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He makes the gesture right back before he spins her onto the makeshift dance floor. I turn to Finn, who looks as enamored by our alpha as I feel for the two of them.
“They’re perfect gifts, beautifully made. Thank you for always including them.”
He tugs his hand through his curls, his cheeks tinged red. “Thank you for opening your heart and taking a leap of faith. And for the honor of parenting them with you.”
I blow out a long breath, trying not to cry. Finn smirks.
“Told ya,” he says before smacking a kiss on my lips.
We turn to Ben, who is still fiddling with the cuff.Of course, he plays it cool when Finn helps him put it on, but I hear him whisper, “Thanks, Dad.”
Finn refuses to meet my eyes because we would both lose it and embarrass Ben. But you can’t hide it from the bond, and my eyes well at the overwhelming rush of emotions that swell between us.
After the ceremony, we dance together as a pack before the others join. People eat, but the three of us get passed between well-wishes, a serenade by the guys from the fire department, and groups that pull us to dance. Eventually, we create our own little bubble out on the dance floor. We hold each other tightly, swaying to the music between stolen kisses while the kids run around, playing with their cousins.
When the sun goes down and almost everyone has gone home, Payton pulls us apart so we can wish the kids goodbye. We planned the bonding for the end of summer to match Finn’s upcoming heat, and her pack is taking the kids with them for their week-long stay at the beach.
Reid helps load the kids' luggage into the back of one of the pack vans while Finn runs back into the house to grab their surprises.
“Ben,” Reid calls.
Our son breaks away from where he’s talking to Payton’s son, Josh, and runs to him. “Yes, alpha?”
Reid reaches into his pocket and produces a simple cell phone. “This is for your trip. I programmed the numbers for all of ours. That way, you guys can check-in. And if for some reason you need us, you can call. Can I trust you to be responsible for this?”
Ben swallows, his eyes wide. “Yes, sir.”
My heart turns to absolute butter, melting into a puddle on the floor. This damn man is so freaking protective and wonderful he can’t be real. Except he is.
“I thought so.” Reid bends down next to my son—our son—and shows him how to use it.
“And your mom and I got a little surprise for you both,” Finn says.
I watch, a little shocked even though I shouldn’t be by now, when he brings an overflowing bag to each kid.
“These are happy vacation bags. It’s got travel games, snacks, and cool stuff for the beach,” Finn explains, his voice a fast ramble. He is hands down the most beautiful and adorable person I’ve ever met. It’s a puzzle how he manages to be the devil and angel all in one go, but he does.
I shake my head, tsking a reprimand, but I’m smiling like a love-sick fool while I do it. Those light green eyes of Finn’s catch me on a smirked shrug. He’s exactly right. What am I going to do about it? I approved the whole thing and even bought some of the items in those bags, but I didn’t realize it was going to be this.
When he asked if he could get them a mini-vacation bag with the essentials, I should have known.Mini,myass.This man loves to freaking spoil people. But he’s so damn cute about it, and he gets so excited it’s impossible to rein him in.
The kids dive into their bags, and there’s an explosion of shouts, excited squeals, and thanks. He hands one to each of Payton’s kids too.
“Finn!” Payton groans.
Her two alpha mates laugh right along with Reid.
“All right, find a place for those and get in,” Payton calls as her pack loads up between two big vans.
Finn looks pleased, and I join him, hugging his side and going to my toes to kiss his neck.
“It’s way too much, as usual, but it’s also perfect,” I tell him.
He beams, his scent full of happiness. “It’s never too much.”
The three of us huddle together on the porch, holding each other and waving as our kids drive away. I always hated this part with Trent and watching them leave now makes the mostly healed wound smart, like an echo that can barely be heard in the breeze. I’ve never had anyone to share in this moment, this weird time when motherhood seems to fall away, and I’m now supposed to be just Cammie for a few days.
“Is it always this hard?” Finn asks, voice choked.
