“We’ll have definitely added another cutie to the ranks if this last heat did its job.” She laid her palm over her stomach, where our third baby could already be growing.
Her heat had thrown a wrench into trip preparation, but better before than during the trip. She’d slept the entirety of the flight, recovering her energy after the heat, and by our second day in Istanbul, she was raring to go and had slept so much the time change meant nothing to her body.
She cuddled up to my side, taking off her hat to lean her head on my shoulder. Jada demanded her Mama’s finger to hold, which Madison happily obliged. I loved watching her with the kids. The whole pack, honestly. My heart twanged a hundredtimes a day just seeing the people I loved dote on the tiny humans we were raising together.
Madison sighed, lifting her face to kiss the curve of my jaw. “This is real, right?”
“Very.” I laced my hand with her free one and let her hold on tight.
“Good.” Another sigh and she turned her nose against my shirt, breathing deeply. “I love this life.”
“Me, too.”
Sometimes her reality butted up against her past. I couldn’t really blame her for feeling like everything might be an elaborate dream when she’d lived nearly thirty years in complete fuckery. Healing took time, and she’d come a long way, but she still had moments. I loved every second of being with her, no matter where she was on that healing journey.
All I’d ever wanted was for her to let herself be loved. She was easier with it now, letting herself be open, taking what we offered, and returning her own. We never doubted for a second that she loved us beyond words. Maddie had left a lot of things behind, pretty much all of it very deserving of being left in the past. My favorite petty thing about her past was knowing how hard Tyler had shot himself in the foot after losing her. Jenna’s pack took zero shit and had dragged Tyler’s name through the mud for all of his terrible behavior, and when no one would work with his company, Tyler had left the city altogether.
Maddie dipped her nose to Jada’s hair. Our daughter no longer had the milky scent of early babyhood, but she was held so often that she smelled like the whole pack. Kisses pressed to her curls.
My omega’s eyes were misty when she looked up at me again. It wasn’t sadness in the bond, but something closer to a tender sentimentality that usually made its way out in quiet tears, asif she were simply too overwhelmed by everything she felt and needed to release the pressure.
Alve and Nathan lowered Naya from her superhero flight and turned her toward Madison.
“I bet Mami would like a hug from Princess Naya.” Nathan nudged her toward us, our first-born flopping into Madison’s arms where she was gathered up to sit on her lap.
“Mami would indeed.” Madison cuddled Naya close.
“Would she also like a night on the town?” Alve asked, turning in his seat. “Or should we stay in?”
“Did you have somewhere specific in mind?”
We’d already discussed and planned, trading off so everyone got to spend more time with Madison or the girls, or dip off on dates with each other. Tonight Maddie would be with Leo and Alve, while Nathan and I got to hang with the kids. I treasured the daddy-daughter time.
“I made reservations for a restaurant, but if you’d rather stay in, we could get room service instead,” Alve offered.
She gave it a few seconds of thought. “Dinner out sounds lovely. I’ll probably need a bit more rest time once the others join us in Greece, so I might as well get in all the outdoor time I can while our group is still small.”
Charlotte, Ava, and their families, as well as a hefty handful of my sisters were flying out to join us on our own chartered bus tour of the Greek mainland. They didn’t join us often on our trips, but it was always a treat when they did, even if it required a lot more coordination.
I hooked my arm over Maddie’s shoulders and took my time brushing my lips over hers until Naya got fed up with the lack of attention, grabbing her mama’s cheeks and getting a loud smacking kiss for herself.
“I hold her hand?” Naya laid her hand over Madison’s where Jada had an iron grip on her finger.
“That’s up to her, honey,” Maddie explained.
I sensed the intention before Naya could forcefully peel Jada’s fingers open, getting our oldest to pause while I gently opened Jada’s grip so Naya could get two of her fingers in there. Thankfully content with that, Naya got extra comfortable on Madison for the duration of our little cruise.
The ancient capital was beautiful, zipping past on both sides of us in a dazzling array of mosques, palaces, and markets. We’d been on a mission to get Madison to as many palaces as possible, a mission we planned to continue for many years to come. In between the opulence we all got to choose something we wanted to see in every country we visited, exploring food, history, nature, and architecture as a family. The luxury was always fun, but what I loved most was sharing these moments with the people who had become my whole world. Once upon a time I’d only dreamed of having Madison, and now I was sitting among thefourloves of my life with our two perfect children. How many times had I thought to myself I was the luckiest person in the world? It was as true now as it had always been, and I knew without a doubt that it would only get better, so long as we were together.
“You’re sure you don’t mind?” I fussed with my hair, smoothing the waves while Jude perched on the edge of the bathtub watching me with Jada asleep in his arms. Honestly, it was a wonder either of our children had learned to stand with how often someone was holding them. Between us and the multitude of grandparents, aunties, uncles, and friends, the kids were always being loved on.
“Not one bit,” he assured me. “Nathan and I are going to order room service, watch a movie, and cuddle with the girls until you get back.”
Satisfied with my hair, I slipped on the one fancy outfit I’d brought. The raspberry pink satin flared past my knees in a full skirt, the sleeves stopping just above my elbows, and the neckline scooping just low enough my cleavage wouldn’t be visible. I twirled under Jude’s appreciative gaze.
His admiration was like warm silk gliding over me in the bond. “You look beautiful, Maddie.”
“We won’t be out too late.” I purred, leaning to kiss him, my thumbs stroking his cheeks. Jada was out like a light, but I brushed my fingertips over her curls anyway. “Be good for Daddy while Mommy is out.”
