Page 31 of Donner

"Let's what?" Jax frowned. "They're so loud."

"They are," I agreed. "And obnoxious. And wonderful."

Jax's face had morphed from a look of concern to one of confusion. That was as close to consent as I was going to get. I picked him up, hauled him to the water's edge, and dropped him into an empty section of the pool on his butt.

He let out a squawk worthy of an eagle's mate and thrashed about in the waist-high water. Before I had the chance to hop into the pool beside him, several children were already surrounding him.

"Hey! I remember you! Penthouse guy! How are you liking your stay?"

I bit back a laugh as Jax flashed me a glare. His white polo shirt was see-through now that it was soaking wet. I took mine off and draped it over a lounge chair, along with two towels from the table nearby.

"Hi," Jax said. "It's nice to see you all again. I thought you would have left by now. I saw them when I arrived Thursday," he said to me when I sidled up to him.

"Ooh, who's this?" asked a little girl in a tutu swimsuit.

"This is my mate, Beau."

That was the first time he'd called me his mate. I puffed out my chest and grinned. "Hi. What are your names?"

"I'm Melissa," she said. "This is Tom and Ross. We're playing Keepaway. Want to play?"

"Not him," Tom said. "He's tall. This one, though. What's your name, mister?"

"Jax." He grinned. "It's Jax. We could play Keepaway from Beau."

I deserved that. This little foray into the pool had been my idea, after all. We spent the next half-hour playing Keepaway, until the kids' parents called to them.

I knew I shouldn't have been surprised when Jax sniffed the air and whispered, "They're an alpha and omega pairing," and pointed at the kids' two dads.

"Stay here," I said. I rushed out of the pool and padded over to them with water still streaming down my legs.

"Hi! Your kids are great."

"Thanks?" The larger of the two had a darker tan, dark brown hair, and gray eyes. He also smelled of alpha.

I held out my hand for a shake. "My mate and I are new to this. Just met, in fact. We were wondering if we could have dinner with you to talk about your family dynamic. My mom has passed and my dad left before I was born." I felt like I was holding my breath as I waited for the alpha to say something, anything.

"Sorry for your loss. My name's Nick, and this is Brian."

I shook their hands in turn. Brian was white with hair the same honey-blond as their three children, though Ross's looked a little green around the edges.

"I'm Jax." My adorable mate handed me a towel. His was already wrapped around his waist. His shirt was leaving a dark spot in the concrete next to the chair I'd claimed for us. "What are we doing?"

"Going to dinner together," Brian said. "This evening? It's our last before we head to the airport tomorrow morning."

Nick nodded. "Sure, that sounds like a plan."

"Our nanny will be back by then," Brian added. "She's been enjoying a spa treatment this morning, which is why we're at the pool."

"We'll meet you in the restaurant at seven?" Nick asked, and Brian nodded enthusiastically.

"Sounds like a plan!" I put on my best smile and shook their hands again.

"What are you doing?" Jax whispered as they walked away.

"We need some parenting advice from someone who isn't related to you."

He glared at me, but I meant it. His alpha dad had really done a number on him. After playing with their kids for a half-hour and watching them play before, I had a feeling Nick and Brian knew what they were doing.

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