Page 95 of Knight Life In Vegas

“Mommy’s back!” Ollie shrieked. He slammed against me, pressing his face into my stomach.

“Good morning, baby. Are you two being good for Dylan and Eduardo?”

“So good.” Ollie looked up at me, driving his chin into me.

“Let’s get you dressed.” I hustled him back to his room and helped him into the outfit Dylan had laid out before checking on Sammy, who was busy talking Dylan’s ear off about horse facts he’d learned at the library while Dylan nodded, smiled, and reacted like everything was brand-new information. “Sammy, have you brushed your teeth yet?”

He shook his head.

“Okay, go do that. You can talk to Dylan more at breakfast.”

With a dramatic sigh, Sammy tromped across the living room to the bathroom he now shared with his brother, climbing up on the stool to complete his task.

I sat down on his bed near Dylan. “Thank you for watching them.”

“You’re pack,” he said emphatically. “The kiddos are all our responsibility and we knew you’d need some recovery time today.”

“Are you upset I bonded Francisco?”

“Nah. Just sad I didn’t get to go first.” He parked himself next to me, and shot me a wink. “I’m happy to wait my turn.”

It seemed silly to say I wasn’t sure it would ever be anyone else’s turn when I was bonded into their pack. My choice of timing was obviously very different than my body’s preferences. I just had to trust that everything would be all right in the end. It was either that or cry, and I didn’t have time to give in to despair.

“How are we supposed to do awesome birthday stuff if she’s adapting to the new bond?” Dylan lamented as he stretched out on our couch, staring at the ceiling.

“We’re doing more things later,” I reminded him. “She’ll probably stay asleep for a while longer.”

Dylan pouted. “Chico is hogging.”

“He’s bonded. He’s allowed to.” It was a strange adjustment considering how quickly everything had happened. Chico had stayed at Charlotte’s since their accidental bonding, leaving Dylan and me to our own devices. Mostly that had involved taking on as much care of her children as we could reasonably manage so she could rest. We weren’t authorized for pickup, but we were able to get them ready for the day and drop them off with her permission.

It was a good opportunity for us to get to know the boys, and I liked watching Dylan with them. He was basically a big kid himself half the time, and he was in his glory getting to hang out with them. I kind of liked going dad mode: making sure everyone was dressed, washed, fed, and out the door on time, knowing Charlotte could relax into her new bonds and not have to worry. Now that she was bonded to Chico, she was a part of our pack, and I was as close to being her alpha as I could get before she officially chose me.

“Our place is so boring now that Chico is bonded.” Dylan huffed.

He wasn’t wrong. The fresh bond meant our packmate needed to be around Charlotte as much as possible, and the quiet in our apartment had become almost suffocating.

Everything was so up in the air. The bonding had legal implications, effectively installing Chico as an additional father to Charlotte’s children. We were a registered pack, but Charlotte hadn’t claimed us, so it was a gray area for Dylan and me.

I’d been content to wait before this, but now it felt like we were behind schedule.

“You’re welcome to go over to Charlotte’s, but you have to let them all rest,” I reminded him. I was in the middle of meal prepping so none of us accidentally went hungry or had to fork out an ungodly amount for a meal at the hotel that hosted the arena.

“I can’t leave you all alone.”

“You could help, and then we could both go over sooner.”

Dylan let out a dramatic sigh. “Okay, fine, but if I ruin something, it’s your fault.”

I gave him the simple task of rinsing the rice while I arranged seasoned chicken thighs on a baking sheet. Pan frying them made them turn out better, but I could do at least three times as much at once if I used the oven, and I wanted to make sure the food was accessible to Charlotte and the boys if they wanted it. She had given us a copy of their family schedule and added in everyone’s favorite foods, as well as things the boys refused to eat, at my request. I figured the best way to get us officially integrated into her family would be to do our part and show her we belonged there.

A knock at the door stole my attention.

Dylan immediately abandoned his task and bounded over to answer it. “Hey, princess!”

Charlotte stepped inside, nervously twisting her fingers. She was squeezed into tiny jean shorts and a black tank top that highlighted every mouthwatering curve.

“Did you need something, querida, or is this a social visit?”

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