave. Are you really brave?”
Lilly nodded vigorously. “I am brave.”
“I thought so,” he said. “Well then, you better do good in school, and one day you’ll be able to join the Alliance.”
“Awesome,” she said, looking at me with a big grin that I easily returned. Even as her focus was on our pack, she made sure I never left her sights. Watching them leave today would be difficult.
“How do you feel about the coast?” I asked Sarah when Lilly moved on to talking with Audrey.
“Why? What’s on the coast?” she asked curiously.
Ares joined us now that Lilly had moved on, leaning against the wall beside me and giving Sara a small smile and greeting.
“We talked about moving far from here. A fresh start,” I explained.
Sara looked at me, teeth worrying her bottom lip like she did when she was reluctant about something.
“Look, Sarah. I owe you the world for protecting my baby when I couldn’t.
I would never force you to do anything you don’t want to do.
But I want you nearby. Lilly would be lost without you.
Plus, we could use all the family and support around us we can get as we get used to real life again. ”
“If you really mean that,” Sarah said slowly, “then I’ll come. You were the only thing tying me to this area, and I think we’ve had enough sadness here to last a lifetime. A fresh start sounds perfect.”
“I think since Sarah and I are the only ones with access to a computer and the internet,” Ares joked, “we get to make the choices of where we live and what property we buy.”
Sarah grinned and clapped her hands, a move we’d just seen Lilly do a few minutes ago. They were so alike now. “I like the sound of that.”
“I feel like I should be scared,” I deadpanned.
“Oh, you should,” Sarah said, still grinning. “But, we both know I have better taste out of the two of us.”
“We’re going to move,” Lilly said excitedly, “and be one big family!”
“How do you feel about that?” I asked her. She deserved to have her own say in all of this.
She considered it for all of half a second, glanced around the room, and gave me an enthusiastic, “Yes!”
Just like that, my two worlds collided. The outcome was everything I’d hoped for and so much more.