Page 63 of Knight Life In Vegas

I took the opportunity to disappear. Loath as I was to remove her scent from my skin, I didn’t want to pick up the kids smelling like I had just tumbled their mother. I rinsed quickly, dried off, and returned to dress. Charlotte was already back in her tank top and tiny shorts.

“You’re going to start drooling if you don’t close your mouth.”

I snapped my mouth shut, not even realizing it had opened. It wasn’t my fault. Her shorts cupped her ass so perfectly I wanted to take a bite out of her.

I made quick work of my clothing. It only got a bit wrinkly, but I couldn’t imagine her children were so discerning as to care.

“Ready?” Charlotte asked.

“Yes. Do you want me to drive?”

“Depends. Do you have a car?”

“Not at present.”

“Then I’ll drive. When you get one, you can drive.”

I followed her down to the parking lot like a lost pup, nervously wringing my fingers as I sat in the passenger side. Her vehicle was omega-sized, so I had to push the seat all the way back to fit.

“Sorry, it’s a bit of a clown car. It was the cheapest option that fit all of us.”

“Don’t apologize for purchasing something that suits your needs. If alphas are an outlier in your life, it would be silly to buy something that accommodates them when this works better for your family.”

The drive to the school was fairly quiet. My mind turned over my decisions until Charlotte drew the vehicle to a stop in the pick-up lane and turned to me. “Feeling better?”

“Physically, yes.”

“I was hoping so. I felt a million times better when the others spent the night. Not sure exactly how it works, but my running theory is that my instincts can’t panic about abandonment ifbeing with them has happened more than once.” She turned her hazel eyes on me, looking at me like she could see straight into my soul. “How are you mentally?”

I pressed my lips into a tight line and Charlotte took my hand.

“Nothing about any of this is ideal, but I don’t want you to suffer for no reason. We can all help each other and keep firm boundaries in place. I know you’re only here until things settle.”

I had to go back. Everything I had built was in New York. “You don’t have to be so generous with me. I know I haven’t handled any of this very well.”

She squeezed my hand tighter. “Beau, you went through something that a great many alphas would never survive. You handled things as well as you were able. It’s not like I’ve been doing things right either.”

“You’re being too forgiving of me.”

“Let’s start fresh, then. If you wish you had done things differently, do your best to make that happen going forward.”

Before I had a chance to respond, Sammy and Ollie were sprinting to the car, hand in hand, and Charlotte was stepping out of the vehicle. Was I supposed to get out too? I felt entirely too awkward to remain sitting. Both boys froze when they saw me.

“Hello, Samson, Oliver,” I greeted.

“Boys, Mr. Carlton is going to be visiting more so you’ll probably see him around the apartment sometimes.”

“Oh,” said Sammy. “Do you do anything fun like Mommy’s other new friends?”

“They ride horses!” Ollie yelled. “We get to pet them tonight.”

“I’m afraid I’m not that exciting. I run a business, but that’s not very fun for children.”

Ollie pouted. “A horse business?”

I chuckled softly. “No. We build safe housing complexes for omegas.”

“Like Mommy?” Ollie asked.

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