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“Yes to all that, when I can feel my legs.”
Reid chuckles, and after his knot subsides, I let him carry me to the bathroom. We make out lazily as we wash, then he insists on the aftercare cream that makes me blush. After, we get dressed in comfy clothes before heading to the kitchen.
In the fridge, I find my sister’s gifts. There is a “Big Alpha Energy” cupcake, which I’m assuming is for Ben, and another for me that says, “Threesomes Are Forever.”
I giggle and hold that one out for Finn and Reid to see.
“Exactly the kind of bonding gift we need,” Finn jokes before taking a bite.
“Hey, that one is mine!” I cry.
He shrugs. “It’s a sloth-day. I’ll make some more to go with our snacks.”
And that’s exactly what we do. When we’ve got more than we could ever eat, we load up a couple of trays and join half-awake kids. We spend the entire day eating too much and processing the day before. There’s talk about Ben’s new designation and what it all means, and lots of crying over what happened with Trent. Finn is declared bad-ass dad of the year for going to jail. We take a long nap, all of us snuggling in the nest.
It’s a heavy day, the reality of Ben’s designation and Trent’s betrayal affecting both kids deeply. Emmaline doesn’t understand why her dad left them, why she isn’t going on vacation, or why Ben keeps growling and billowing his new scent. Her innocent questions teeter between hilarious and heart-breaking. But we make it through. Together.
We end the night passed out in a pile, with Reid and Finn’s purrs lulling us into a better tomorrow.
Chapter 33
Cammie
Jeanie pops her head into my bathroom, and my cousin Stacey is right behind her. They’re dressed up today, already glammed out for the bonding party happening in our backyard this afternoon.
“Bitch! This dang thing is heavy.” Jeanie groans, plopping my courting calendar on the counter with a loud thud.
“Why do you even have it? The last day was weeks ago.” I set down my makeup brush and eye the two of them.
“Because you’re a spoiled beta, and we’ve been instructed to have you open the last box again.” Stacey hands me the key, and I crack a smile.
It’s totally true. I am a spoiled beta. The fluffy robe I’m wearing even has the words embroidered on the chest pocket to prove it, just in case I was likely to forget. When the guys gave the robe to me, Finn confessed that he had taken it as hislifemission to turn beta into a word I love instead of hate. With the way they constantly dote on me, it’s working.
I take the key and open the largest box. The first time around, it had a map to our newly constructed pack bed in his workshop. This time, it’s got three boxes. Two are labeled for the kids, and one is for me.
I set the boxes on the counter and look at my sister in the mirror. “Do I open mine now?”
“Oh, shit! I had a job!” my sister yells, running from the room and returning with the box of tissues from our nightstand. “Now you can open it.”
“Great,” I sigh. “I’m gonna have to refix my face.”
Stacey rolls her eyes. “Problems to have, girl.”
She leans in for a hug, thenmy sister joins, the three of us swaying back and forth.
“Live the dream, babes,” my sister whispers, squeezing my middle.
My eyes are wet, and I take a deep breath, pulling back to wipe them. Jeanie and Stacey head for the door, and I call, “You’re not dying to know what it is?”
“Naw, we’re just the messengers. Reid said they would be coming up in a minute and don’t get dressed.”
I wait until they’re gone before I pick up the box with my name. I keep asking what more they could give me, and I’m surprised all over again each time. In the weeks since Ben presented in the awful fight at school, they’ve done nothing but show me in their actions that they’re solid and real. Finn’s sister Riley spearheaded the successful campaign to get Cliff fired, and we’ve gotten the feral assessment taken off Ben’s record. Reid and his father have spent hours helping Ben settle into his new designation, and Finn has been endlessly patient with Em’s up and down moods since her dad took off for good.
That’s the hard stuff. There’s so much good too. We’ve had summer field trips to the river and swim dates with Finn’s nephews and nieces. Ben went to camp and is signed up to play baseball in the fall. We even took a weekend without the kids and stayed on the beach, mostly making love in our room after sunbathing and playing in the water.
My kids and I are wanted here, and we feel it every moment.
I open the box, and though I shouldn’t be, I’m surprised to find a grey notebook. It’s similar to the one Finn keeps on the nightstand now, only this is weathered. I open it to find an inscription on the title page. “To Our Mate,” it reads, with the date marked almost fifteen years ago.
