Page 32 of Bailey-Rose: The Complete Duet

“Yes, ma’am,” I blurted. “You have my solemn vow that I will spend my life making sure your daughter knows how absolutely perfect she is to me… us,” I corrected quickly, feeling flustered.

With one more soul-searching gaze, the terrifying woman smiled, and the ominous energy vanished. “Oh, I love that. Now just to make sure you’re aware Bailey-Rose can’t drink, not with the medication she’s on.”

Taking a deep breath, I relaxed into my seat, rubbing my sweaty hands on my jeans. “Yes, she already shared that with me. My plan is to help teach her what to order at a bar or even make at home so she doesn’t feel left out. There are hundreds of options for her with ingredients all bars carry.”

“How sweet… isn’t that just wonderful, Rawlly?” Jolene asked, leaning against Rawlins and resting her head on his shoulder.

Her Alpha pressed a kiss to her head before answering. “Yes, my dearest. It seems these men are exactly what our little girl needs.”

“We want to give her everything,” Vili announced, his tone gruff with irritation. “It makes me angry like a volcano that so many people didn’t try. Our sweet kitten can do anything if given the chance to figure out how. No imagination, these people, so boring and selfish.”

Jolene’s smile grew even bigger at Vili’s outrage. “Quite right,” she agreed. “So many people focus on what she can’t do instead of simply making adjustments. Then again, as you aptly put it, people are selfish and couldn’t possibly put themselves in another person’s shoes.”

“I would love to have her make a list of all the things she’s always wanted to do, then figure out if there’s a way to make it happen,” Yun-Sun added. “Kind of like a bucket list but more so focused on missed opportunities.”

Jolene jostled Rawlins in her excitement. “Oh my God, I don’t think they could be more perfect if they tried. Rawlly, our little girl is all grown up with a pack of her own, moving out, and starting a life full of adventure and romance.”

The Alpha took his partner’s abuse with the hint of a smile tugging at his lips. Rawlins might be a reserved man by nature, but it was obvious to see how much of a relief it was to know that Bailey-Rose had people to surround her with love.

Faster than I anticipated, Bailey-Rose entered the dining room where we all still sat. She had a purse slung across her chest and a fuzzy pink sweater in her hands. “Ready to go?”

I pushed back my chair and stood, casting a glance back at the others to make sure they didn’t need me for anything before I left. Bailey-Rose seemed to take this hesitation as reluctance.

“Unless you want to stay here,” she offered. “It’s fine. We can all work on packing my things. Seems silly to make you guys do all the work.”

“Absolutely not,” Jolene said as she jumped to her feet, cutting off any further argument. “You and Warrick are going to have a fabulous day while leaving the packing to me. Young lady, I don’t want to see you back in this house until tomorrow when you come over for tea and to tell me all about your evening. Now go, spend time with your handsome match, and have fun.”

“All right, Mother, you win.” Bailey-Rose sighed, giving into her mother’s wishes.

Honestly, I’m not sure anyone could argue with that woman when she made up her mind about something. It made me wonder once more what Bailey-Rose’s other father was like. It seems the option was to ask and see if my Care Bear was up for sharing that part of her life with me.

Reaching her side, I offered my arm in a gentlemanly manner, getting an approving wink from her mother. Feeling rather good about myself, I flashed my new mother-in-law a bright smile and guided my girl out the front door. This time, when we drove over, we made sure to bring all the vehicles that could hold boxes. All of us except me, that is. I made sure to leave last and park my little Pac-Man where it wouldn’t be seen.

The anticipation of her seeing what our ride was had me almost skipping over to the car. It was my one indulgence and happened to be my most prized possession. Finally, when we rounded Gareth’s Hummer, she spotted our ride for the day. Coming to an abrupt halt, she just stared at it, jaw falling open as she looked from me to the car.

“Oh my God, it’s so cute,” she squealed, letting go of me and rushing forward to look. “Please tell me it has a name. It has to have a name.”

“I call him Pac-Man,” I answered with a shit-eating grin.

Before breakfast, I came out and put the top down on my little vintage Fiat 500. This left it in the perfect position to show off its cream-colored seats that paired so well with the bright sunny yellow that made up the rest of the car. It was a rolling ball of sunshine I knew my Care Bear would love.

“That is a perfect name,” Bailey-Rose agreed then hesitated. “We’re taking this to drive for the day, right?”

“Care Bear, do you honestly think this little guy can hold more than one box? It would be useless to leave it here for them,” I pointed out. “Hop in. We’re going for a ride.”

The shrill sound of her excitement almost had me flinching, but the joy of seeing her so excited made the hearing loss worth it. Feeling the need to show off, I vaulted over the side of the car, landing in my seat before reaching over and buckling in my girl. This brought us face to face, and I couldn’t resist the urge to kiss her. The way her cheeks were pink with excitement and her dual-colored eyes sparkled made her irresistible.

I’d planned for it to be a simple peck on the lips, but Bailey-Rose had other plans. When I tried to pull back, she grabbed my T-shirt, refusing to let me back away from her. Not one to argue with a woman, especially one who smelled like summer nights and romantic moments, I happily gave in. My hand cupped her face, tilting it up so I could deepen the kiss and nibble at her lower lip. To my surprise, she instantly opened up, surrendering herself to me. A bigger man might have been able to slow things down, but I was no such man. I was so weak for this woman it was fucking nuts.

With a growl, I pulled myself together enough to pull back and rest my forehead against hers as we caught our breath. “Holy shit.” I panted.

“You can say that again.” Bailey-Rose chuckled. “That was amazing. I don’t think I’ve been kissed like that in my life.”

Lifting my head, I looked into her eyes feeling like I was king of the world. “Well, I hope you’re ready to be kissed like that for the rest of your life because you are addictive.”

The bloom of pink on her cheeks at my words did something to me that I’d never experienced with a person before. I wanted to wrap her in my arms protectively, yet at the same time, I wanted to ravage her until she was screaming my name. Both were so primal and polar opposite, it felt a little scary to be so out of control. That was the last thing Bailey-Rose needed. She deserved Alphas who could control their natures and didn’t fall mindlessly into rut.

“I think we better go before I take this too far,” I whispered, pressing a kiss to her nose.