28. Bailey-Rose
With everything that happened with Randall, we decided as a family that we needed one more additional week of leave.
We were down to the last two days with Lysse and Yun-Sun returning to work on Monday.
However, my mother decided it was the perfect time to host a party at their house and invite everyone.
Well, everyone but Vili’s fathers since this party celebrated our bonding and Vili legally changing his last name to Thatcher.
“We have to do something,” Mother argued. “This is a big deal, one that should be celebrated. After everything you’ve told me his family put him through, he deserves to know what it truly means to have loving parents.”
There was no way to change Jolene Thatcher's mind once it was made up. I suppose I might have inherited a slight bit of that, or so the guys tell me.
“Care Bear, we need to go. The pack of honor can’t be late,” Warrick pointed out.
“I know, I know, but Deanna is going to be there, and I really wanted to give this to her while she was in town,” I muttered, adding the last few dots of white. “There, now it’s done.”
Stepping back, I gazed at the masterpiece I’d been working on off and on for the past week and a half.
It was my interpretation of that day Deanna had told us about with Callie.
Only in my version, Gareth was there with them.
I wanted her to look at this and know that no matter what, she had two wonderful children who loved their mother to the moon and back.
“Will you help me carry it out to the car?” I asked, dropping the paintbrush into the water.
“Yes, but it will cost you,” Warrick said, stepping up and cupping my face.
I smirked, knowing what was coming next. “How many kisses?”
“I’d say about ten,” he answered. “It’s a steep price, but I’ll let you put a down payment of two kisses now since we’re in a hurry.”
“My hero,” I teased, popping up on my tiptoes to pay the man his fee.
“No, nope, you two can’t be doing that,” Gareth ordered. “If you do, then you'll start taking off her clothes, and we all know what that leads to, so wrap it up.”
Warrick muttered under his breath something about Gareth being a buzzkill.
Sneaking in one more quick kiss, Warrick grabbed one side of the painting while Gareth took the other.
I followed them out of my studio into the showroom where Vili and I were creating our new business.
After much thought and many conversations with lawyers, Vili decided he would no longer offer his designs to Silveda.
Instead, he was going to create all new designs and start his own jewelry line.
We hadn’t come up with a business name yet, but that will come with time.
Since Randall trashed most of the downstairs, we needed to remodel it.
We divided the workspace for Vili and me to share along with creating the upstairs to be his showroom floor.
I didn’t need the whole upper level as an office, so we made a small room on the main floor showroom instead.
Not only was I thrilled to watch Vili create something amazing, but it made me feel much safer in the studio.
My brain understood Randall was in jail and would be there for the next thirty-five years.
Yet when I was left alone in the big building, I couldn’t help but feel like someone was going to jump out of the shadows at me.
My therapist felt this would pass with time but not to be too hard on myself.
What happened to me was a traumatic event, and I needed to accept that reality.
The upside was nightmares no longer were a problem, but I still didn’t want to keep my phone on me all the time.
Thankfully, I had a monitor I could wear so my guys knew where I was at all times.
Plus Waffles, my faithful shadow, would never let something happen to me.
When we arrived at my parents’ house, I knew we were far later than I expected. “Didn’t Mom say the party would start at three?” I asked.
“Rosie, it’s almost four,” Lysse pointed out.
I cringed a little, knowing I lost all track of time when I was painting.
“Don’t worry about it. I called Jolene and told her what you were up to, and she understood,” Lysse assured me.
If anyone understood my bad habits, it was my mother. She’s witnessed firsthand this particular trait many times. Once parked, I decided to leave it in the vehicle and give it to Deanna later. Right now, it was better for us to just get to the damn party.
Yun-Sun helped me out of the car and wrapped my arm around his as we walked down the path to the patio. It was such a beautiful day with the sun shining and the last blooms of the season, as fall headed our way. Mother spotted us first and rushed over to envelop me in a hug.
“Oh, there’s my girl,” Mother cheered. “Better late than never, as they say.”
“Sorry, Mom, I can’t believe I lost that much time,” I apologized.
Mom tapped my nose with her finger and gave me a wink. “Think nothing of it, darling. It’s not the first time, nor will it be the last. You are who you are, and that’s exactly who I love.”
Moving on from me, Mother hugged the guys and gushed over Vili, making the poor man blush.
“Thank you, Jolene. I am honored to be part of your family,” he said as Mother squished his face between her hands.
“Come, come, the others will want to greet you all,” Mother urged, herding us further into the backyard.
There was a flurry of hugs from Crew, Eli, Daddy Rawr, and Lysse’s parents.
“Oh, I just knew you two were meant for each other. I’ve always felt like you were a daughter to me.” Lysse’s mother sobbed as she dabbed at her eyes. “I just can’t believe this moment has finally come for you both.”
Wrapping my arms around her for another hug, I squeezed her tightly. “Thank you for raising such an amazing son.”
That set her off, and Mr. Ford had to pry the clinging woman from me, giving an apologetic look.
Then a trio of serious-looking men I hadn’t met before stepped up and bowed instead of offering a handshake or a hug.
Yun-Sun stepped up next to me and returned their bow, yet no one spoke a word.
They parted, and a stunning Asian woman stepped forward, offering a sweet smile as she also bowed.
“It is a delight to finally meet you, Bailey-Rose. I am So-Ri, Yun-Sun’s mother,” she greeted.
“We were honored to be invited by your mother to this party to celebrate the bonding of your pack.” So-Ri looked to one of her Alphas, who handed over a white envelope with a beautifully written word on it in another language.
“It is tradition in my culture to offer a gift and a blessing to the new pack. Please take this as a sign of the prosperity and happiness we wish for your family.”
Unable to be anything but authentically me, I stepped forward, took the envelope, and hugged my mother-in-law. “Thank you so much for taking the time to come, and I hope we will see more of each other.”
So-Ri stiffened initially but relaxed at my words and returned my hug. “My son is lucky to find an Omega with such a pure soul and sweet spirit. Many happy blessings upon you, Bailey-Rose.”
With that, we parted and moved on to mingle, meeting a few other family friends. Dr. Arbour and his pack came, which meant the world to me. We exchanged stories of the adventures we’d been on, and I showed him the tattoo I’d gotten at the temple.
“See, these are the experiences I look forward to having,” Dr. Arbour said, hugging me to his side. “Learn from an old man, kiddo. Don’t believe the lie the world tells you about having all the time in the world. You’ll blink, and the next thing you know, you’re old like me.”
“Stop, you’re spry as a fox,” Phil, Dr. Arbour’s Omega, said, playfully smacking his arm. “Although I have to say, it’s been wonderful to have you home more.”
It was clear to see the love between them, and I hoped things would be the same way for my guys and me. With all that we’ve been through, I don’t see it being a problem. We’ve defied all the odds from the start, so I don’t see why we can’t finish that way.
I was sad that Warrick’s family didn’t make it to the party. Instead, they sent a gift with a letter of apology. It was just simply too short notice for them to fit it into their busy schedules.
“Shh, don’t be upset, Care Bear,” Warrick murmured as he cuddled me close.
“This is who my family is and has always been. If they showed up, I would have probably passed out because of how shocked I was. Trust me, they would have absolutely brought down the energy level here… they don’t know how to have a good time.
Besides, the only family I need is you and the guys. ”
Mollified by this answer, he coaxed me into a better mood by grabbing the painting for Deanna. I took a clean napkin and blindfolded her until the guys got it set up on one of my spare easels.
“Are you ready?” I asked, trying not to bounce in excitement.
“Sweetie, I am more excited than a bag of jumping beans,” Deanna shared, her accent a little thicker from the wine she’d been enjoying with Lysse’s mother.
Pulling the knot free, the cloth fell from Deanna’s eyes to reveal the masterpiece.
We’d managed to make a brief stop at the hill before the rain started again on our way back to the house.
It had given me the real setting to base this moment on, but I took a few liberties and put the Bailey-Rose spin on it.
Gareth stood at the top of the hill watching them as Deanna and Callie lay at the bottom watching the dandelion seeds float through the air.
Only I had the little white puffs shifting into butterflies, adding even more emotion to the moment.
One blue butterfly sat on Deanna’s nose to represent Callie’s spirit still being with her even now.
“Sweet baby Jesus, I feel faint,” Deanna gasped.