Dropping the tote mom sent on the floor, I kick my shoes into the closet and head into the kitchen to join them. I reach Foster first, stopping to press a kiss on his lips. Sweet lemon tart coated in cherries fills my nose as I lean closer. The scent is so thick on his skin that it has me salivating. My cock reacts instantly, swelling beneath my jeans. “You smell amazing,” I murmur, brushing my lips against his again.
His brows wiggle as I walk behind him to press a kiss to Hannah’s lips. “Don’t I?” Her face is nearly scarlet now, and she can barely meet my eyes.
“Did you have fun?” I whisper, stealing the spatula from her hands and gently shifting her back from the stove. She hums in response and moves to lean against Foster’s side. His arms wraparound her, face pressed to her shoulder. The casual affection isn’t new, but the way she molds herself to him is.
Am I jealous? A little, but only because I missed being here to watch the two of them together.
“How is Momma Brooke?”
Flipping the burgers, I raise a brow in his direction. “The same as always. Fiery and demanding.” Glancing down at Hannah, my expression turns apologetic. “I might have let it slip that we met you. She’s excited to meet you and the kids.”
Uncertainty fills Hannah’s face as she glances between us. Our families are a topic we haven’t touched on. Hers excluded, but it’s hard not to know about her family when we were hired to protect her from them. “That’s… sweet?”
“Brooke is harmless. A little pushy, but Shepherd is used to holding her back. She’ll love you as much as we do, I promise.” Foster soothes her with his words, and his hands rub along her hips and the sides of her stomach.
“Tell me more about your family?” she asks, pushing away from Foster with a wink. I chuckle when his lip pushes into a pout. She joins me at the stove and adds pasta to the water she had boiling on the back.
Sliding the burgers onto a tray to rest in the oven, I add two more patties to the pan while I answer. “There isn’t much to tell. I’m an only child, so it’s always been just my mom and me. She’s a Beta, and worked as an EMT until last year when she retired.”
“His father was a firefighter. He died in the line of duty when Shep was four,” Foster explains, wrapping himself against my back. His nose presses against my shoulder blades, and his hands dip beneath my cut-off shirt to press against my stomach. Pre-heat instincts mean he needs a lot of touch and scent marking.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Hannah hums as she stirs the pasta and butters buns for me to toast. Working in tandem like thishas become second nature to us. It’s like we’ve always been in the kitchen together, despite only having met a few months ago.
I shrug off her empathy. “It was a long time ago. My mom still talks about him often, so I have memories of who he was, just none that belong to me. You remind me of her,” I admit. “In a not-creepy way. You have the same strength, and you’re both great moms.”
She giggles, tapping Foster’s arm and asking him to strain the pasta. “I wouldn’t think that was creepy. And thank you. If she raised you, I’m sure she’s amazing.”
Clatter fills the kitchen as we make plates, assemble burgers, and get everything cleaned up as we go. Family meals have become a regular thing since the girls moved in. Before, we were more likely to order takeout and eat on the couch than we were to sit at the table. Not because we don’t like cooking, but because of our hectic work schedules. The break we’ve had for the past several weeks has been nice.
“What about your family?” Hannah asks Foster after we’ve all sat down.
My Omega clears his throat and gives her a tight smile. Talking about family is tough for him.
“I grew up in a small pack. Omega dad, Alpha dad, and Alpha mom. They’re all still alive, and live a few hours north. I have not told them about you yet, but only because we don’t talk as often as Shep and his mom do. My parents are… reclusive.”
Hannah slides her hand onto his arm and squeezes, offering him a soft smile.
“Do you have brudders and sisters?” Kaitlin asks suddenly. Lately, she’s been asking a lot of questions about being a big sister.
“I had an older brother,” Foster admits. His hand clenches around his cup, and the familiar pain of loss enters his eyes. Ifeel it in our bond, the faded remnants of his grief. “He died many years ago.”
Kaitlin nods solemnly and climbs onto her seat to reach over and pat his cheek. “I is sorry you don’t have a brudder anymore. You can share mine.”
We all laugh as she sits back down. “Thanks, Little Princess, but I think I’d prefer to be your brother’s dad than his sibling. Would that be okay? If I were your dad?”
She shrugs and shoves a big piece of her burger into her mouth. “You and Shepherd can be my papas. You’s nicer than my dad.”
Hannah’s shoulders fall, her guilt tangible as she pushes fries around on her plate. I knock my shoulder into hers and grin. “Guess you’re stuck with us now, Wildfire. The little one has claimed us.”
“I suppose I am,” she whispers, smiling shyly back at me.
Now I need to make their place in our pack official.
The background check for Foster’s chosen heat helper sits open on my laptop. Heat Helpers, as a brand, runs fairly thorough checks, but a friend at the FCDA always runs a secondary report. One that is much more thorough and invasive.
Emmanuel Alfaro is a thirty-six-year-old Beta from New York City. He is one of six children and has a squeaky-clean record. The worst crimes he’s committed are one speeding ticket and a handful of parking violations. What’s most interesting is that he works at Soulbound Echo Studios. The same label Primordial Covenant is signed to.
Grabbing my phone, I swipe through my contacts until I find Nebula’s number. He answers on the second ring, his gruff voice greeting me. “How’s Omen?” I ask, a bite to my tone. Yeah, I’m still pissed at their pack for hurting her. She’s become like a little sister to me over the past few years, which means more to me than the friendship I’ve built with Pack Graves. I’d choose her over them in a heartbeat.
