Page 131 of Vegas Baby!

I wandered the dimly lit hallways to keep Lucy in gentle motion, soaking in the silence of a home I still couldn’t quite believe was mine. All the conflicts, and my insecurities that had fueled them, seemed meaningless now that Lucy was here.

I wished I knew some lullabies, some songs that actually meant something, so I could hum for her and pass along those memories, but she’d have to settle for my voice. I told her stories about her mom: four-year-old Ava kicking me in the shins for hitting her with a mud pie when I’d aimed for Nathan, eight-year-old Ava almost falling off the roof trying to follow us being dumbasses, thirteen-year-old Ava dancing her heart out at a sock hop we took her to at the community center.

I walked and talked until Lucy started to fuss, and ventured back into the nest, waking Bryce to move so Ava could nurse. I filled up one of her water bottles at the wet bar we had installed in the nursery and grabbed her some granola bites to snack on.

My beautiful omega opened sleepy eyes and collected Lucy from me, putting the baby to her breast. I snuggled in next to her, Bryce lying down on my other side. Ava leaned into my arms, resting against my chest with a tired sigh.

“I can feed her for you,” I offered.

“I’m okay,” she insisted. “Got to keep my supply up.”

I kissed her hair, breathing in the freshly washed scent of her. Her sweet praline smelled as if someone had dumped in twice the amount of cream needed, making it rich and luxurious. Lucy smelled just like her mother, though that was to be expected since babies always did. Her own scent wouldn’t develop for years.

“I love you an impossible amount,” I said softly.

Ava’s smile was warm as she offered up her mouth for a gentle kiss. “I loveyou.”

“She’s hungry,” I commented, glancing down at Lucy drinking voraciously.

“Hard work being born,” came Ava’s quiet reply. “Gotta get all those calories for growing.”

I angled the water bottle so Ava could sip from the straw and fed her a few of the high-protein granola bites Micah’s mother had dropped off.

“I don’t suppose we have anything more substantial?” Ava asked.

“Craving anything in particular? Micah and Jesse’s families stocked up our freezer with meals while you were in the hospital.”

“Any lasagna?”

“Pretty sure there is. I’ll go get you some.”

I woke Bryce up while climbing over him, and he moved to take my spot and hold Ava’s water while she fed Lucy. It only took a few minutes to locate lasagna, conveniently already cooked and portioned into individual servings. It wouldn’t be as good as fresh, but certainly better than nothing. While I waited for the microwave, I poured her a glass of milk and collected the necessary cutlery before carrying everything upstairs for her.

It was cute as hell to watch Ava open her mouth like a baby bird so I could feed her each bite of lasagna, my hand cradled beneath the fork to make sure none of it dropped on the baby. Bryce manned both of the drinks, and by the time Lucy was done eating, our omega was satisfied.

“Did you want to sleep?” Bryce asked. “I can watch Lucy.”

“And give up this premium daddy-daughter time with no one to bug us? Absolutely not. You get sleep while you can.”

Bryce helped Ava up to brush her teeth and I sat in the rocking chair with the baby, patting her until she burped and tidying her up afterward.

“You know, little miss,” I whispered when everyone had fallen back asleep, “I can’t make a lot of promises about the future, but I’m going to make two to you. The first is that you’re going to have more love than you know what to do with. And the second is that I’m going to do everything in my power to be the best dad possible for you. I didn’t have a dad growing up, and you’re going to have four who love you to pieces. I know I’ll make mistakes, but I’m going to try my best. I already love you so much, and I’ve loved your mom for as long as I can remember. You deserve the whole world, just like your mama.”

“Marry me.”

The words struck me like lightning and I looked up to see Ava standing in front of me in her nightgown. How had she gotten out of bed without me noticing? “Did I just hallucinate you asking me to marry you?”

She snuggled onto my lap. “Maybe a bit more telling than asking, but the sentiment is there. I just love you so much and I got overwhelmed by it watching you with Lucy. I want to marry you. Do you want to marry me?”

“Of course I do. I was going to ask when you were more settled.”

Ava gave me a self-satisfied smile and drew me into a kiss. “I think we both know I’m not patient enough to wait for that.”

“So I should get a move on, then?” At her nod, I continued. “Ava, I’ve loved you all my life, and I plan to never stop. I want to be your partner, your husband, and your bondmate when you’re ready. Marry me, Aves?”

“Abso-fucking-lutely yes.” She kissed me soundly and cuddled up, letting me sit in the quiet with my two favorite girls in the world.

“I’m going to be insufferable about touching you now that you’re my fiancée.”

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