I have to fight a grin as Jonah looks at her in the rearview mirror.
“This is manipulative as fuck, you know that?” he says.
“Spending hours crocheting you a hat large enough to fit your especially large head is manipulative?” she asks, her tone still sickly sweet.
Cole isn’t doing a good job of hiding his laughter, and Jonah knows he isn’t going to win. How do you turn down a handmade gift from your newly bonded Omega? The short answer is you don’t.
He grumbles, but grabs the hat, and puts it on his head. I can hear him cursing as we get out of the car, Shiloh’s hand in mine as we go through stadium security and head to our suite.
We’re here pretty early, at Shiloh’s request. I think she wanted more time to prepare for her family to meet us here.
Luckily, Claire, Axel, and Elliot are the first people to join us in the suite.
Claire and Axel are also wearing Patriots’ gear and immediately start giving their brother shit for his hat.
“I think he looks handsome in green. It really makes his eyes pop,” Shiloh says, petting his face as the big Alpha takes all the jokes thrown at his expense.
“Whipped in under a month. Shiloh, I’m impressed,” Claire says.
Shiloh laughs and the two chat. It’s nice seeing Shiloh talk to someone outside of the pack. It’s something I feel like I should do more of as well. But let’s be real, I’m not going out of my way to make new friends any time soon.
I’m grabbing a beer as Shiloh’s Gran and parents walk in, all donning Eagles gear. It’s palpable that her Gran feels uncomfortable as she gives me a quick smile and holds out her hand for me to give her my beer that I haven’t taken a sip of. I give it to her and she sighs next to me.
“Hey, Gran,” Shiloh says, giving her Gran a hug.
“Hey, honey. I’m so happy for you,” she says, holding her granddaughter tight.
It’s a stark difference from the way her parents greet her, no physical affection.
Shiloh clears her throat. “Mom, dads, this is my pack; Mack, Cole, and Jonah,” she says pointing to each of us as she says our name. “These are my parents; Tiffany, Derek, and Mark.”
“Nice to meet you,” her father, Mark, says, shaking our hands.
They’re cordial enough, but there’s clearly a thick tension in the air for this meeting. Based on everything Shiloh has told me, it’s not surprising. Her parents haven’t been present most of her life, and it’s evident in the way they’re interacting now.
Mark seems to be the most friendly, quickly trying to engage Jonah in conversation. It rubs me the wrong way. When’s the last time they saw Shiloh? I get that this is a way for us all to meet each other, but you would think they would want to talk to their daughter more than anyone.
“You look good,” her mother tells her. The woman has the same eyes as Shiloh, but her hair is lighter. She doesn’t seem like a malicious person, but how can she not be for abandoning her child?
“Thanks. How long are you visiting?” Shiloh asks.
“We’ve been here for about a week and a half. Our flight to Perth is in a little over a week,” she says.
I feel it down the bond, though Shiloh schools her features.
Disappointment.
They’ve been here a week and a half and didn’t try to see her, but when the opportunity arose for the football game, they decided that was the perfect time to admit they were in the same city.
I toss my arm around her shoulders and kiss her on top of her handmade hat that matches mine.
“Shiloh has been the best thing that’s happened to us. We’re glad that we could actually meet; it seems like you guys aren’t ever around to make time for your daughter, so it’s really great that you were able to make the time to come to our suite right before playoffs,” I say.
Shiloh’s Gran coughs, clearing her throat and I can feel Shiloh’s love for me down the bond.
I’m not a confrontational man. Far from it, actually. But if these people think they’re going to come in here, take up our generosity, and make my girl feel like shit, they have another thing coming.
Tiffany looks me up and down, her smile fake.
