25. Bea
For the first time in my adult life, I no longer had to look over my shoulder.
My pack fixed it. They took care of the problem the moment it got too close. That was something I could barely believe.
I was a lucky omega.
Honestly, it was fate’s little joke that my scent-matches turned out to be firefighters. The irony wasn’t lost on me.
Yesterday could have turned out very differently if not for them. It wasn’t just my pack behind me, but all of my chosen family as well.
It was still hard to believe how many people in Willow Lake I considered family now. Somehow I’d gone from being a stranger here, to them warming up to me so fast it almost gave me whiplash.
At the moment, everyone was pinning pink and blue buttons to their shirt to show off their guesses. I was sporting a pink one already. My vote hadn’t changed and I was anxious to see if I was right.
Taryn and Dani had forced me into this cute pink-and-blue maternity dress. It was tie-dyed and so comfortable, so I couldn’t even complain.
I don’t think I’ve stopped smiling for a single moment, either. It was genuine. The relief of having Cameron behind bars was like I’d been living under a weight for years and it had just been lifted.
I was free.
My poor pack was looking at me and waiting to see if I was going to fall apart at any moment.
That time had passed, I’d fallen apart for years. My extra session with my therapist this morning was where I truly processed everything.
A part of me needed her to reassure me that it wasn’t awful that I was fine. I was riding the high of this win, knowing that he couldn’t touch me anymore.
He couldn’t get to me. Couldn’t burn me.
The police refused to tell me much outside of the fact there were several charges being filed against him, and that any judge in their right mind was going to put him away for a long time.
They’d uncovered some evidence that led right back to him.
In his desperation, he got sloppy, and the case was air tight.
That was the closure I needed.
I had already worked through so much over the past few months. My therapist was honestly a godsend. I hadn’t realized just how many bad habits I’d created from being with him.
Downplaying my success and talking myself out of things I truly wanted were some of the worst. I spent years letting him change my mind for me, always gauging his interest before my own, but not anymore.
This pack would never allow that to happen, anyway. They truly put me and my girls first. They were the kind of pack that dreams were made of.
And they were mine.
Right now, I was surrounded by friends and family, standing in my rental that I had half a mind to see if they would sell to me. This house meant so much to me, and I wanted to keep it.
It had the room that we needed to grow, and honestly, after this baby, I wasn’t willing to have more. I wanted to keep my family small. It would give us time to focus on our two girls, to give them the life they deserved.
“So… this is a lot of people, huh?” Phoenix said as she walked up and stood next to me, crossing her arms and leaning against the railing of the deck, mimicking my pose.
She tried to look unaffected, but I could see how pleased she was with the turnout. She had been talking to our guests like a pro. I loved watching her open up. She’d found her personality and sass again.
This was the way it should have always been.
“It is. I guess we’ve kind of created a family here, haven’t we?” I said, nudging my shoulder into hers. “How are you holding up, kid? I know it’s been a lot.”
She gave me a teenage side eye. “Honestly, I’m just glad that you’re not apologizing anymore like any of this was your fault.”
“I’m working on that whole apologizing thing,” I admitted. “I do hate that you were put in harm’s way, though.”
“That’s fair,” she conceded, “but we don’t have to worry about that anymore, right?”
“It’s over,” I reassured her.
“I’m really glad you found them,” she said, her eyes trailing over the guys.
“You and me both, kid,” I agreed.
“So, I see you’re on team girl,” I said, looking over at her.
Her cheeks turned red. “Yeah, I always wanted a little sister. I used to imagine when I was younger that I had one. I think it was my way of not feeling so alone, you know?”
My heart broke all over again, as it always did when she gave us insight into her past with my sister. She’d deserved so much better.
Holt lifted the lid of our new barbecue pit, the scent catching in the wind and giving us a tease of what was to come. Corvin was right there with him, the two alphas laughing about something. The deep rumble of it was comforting.
“I think the mama-to-be gets to eat first,” Taryn announced. “We’ve got all the sides set up, and they’re pulling the first round off the grill now.”
“These are the kind of privileges I can get behind,” I joked, rubbing my belly as if that would calm the hunger that was rearing its head.
My best friend held out a plate and I took it, hurrying over to the table.
Everyone had brought a little something, but it seemed like my besties had made sure they only brought my favorite dishes and treats.
There was almost too much to even decide, so I piled my plate high before sitting down and digging in.
“You didn’t even get meat,” Ezra protested. “You need protein."
I shrugged. “I’m sure it’ll be ready soon.”
He huffed out a little laugh before grabbing a second plate and heading to the grill. I knew damn well he was about to get me more than I could ever possibly eat.
Sometimes, I wish I could have found this place sooner, found them sooner, but I wasn’t ready for that at the time. I needed to find myself first and realize that I had to let people in once in a while.
“The wait is killing me,” Dani said as she flopped down in a seat across from me with her own plate.
Her pack wasn’t far behind, just like mine, always watching her. Cy walked up and handed her a cold water before going after his own plate. Somehow, all three of us were able to find the perfect packs for us. It made me so happy to see them get treated like queens.
Dani had a big blue button pinned right to the front of her dress. Both my besties thought it was a boy. They made me go through an array of weird ‘old wives tale’ type tests to figure it out, and everything was pointing ‘boy,’ so they were convinced.
I wasn’t. Not that I’d be upset either way. I just wanted a healthy baby, and I was grateful that I got to bring them up with fathers that would love them.
Thank God for birth control, and that the omega clinics never allowed partners during some screenings, otherwise I could have ended up pregnant far sooner, and with the worst guy.
For all he knew, I couldn’t have a baby. A girl needed to have some secrets and self-preservation, and I think at some point I realized that.
Ugh, stop, Bea, I chastised myself. He was gone and I had to stop letting him take up space in my mind. I truly was happy and healing, and I wanted to live in the moment more.
When I couldn’t eat another bite, I pushed my plate away, knowing I’d have a cupcake soon.
“So, how do you want to do this?” Dani asked as she stacked her plates on mine. “Do you want us to put you in front of everybody so you can eat your cupcake and then tell us what it is?”
“No,” I said, cringing at the thought of everyone staring at us. “I think I’d rather we all count down and take a bite together. We can find out collectively.”
“Oh, I love that,” Taryn said, her eyes welling up with tears. She’s cried almost as much as I have lately. We were all sappy messes. What a change from the three best friends who started the shop together.
“We’ll get going once people are finished,” Taryn reassured me, waving a hand at her face to dry the tears. “I swear, I’m more emotional now than I’ve ever been.”
“But still just as snarky,” I teased.
Of course, my bestie did not take that as an insult because it was never intended to be.
“You know it,” she agreed with a smirk. It was a bit less effective with her watery eyes but I wouldn’t call her on it.
“We’ll never lose our sass around here. How else will we keep our packs on their toes?” Dani pointed out with a laugh.
I glanced around at the crowd, seeing that most everyone was finished. Thank god.
“I’m not sure I can wait much longer to find out. I’m losing my mind.”
“We’re on it,” Tary said as she and Dani took over, helping Holt pass out cupcakes under strict orders of no one cheating.
“She wants to do it together, so we’re going to countdown from three to one, and then we all take a bite and then you can lose your minds,” Dani explained before handing a cupcake to me and Phoenix, who was now glued to my side.
When Ezra started to walk by, she grabbed his hand, too, pulling him closer. Apollo and Corvin joined until we were all standing together in a little huddle, cupcakes held out in front of us.
Phoenix was starting to look at hers like it might explode at any second. I shared a glance with Ezra, and he nodded once as if he saw it, and he would take care of it.
Phoenix and Ezra had become close, and some days I felt like she had an easier time talking to him than she did me. I was grateful that she had multiple people she could rely on. We all needed someone in our corner.
“I think everybody’s ready,” Dani said, clapping her hands.
When it didn’t cut through everyone, Holt let out a whistle, and that did the trick.
“Thanks, big guy,” she laughed. “We’re gonna count down. Is everyone ready?”
I let out a breath before lifting mine up as they started to count.
“Three, two, one,” Dani said, and everybody collectively bit into their cupcakes, including her.
I bit into mine, the pink frosting oozing out a little. Girl. I was going to have a little girl.
“It’s a girl!” Phoenix screamed loud enough we leaned away.
Her cupcake somehow launched into the water as she did the craziest happy dance I’d ever seen. I half expected her to realize what she was doing and stop herself, but my girl didn’t even bat an eye. As she turned my way, she launched herself at me, hugging me tight.
Everyone let out a cheer, throwing congratulations our way. I stepped closer to my pack, letting them engulf me in their arms.
Their scents swirled around me, and it was one of my favorite things in this world.
The way that our scents combined, my caramel and toasted almonds.
Corvin’s amber, orange and smoky cedar. Apollo’s mocha and coconut.
And Ezra’s amber, oak and vanilla sugar all mixed together into this warm, sweet, inviting mix that felt like home.
Phoenix’s scent hadn’t quite come in yet, but some days I swore I could get a hint of chocolate and marshmallow.
It fit her and fit ours, like she was always meant to be here with us.
As I was chatting with our guests, I watched Phoenix and Ezra step a few feet away.
“What’s up, kid? I know you’re happy, but what’s going on?” he asked quietly.
Phoenix let out a breath. “I’m just a little nervous,” she admitted. “I’m so excited, and you guys keep calling me a big sister, and I want to buy into it, I do.”
“But…” he dragged out.
“I’m scared that when you hold her in your arms you’re going to forget about me and realize that I was never really your daughter.” She said the words in a rush, her chest heaving and face flushing.
“Phoenix,” he whispered, pulling her into a bear hug. “The moment I met you, you became my daughter.”
She took a shaky breath, and her reply was so quiet it was almost hard to hear.
“Promise?”
I had just finished talking to the grannies, and I stepped closer, putting a hand on her back.
“Promise,” we both said.
“I’m going to love this little girl to the moon and back, but that doesn’t mean I won’t still love you that much. You’re both mine.”
“Exactly,” Ezra said. “We love you because you’re you, Phoenix. Nothing is going to change that. You’re going to love her as much as we love her. That’s just how this works. We’re family.”
“Family,” she agreed, saying the word like she was testing its weight, seeing if she could truly believe it.
At this point, Corvin and Apollo had moved closer, each giving her their own private hug, whispering words to her that I couldn’t make out this time.
I didn’t need to. They were exactly what she needed in her life. And no matter if Dee showed back up or not, nothing would change this.
Phoenix was never going to be left behind again.