Page 10 of Bailey-Rose: The Complete Duet

“Indulge me as I make this request because I know you can’t do anything about it, but please don’t let them hurt her. Bailey has been rejected time and time again by people who make snap judgments about her condition. You are one of the few people who saw past the disease and limitations to find the amazing woman underneath. Those men have no idea how lucky they are to be matched with her,” Eli said, his voice so full of emotion and vulnerability it had me looking at the man in a new light.

Eli, just like Crew, put his lives on hold to be by Bailey-Rose’s side without a second thought. Now here I was, appearing out of thin air and changing the life they’d created for the three of them. Traditionally, once the pack finds their match, the courting begins, allowing the Omega time to get to know their new pack. It also provides the chance to establish residency if they need to move states or out of the country. Now I see it also gives the family time to adjust as well to the idea their loved one is going to start their own family.

“I couldn’t agree with you more, Eli. These men are good men, and I have no doubt they will see the diamond that she is, even if there might be a few minor flaws. At the end of the day, she’s going to be the most precious thing to us,” I assured him.

There I stood in front of the mirror, my hair fresh and clean with a bouncy curl making it look like cotton candy. Wanting to erase my first impression after five years of not seeing each other, I swiped on some mascara and applied a sheer lip gloss to give me a little polish. I did a quick twirl to ensure I hadn’t missed anything, also needing to double-check that my soft pink T-shirt dress, splattered with white stars, wasn’t caught in the back of my white shorts. Going out in public like that once was more than enough for me.

Feeling there wasn’t any reason to keep stalling, I took a deep breath and blew a few strands of hair out of my face. “Here goes nothing,” I told myself.

I switched out my bunny slippers for another, cleaner, pair that were covered in strawberries, then headed for the bedroom. Pulling open the door, I found Lysse leaning against the wall beside the bathroom entrance reading something on his phone as it buzzed.

“Popular fella,” I commented.

A smile tugged at his lips. “If only that were true, but it seems you’re the popular one here.”

“What?”

Tucking his phone into his back pocket, he pushed off the wall and faced me. “I told the rest of my pack about what happened. The last of them just pulled up and should be joining the other three in the living room. Crew is babysitting them to avoid getting in trouble with Eli.”

My mouth went dry as the meaning of his words connected to my brain. “They’re here? Now?” I whispered.

Ulysses reached out and took my hand, tugging me forward until he could wrap me up in a hug. Bending, he rested his head on mine and began purring, instantly turning me into boneless goo. Fisting my hands in his shirt was the only thing that kept me from becoming a puddle at his feet.

“Rosie, it’s going to be all right,” Lysse murmured. “These are good men. I wouldn’t have told them about you if they weren’t. You’ve recently been hurt, and I understand why you’d be wary of jumping into anything too fast. All I expect from this is for you to meet them, that’s it. Eli and Crew are both home, so you’re not alone with just the five of us. You’re safe in your home where you call the shots.”

Tilting my head back, I looked up into his expressive eyes and read the honesty there. “You thought of everything, didn’t you?”

“All that matters right now is you, so yeah, I did all I could think of to make this easier for you,” Lysse admitted.

“Okay, we can go meet them.” I relented, taking a deep breath of his chocolaty-orange scent.

In a move that almost had my heart truly skipping a beat, he kissed my forehead tenderly as he gave me another reassuring squeeze. “I’ll be right next to you the entire time. Do you remember the code word Eli made you come up with to tell Crew and me if you were in trouble?”

With that childhood memory unlocked, I recalled that day Eli sat us down, furious that I’d been having trouble breathing, and neither of them noticed.

“Bailey, why didn’t you tell them you were in trouble?” Eli demanded.

Pushing my bottom lip out in a dramatic pout, I gave a sniff. “Because I don’t want people to know my heart doesn’t work right. They make fun of me when they find out.”

Eli considered this a moment then an idea struck. “What if you come up with a special word or phrase that you use when something’s wrong, and you need them to check on you.”

“Like what?” I asked, not understanding.

“Well, it needs to be something you wouldn’t say normally but not so odd people notice,” Eli explained.

Closing my eyes, I thought long and hard about something I wouldn’t say often yet being totally expected. Then I thought of it…

“Holy flying Purple People Eater,” I answered.

Ulysses chuckled, a bright smile on his lips. “God, that’s still funny as ever.”

“You know Mom didn’t like us to curse, so I came up with alternatives,” I said in my defense.

“Personally, son of a biscuit was my favorite. I’ve even used it a few times which always made me think of you,” he shared as he caressed my cheek with the back of his fingers. “No matter how much time has passed, you’re always in my thoughts, Rosie. Now it makes sense, and I feel like I should apologize for making you wait so long for us to find you.”

Heat flamed in my cheeks as he looked at me with such an intense gaze it was almost a little too overwhelming. “All that matters is that we did find each other. If my life has taught me anything, it’s not to keep looking back… there’s too much to look forward to. More so now that you did find me.”

“God, I don’t think we deserve you,” Lysse muttered as he intertwined our fingers and led me out of my room.