“How did you meet?” Damien asked.
I was done with lying, so I opted for a version of the truth.
“I crashed North’s fancy Christmas party. I was trying to hide from some crazy exes and somehow wound up in his lap, wearing a Santa suit.”
Madeline and Karina were cackling as I described it in all the embarrassing detail.
“So, we tried to pull one over on Mom and convince her that we were engaged, but she saw right through it,” Cole finished with a chuckle.
“Then she walked in the door here for the holiday and realized we were scent-matched,” North explained, shaking his head. “Isn’t it crazy how life works?”
“It is,” Damien said, grinning at his partner. “She was a barista at my favorite coffee shop. Didn’t know we were a match thanks to the scent-dampening spray the shop used until I ran into her at the grocery store. Two years of being in love with this woman.” He shook his head, and the smile she gave him back was full of adoration.
Their relationship was sweet.
Despite my nerves, dinner passed rather quickly. I grinned as I took the first bite of the chocolate tarts everybody was hyping up, and it seemed the hype was very much real.
“This is fantastic, Madeline. I guess my mate here isn’t the only one in your family who knows how to bake.”
“I taught him everything he knows.” Madeline shot her son a playful wink.
“Sure, Mom,” he indulged her, not bothering to argue.
“What about your parents? Are they going to visit us here sometime?” Madeline asked. When she saw my face fall, her smile softened. “I know what that’s like. Say no more.”
“We became Madeline‘s family,” Jasper said, “and she became ours. We wanted to make sure that our boy here had a very different childhood than we did.”
“We haven’t exactly talked kids,” I said, giving the guys a shy smile. “But, I think I’d like to do the same someday.”
Cole’s eyes darkened with heat. It seemed my alpha approved of that train of thought.
North shifted, wiping his sweaty hands on his pants. “We actually have some news for you all.”
They froze. If I hadn’t just made a pregnancy joke I think that’s where their minds might have gone.
“Well, out with it,” Karina urged, her smile coaxing but sweet.
“I’m an omega. Something about finding my pack triggered it,” he rushed out. “We confirmed it with a doctor. My designation was dormant.”
“I was right all along,” Madeline said with a gasp, pulling her son in for a hug. “I always thought it was more fitting for you, my sweet boy. How are you adjusting? How do you feel?”
“Shaken, a bit confused, but it feels right,” he explained.
Karina offered him a hug of her own, sweeping him into it and squeezing hard enough to hold him together.
My eyes burned as I watched them, loving how much their families cared about each of these men. It was something I knew I’d experience one day, and for now I was happy to soak it in.
“I noticed a bit of a change in you, but I thought she just gave you confidence,” Lawrence said as he studied us, eyes landing on Jack. “You treating him right?”
“He is,” North said, rolling his eyes. “They’ve all three been amazing. I swear I’d go crazy without them. My mates are incredible and having Cole back has helped. He’s always been a rock for me.”
“I understand that,” Madeline said, giving her men a smile. Cole blushed, his mouth gaping a bit like he didn’t realize how much he meant to the rest of us.
North recounted our nest shopping adventures before the conversation stalled out and Madeline took a breath, changing the subject.
“Now, I’m sure you want to spend your Christmas together. It’s your first as a pack, and it should be that way. So, we brought your gift early.” She held up a hand when North started to protest. “Don’t even start. This is a mother’s job. You just treat that girl right, and that’s enough for me.”
“They do,” I promised.
