Chapter 35
Chapter Thirty-Five
Arbor
B riar and Calder don’t seem to mesh with their packmates at all . By the time Hayes, Hael, Morris, and I come downstairs, Keir, Vernie, and Adam are gone.
The twins force their brother out the front door for some type of family conversation, and I lean against Morris as I take a seat on the couch with Gracie glued to my chest. She’s awake and content chewing on her fist.
Briar sits in one of the club chairs with several huge boxes and another gift basket on the floor at her feet. Calder is in the chair next to her, and he smiles and waves before shoving up his massive black-framed glasses.
Well, I guess every pack needs balance, maybe they help to level out Easton’s and Keir’s violent tendencies?
“She’s adorable,” Calder says, nodding at Gracie.
“Thank you.” I run my hand down her spine, trying to force myself to ask if they’d like to hold her. Only, I’m not mentally in a place to let anyone near her just yet.
“Look, I know Easton is a lot.” Briar smiles softly. “But he loves his brothers, no matter how much shit he talks. He’s also very good at what he does. My ex-boyfriend also had a pretty connected family and no moral qualms about putting his hands on me.” She shrugs. “He’s dead?—”
Calder speaks at the same time, growling, “He’s missing. Jameson is missing .”
The beautiful omega gestures at me. “Chill out, Calder. They’re family. God, I worry about your cortisol levels.”
He sighs. “I’m going to stab Shaw for teaching you that.”
She snorts, pushing out of her chair and walking over to him. She climbs onto his lap, sitting mostly sideways across the chair. Returning her attention to me, she says, “I went a little overboard with the gifts. Maybe check them out once you feel better. But honestly, don’t stress. Easton will handle everything.”
Calder wraps his arms around her, resting his head on her shoulder from behind. “She’s right about that. You’ve got way more important things to focus on. Congratulations on filing the marriage paperwork. You should have the certificate within a couple of weeks.”
Morris rubs his hand down my side. “Now that’s something to be excited about.”
It sure is.
The house feels a whole lot lighter when Easton and his pack leave. They didn’t even stay six hours, and I’m still relieved to have the house to ourselves once more.
Only, the twins’ mom is coming Sunday. The guys assure me that she is nothing like Easton and that I have no reason to worry.
I still do.
Mostly because meeting parents feels like a huge deal. It’s hard. I don’t have any family to bring around for the guys to meet. Things have gone easily with Nana. That could just be because she seems to love everyone, but I try not to let myself stress too much. I love the twins, and hopefully their mom will be able to see that.
On Saturday, I wake up before everyone else. We really need to make a grocery run at some point this weekend. I can’t have my new mother-in-law thinking I’m incapable of cooking a meal. Despite the slim pickings, I manage to make eggs and hash browns. The potatoes were on their last leg, but luckily, the end result is delicious. Really, anything cooked in oil has a good chance of being tasty.
Gracie is awake but chilling in her bouncy seat, and the guys haven’t made it downstairs yet. I stop and give her a quick tummy tickle and put a couple of the clip-on toys back within reach.
It’s crazy how time flies.
I start collecting all the baby stuff that’s made its home in the living room and get it stashed out of the way.
There is no such thing as a minimalist style with a baby in the house, but I do my best to tidy up… Which leads to obsessively dusting the fireplace, picture frames, and eventually the baseboards.
Hael bounds into the room, and my head whips up. He’s in sweats and a plain white T-shirt, which would normally distract me. Only I’m on a mission to impress my new mother-in-law, so I don’t stop scrubbing the baseboard with purpose.
“Um…” Hael squats down at my side. “Whatcha doing?”
“Breakfast is in the microwave,” I say without looking up. “After you eat, maybe you could help with the ceiling fans and other stuff that’s too high for me to reach?”
“Of course, but I didn’t think the house was that dirty. Are you having some weird after-delivery nesting impulse? The baby books mentioned moms sometimes get fixated on cleaning, but I thought that was supposed to come before giving birth…”
“Your mom is going to be here in a matter of days. Like, less than thirty-six hours.”
“She flies in tomorrow night, but she’ll be going straight to Nana’s. You technically have until Monday morning.” Hael chuckles. “Are you nervous about meeting my mom?”
“No,” I lie.
“Oh my god, you totally are.” He plucks the rag from my hand and pulls me up with him until we’re both standing. “She’s going to be so distracted with wanting to get to know you and spoiling Gracie that, I promise you, she wouldn’t notice if a tornado went through the middle of our living room.”
“That’s an exaggeration,” I mutter, burying my face in his T-shirt. He smells fantastic, but that’s nothing new.
“Ehh, it depends on if she’s holding Gracie or not.” He chuckles, squeezing my ass. “She’s going to love you every bit as much as I do.”
“I just really need things to go well.”
“Do I need to wake up Morris or Hayes so they can watch the baby, and I can distract that busy mind of yours?”
It’s so tempting, but I know I’ll feel better with an organized space. “No, but once they wake up, everyone can help.”
Hael snorts. “Fine, but only because you’re adorable, and I love you.”
As it turns out, I really didn’t have anything to worry about. The twins’ mom is amazing. From the very first hug, she makes me feel welcome and like part of the family. All my fears melt away about the time she bursts into tears when she spots Gracie.
It makes me miss my dads something fierce, but I’m so grateful the guys have families who are willing to accept us. At least to my knowledge, they haven’t heard from Easton on whether the paternity swap was successful, but I don’t love the idea of lying to Cyndi either way.
And, luckily, I don’t have to.
Hayes explains the situation, and it takes a huge weight off my shoulders. “…but if anyone asks, Hael is biologically Gracie’s father.”
Cyndi nods. “I understand. I still remember the day your fathers adopted Jacob.”
“She means Easton,” Hael says, rolling his eyes. “He likes to pretend he only has one name, like he’s Cher or something.”
I laugh, letting him pull me into his arms.
Morris appears over Hael’s shoulder, holding up his phone. “I’m trying to get a few natural pictures of everyone.”
Hael laughs, grabs me, and places his hand on my lower back as he dips me for a naughty kiss.
I barely have the presence of mind to hope Cyndi is distracted with Gracie. Morris mutters under his breath, and I think he says you can’t take Hael anywhere.
My whole body shakes with silent laughter as Hael pulls me up.
Our lives would look completely different right now if they had skipped Sunday dinner at Nana’s the night I had Gracie. One small choice made a path that changed everything…
And I’m so grateful it did.