His smile is sheepish. “Maybe a little. The three of us have a group text. I hope you don’t mind, we were just worried about you.”
A group text chat? About me? I’ve read about that in those kitschy magazines in doctor’s offices with the quizzes inside of them, where Omegas are interviewed and talk about all of the mushy-gushy things their Alphas do for them. Is that what’s happening? Are we forming a pack?
Is it possible for me to give this another go?
“Does that bother you?” Eli asks, and I can hear the worry in his voice.
I find I don’t mind it as I turn my attention back to the text message. “No, actually, it doesn’t. Thank you for telling me, though. I appreciate that.”
“If there are things you don’t want me to talk about?—”
I read Knox’s text again as my mind swirls. “You can talk about anything you’d like, Eli.”
“You sure?”
“She said, yeah, Daddy,” Amber grumbles, still pouting over not being able to have dessert first.
I giggle as I look back over at him. “I promise.”
The worry on his face fades, and he grants me a smile. “Okay, good. I don’t want to ever cross your boundaries.”
I’m coming to understand that.
I message Knox back before I can overthink it. Something akin to hope replaces the dread I once felt at the idea of another pack.
Maybe giving them all a shot isn’t such a bad thing. What do I have to lose if it doesn’t work out?
Lia:I think that’s only fair. Tomorrow morning sounds perfect.
His next message is almost immediate.
Knox:Great. Pick you up at your place? There’s this old ass oak tree in the Grove that looks awesome at sunrise.
I smile as I message back.
Lia:Sounds like an early morning. Better let me go so I can finish up with Eli and Amber.
I smile even bigger when I see those three little dots immediately bouncing as he types. He’s waiting for me to respond every time.
The warmth trickles up into my chest, wrapping around my heart.
Knox:You three have fun. I’ll see you at 6 in the morning, Sunshine.
Lia:Perfect, see you then.
I barely get my phone back in my purse before Amber speaks. “What’s that smile for?”
I look over at Eli and find him smiling at me as well. It only makes me smile brighter as I make my way back to the kitchen table to sit next to the eager, curious nine-year old.
“Just thinking about how nice today turned out.”
“I had a good day, too,” Amber says with a punctuated nod of her head.
“Well, I’m glad you both had good days, because I had a good one, too,” Eli says as he sits across from me at the table.
His gaze locks with mine, and a pressure settles against my foot underneath the table. A small peek underneath shows that he’s slid his foot against mine.
It tugs a smile across my face, and as we all dig into the lovely stew dinner Eli’s prepared for us, a question crosses my mind.
