Page 31 of Bailey-Rose: The Complete Duet

She had a point. I didn’t really process the fact she just told me that my children would suffer the same fate I had. Raking my fingers through my hair, I blew out a breath, not even sure how I was supposed to feel.

“I don’t even know if kids are an option,” I argued.

Mother shrugged. “Darling, no matter what happens, you still deserve to know all the facts, as do your Alphas. What you as a family choose to do is up to you.”

“Well, that just made everything clear as mud,” I mumbled, scrubbing my face with both hands as my stomach complained. “Any other major news I should be aware of before I get dressed and head down for breakfast?”

Tapping her chin as she hummed deep in thought, I rolled my eyes, knowing she was messing with me. Standing, I dropped a kiss on her cheek. “Love you, Mother, and thanks for coming back home to check on me. I really needed some mother-daughter time.”

“Darling, there isn’t anywhere I’d rather be right now than supporting you in this new phase of life,” she assured me. “Now go get ready for the day, I can’t wait to meet these men who are going to be part of our family.”

Leaving her sitting room, I felt better and lighter, but at the same time, I worried about telling my new family that kids might not be an option. Why couldn’t things just be simple? For once in my life, I’d really love to face a problem with a solution everyone could be happy about.

Breakfast turned out to be an interesting situation with the surprise of meeting Bailey-Rose’s parents. They arrived early this morning and were beyond excited to meet us all. Jolene insisted we call her Jolene, Mother, or Mom, whatever we felt comfortable with. Rawlins was a far more reserved man with kind eyes and a soothing voice who gave you his full attention when you spoke. It was intimidating, even though I knew he didn’t mean it to be.

Seeing Crew and Rawlins side by side, there was no denying they were father and son. However, I could see hints of his mother in him as well, but more so in personality. Bailey was an exact copy of her mother, seeming only to share one eye with her biological father. It made me curious to know what his personality was like and if Eli took after him. We spent most of the meal answering questions and talking about our families—many of whom they knew in passing. The upper crust was a small community, and everyone had at least been introduced to one another at some point.

With breakfast finally over, Ulysses shared the plan that I was going to be taking Bailey-Rose out for the day while they packed things up.

“Oh, that’s a brilliant plan,” Jolene said, clasping her hands in excitement. “If you boys don’t mind, I’d like to be of any assistance. That way, I can make sure she has everything she needs.”

“Thank you, I think that will be a big help,” Yun-Sun agreed. “Our plan was just to take everything we could find, but I’m sure we’d miss something important.”

This answer seemed to please Jolene to no end, making Rawlins chuckle and pat her hand affectionately. “Dearest, please don’t run them ragged. They might be our sons-in-law, but let’s not overdo it on the first project together.”

Jolene scowled at her Alpha in an expression I’ve seen my sweet Care Bear use once or twice already. It seems it wasn’t only in personality that she took after her mother.

“Rawlly, are you telling me not to be bossy?” she questioned.

“Not at all, dearest. I would never use such a word,” Rawlins assured her. “All I meant is you take everything on with such gusto it’s hard for others to keep up.”

My brows rose at the artful way he’d just worked around the accusation by stating the same thing in a different way. It was a mystery to me why he wasn’t the man in the boardroom running things instead of leaving it all to Eli. With a shrewd mind like that, you’d think the man would crave the challenge.

“Rawlly,” Jolene cooed. “You know better than to sweet talk me like I’m some egotistical CEO. However, if you feel like I’m going to be too much for these young men to handle, you can always join us and supervise.”

Gareth started coughing as he choked on his coffee, and Vili started to thump him on the back to help. That whole interaction was a look into our future, of that I had no doubt. Bailey-Rose was a total sweetheart, but it was the rule of nature to make something deadly so enticing you couldn’t help but be drawn to it. I had the feeling once our Omega got her feet under her when it came to us as a pack, we’d all be in trouble. That being said, today was my day to start collecting points in my favor for when I inevitably do something stupid.

Clearing my throat, I looked over at Bailey-Rose seated next to her mother, trying not to smile. “Do you need to grab anything before we go, Care Bear?”

I watched as she did this cute head tilt as she thought about my question. “We’re going to your bar for the afternoon then out to dinner, right?”

“That was my plan, but I’m happy to change things if you have something else in mind,” I offered.

“No, I think it will be a great day. I just wasn’t sure if I’d need to change for dinner. Do you have a place picked out?” she asked.

A grin tugged at my lips. I wanted to tell her my plan so badly, but the surprise was going to be so worth it. “I do have a place in mind, but you’ll be fine wearing what you’ve got on now. The only thing is you might need a sweater.”

Last night she tried to kill us all with this soft pink silk nightgown that rippled over her body like water. When she caught us all staring, it was all I could do to behave myself when her nipples made an appearance. Everything in me wanted to know what it would feel like to tease her until she came only using her nipples. Yet I wasn’t going to take that leap until she made the first move. Even then, I was terrified I was going to fuck up, make her heart go haywire, and we’d be taking a trip to the hospital instead.

I was beginning to learn that calling her Care Bear might be the best way to describe not only her personality but style. Everything about her was adorable, colorful, and simply made you smile when you saw her. With her being short and petite in size, it was a fine line to walk between being childlike and an aesthetic. Case in point, today she was wearing lavender short overalls with strawberries on them and a mint green crop top that showed the barest hint of her stomach. Bailey-Rose was a walking rainbow of cuteness, and I wouldn’t change a damn thing.

“Okay, give me a sec. I’ll run up and grab something,” she said, getting up from the table and kissing her mother’s cheek before hurtling off to her room.

The atmosphere at the table changed drastically with her exit. Jolene, who’d been nothing but a bundle of warm, motherly energy, shifted to something that had me sitting up straight as she pinned me with her piercing green gaze.

“Warrick, I’m going to say this to you, but the rest of you better listen carefully,” she stated, casting the others a quick glance. “I love all my children the way only a mother can, but there is a special connection between a mother and her daughter. Bailey-Rose is a rare one-of-a-kind woman. I expect you to treat her with the utmost respect not only because she’s your Omega, but if you don’t, I will be the person you deal with. Trust me when I say that isn’t something any of you want. Don’t let the fact I’m an Omega and a philanthropist fool you. I’ve single-handedly destroyed companies, foreign governments, and made a leader of a cartel wet himself. I won’t stand for anything less than my baby girl being treasured and loved more than anyone in the world. Have I made myself clear?”

My head bobbed in answer before I could even think about the action. Coming from a powerful family, I knew when to take a threat seriously or if they were bluffing. Jolene Thatcher was by no means bluffing, and I had zero doubts she could do everything she promised.