“I don’t know how much more of this I can take.” Foster’s head hits my back, his hands wandering beneath my cut-off shirt to rest against my stomach. A whine builds in his throat, coating his words in a thick layer of frustration. My Omega is struggling with his instincts. He needs my scent to help calm him, something I cannot offer when I am taking daily cancelers.
Humming, I lean back against him, offering my weight to steady him. “What do you need?”
“For our Beta to take a fucking break.”
Frowning, I glance across the room to where Hannah is currently deep-cleaning the kitchen. She’s been nonstop since we arrived a few days ago. Always cooking or cleaning, even doing our laundry for us. It’s too much. She’s clearly exhausted but is pushing herself to be helpful. We both have tried to explain that she doesn’t need to take care of the safe house for us, that we are more than capable of helping. But she won’t listen. It’s as if she doesn’t know what to do with herself if she isn’t falling back into the role of mother and household manager that she filled in New Hampshire.
Kaitlin is sitting at the dining table, half-heartedly coloring a picture. Her hair is pulled up in a bun to match her mother’s, but it does little to keep her cool. They both need a break. A way to relax and escape the heat.
Bringing one of Foster’s hands to my mouth, I kiss his palm before I slip from his embrace. Stalking down the back hall, I open a small storage closet at the end and find an unopened blow-up swimming pool tucked into the back corner. I hadnoticed it yesterday while I was hunting for a ball for Kait to kick around the yard. Tucking it under my arm, I grab a couple of towels and head outside.
An hour later, it’s full of cool water and ready for our bored little princess to enjoy. Both of our girls briefly look up when I walk back inside, but return to their tasks without speaking. With how often I venture out to walk the perimeter, I suppose they assume that is where I was.
Foster meets me at the entrance to the hallway, his curly black hair disheveled from where he has been tugging at the strands. “I have a plan,” I whisper, pulling him flush against my chest. “Can you convince Kaitlin to sneak back here for a minute?”
He nods, pecking my lips before wandering over to see what the four-year-old is working on. His words are hushed as he compliments her coloring skills. I walk to the entrance of her and Hannah’s bedroom and wait for them. It takes only a moment before she hesitantly joins us.
“Hey, Princess, can you help me with something?” I squat down to her level, meeting her eyes when she nods slowly. “We want your mommy to take a break. She’s overworking herself, which isn’t good when it’s hot like this.”
Foster crouches beside me, holding a small pool toy I hadn’t noticed earlier. “Shepherd found a little pool and filled it up outside. We thought you might like to go out and go swimming? And maybe convince Mommy to splash in the water with you?”
Tiny hazel eyes sparkle with delight as she eyes the plastic fish and net in his hands. “Not deep water?”
Shaking his head, he shows her an estimate of how tall the water would be on her legs. She grins, bouncing on her toes. “Yes, please. I like swimmin’.”
“Do you think you can help us convince Mommy to stop cleaning and go outside?” I ask.
“I try!”
Taking her hand in his, Foster leads her back to the living area, where Hannah is wiping out cabinets. He taps his knuckles on the counter to get her attention, grinning when red colors her cheeks as she turns to face him.
“Mommy, Shepherd found us a pool! Will you swim with me?”
Hannah bites her lip, looking between her daughter and us. “A pool?”
“A kiddie pool,” Foster clarifies. “It isn’t deep, but it is big enough that we could all sit inside to cool off.”
Kaitlin drops his hand when Hannah still seems uncertain, moving to wrap her arms around her mother’s leg. “Please, Mommy! It’ll be so much fun!”
“We don’t have swimsuits…”
Stepping forward, I shrug and lean against the counter. “Just wear what you already have on. It’s water. Our clothes will dry.”
After a few minutes, I see her eyes slip from the kitchen to the front door. When she agrees, tension leaves both Foster and my shoulders. This is good. A step in the right direction. One task at a time, we will show her she isn’t alone. The weight of household chores does not fall on her alone. We will be partners in all things, from cleaning and cooking to raising children.
If she lets us.
“Whoa!” The wonder in Kaitlin’s voice makes me grin. Truly, the pool isn’t much. It’s a six-by-six square of plastic inflated and filled with maybe half a foot of water. But to our princess, it’s practically an ocean. If only we had a sandbox for her to play in, too.
“Sunscreen first!” Hannah calls when her daughter takes off for the water. After making sure Kaitlin is covered, Foster steps in and takes the bottle from her hands. “You too,” he purrs, helping Hannah spin so he can cover her skin. When he gentlyrubs some onto her cheeks and nose, they both freeze, lost in each other’s eyes.
Biting back a groan at the vision the two of them make, I join Kaitlin at the water, offering her the toy fishing net and throwing all the fish into the pool. “Are you ready?” I kick my shoes off and step inside, holding out my hand to help her climb over the edge. The cold water is a bit of a shock to my heated skin, but I know it will warm quickly beneath the midday sun.
“So cold!” Kaitlin shrieks, dipping one foot into the water. Her laughter fills the small clearing around the house. My heart swells hearing it. She sounds so carefree, exactly as a child should.
“C’mon, Mommy! It feels good!”
Hannah laughs, watching her daughter splash through the water to scoop up the toy fish. Tiny droplets rain down on us with each exaggerated step of her feet, but we don’t mind. As long as she is having fun and Hannah isn’t stress-cleaning, then she can splash us as much as she wants.
