Page 62 of Knot Your Business

“All right, stop hogging her,” Papa says, his deep voice a balm to my soul.

Father sighs as he sets me back on my feet, holding my elbows until he knows I’m steady. Papa doesn’t lift me up, simply wrapping me into his arms and kissing the crown of my head. I close my eyes, focusing on the way his cologne mixes with his scent, letting it calm me like it has since I was first adjusting to being Omega.

“How are you holding up?” he whispers, keeping his voice low enough that only Dad and Father can hear him.

“Somewhere in the middle, I think.” I shrug and hold him tighter for a heartbeat before forcing myself to let go.

Dad’s eyes are worried, his lean frame held stiff, his hands shoved in his pockets as he takes me in.

“You’re all right?” he asks in his soft-spoken way, cupping my cheek in his careful hold.

When I nod, I realize I’m not even really lying. This morning was awkward as fuck but not completely terrible. He blows out a breath and grabs my hand, kissing the back of it before taking a step back, removing himself from the bulk of our small crowd. I frown, trying to figure out what has him concerned, when an arm snakes around my waist and pulls me against a hard chest. Bergamot surrounds me despite the open air.

“Shit, sorry,” I mutter, twisting so that I can see both Rylan and my fathers.

Dad’s gaze grows sharp as he takes in someone other than Rylan. His jaw clenches, a muscle in his cheek feathering, and my stomach tightens.

I should have warned him at least about Jasper. Papa sucks in a harsh breath, and Father’s growl rumbles through the crowd. Rylan tenses, his own growl starting, his grasp on my elbow firm as he pulls me closer to him.

Fuck. My. Life.

“Father, please,” I whisper, turning away from Rylan completely. “Don’t make a scene here.”

“At least I understand why your mother has been fighting it so much,” Dad says, his voice now cold and slicing.

Papa nods. “First time in a long time that she was actually right.”

Father stands beside Papa, their shoulders brushing, his scowl the most menacing of the three.

It’s Dad that says something, though. “I’ll happily put in my own complaint with the Council to speed things up.”

I pull away from Rylan, moving until I’m within easy reach of all three of my dads. Rylan’s growl fades away. I glance over my shoulder. Jasper’s whispering into Rylan’s ear, his body carefully neutral and his gaze on the ground, like he knows how volatile my dads are right now.

Softness wells in me.

“I know reassignment isn’t glamorous,” Papa says, his hand warm on my cheek, forcing my attention back to him. “But there’s no reason for you to settle for something like this.”

“I don’t want reassignment,” I whisper. His eyes narrow, the look nearly identical to one I give all the time. I might take my coloring from my mom, but my features are all my dad. “Not right now, at least.”

Father leans closer, blocking Rylan’s view of me in one subtle twist of his shoulders. “You have nothing to lose by leaving, darling. Not like us.”

My chest clenches. Me. They would lose their kids if they left. Not really anymore since we’re all adults, but when we were younger… I swallow the lump in my throat.

“I need you to trust me.” My voice trembles, a wealth of emotion carried in the plea.

Dad is silent, his breathing deep and controlled, his gaze calculating. After a long minute, he nods.

“What’s changed?” Papa’s question is quiet but warm. He runs his hand down my arm, circling my wrist.

“We figured out what went wrong,” I say, trying to decide if I want to add fuel to their fire while Mom’s not even here to justify herself. Jasper’s face when he realized I’d never gotten the necklace has rage boiling in my stomach. Dad raises one eyebrow in silent question.

“Mom.”

All three of them freeze.

“All right, darling. Let’s meet them.” Papa squeezes my wrist and then drops his hold.

I wave Rylan over. His gaze is hard though his body is relaxed. “Rylan, these are my dads.” I point to Father first. “This is Phillip.”

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