Page 45 of Vegas Baby!

“Dad, please. I love you and I’ve always done everything you asked. Ava is my bondmate. Your feelings on the matter don’t change that. Can’t you be happy for me?”

“You’re making a mistake.”

“Even if I am, it’smymistake to make. I don’t want this to be the end of our relationship.”

I stared out the window of the vehicle, the buildings a blur, the same numbness from the office settling in my chest. I couldn’t look him in the eye right now.

“Don’t do this, Bryce.”

Apparently today was the day for establishing strong boundaries. I didn’t like it one fucking bit, but it needed to be done.

“I won’t be coming to visit for as long as Ava is unwelcome. I’m not leaving her, and I’m not going to put her or our child in a position where they feel unwanted. If you want to punish me for that, that’s your choice. I can forgive that you don’t want to put your money behind my decision, but I am never going to forget how you’ve spoken about her.”

“Bry—”

I hung up as we arrived at my apartment building. Ava and the others were still out, completely unaware that I had torpedoed everything in my life.

I got all the boxes unloaded into the lobby with the help of our doorman and I took them all the way up to the apartment, stacking them in the living room to give myself time to breathe before I would have to head back out to meet up with everyone.

Bryce:

How is she?

Jesse:

Happy as a clam

Stuffing her face on salt and vinegar chips as we speak

Bryce:

Good

I’ll see you soon

I carried my sadness like a lead weight all the way to the restaurant, arriving to find the others already seated. It was a delicious place in Little Italy that served the best tortellini I had ever tasted. Understated, but classy, and packed to the gills with hungry locals.

Ava grinned when she caught sight of me, hoisting herself up to her feet to greet me. I held her tightly, bowing my head to breathe in her sweet, nutty scent. I had done what I needed to do, and I didn’t regret any of it. All my stress melted away with her in my arms, contentment soaking into my bones.

My perfect mate, and my new pack, were all I needed.

Ihad been cursing my stubbornness from the moment it stopped me from going to New York with them. Being alone in the apartment, knowing no one was coming home, was a mind trip I hated more with each passing hour. When I was still young and at home with my mother, the alone time was a blessing, but now it felt weird.Wrong.

The first day I had cleaned the apartment top to bottom, scrubbing nooks and crannies I was pretty sure hadn’t seen the light of day since the place was built.

The second day I picked up some essentials for Ava and the baby: a pregnancy pillow, a humidifier at the insistence of one of the staff members, some slippers, and some cozy house gowns. The crib was ungodly expensive and a bitch and a half to put together by myself, but it looked great when it was done. It was weird to think it would be occupied in a few short months. I packed all the things I had gotten for Ava into the crib to await her return.

On the third day I took a gamble.

“This has everything you’re looking for,” said the perky realtor. “Full omega suite with attached bath and kitchenette, bedrooms for every pack member, plus an extra for the nursery. The kitchen has been upgraded recently, the pool is heated for year-round use, and they just put in the fence for the yard. What do you think?”

“It looks incredible.”

If I wanted Ava to stay, she needed somewhere she could call her own that wasn’t Jesse’s room. I’d been looking at places all day and made sure everything was big enough to fit all of us and was within the pack’s budget. I had no idea what the hell Bryce made so I estimated based on what the rest of us brought in. Ava would be off work as long as she wanted so I didn’t worry about anything she might eventually make. I still didn’t love the idea of Bryce, but my whole pack leaving Vegas to go with him to New York had hammered in painfully hard that if I didn’t accept him, I was looking at the very real possibility of our pack cleaving. Ava wouldn’t choose me over a bondmate, no matter what our history might be.

Whatever differences Bryce and I had, we could work on them later. For now I needed to make the gesture, to show Ava that I could get over myself.

I couldn’t lose her now that I had found her again.

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