Page 111 of Vegas Baby!

Luke was bigger than I was, both in bulk and height, so I made sure everything was roomy for me. They had a whole linedesigned specifically for alphas, and I was pretty sure this one would suit him just fine.

Ava was giggling at her phone.

“What are you up to?”

She turned the screen toward me, where she was busy customizing a seat cover that hadAva’s Alphaemblazoned on it in electric blue embroidery. She opened up another tab and showed me a bumper sticker she had designed online that readBryce Is The Coolest.

I choked on a laugh. “He’s going to hate that sticker so much.”

“That’s the best part!”

“I had no idea you were secretly a menace.”

“The more comfortable I get, the brattier I become. Prepare yourself now.”

“Noted.” I swept her into a kiss, caramel nuttiness bathing my tongue. “Anything else you want to get? I can get you a car today too, if you want.”

“I’m okay. I’m kind of enjoying the passenger princess lifestyle while being this pregnant. We should definitely order car seats for all the vehicles, though.”

“I already did that last night. I found one where you can get multiple bases so we can have those installed in every vehicle. The carrier itself is removable and also converts into a stroller.”

“That’s so fancy. I was just gonna order, like, six carriers.”

“We can definitely have some extras on hand as backup, but this seemed like the easiest option.”

Ava snuggled up against me. “Thanks for being such a good alpha, Bryce.” She kissed me sweetly. “Thebestalpha, honestly. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t been such a wonderful person from the start.”

Her words warmed me down to my toes. I’d been craving unattainable approval for so long it was a whole system shockwhen I finally got it from another source. My beautiful omega thought I was a good alpha. That was something new I could strive for: being the best alpha, partner, packmate, and eventually father I could be.

“I have to be the best alpha for the best omega.”

Her face scrunched up adorably. “I don’t think I’m the best omega. Maybe the best chaos bringer.”

“Pretty sure your alphas get to decide if you’re the best omega, and I’ve decided. No arguments allowed.” I tapped the tip of her nose with my finger to undo the scrunch and stole myself another kiss. “Have you decided what you want for a push present?”

“I get a push present? I have no idea. What do people normally get?”

“Jewelry, cars, trips. Anything you want is probably within my means to get.”

“Oh. How about something with the pack birthstones and one for the baby?”

“That can definitely be arranged. Are you giving me free rein on the design or do you want something specific?”

“You pick.”

With that and the vehicles squared away, I took Ava for lunch at the Paris hotel. She stilled outside of it when she realized where we were.

“Something wrong?”

“Andrew and I had reservations here the night everything exploded.”

“I can cancel them and we can go somewhere else.”

Ava shook her head. “I’m not going to let him ruin it. I’ve been wanting to try their crème brûlée forever.”

Once we were inside, amid the lustrous decor, we ordered a few appetizers so Ava could graze without the pressure of a full meal. She told me all about her life growing up, Nathan andLuke being part of her earliest memories. She talked about her mother’s terrible choices in men and how frustrating it could be to have a parent who went all out for everyone around them but wouldn’t put that same energy into their own children.

“Don’t get me wrong, I am so glad that Luke was able to lean on her as a mom figure, but I always wondered where that person was whenIneeded her.”

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