Page 186 of The Beta's Blind Date

And underneath it all, I sense a peace within him, can sense that his time away from us and the pack did nothing but good for him.

He smiles at Savvy and me as he walks over, giving one quick glance at Reid before approaching me. Reid gives him a tight smile and a nod, and then Brad is at my side, crouching next to the bed and gazing at Savannah.

“She’s perfect,” he says.

He reaches out and caresses the top of her head, his eyes glued to her. His hand is so large compared to her tiny head, and I giggle, watching this huge, muscular former beta turn into a puddle for his granddaughter just like his son does. My eyes lock onto Reid behind his dad, where he stands with watery eyes as he watches him interact with our baby girl.

“Do you want to hold her?” I ask.

“No, not right now,” he says.

“You can if you want.”

“She looks very cozy with her mom. I don’t want to disturb her. I’ll have plenty of time to hold her later. I hope,” he adds, glancing back at Reid.

“Of course you will,” I say.

“What’s her name?” he asks, eyes already back on Savvy.

“Reid didn’t tell you?”

“No.”

My eyes lift to Reid again. “I wanted to tell him in person,” he says, shrugging.

But his eyes and the smile he can’t hide tells me everything. All his tension and nerves from earlier are gone now that he’s seen his dad interact with Savvy.

“We named her Savannah Étiennette,” I say, looking at Brad again.

His brow furrows, and he looks away from Savvy to glance at me and then at Reid. “Étiennette?”

“It’s French. The feminine form of Étienne, which is French for Stephen,” Reid explains. “So it’s French for—”

“Stephanie,” Brad says, finishing Reid’s thought, and Reid nods at him, holding his stare.

Brad’s jaw ticks and then he turns back to me, his eyes wide and watering, exactly like his son’s. He runs his hand through his hair and stands, striding over to Reid and throwing his arms around him in a bear hug. Reid returns the hug without hesitation, wrapping his arms around his dad’s middle, his chin over his shoulder, tears streaming down his cheeks as he looks at me.

“Thank you,” Brad chokes out, his shoulders shaking.

“I wanted her middle name to be Bradlina, but Taryn vetoed that idea,” Reid says through his tears, winking at me.

“He’s lying. The entire name was his idea,” I say.

Brad laughs and pulls back, roughing Reid’s hair up. “The name is beautiful. Truly. Thank you again,” he says, glancing at me, his eyes glassy and his cheeks tear-stained.

“You don’t need to thank us,” I say. “We’re just glad you’re here and that you’ll be part of her life.”

He gives me a weak smile and claps Reid on the shoulder. “I can’t wait to watch you be a dad,” he says. “I hope—” He swallows and licks his lips, his hands shoving into his pockets as he stares at the floor, and he shakes his head. “No. I know you’ll do a better job than I did.” He sighs and looks at Reid and me, speaking before either of us has time to respond. “I’ll get out of your hair for now,” he says. “Let me know when you’re ready for visitors again or if you need anything. Food or laundry done or whatever. You just let me know.”

Reid nods and Brad hugs him again, then walks over to me. He bends down and gives me a hug and a kiss on the cheek, then hovers over Savvy and waves at her, a cheesy grin on his face. “Bye, Savannah! Grandpa Brad will see you soon, okay? Be nice to Mommy and Daddy while I’m gone!”

I laugh, and Reid rolls his eyes as Brad walks to the door. “See you later, Dad!” Reid calls after him, and Brad waves at us over his shoulder before closing the door.

Reid pulls out his phone, and as soon as we hear the front door close, he locks it with our security app then walks to me. I scoot over, making room for him, and he lays next to me, resting his head on the pillow and sticking his finger into Savvy’s tiny hand that’s broken free from her swaddle.

“She really is perfect,” he says, smiling at her as she holds his finger as tight as her baby hand can squeeze. “You did good, Cadet.”

He reaches up to kiss me, his lips lingering, a depth to his kiss that is unfathomable and immeasurable, a kiss that tells more of his love than any words could. When he pulls away, he smiles at our pup again, his happiness and pride flowing down the bond like a river rushing towards a waterfall, as he says, “Happy birthday, Sour Patch.”

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