I seriously doubt he won’t. My father has a great bullshit meter for people, and appreciates someone who is grumpy. Everyone loves him because you can be yourself around him. Healso minds less when I have to step outside of the law when the time calls for it. I’m not exactly supposed to have my gun, even though it’s registered in both Tennessee and Minnesota.
“I’ll be right back then.”
My long strides take the stairs up to the loft two at a time, and I clear the area quickly. It doesn’t matter that I know no one was up here, I refuse to compromise my family’s safety on a hunch. On my way back out of the loft, I grab my bag of tools and the garbage bags to throw out. I make sure Tav and my sex toys are put away, everything is folded the way my omega likes, and that it’s as presentable as possible after what Tav just endured. The bags are packed three thick to ensure they won’t bust open, or worse yet, an animal won’t be able to chew it open before they’re picked up in the morning.
“This is as good as it gets,” I whisper under my breath. The aftermath of a murder is not at all glamorous.
I walk down the stairs and out through the back using the record store dumpster to throw out the garbage. There’s no reason to run into my father for unwanted questions.
“We’re all clear.”
My father nods, talking soothingly to my omega as if I didn’t say anything at all.
“I don’t know what you like to eat, Tav,” he says. God, they’re on a nickname basis already, which makes me happy. My omega is twitchy about his name as it is. “Why don’t you order us some food while I change out this door with my son?”
“I need to feed Bella and Floyd too.” Tav glances at me as if to make sure I’m going to be alright, and I give him a wide smile.
My father isn’t the enemy, though I’m probably about to be grilled by him.
“Give our babies extra snuggles.” I make sure to kiss Floyd and give them both rubs for trying to protect Tav, and then I send them off.
I send Tav warmth and love through the bond, and he gives me a grumpy smile over his shoulder as he disappears. As long as he’s not spiraling or going to hurt himself, we can handle anything together. Once my dad is gone, he can cry in my arms, because at the end of the day, I didn’t lose him.
My father is quiet as he takes my bag of tools and begins to dig inside of it for what he needs. He’s wearing worn jeans, heavy boots, and a long sleeved shirt with his coat. He’s no longer dressed up for his meetings, which must be a relief for him.
I help him take down the door, and our supplies are delivered while we work.
“Are you sure Tav doesn’t need medical attention?” he asks gruffly.
“He refused to go, and only let me do what I could to set his nose.”
“Did you take care of whoever did that?”
Swallowing hard, I glance at him as we both hold the new door. My father wasn’t fucking playing this time and bought a steel door no one is getting through unless they fucking blow it up. It’s something I should have originally done, but Tav would have complained about it.
I have no problems creating our own bunker to block out the world when we need it. I want to bubble wrap my omega.
“I walked in on it,” I rasp. “It’s all taken care of now.”
“Good.”
My father is a man of few words, and that’s all he had to say about it until the door is in place.
“I like him, Bentley. I’d tell you not to screw it up, but I know you won’t.”
My jaw drops as he leaves me outside with my tools to join my omega and my pets without a second glance. He’s right though. I won’t fuck this up.
Tav is well and truly mine.
CHAPTER 23
Octavian
One month later
Growing up,I never celebrated my birthday.
My Gran did. She always got me a card with a bit of cash, made me cheesecake because I don’t like actual cake, and she usually bought me a small gift. It was never anything fancy or over the top, nothing super expensive and it was almost always based on both need and want, but the fact that my grandmother took the time to acknowledge I was born and she was happy about it, it was more than I could have ever asked for. And it easily made up for the lack of parties.
