Page 47 of Seen Knot Heard

“A good try, huh?” Dominic tickles her sides, and she writhes with giggles. “I suppose this means your hugs are even better than Uncle Blake’s!”

“Hey, now,” I protest in mock outrage. “Let’s not get carried away.”

As my bondmate spins my niece around the kitchen, both of their faces alight with laughter, and I can’t hold back a grin. Dominic may be hopeless in the kitchen, but when it comes to cheering people up, he has a magic touch. He just needs to focus on what he excels at: identifying what people need and making it happen.

He understood Holden was the best Alpha to care for Chloe right now, and Holden would want to feed Chloe, so he offered to fill that role to give our Omega what she needs most. He just needed to take it one step further and outsource the soup.

Thoughts of Chloe draw my attention toward the doorway. She’s so close, right down the hall. Every instinct tells me to go to her, to see for myself that she’s here and okay. But Dominic’s warning holds me back.

Why is Holden taking care of her? Is she sick? Hurt? The possibilities churn in my gut. After losing her once, the thought of anything happening to her again is unbearable.

I drag my attention back to the giggling pair and paste on a smile. One thing at a time. Right now, Dominic needs me. And Chloe… She has Holden. Much as it stings not to be with her, I trust my bondmates to take care of her.

For now, I’ll focus on solving Dominic’s soup dilemma.

From the fridge, I pull out some chicken bouillon. At least Dominic boiled the noodles in a different pot and hadn’t added them to his concoction yet. I fill a glass measuring cup with water and pop it into the microwave to heat.

While I wait, I pull out a fresh bowl and fill it with noodles from the colander in the sink.

“All right, you two, break it up,” I call out. “We need soda crackers.”

Dominic lowers Quinn to the floor. “Shall we see who can find them first?”

“I’m going to win!”

The two race off down the hall.

The microwave beeps, and I pull the steaming cup out to add the bullion and stir until it dissolves. Then I pour the broth over the noodles.

As I pull out a tray and add the soup to it, Quinn and Dominic race back into the kitchen. Dominic holds the requested crackers, and Quinn hugs a bag of jumbo marshmallows to her chest like a teddy bear.

Dominic sets the box on the island. “One of us forgot the mission.”

With a shake of my head, I pull out a second bowl and add it to the tray.

Quinn pries open the bag and plops three fluffy white pillows into it. “Marshmallows make everything better.”

Dominic ruffles her hair. “They sure do, kiddo.”

I add a sleeve of crackers to the tray, along with a spoon. “There we go. Soup’s ready for delivery.”

Dominic studies the tray and frowns. “You made it, so you should take it to her.”

I level him with a flat stare. “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, Sterling. Now go, before the soup gets cold.”

He hesitates, a muscle in his jaw ticking, the gears in his head turning. He wants so much to make her happy, and he’s starting at a deficit the rest of us don’t have to overcome.

With Quinn absorbing everything we do, I don’t want her picking up on the tension. I give Dominic a little shove. “Go on.”

He accepts the tray. “Thank you.”

He sweeps out of the kitchen, leaving me alone with my niece and a giant mess that he can clean up after he gets his Chloe fix.

Hands going to my hips, I turn to Quinn, whose cheeks bulge with marshmallows like a chipmunk. “What’s the next step in this pinecone project of yours?”

“Glitter!” she mumbles around her mouthful of sugary fluff, sending a few stray pieces flying.

“Of course it is.” I grab a dishcloth and wipe the sticky residue from her chin. “Okay, let’s bring out the craft buckets.”

---