Page 36 of Nesting With My Three Alphas
The poetry of that statement, the pure relief in her voice, told me everything I needed to know about how long she'd been suffocating.
"What did you draw?"
"You'll laugh."
"Try me."
Kit hesitated, then pulled out her phone, scrolling through what looked like photos of sketches. "Charlie. About fifteen different studies of Charlie, actually. She has the most expressive face. I couldn't stop trying to capture all her different emotions."
She showed me the screen, and I felt my breath catch. Even in the quick phone photos, I could see the life she'd captured. Charlie's wonder as she examined a flower, her concentrationwhile reading, her pure joy mid-laugh. Each sketch revealed something essential about who she was, the bright spirit that had helped heal all of us in different ways.
"These are incredible," I said, meaning it. "You captured her perfectly."
"She's easy to draw. There's no pretense with her, no walls. What you see is exactly who she is." Kit's voice was soft with affection. "I'd forgotten how much I love drawing children. They're so... honest."
Unlike the adults in her past who'd taught her to hide.
"Charlie's going to lose her mind when she sees these," I said, handing her a cup of coffee that I'd made exactly the way she liked it. Strong but not bitter, with just a hint of cream and vanilla syrup. "Have you shown Jonah yet?"
"Not yet. I wasn't sure if it would be weird, drawing his daughter without asking permission first."
The uncertainty in her voice made my protective instincts flare. Someone had taught her to second-guess her own generous impulses, to doubt whether her gifts would be welcomed.
"Kit," I said gently, settling into the chair across from her, "Jonah's going to treasure these drawings. Trust me."
She took a sip of coffee and sighed with relief. "God, that's perfect. How did you know exactly how I like it?"
"I pay attention," I said simply. "Part of the job."
But it was more than that, and we both knew it. I'd been studying Kit since the moment she'd walked into my life. Learning her preferences, her moods, the small things that brought her comfort. It was what alphas did when they were falling for an omega, even when that omega wasn't ready to be fallen for.
Especially then.
"Micah," Kit said carefully, "can I ask you something?"
"Anything."
"Yesterday, when you said I 'fit' with you all... what did you mean by that?"
The question I'd been hoping for and dreading in equal measure. I could deflect, keep things light and safe. Or I could trust her with the truth and risk scaring her away.
Truth, I decided. She deserved honesty, even if it complicated things.
"I meant that you feel like the missing piece we didn't know we were looking for," I said quietly. "Like our pack was always supposed to have five members instead of four."
Kit's coffee cup paused halfway to her lips. "Pack?"
"I know it's fast. I know you're dealing with a lot, and the last thing you need is pressure from us." I leaned forward, willing her to hear the sincerity in my voice. "But Kit, what we're all feeling, it's not just friendship. It's not just attraction. It's recognition."
"Recognition?"
"Of our omega. Of the person we're supposed to protect and cherish and build a life with." I kept my voice gentle despite the intensity of what I was saying. "I can't speak for the others, but I knew the moment you walked into this bakery that my life had just changed forever."
Kit set down her coffee cup with trembling hands. "Micah..."
"I'm not asking you to decide anything right now," I said quickly. "I'm just... being honest about where my heart is. Where I think all our hearts are."
"All of you feel this way?"
