Page 86 of Broken Bonds

Fuck!

I run my fingers through my hair for what must be the hundredth time and blow out a breath.

Where are they?

Just as I have that thought, headlights shine in through the windows by the front door and all the tension in me bleeds out and my shoulders slump. I hang my head and just breathe for a moment before grabbing the last of my tools so I can leave.

The front door opens and Jillian walks in, Ramsey right behind her. Their arms are full of their stuff and they’re both smiling. Ramsey looks less bogged down by her grief, her weekend away with Jillian bringing a glow to her that has me struck stupid. Her smile is beautiful, lighting up her features and making her seem younger, and my heart skips a beat.

“Rion! You’re still here. Perfect!” Jillian says as she sets her stuff down. “Sorry we’re late. We got distracted at our last stop. Did you get everything done?” she asks me, eyes wide and brows raised, when I can finally tear my eyes away from the beautiful omega at her side.

I clear my throat and rub the back of my neck with my free hand. “Yeah. I was going to be out of here before you got back, but I got worried when I was getting ready to leave and noticed how late you guys were.”

“Thank you for taking care of whatever list Jillian gave you. I hope it wasn’t too much trouble?” Ramsey’s voice is soft and when I glance back at her, she’s smiling softly in my direction as she rubs her back.

I feel like I can’t breathe with her mesmerizing green eyes on me. My heart feels like it might jump out of my chest and run over to her with open arms right this minute. Maybe bend on one knee and pledge its undying devotion.

I subtly shake my head to get my wits about me when I realize they’re both staring at me. Ramsey’s brows are furrowed, and there’s a frown on her pouty lips. Jillian’s brows are raised, and her arms are crossed as she stares me down with a knowing look in her eyes.

“Rion?” Ramseys calls, stepping closer to me with her hand raised.

When she’s standing right in front of me, she reaches up and presses the back of her hand against my forehead like she’s checking me for a fever. She won’t find one, and now my brain has short-circuited because she’s right in front of me.

Touching me.

Her rounded belly grazes my arm, and at that same moment, I feel a kick against me. My heart seizes and then starts up a rapid thumping in my chest as a loving warmth fills me. In rapid fire, images of three babies in their cribs in the nursery I just spent all weekend building and decorating cross my mind. Me holding them. Holding Ramsey. Watching them grow. It’s like my life flashes before my eyes. Or, at least, the life that could be.

If only…

“I’m fine,” I tell Ramsey when she pulls her hand back, looking down into her eyes.

Her cheeks turn the cutest shade of pink, and she clears her throat. Stepping back, she tucks her hair behind her ear, and I can’t help but grin at her.

“And it was no trouble, Ramsey. I was more than happy to help,” I assure her.

“So… Rams,” Jillian cuts in, stepping up to her side and wrapping her arm around Ramsey’s shoulders. “I wasn’tcompletelyhonest about Rion’s reason for being here all weekend.”

“What do you mean?”

“Come on. You’ll see,” Jillian tells her, leading Ramsey towards the hallway, practically vibrating with excitement. “You too, Rion. Let’s go. You’re not getting out of taking most of the credit!”

Ramsey’s giggle echoes down the hallway as I follow them to the second to last door on the right. It sits directly across from the room I assume Ramsey shared with her alphas. The two of them stop in front of the door and I stop a few paces behind.

“The nursery?”

“Just keep an open mind. After you’ve taken it all in, we’ll talk.”

From where I’m standing, I can see the confusion marring Ramsey’s features. She nibbles on her lip before looking back at me with so many questions in her eyes, but I just nod for her to go ahead, my lips twitching upwards.

I watch as she takes a deep breath and reaches for the door handle, slowly turning it and pushing the door open. The lights are off, so she steps in and searches for the switch. When the lights click on, I hear her small gasp and see her hand come up to cover her lips. She spins slowly in a circle, taking it all in, tears in her eyes, which make me nervous because I can’t tell if they’re good or bad tears.

“Wow. You really did amazing, Rion,” Jillian says under her breath when she moves to my side, looking in through the open doorway. “This is even better than I expected.”

“I just put it all together. This was all because of her alphas,” I tell her with a shrug, the tips of my ears feeling warm.

“Take the credit, big guy. The guys might have had all of this planned out, butyourhands broughttheirvision to life. And stop looking so terrified. She loves it, you’ll see.”

She sounds so sure, but I don’t know. Ramsey hasn’t said anything yet. Right now, she’s walking around the room, running her hands along everything.

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