Chapter 30
Chapter
Thirty
ARLO
“Cali!” I yell, grinning as she jumps out of her father’s SUV and runs toward me. She’s having an independent streak, and doesn’t want to have anyone help her in and out of the car according to her grandmother.
I don’t see the harm in it as long as Cali is waiting until the vehicle is at a complete stop.
I catch my sweet, gorgeous girl and swing her into my arms as she hugs my neck tightly.
“I think she missed you more than me,” Ves grumbles with a grin.
“She adores you,” I murmur. “Ugh, let’s not do such long vacations with grandma again, okay?”
It’s been a month, but may as well have been much longer. Yes, I’m dramatic as hell, but I can’t help it.
“I miss playing hide and seek!” Cali squeals happily. “I love grandma and Uncle Henry, but they don’t make my grilled cheese the way you do.”
She says it as if it’s a secret and I smother a smile as I walk her inside. How else do you make a grilled cheese sandwich? Ves shrugs when I make eye contact with him as he follows me into the rental.
“Grandma prefers to bake and plan trips,” he explains.
“Real food tends to happen at restaurants. There’s nothing wrong with that, but Cali is a homebody.
It’s one of the reasons the rental makes better sense while you’re staying with me.
I need to enroll her in online school because I can’t stomach the idea of having you guys go back to Los Angeles. ”
“I like this place,” Cali decides. “Is there a park nearby?”
That’s my girl! “It’s two blocks down. I think I need a snack before I walk there. Will you eat with me?”
“Well, it would be rude if I didn’t,” she says with mock seriousness.
Baron leans against the wall as he watches us, chuckling under his breath. He had a hell of a time with his van earlier this week, and I thought he was going to pass out from heat stroke by the time he got back.
“You just got home and you’re already angling for a park date with Arlo. I see how it is,” he teases her.
“He missed me so so so much. This much!” She throws her arms open and I have to put her down when she almost hits me. She’s a tiny menace sometimes.
“That’s a lot,” Lennox says sagely from the kitchen as we walk toward him. “What is the tiny tornado having for her snack before this exclusive park date?”
“Grapes and cheese?”
“Hmm. I think I need some crackers too,” I admit, going to the fridge. “How do you feel about blueberries, kiddo?”
“I could skip them.”
My pack watches as I deliberate over our snack, until I finally have a plate for us to share. Cali says that food sometimes tastes better when it’s from the same plate, and I tend to agree. Sitting down, I pop a grape into my mouth and begin to chew with a hum of happiness.
I cut them all in half to make them easier to eat for Cali, and Ves folds his arms over his chest as he watches us.
“Are you the reason she turns every conversation into an intense deliberation?”
“No. Your genes are the reason she does this,” I grin. “I’m just getting on her level or she’d never try new fruits.”
I managed to get her to agree to mango slices, which weren’t even on her radar.
“Sneaky, and really smart,” Baron says. “Miss Cali, you have Arlo dancing to your tune, don’t you?”
“I don’t know what that means,” she shrugs. I know for a fact she does because it was on one of her shows. We discussed how the phrase could be used on a video call. She wanted to fully understand it the second she heard it.
Cali is so fucking smart. We just all live in her world.
“I have to go to work, but I plan to be home for dinner,” Ves says.
“Really? Can you read me a story before bed, or do you need to go back?”
My omega’s daughter is well versed in how things work in her dad’s life. It doesn’t bother her, she’s willing to roll with the punches, besides she knows he helps people.
“That’s undetermined. I’ll know later today.”
“Okay.”
Cali and I finish our snack, and she helps me by washing our shared plate while I fill up our water bottles. She’s standing on the step stool, and Lennox watches her carefully as she places the plate in the drying rack. He hands her a towel and she thanks him as she uses it.
“Arlo, I need to change my shoes. I can’t play in my sandals.”
“I put your bag by the door. Do you want to see your room?” her dad asks.
“Yes!” The squeal was high pitched enough to deserve a new note register, but Ves doesn’t flinch. He’s well used to his daughter’s antics.
“Are you sure you want to walk?” Lennox asks, watching as they leave.
“Yeah. We walk everywhere. She sounds as if she’s going a little stir crazy.”
“How do you figure?” Baron asks.
“She’s used to her routines. I know she has a blast with her grandparents, but that’s different.
When she’s with me, whether it’s the hotel or LA, she knows what she can get away with,” I explain.
“If she needs quiet time, no one is going to force her to chat. Or, I can tell when she’s restless and needs to move. ”
“Exhibit A,” Lennox says, pointing out the doorway.
“Yes. We’re going to spend forty-five minutes at the park, come home, and she’ll be good to go.”
“You know how to balance her out,” Baron says.
“Pretty much. She’s such an easy kid.”
“Easy for you,” Ves snorts, coming back in.
“She’s also changing into her favorite pair of shorts.
We’ve gone through so many nannies, and none of them understood her.
You just get Cali. I should have known you were special when you immediately started chatting together like you’d known each other for years. ”
My cheeks burn with heat, but I’m really proud of my bond with Cali.
“Okay! Ready,” she announces soon after.
“Awesome. Let me toss these in a bag.”
I check to make sure I have my phone, pack a hat, and insist on having her let me add sunscreen.
“Am I ready yet?” she groans.
“I guess,” I laugh.
“Yay. Okay, now hugs. I got excited and needed to see everything.”
Cali runs around giving Lennox and Baron hugs, along with promises to give everyone more love once she’s done at the park. I love that she managed to slow down enough to make everyone in our pack feel special.
“We’ll be back.” I take her hand after shoving the bag over my shoulder, and head out the door as our pack tells us to have fun.
“Okay, tell me what your favorite thing about visiting your grandparents was.”
The two of us chat nonstop as we walk. The sidewalks are well maintained, and we never have to cross a street since it’s one big L-shape to get to the park. The breeze keeps us from getting too warm, and she keeps me laughing with her stories.
There are a couple of times that the space between my shoulder blades itches, and I glance around to see if anyone is looking at us. While cars pass on the road, and a couple walks by with their dog, there’s nothing necessarily wrong with what I’m experiencing.
Baron mentioned he saw a woman who acted kind of creepy when he was working on the van, but I get the feeling he doesn’t like many people. Some people are very forward about talking to those who might need help. My alpha isn’t a fan at all.
“What do you think?” I ask, hanging my bag over the top of a bench. There are a few other people here, and there are kids running around the park.
“I think I need to explore,” she giggles. “Think they’ll play hide and seek with me?”
“It’s worth a shot!”
Cali takes off to talk with some of the kids, and they agree to play with her. I watch as they run around, changing my position to keep my eye on her.
“Is she your only one?” a man asks.
Startled, I turn toward him, and he points out his three kids.
“At some point, I let them go free and know they’ll watch out for each other,” he explains.
I smile at him and shake my head. It’s too complicated to explain. “She’s my only one,” I reply.
The kids have shifted into a random game of tag, and they’re screaming as they run. I can’t see Cali’s wild curls and my stomach clenches uncomfortably.
“Cali?” I call out, taking a deep breath as I begin walking through the playground. I look in tunnels, on the swings, and still don’t see her. “Excuse me, have you seen a little girl with curly hair?”
The little boys I ask shake their heads and run off, and my heart begins to pound. Fuck, fuck, fuck!
“Cali!” I yell, getting really desperate. I’ve been searching for the past fifteen minutes, and I have tears in my eyes.
“Who are you looking for?” a mom asks me. “What is she wearing?”
I always memorize what Cali walks out the door with and begin to rattle it off. “Blue shorts, pink shirt with bows, and purple shoes. She was playing and I lost sight of her.”
“Hey! Kids. Help me out, okay?” The mom is so much better at organizing the kids and she has them start looking.
I pull out my phone as I continue walking through the park, thinking she’s going to jump out from behind a tree or something. I call Ves, feeling as if I’m going to pass out. I need to catch my breath and speak normally.
I need him to understand me.
“Ves,” I rasp as he answers the phone. “I can’t find Cali. She was playing and now a lady is organizing a gang of kids to help me find her. Can you come? Now?”
There’s silence for a full beat before I hear the door slam open and footsteps running.
“We’re on the way, honey. Help the kids. Keep looking. We’ll find her. I swear it,” he promises.
I drop to my knees as he says the words I need to hear, feeling lightheaded. I was expecting him to yell at me for some reason. It’s what I’d deserve. How did I lose her?!
Sucking in a breath, I stand up again, ignoring my bruised knees. The rubber mulch still hurts when you fall on it, and my shorts can’t do much to protect me. Mindlessly, I keep walking around, looking for Cali until Ves wraps me in a hug.
“I’m calling the police. She’s not here, Arlo. Someone took her.”
He holds me tighter as my eyes roll back in agony, and I pass out.