“No,” Rorik said quickly, then smiled. “I’m only considering the possibilities.”
Ugh, he was so cute. I wanted to pinch those chubby pink cheeks of his. But since my hands were full of squirming ferrets, I leaned over to kiss him instead. It was a chaste peck, but it still turned Rorik’s whole face red.
“Saffron,” he murmured. “I love you.”
My heart skipped a beat. I knew it in my heart, but it was the first time he’d said that out loud.
“We’re back!” Aurum announced, waltzing into the room with a huge bowl of popcorn. He hunkered onto the couch, shoved a fistful of popcorn in his mouth, then raised a brow at us. “You two weren’t doing anything PG-13 in front of my girls, were you?”
“No!” Rorik blurted, blushing harder. “I would never.”
I snorted in amusement. “I just gave him a peck on the lips.”
Mylo was right behind Aurum. He bundled up on the couch with a giant bowl of his own. “Here, you two. This one can be yours,” he said, passing his bowl to Rorik. “Eat as much as you want, there’s lots more where it came from!”
Rorik took the bowl from Mylo, careful not to drop the popcorn or the ferret balanced on his shoulders. It brought me joy watching the two omegas interact.
“So, gang,” I announced. “What movie are we watching?”
“Rorik should pick,” Mylo suggested.
He flashed a shy smile. “Thanks, but I’m not the best person to choose. I haven’t seen many movies.”
Aurum yawned, sinking into the couch. “I’m okay with anything family-friendly, as long as it’s not—”
“Ice Pincess!” Desiree and Kiara squealed.
Aurum groaned loudly. “Oh, Holy Drake, anything but that…”
The girls giggled at their daddy’s pain.
Mylo shot Rorik a sympathetic look. “Ice Princessis their favorite movie right now. They’re going through a phase.”
“They’re obsessed,” Aurum grumbled. “It’s the only movie they’ll sit through quietly, start to finish.”
Rorik tilted his head. “Isn’t that a good thing?”
Aurum heaved a sigh. “Yes, except I’ve only seen it onebilliontimes. Those songs are etched onto my brain forever.”
“Ice Pincess, Ice Pincess,” the girls chanted.
Rorik looked amused at their stubborn tenacity. “I’ve never seenIce Princess, either. It sounds fun. We should watch it.”
“YAY!” the girls cried.
I snorted, grabbing a bite of popcorn. “Congratulations, Rorik. For the next hour and a half, you just became their favorite uncle.”
Rorik flashed a genuine smile, one where his cheeks rose up high enough to block the lower half of his eyes. It was so fucking cute, I could’ve melted. As if I could be more obsessed with him.
I felt a sense of pride that my hoard was useful to my family. I leapt off the couch, fished for the familiar DVD, and popped it into the console. “All right,Ice Princesstime.”
Back on the couch, Desiree and Kiara had settled calmly on Rorik’s shoulders. Their beady black eyes were glued to the screen even though the title hadn’t even appeared. But the girls weren’t the only ones—Rorik was doing exactly the same thing. I stifled a chuckle and slipped back next to him. Cuddling closer, I pressed our arms together. His large body was so comforting and soft.
“All righty, here we go,” I announced, then hit play on the remote.
After the girls’ initial excited hooting and hollering, they went silent as the title screen popped up. Rorik, too, was silent. He stared as the opening sequence unfolded, as if afraid to blink and miss something. He was so enraptured that he didn’t even eat popcorn. I picked up a few pieces and popped them into his mouth. He ate them without tearing his gaze from the TV.
This is nice,I thought, thoroughly content.The four of us—plus the girls—on the couch, watching a movie together… I could really get used to this.
