Page 59 of Fragile Heart

The baby whines in her sleep, and Brielle traces her spine, adjusting her hold as the baby relaxes further into her chest. The picture they make has me thinking all kinds of things that aren’t safe right now. Like what she’d look like holding my baby—her eyes but my hair and the same chubby rolls I had.

Shit, it’s a good thing she has an IUD. And isn’t anywhere near her heat.

She isn’t near her heat, right? Fuck, I should probably figure out a way to ask her if it’s something I need to be prepping Sam about. You don’t justaskan Omega about that sort of thing, though. It’s like asking a person if they’re pregnant.

If you’re dumb enough to ask, you deserve the punch that inevitably follows.

“You okay?” Brielle’s soft question rips me out of my spiraling thoughts.

I clear my throat and nod, not trusting myself to say anything near appropriate right now.

A man stands from one of the chairs lining an edge of the patio and walks toward us. One of the girls looks up and smiles as he passes, and he runs his hand through her hair.

“She asleep?” he asks. When Brielle nods, he holds out his hands. “I can take her inside. Faedra mentioned you were thinking about heading out before she latched onto you.”

Brielle offers the baby over, her movements cautious. Once the baby’s situated against the man’s chest instead, he focuses on me and holds out his hand.

“You must be Caleb,” he says. “I’m Carter, one of Faedra’s Alphas.”

I take his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

He turns back to Brielle. “If I don’t see you before you leave, drive safe. I’ll text you when we’re on our way tomorrow morning.”

Brielle smiles, and then the man disappears into the house, kissing Faedra’s temple as he passes by her. The move’s so graceful, it’s like it’s second nature.

Damn, I miss having that.

The ache is enough that I grab Brielle’s hand and pull her into my side. She glances up at me, her eyebrows furrowed but her shoulders relaxed.

“Yeah, sure you’re not hard launching,” Hudson mutters beside me.

I roll my eyes. “Fuck off, Hudson. Your little brother complex is showing.”

Brielle giggles. I press a kiss to her lips, and she melts into me.

“Damn it,” Emily groans. “Now I owe Mel ten bucks.”

Several people chuckle. I ignore them and kiss Brielle again. This time, she lets her weight fall against my side and a bare hint of her scent reaches me.

“I’m glad you made it,” she whispers.

Yep, definitely worth whatever Ethan will rain down on me for hard launching Brielle and me.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

ETHAN

Camden giggles as he blows by me, running out of the tent. He pauses, glancing around, and then sets off to his right. I raise an eyebrow but don’t comment. A second later, one of the Bennett girls races out, chasing him across the large open space of the campsite. Her lips are bunched in a serious-looking frown, and she has a quiet determination, like she’s upset with whatever happened in the tent with Camden.

When there aren’t any screams of frustration or crying, I focus on getting the last couple stakes set into the rocky ground so the rain guard doesn’t accidentally blow away when we’re not nearby. Just as I’m finishing, Caleb returns from the truck. He has two duffels crossed over his shoulders and carries a third, smaller one.

“All that’s left is our portion of the food,” he says, dropping all three bags into the partially unzipped vestibule, lining them up along the far side and away from the easiest path into the tent. “I think Logan said they were still figuring out the bestplace to keep it all, so I figured I’d let it be until everything’s settled.”

I shove my hands in my pockets to keep from fidgeting. After a minute, Caleb sighs.

“We going to talk about it?” he asks. “Or are you going to keep shoving your head in the sand?”

I ignore him, focusing instead on the campsite unpacking around us.

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