“You’re both incredible.” I twist to Zero kissing him, before dragging Piper to cuddle next to me and kissing him too. “Hear that Zoe? Our hotel is going to be a success!”
Zoe excitedly claps her hands.
Icarus walks forward, crouching down in front of Zoe.
He passes the present nervously between his hands. “This is from your dada.” Then he turns to point at Lionzio. “And your new dada.”
Zoe glances at Lionzio with curiosity for a moment, but only for a moment, because she makes a grab for the present.
“Omega instincts are already good for gifts then.” Lionzio laughs indulgently like he’s already wrapped around Zoe’s little finger.
For the last week, he has spent as much time with Dad and Zoe as he has working.
He wasn’t joking about how long he has been yearning for a bonded pack or how his asshole of an adopted father has made him think that he would never have one.
Ollie leans over Zoe, looking as excited as she is, but then he’s barely received any gifts in his life either. “Here, little niece, I’ll help.”
Icarus rolls his eyes. “You have a whole pile of presents of your own upstairs under the tree.”
“Are any of them the new paintbrushes that I’ve been hinting I need all year?” Ollie asks, hopefully, while assisting Zoe to rip the present open.
“Maybe.”
“Yes!” Ollie whoops.
When two plushies fall onto Zoe’s lap out of the wrapping paper, she squeals with joy. “Bird.”
She strokes over the soft eagle plushie that Icarus has bought her.
Icarus smiles, gently. “That’s right, bird. He’s called Wings.”
Icarus glances over at Piper.
“Good name,” Piper says. “Wonder who came up with that?”
“A smart Omega,” Icarus replies. “I seem to be surrounded by them.”
Lionzio leans forward. “Do you like the lion, little Omega?”
Zoe picks up the second plushie: the adorable plushie lion that Lionzio bought for Zoe weeks ago with blue eyes and a tuft of black hair.
“Say hello to Roar.” Lionzio appears delighted when Zoe immediately cuddles both plushies, rubbing her cheek against Roar’s head.
She purrs. “Soft.”
“She loves both of them,” I say. “She will likely demand her dads play lots of games with them later.”
Lionzio glances at me cautiously. “Are you sure that it’s okay to be called her dad? I mean, I would love that but…”
“Pip, Zero, and you are going to be in her life, loving and raising her just like Icarus is. As soon as she is old enough to understand, I will tell her about her biological dad. I won’t hide anything from her. But she will know who has loved her. We’ll have to think of names for that. Dada? Father? Dad? Papa? Pa?”
“How about Daddy for Icarus?” Zero winks.
“Vetoed,” Icarus gives Zero a stern look that does, in fact, scream Daddy energy.
Just a different sort.
Zero grins like he has been vindicated.
