“But?”
Breathing deep, I catch hints of his lemon scent and force my fears past my lips. “You have a Fate-matched pack, with kids and a pregnant partner. I can’t be a square peg forcing myself to fit into a round hole.”
He leans across the table and takes my hands in his, holding them between us. “There’s nothing to force. Youfitwith us. Not just me, but Shepherd too. And Hannah… well, her situation is complicated, but I know she will be as enamored with you as we are. If you give her the chance.”
Can I take that leap? Try to find forever with an already formed pack? A family?
‘Si corres te va a ir peor.’Mamá’s words come back to me as I stare at Foster’s and my entwined hands. Running will only make the pain worse. What-ifs will plague me for years to come.
“Okay.” My acceptance is met with the most brilliant smile I’ve ever seen. It melts my heart, leaving a puddle of goop that is ready to be remolded into something new.
Lunch is spent enjoying amazing food and getting to know each other without sex involved. An undercurrent of desire still pulses between us, but that’s natural with an Omega. They are carnal beings. Foster walks me back to the label, but doesn’t follow me inside. “Thank you for letting me take you to lunch. I’ll text you later, and we can plan another date. This is the beginning of our courtship, Beta. Got it?”
I nod, lips twitching into a soft grin. “Understood, Omega.”
He leans over and brushes his lips against mine. Once. Twice. A soft touch meant to tease things to come, and then he walks away. I stand and stare after him for far too long. Only when hedisappears into the parking garage next door do I shake myself out of the stupor and head back to work.
Today has been unexpected, but amazing. So much hope fills my heart that it drowns out the thread of caution warning me to hold myself back.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Feelup to visiting the community center today?” Foster asks, leaning his head close to mine on the pillows.
It’s been several days of restless sleep. The baby has been more active than usual, keeping me awake at night with his tiny kicks and pressure on my bladder. “Yeah, that sounds nice. Is Kaitlin joining us, or does our Alpha have more spoiling up his sleeve?”
“I believe,” he starts as he climbs to his knees and helps pull me up to sit on the edge of the bed, “that Shepherd has to work today. So our little princess gets to enjoy all the community center has to offer.”
We pile into the car after breakfast, and Shepherd drives us across town. My little bug sings along to the playlist Foster made her, unashamed to fill the car with her off-key renditions of popular kids’ songs. Glancing at her in the rearview mirror, I can’t help but smile. Gone is my quiet, timid little girl. A few months and a safe space is all it’s taken to shape her into a vibrant ray of sunshine.
Joy swells in my heart alongside gratitude for the men sitting with me. They have helped us break free of the cult’s chains.
Shepherd presses his lips to my cheek before I climb out of the car, sending heat surging through my body. This last month of pregnancy has me feeling…spicy.Which is terrifying and exhilarating. I know sex is technically safe, even knotting, as it can help relax your vaginal walls and encourage delivery. But knowing that and experiencing it are two different things.
“Call me when you’re ready to go home, Wildfire,” he tells me, giving me a stern look that I easily interpret as his way of warning me not to push myself too far. Rolling my eyes, I wave him off and head into the building. I know my limits.
The community center is bustling by the time we arrive. There are more kids here than usual. In fact, it looks like all the kids are here, which is rare. Chance and Vale corral the youngest of the group when they see us walk in, lining them up in front of one of the low coffee tables. It’s obvious they are hiding something. Foster looks at Sable, seeking their unofficial pack leader for an explanation.
“Well, it looks like I’m late!” A woman calls, carrying an armful of bags through the doors. Several kids rush to help her, which is sweet. Despite the hardships they face, they’re turning out to be great people.
“Mom?” Foster questions, his brows furrowed as he glances at the woman. Is this his mother? That doesn’t seem right. They don’t look alike at all. She looks like…
“My favorite son! Give me a hug! I missed you at the house the other day!” Her arms squeeze him tight enough to make him grunt. She’s strong for such a tiny woman. Warm, familiar golden-brown eyes turn to me as Foster pulls away. “You must be Hannah! I’m Brooke, Shepherd’s mom, but you can call me mom. I am so thrilled to meet you! Sheppie wasn’t joking when he said you were due soon! How long do you have left?”
Foster smothers a laugh at the shell-shocked expression on my face when she pulls me into a hug, too. “A month,” Ichoke out, too overwhelmed by the unexpected meeting. Does Shepherd know she’s here? Given Foster’s surprise, I doubt it. Am I allowed to meet his mother without him? What do I tell her?
“Not long at all! I’m glad I got to meet you beforehand. Who is this little beauty?”
Kaitlin peeks from behind my legs, her hands wrapped in the bottom of my sweater dress. She seems more cautious than afraid, which is an improvement. “This is my daughter, Kaitlin.”
Brooke leans down and beams at Kait. “Hello, darling. I’m Shepherd’s mom, and if it’s okay with you, I’d like to be your new grandma.”
I’m at a loss for words as I watch my little bug light up, bouncing on her toes. “I loves Shepherd. He’s nice to me. You nice, too? I already has a mean grandma.”
My eyes clench shut as Brooke’s eyes widen, shame burning in my chest. I’m thrown back to the day after Kaitlin was born, when my parents came to visit. Mother’s nose had scrunched in distaste as she looked down at my daughter. She refused to hold her or do more than give her a cursory glance. All because she wasn’t a male heir.
As Kait grew, my parents’ treatment of her worsened. I never allowed them to lay a hand on her while I was around, but there were moments I was forced to leave her with Colin that I couldn’t protect her from. That’s my greatest failure—allowing her to be subjected to their cold-hearted cruelty.
“Don’t worry, Princess, Momma Brooke is as sweet as pie!” He ruffles Kaitlin’s hair and wraps an arm around me, likely sensing the shift in my mindset. I give him a tight smile and turn to look at the kids still gathered nearby. If I focus on whatever they’re hiding, I won’t have time to wallow in the past.
