28. Micha
Chapter 28
Micha
G iven all the news that had been delivered recently, we had all needed a few days to catch our breath. That was plenty of time, though, and now it was time for me to start wooing my omega.
Eli had mentioned that Kennedy was studying a lot for a test, so instead of taking her out, I decided to be a helpful and supportive alpha. Armed with several pints of ice cream, popcorn, and a variety of other snacks, I knocked on the door to her apartment.
The door swung open, revealing a tired-looking Kennedy. Even clearly exhausted, she was still beautiful. Her dark auburn hair was in a thick braid to one side, and she was wearing an oversized T-shirt and jeans.
“Micha, is everything okay? What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to be your study buddy today!” I declared excitedly.
The look of confusion on Kennedy's face was adorable. The overwhelming urge to kiss her nose gripped me. Unfortunately, I didn't think we were quite at the stage where I could give her nose kisses without her thinking I was a psychopath. Maybe once I'd been in her presence for longer than thirty seconds, it would be more acceptable.
“Don't you have class today?”
“Nope, canceled,” I explained.
Was that complete bullshit? Yes. The truth was, this morning was one of the few mornings both Eli and Storm had classes, so neither of them would be with Kennedy. Skipping a few classes to get to spend some uninterrupted alone time with the omega that I really wanted to get to know better was well worth it.
Plus, the class I was skipping was recorded and kept online for studying purposes, so I'd be able to catch up easily.
“Really?” Kennedy asked with a frown, like she was doubting my story.
I nodded. “Yep. Now, are you going to let me in? I’ve got textbooks and a shit ton of ice cream in here,” I said, holding up my bags.
Kennedy’s eyes lit up at the mention of ice cream. She took a step back, opening the door wider. “I really do need to study, though,” she said.
“Me too.” I smiled as I entered the apartment. “Do you want the ice cream now, or should I pop it in the freezer? There's also popcorn.”
“I say we start with popcorn, then have the ice cream in an hour or two?”
“I love a woman with a plan.” I smirked as I made my way to her kitchen and stashed the three pints of ice cream. Pulling out the popcorn, I chucked a bag into the microwave and turned it on.
As it was cooking, I wandered into the living room, where Kennedy was sitting on the floor, facing Charlotte, who was sitting up on a blanket, playing with several stuffed animals.
“There’s my little tiny terror,” I declared gleefully. As I made my way toward her, Charlotte turned to me and reached out her arms.
“She recognizes you,” Kennedy blurted out in surprise before her face broke out in a large grin as I scooped up the baby, snuggling her to my chest.
“Of course, she does. I’m the coolest member of Pack Daniels,” I declared happily as I started to bounce her.
“I don’t know. Eli got her a stuffed monkey she’s been pretty obsessed with…” Kennedy trailed off.
I frowned. “Well, I’ll get her a stuffed hippo! They’re better than monkeys.”
“Are they now?” Kennedy asked with fake surprise.
“They are!” I said seriously. “You know, when we don’t need to study, we should take this one to the zoo. It’s like two hours away from here. Have you guys been yet?” I asked as Charlotte snuggled into my neck.
Kennedy grimaced. “I’ve been wanting to take her for a while, but it’s so far away, and I don’t have a car. She loves watching animal videos online, so I think she'll love it.”
“Pack date it is, then!” I declared happily. “Just tell us when it works for you, and we'll do it. We went there a few months ago with Sunny and her son, Luka. He's a little bit older than the tiny terror, and he freaking loves it there. He was obsessed with the tigers.”
“I wonder what animal Charlotte will be obsessed with,” Kennedy said with a smile. “I wouldn't say no to a day trip to the zoo, because I know she'll really enjoy it.” As she spoke, she stood and gently brushed some hair out of Charlotte's face as she snuggled deeper into me.
I hummed thoughtfully. “So, is that the trick to getting you to accept gifts? If they're beneficial to Charlotte, you'll accept with minimal resistance?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.
Kennedy shrugged. “I don't deserve that sort of attention, but she deserves everything,” she said wistfully as she looked at her daughter in my arms.
I frowned at the omega. “Well, I disagree with you not deserving it, but that’s a discussion for another day.”
We were going to have to show Kennedy that she was worth everything. She was too cute for her own good, and I was going to make sure she knew it.
Kennedy’s books were spread out on the coffee table, and she had clearly been working hard while also playing with her daughter.
“When is the tiny terror at day care next?” I asked.
“Tomorrow. I try to use the day care as little as possible, because while it’s subsidized, it is still expensive. I also want to spend as much time with her as possible. She’s only this little once,” she said, gazing wistfully at her daughter.
“Well, you’ll have another tiny one soon,” I reminded her.
Kennedy nodded. “Is it bad that I keep forgetting that?” She grimaced. “Well, until the nausea kicks in, then I brutally remember.”
“Have you been able to keep food down?” I asked, concerned.
She nodded, but the movement was slow. Though she looked beautiful, her exhaustion was evident. Her skin was paler than I remembered, and she had dark bags under her eyes.
“Some. One of you guys is usually around to feed me every time I'm sick. I've consumed so much chicken noodle soup that I'm pretty sure I'm going to start looking like a noodle.”
I chuckled. “Good. I'm glad my pack mates are taking care of you. What about sleep?”
She grimaced. “Pretty much nonexistent. Charlotte is a sensitive baby. I think she can tell that something's been up with me, so she's been waking up a lot more in the night. Storm's been here a few times to watch her and see what it's like, but he usually needs my help and guidance. Trust me, the first time you wake up to a screaming baby, it is jarring and it takes a bit of getting used to it.”
“Well, he needs to get used to it, so you can get a good night's sleep.”
Kennedy sighed wistfully. “That sounds like a dream.”
“Why don't you come stay at the pack house this weekend? Between the four of us, we should be able to keep Charlotte entertained, and you can get some decent sleep.”
She sat down, chewing on her lip. “I'm not sure.”
“What's concerning you? Talk to me, sweetheart.”
“I'm just so used to doing it on my own, it's kind of difficult handing over responsibility to anyone else when it comes to her.”
I nodded. “That's completely understandable. You've been on your own with her for so long, I'm honestly surprised you're doing so well with having Storm and Eli constantly in your business.”
A serene smile covered Kennedy's face. “Eli is a gem. He's been nothing but amazing. Storm has also been decent… I think he is serious about wanting to get to know Charlotte and be in her life. Sometimes I wonder, though…”
“Wonder what?” I asked.
Kennedy's face twisted, a conflicted expression plaguing her features. “Would Storm be so eager to be in my life if I wasn't suddenly connected to his pack? He's being really good now, but what if I wasn’t connected to Eli? What if he found out that I’d had his child, but I was just a random omega with zero connection to his pack that he could easily walk away from?”
I cocked my head to the side. She had a point. If Storm was a shithead, then there was a chance that, given the situation, he would have felt pressured to be good to Kennedy because his entire pack was set on her.
“I can see why you’d be worried about that, but honestly, I doubt that’s the case. Storm adores kids. He is obsessed with his nephew and is constantly taking him on uncle outings. It was actually Storm’s idea to take Luka to the zoo.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I think no matter what the situation we found ourselves in, once Storm learned that he had a child, he was going to be all in.”
“Even if his pack wasn't on board?”
“Well, that's irrelevant because we're completely on board, but I don't doubt one second that Storm would have walked away from his pack if his pack wasn't on board with his family. People seem to think that packs are easy, that everything comes with no stress or worry. We are four people trying to build a life together. That comes with complication, that comes with mess. We have to give each other a certain amount of grace.”
Kennedy chuckled. “I'm not sure how much grace it takes to deal with a secret love child.”
“Not much grace at all, when the mother of said love child is an absolute sweetheart who we are excited to get to know and when the baby in question is a sweet little bean who is amazing.” I smiled at her. “Okay, the popcorn is done. If you take the tiny terror, I’ll go get it in the bowl and we can start this study session. We have an hour or two until her nap, right?”
“Yeah, though she’s been a little feral when it comes to her nap times of late. She’s been waking up at all hours and going to sleep whenever she likes. I’ll have to get her back on a schedule soon. All this change is disrupting her a lot. Maybe it’s best I keep her here and don’t bring her to the pack house.”
I shook my head. “She’ll need to get used to the pack house, eventually. I imagine you’re going to be there a lot, and we want you both to be comfortable there. Just tell us what we need to do to make it work for her. We can do things like get her an identical crib.”
“That…may work,” Kennedy admitted as she took Charlotte out of my arms.
With a quick kiss to the top of her soft baby curls, I hurried to the kitchen to grab the popcorn and a few of the soda cans I had brought with me. I had been paying attention, and I noticed that Kennedy enjoyed strawberry-flavored drinks. I had gone the extra step and bought some strawberry syrup, so I could make her a strawberry cola.
Filling a glass with a can of soda and a little syrup, I returned to my girls. Kennedy was sitting on the floor, a pen in hand, as she went through her textbook. Charlotte was sitting next to her with her stuffed animal.
“I have snacks!” I declared, placing them on the table before handing Kennedy the glass of soda.
“Thank you.” She smiled at me before taking a sip, her eyes going wide. “What is that?” she asked, looking down at the glass.
“Do you not like it?” I asked, starting to worry. I probably should've asked her if she wanted to try the strawberry syrup. I just assumed because I wanted to take control and be helpful, but I was beginning to doubt everything.
“It's delicious. What is it?” Kennedy asked, looking up at me with a smile. My heart rate slowed, and my breathing returned to normal.
“I brought a strawberry syrup with me, since I’ve noticed that you tend to gravitate toward strawberry-flavored drinks.”
Kennedy’s brows lifted in surprise. “You noticed that?”
“I notice a lot about you, Kennedy… Now, let’s get studying!”