She smiled lightly. “That’s true.”
I reached up and traced my finger under her jaw until she faced me. It was strange, I’d never been attracted to women before. To be fair, I’d never been attracted to anyone who wasn’t Jasper or Hawthorne, but something about her plump lips and pretty eyes made my cock threaten to stand at any moment.
I leaned in and planted my lips on hers, loving her warm, almost spicy taste. She kissed me back with equal want, licking my lips to let her in.
I did easily, wanting more of her, of the way she dominated our kisses, like she knew exactly what I wanted. I fought the urge to straddle her on this bench and grind down on her, but we were in public and way too close to her work.
All too soon she pulled away, our breath lingering between us. I rested my forehead against hers, just breathing her in. “You are something else, Harper Maloy.”
“So are you. All of you.”
My heart squeezed when she said that. I didn’t think we’d ever find a mate for all of us, but here she was.
“I should get back to work,” she sighed.
I groaned. “I suppose.” I gave her one more quick kiss before standing, collecting our things, and putting out my hand to help her up. We walked together like that back to my car, and it all just felt so right.
CHAPTER SEVEN
HARPER
Ifinished my work and went to pick Ari up from daycare. I managed to get out on time today and had Kristen drive us.
She waited in the car as I went in. There were still a few kids milling around when I got there, and I was glad I wasn’t the last to pick up.
“Hello,” one of the teachers said. “Aria, your mom is here.”
She lit up when she saw me. “Mom!” said, jumping from the rug and running over to me. “I thought Nanna was coming.”
“I got off a bit early. Come on, let's get your bag.”
As I walked to get her bag with her, her teacher stopped me. “Actually, would you mind stopping by the office quickly? The director wanted to have a word.”
My brows pinched in confusion, but I didn’t want to alarm Ari. “I’ll be right back,” I told her as I walked back to the main office.
When I knocked on the door, I was greeted with a, “come in.”
I stepped through the door, and the manager, Mrs. Adams, looked at me kindly. She was an older woman with a kind face. She gave us our tour on the first day here, and I picked this place because she seemed so passionate about it.
“Ms. Maloy,” she said. “Have a seat.”
I took the one across from her. “Is everything alright?” I asked.
“Everything is fine,” she assured me. “Aria is doing great,” she affirmed. “She’s great with her classmates and excels in her academics.”
I waited. “So why am I here?”
Mrs. Adams took a breath. “I don’t mean to intrude, but do you know anything about Ari’s father?”
Her question struck me as odd. “Uh, not a lot. We didn’t know each other for long.” A single night was a better way to put it, but same difference.
“Well, Aria has been acting a bit odd. Nothing alarming, but sudden bursts of exhaustion before moments of being hyper. It’s not odd for a young child, but today, we noticed…other symptoms.”
“What other symptoms?” Was Ari sick?
“Today she grew…ears.”
I blinked. “Ears?”
