“Rest assured, I am mad at you, Ava Lynn,” her mother says, arms crossed and reminding everyone of the original issue. “All of this could havebeen avoided if you hadn’t been risking your health by doubling or tripling up on your suppressants for no damn reason. So you almost get your brother arrested—”
“I didn’t almost get Jack anything! I was asleep in my nest when he took off on his half-brained mission,” Ava says loudly.
“Wait a minute, what does she mean you were tripling up on the untested illegal suppressants?” I ask at the same time Ava speaks up, my own arms crossing as I glare at her.
Overlapping the both of us, Jack protests, “Now, hold on!”
“That’s enough, everyone,” Ava’s father says, and the room immediately quiets. Despite being a beta, I have a feeling he’s a “speak softly, carry a big stick” sort of man. Real alpha energy.
“Suzanne, it seems to me that Mark here kept our son out of jail and most likely saved our daughter’s life by helping her through her heat. Ava, you should have at least left a note and not scared everyone half to death. Jack, you could have been less… Jack about that. So everyone knock it off.” His voice remains steady and on the quieter side, but the effect is noticeable.
“Sorry, Dad,” Ava and Jack both mutter.
“Now then,” he says, walking towards me and extending his hand, “Shelby made it sound like it’s basically a done deal that you’re our new son-in-law, so welcome to the family, chaotic as it is. I’m Hank Kendrick.”
I can’t help but smile at him as I shake his hand with a firm grip. “I honestly wouldn’t have expected anything less from the family that produced Ava. She’s a force of nature.”
Dr. Kendrick clears her throat. “Not to break up this touching moment, but I need a blood sample from Ava to compare her hormone levels now that she’s finished her heat. See if we are out of the woods, along with… other things.” Her voice still carries a distinct chill. I get the impression that she’s retracted her fangs because of Hank, but she’s still going to take a while to warm up to me.
“Like if I’m pregnant?” Ava asks, and I feel myself freeze. I know she’d mentioned that it was likely, but I didn’t think we’d find out this soon. And I hadn’t truly thought about it.
A baby? Nine months from now? God, it’ll probably be a little spitfire redhead. The thought isn’t unappealing by any stretch. I wonder how many I can convince her to have. My own little army of mean-ass gingers.
Her mother sighs. “Possibly. Omega hormones work differently than beta pregnancies, so in theory, I should be able to pick up traces of the hormones, particularly if you conceived at the beginning of your heat. But there’s no way to know how your overuse of the suppressants impacted things.”
She turns back to me. “And how will you react, hmm? In regard to my daughter’s career and finances,” Suzanne says quietly. “Especially in regard to your political aspirations.”
I chuckle, shaking my head.
“I fail to see what’s humorous about the question,” she says coolly.
“I apologize,Dr. Kendrick. It’s only that the majority of your questions were covered by the pre-bond prenup your daughter made me sign.”
“That’s my peanut,” Hank says proudly.
“As far as my political future, I’ve found in the last few weeks my interest in that has been waning. I only ever wanted to change the city, and now…” My voice quiets as I look at my mate with a soft smile. “Well, I’m beginning to think I might have more of a background role supporting the most capable woman I know.”
Ava comes closer and squeezes my hand.
“We haven’t fully had a chance to talk about it yet, but I think if a baby is in our near future, I likely won’t run for reelection. It’s easier for me to take on the brunt of childcare; what Ava does is too important. I can transition back to private practice and take on limited cases.”
“You don’t intend to make her play a traditional omega role?”
“Nothing about Ava is traditional. I don’t see why we should start now,” I reply.
By the time we shoo everyone out of the penthouse, we’ve had dinner and come up with a game plan for how to handle the fallout from our relationship going public, and I can feel the reduction in anxiety from Ava’s side of the bond. She’s still feeling a little weak after her heat, so I take care of cleaning up the kitchen while she relaxes in the nest.
I lean against the doorframe, looking in on the only room of the penthouse I’d never been allowed into before. It’s a cozy space but, much like the omega it belongs to, looks expensive and luxurious. The colors are muted champagne, bronze, and white, with various textures of fur and silk. One of the walls is nothing but a massive window overlooking the city, only with a special tinting that Ava can darken with a remote.
“May I enter your nest, little cereus?” I ask quietly. I don’t remember a lot from biology class, but I do know omegas are very territorial about their nests.
She lifts her head from the pillow she’d burrowed into and turns to me. I’m dumbfounded by how gorgeous she is. Will she ever stop taking my breath away? She’s fresh-faced, in a shirt she’d quickly stolen from me despite her closet with enough clothes in it to outfit a small army, and her hair is piled into a messy bun. Of all the looks I’ve seen this woman in, this is easily my favorite. Well, tied with when she’s naked, I suppose.
“Yes, please,” she says, making grabby hands toward me.
“Clothes on or off?”
“Off, but toss them here so I can mix them in,” she says, shifting some blankets around.
