13. Corvin #2
With that she hurried into the kitchen, coming back after a few moments of tense silence with a cheese-covered dish.
"Phoenix and I have been on an Italian kick, so I made lasagna," Bea told us before glancing at Apollo. "Sorry, but we love our carbs around here."
He snorted out a laugh but was all smiles now. I’m sure we all felt a whole lot lighter. We came in ready for battle, only to find out our entire world was shifting in the best way.
"I prefer protein but I will eat anything that you make," he reassured her.
She chuckled. "Well, I'm not Betty Crocker, but Phoenix and I had fun making this together."
"Yeah, but next time I vote the company does the dishes," Phoenix piped in with a raised brow.
"Deal," Ezra said without a second thought. "We all agree that the chores should be divided and not shouldered just by one person."
"Are you three just trying to win me over?" Phoenix questioned, eyeing the three of us with suspicion.
"Maybe a little," I laughed, "but we’re a team and work together, not just at our job but at home as well. I may be a bit bossy at times, but that's just because I'm used to it from the station."
"He’s just bossy, don't let him fool you," Ezra told the ladies.
"I can give him a run for his money," Bea said, gasping dramatically when Phoenix nodded in agreement, then both of them burst out laughing. They were adorable together. I could tell it was still new, but they were falling into a groove. It suited them both.
"As you should, Goddess," Apollo told her with a smirk.
Phoenix gagged a little. "l think we need to make a new rule. No pet names in front of the teen."
Bea started to cut the lasagna but I stood and took over for her. "Rest. You already did the hard part."
She gave me a little nod as she settled between Phoenix and Ezra.
"Don’t start pampering me if you aren't going to continue once you're sick of me," she commented as I placed a big piece of the gooey pasta on her plate first.
"If we slack off, you or Phoenix can remind us of that," Apollo reassured her. "But I can promise you that we will never tire of you."
He winked at her and Phoenix threw a bit of breadstick at him.
"Hey," he squeaked out, laughing harder.
"No flirting. It’s gross," she laughed. I honestly didn’t expect her to be so open like this but I loved that she was already calling us out.
I finished handing out the food and took my seat. "Well maybe wear some headphones, we plan to dote on our omega, especially when she’s pregnant. It's just in our nature."
"Ugh, fine. Just give me a little warning?" she asked before taking a bite of dinner and groaning in appreciation.
"Seems reasonable," Bea agreed, following suit and trying the creation that she and her niece made.
I took a bite and it blew me away. If she can cook everything this well, I’ll definitely be spending more time in the gym.
The rest of the meal was a comfortable discussion about music, movies, and sports. Phoenix was enjoying her school but complained that some of the homework load was too much.
All the frustration and worry that had made me a mess for weeks slowly shed off of me like a second skin, leaving only contentment behind. This felt right. They were already ours.
Once everyone had their fill, I nodded to the guys and we began to clear the table and started the sink for dishes.
"Oh, you guys don't have to do that," Bea started.
"You worked and then made us a feast, it's the least we can do," Apollo said. "You two head to the living room and we will join you once we have this mess cleaned."
"Are they for real?" Phoenix asked Bea as they headed to the couch.
"God, I hope so," she laughed.
My chest warmed at the words and I couldn’t keep the smile off of my face as I washed up the plates.
The guys and I worked like a well-oiled machine and it didn't take us long to finish the chores. We were used to working together like this.
"I could get used to this," Phoenix teased when we sat down with them.
"Don't get too used to it. Maybe we need a chore wheel," Bea said firmly. "Once we figure all of this out." I liked that our strong omega wanted us taken care of just as much.
"You let us know what you need, but just don't ask us to step away again. We will give you all the space that you need but I want contact everyday. Even if it's just a text hello," I said, hating to turn the tone serious, but this needed to be said.
"I can do that. There’s a lot that I'm working through that doesn't have to do with you three or Phoenix, but having her here has helped me realize that I don't have to be alone and I don’t want to be," she admitted.
That had the wheels spinning in my mind. Like, where did we go from here?
"Do you guys know about the Knuckleball Knockouts?" Phoenix asked as she turned on the TV. A game was just starting.
"Yeah, we aren't major fans or anything," Apollo answered. “It’s hard when the games are constantly interrupted by our job.”
"Well, Bea and I are going to the game this weekend. I bet we can get tickets for you, too," Phoenix said eagerly. Was she matchmaking for Bea’s sake, or did she like having us around? I hoped it was a bit of both.
"My friend Dani, the redhead, and her pack plays for that team," Bea explained. "It's very entertaining. Would you like me to ask about tickets?"
"Sounds like a fun time," Ezra said. Though, in truth, we would go just to be by her side.
Plus, we weren’t on call this weekend. It was finally time for the rookies to step up. They’d been through plenty of training and I was eager to have a little breathing room.
"Great,” Bea said, letting out a breath. “But, Phoenix, can you head up and get ready for bed? We have some things to discuss.”
She started to disagree but Bea gave her that ‘mom’ look and she just nodded and got up. Phoenix stopped just short of the hall and said, "I'm just a shout away if they’re being mean to you."
This time Bea laughed. "Thanks for the backup."
We sat in silence until we heard a door close.
"So, let us down easy?" Apollo asked, shifting nervously in his seat. I felt the same sense of dread washing over me.
"What? no," she started, wincing at the look on our faces. "I was serious about giving this a try. For us and our baby, but I won’t hurt Phoenix, either."
"Like I said outside, your family is ours. If Phoenix is your daughter, she is ours." I reminded her. "We aren't perfect by any means, but we are hard workers. We’ll do whatever it takes to make this work."
"Yeah, so when do we move in?" Ezra asked, shocking all of us.
"What?" Bea gasped, eyes wide and startled. It was a bit blunt, but he didn’t take it back. "I haven't thought about that much."
"No, no, what he means is that we'd like to live together once the baby is here. Just so we can take care of you three and not stress about you while you recover," I said, giving him the side-eye.
"Yeah that," he smirked. “But it would help to have us around as you get further along, too.”
Since when did the beta have this much confidence?
"We have a few months before that happens. I want to get to know you better as well as Phoenix. I don't want to seem unreasonable but it's just a lot at once," she explained carefully.
"What if we do two dinners a week for a month and then increase it? That gives you some space, but also time with us," Apollo offered.
"With or without Phoenix?" she questioned.
"That's up to you two," I answered. "We aren't going to leave your niece out if she wants to join us."
"Can one of you pinch me? I think I'm dreaming," Bea said with a teary look in her eyes.
"You are our dream," I promised.