Chapter 20
twenty
RANSOM
The mechanical rollers digging into my lower back failed to relax me. I shifted my weight, trying to ease the painful pressure. Instead, I sent a wave of warm, soapy water sloshing against the sides of the fiberglass basin currently holding my feet.
“For the record,” I grumbled, pitching my voice over the low hum of the salon’s drying fans, “this does not count as my date.”
Julia didn’t even look up from the plastic ring of painted nail samples spread across her lap. She just tipped her head, her dark hair slipping over her shoulder to shield her face.
“I want a real date, Sparkles,” I continued, leaning my head against the vinyl headrest. I crossed my arms over my chest and watched her. “I’m talking dinner. A dark corner where I can keep you all to myself. And exactly zero adorable four-year-olds.”
“Pink!” Sunny announced from the chair between us, totally ignoring my griping. She slapped her small hands against the armrests, her bare legs kicking happily over the edge of the oversized seat.
“Pink it is, Sunshine,” Julia acquiesced, her lips curving into a soft, genuine smile as she handed an obnoxiously bright bottle to the waiting nail tech.
The word hit me right in the center of my chest. Sunshine.
The nickname my brother and I had coined for our daughter.
Julia used it without hesitating, casually folding the nickname into her vocabulary like it had always been there.
Like she’d already chosen to belong to our pack for the long haul.
In reality, we’d been trying to keep the pressure light, the courting fun, and the kisses deep.
We hadn’t talked about officially bonding yet, though I knew it was on all of our minds.
And seeing how good Julia was with Sunny just sealed the deal for me.
My throat tightened, and I stared at the ceiling tiles for a split second to wrangle the surge of devotion threatening to crack my casual facade wide open.
I flared my nostrils, instinctively searching the air for my Omega’s scent. I needed that intoxicating draw of her fruity sweetness to ground me.
But there was nothing.
I caught the sharp chemical bite of acrylics from the next station over, the floral soap in my foot bath, and the plain, flat smell of raw shea butter. Her ghost flower prototype lotion was working flawlessly. She was a complete blank slate. An absolute void in the room.
My Alpha instincts scratched uselessly at the invisible barrier, deeply irritated by the empty space where my Omega’s fragrance should be.
It felt unnatural, like looking at a fire and feeling zero heat.
But then Julia leaned over, solely focused on Sunny as she quietly explained the “Princess mani-pedi” process, her hand resting gently over Sunny’s tiny knee.
My chest ached. I may hate the scentless void, but I’d gladly tolerate a hundred days of her smelling like drugstore lotion if it meant I got to sit here and watch her mother my little girl.
So if she needed to field-test her own products in public, I could give her that.
Hell, I’d give her anything she wanted.
“Daddy… will you get matching pink too?” Sunny peered up at me with innocent, hopeful eyes.
I groaned while Julia giggled at my distress, then whined dramatically to make my little Sunshine laugh. “You’re both ruining my rugged aesthetic.”
Thirty minutes later, my boots hit the sun-baked pavement of Main Street.
I carried two small bags of salon freebies, thoroughly enjoying the sway of Julia’s hips while Sunny skipped ahead of us, proudly displaying her neon pink fingers to anyone walking past. Thankfully, my bright pink toenails were hidden away from the world, shoved deep into my boots.
My thoughts of how I’d own the color if any of my rodeo buddies saw my surprisingly soft feet screeched to a halt as Sunny abruptly hooked a left, her small hands slapping the display window of The Painted Daisy, our local boutique.
Giving in to her pleas to shop, I pulled the heavy wooden door open for them, the brass bell jingling above my head.
I hung back near a display of leather belts, crossing my arms to watch them work.
Sunny tackled the kid’s section with feral enthusiasm, shoving aside tiny denim overalls until she unearthed a pale pink sundress covered in delicate, faded wildflowers.
“Princess dress,” she announced, holding the hanger up like a trophy.
Julia didn’t hesitate. She sank into a crouch right in the middle of the aisle and examined the ruffled hem like a fashion consultant, running the light cotton between her fingers.
“An excellent choice, Sunshine. The twirl factor on this one is definitely high. Maybe I can even find something that matches and we can be twins for the day.”
At Sunny’s happy squeal, Julia stood up and sifted through the women’s rack, quickly extracting a coordinating pink sundress with a sweetheart neckline.
She held it up against her own chest, then scooped Sunny onto her hip so they could both evaluate the pairing in the large trifold mirror at the back of the shop.
I gripped the edge of a wooden display table, my knuckles turning white under the strain of keeping my boots planted.
I stared at their reflection in the glass.
Sunny rested her cheek against Julia’s shoulder, their matching pink nails flashing bright as Julia adjusted the pink fabric over Sunny’s leg.
They looked like a matched set.
The tight, heavy knot in my throat returned, hotter and thicker than before.
My toasted marshmallow scent surged forward, flooding the small shop with a wave of pure sweetness.
I didn’t even try to rein it in. My Alpha wasn’t just pleased, he was settled.
I watched Julia press a soft kiss to the top of my daughter’s head in the mirror, and the truth slammed into my chest. We weren’t just a pack playing house, hoping our Omega would eventually decide to stay. We were already a real family.
I ignored Julia’s half-hearted protests about using her own money, slapping my card on the boutique counter before she could even unzip her purse. Ten minutes later, we were back on the sun-baked sidewalk, the girls having already changed into their new sundresses.
Sunny skipped ahead, swinging her arms wildly to make the ruffled skirt flare out around her knees. Julia walked a step behind her, the matching pale pink fabric swishing against her legs, her dark hair catching the bright afternoon light.
I spotted the dented front bumper of the pack’s heavy-duty dually parked down by the feed store.
Stetson was leaning heavily against the tailgate, swiping a grease-stained rag across the back of his neck.
He looked ragged. Dust coated his jeans from the thighs down, and his work shirt was stuck to his chest from sweat.
He’d been wrestling fifty-pound bags of grain and getting parts for whatever farm equipment decided to break today, carrying the entire weight of the Double T on his shoulders like he always did.
“Look!” Sunny shrieked, breaking into a dead sprint down the pavement. “Papa Stet! Sparkles and me got pink!”
Julia snorted at Sunny’s use of my nickname for her, casting me a wry look. Stetson pushed off the truck, catching his balance just in time to scoop the incoming missile of pink into his arms. He plastered on his tired, indulgent dad smile, hoisting Sunny onto his hip.
But the smile vanished the second he looked up.
I slowed my pace, letting Julia walk a few strides ahead of me. I wanted to see this happen. I shoved my hands into my front pockets and watched the exact second my pack leader’s iron-clad resolve crumbled into dust.
Stetson froze. The rag slipped from his fingers, forgotten.
He didn’t even blink. He just stared at Julia, his eyes tracing the line of her sweetheart neckline, the swell of her luscious breasts, and the easy, natural smile on her face as she reached out to adjust the strap slipping down Sunny’s small shoulder.
For weeks, my packmate had been managing the logistics of our courtship.
Even after admitting he wanted her to stay, he’d kept himself parked firmly on the sidelines.
He let Boone feed her, let River comfort her, let Gideon please her, and let me drag her into town for manicures.
Hell, even Colt had gotten time with her, which had surprised all of us.
What was unsurprising was the way Stetson always put the pack first, making sure the rest of us had our footing with our Omega before he allowed himself to take a single second of her time.
But looking at her right now—radiating happiness, spending time with our daughter, fully woven into the daily fabric of our family—I watched the exact moment Stetson realized the sidelines weren’t going to cut it anymore.
The raw want in his eyes was palpable, heavy enough to sink a ship.
But underneath the want, something else flickered. Just for a second. It was in the tightness around his eyes, a ghost of hurts past.
As fast as it had arrived, I blinked, and it was gone. Stetson was the pack leader again, his normal steady, in control, give-nothing-away self.
He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing as a muscle jumped along his tight jawline. He glanced at the single boutique bag dangling from my wrist, then let his gaze lock squarely back on her, taking in the girl’s matching outfits and nails.
“Pink, huh?” he rasped, his timber barely more than gravel.
Julia offered him a soft, slightly shy smile. “Sunshine’s orders. We couldn’t resist.”
Stetson set Sunny down and pushed away from the tailgate, taking a purposeful step toward her. The space between them was charged enough to power the whole goddamn town. “You look beautiful, Jules.”
Jules. Not Trouble, but her actual name.
I wanted to wave my hat through the air with an exuberant whoop. Finally, the man was ready to step into the ring to claim his spot.
It was about damn time.