Page 189 of Finding the Forward: Part Two
“Mama.” I gave her a hug.
Things were pretty good between us. She’d been a tremendous help to Grace, Mercy, and me in the wedding planning processes and hadn’t said a single word against all the fanciful plans.
If anything, she kept suggesting things. I was glad she’d made it out from Bayside.
“Trés belle.” She air-kissed my cheek. Her makeup brought out her delicate but striking features. “Grace, everything is superb. Bravo.”
“Thank you.” Grace beamed. Their relationship had gotten better, too.
“Verity.” Baba stood in a black tux but with a baby blue tie and vest. He was a very tall alpha, as tall as Grif, though not quite as broad. Still, he was formidable. His golden skin was darker than mine, but I had his dark hair and many of his features.
“Baba.” My stomach twisted a little. Our relationship was still strained.
He gave my mother a fond look, then tilted his toward the door.
Mama laughed. “Come, the alphas need to talk.”
Grace squeezed my hand. “See you out there.”
“I’m an alpha. I’m eighteen now, and I’m staying,” Mercy said as Dare came into the room. She shot Baba a challenging look.
For a moment I wasn’t sure if Baba would allow it, but he just shrugged. Jonas helped me sit in a chair by the window because this might take a moment.
Baba launched into the traditional speech, making sure I fully understood my duties as an alpha taking an omega. Some of them were ratherspecific. Jonas kept smirking.
Ugh. I didn’t need my father telling me how often I needed to bone my omega. But I kept silent and tried not to giggle. The fact that he’d even offered to do this meanteverything.
Toward the end of the speech, I realized he clutched a large, carved wooden box.
“Do you understand, Cupcake? Will you remember this and be a good alpha to your chosen omega? Having an omega is an esteemed privilege, not a right,” he asked me when he finished.
“I understand, Baba, and I’ll remember this and be a good alpha,” I replied.
Oh. He hadn’t called meCupcakein a very long time.
“Your grandmother sent this for you to wear today.” Baba held out the box.
“She did?” I wasn’t expecting that. Grandma turned down my invitation, citing another commitment. But I also understood that not everyone could or wanted to travel to Greece.
He opened the box. “It is very special that she’s allowing you to wear this. Your favorite grandfather gave it to her when she joined their pack. It has been in his family for a very long time.”
I eyed the delicate gold tiara. “It’s beautiful.”
The fact she’d chosen something he’d given her meanteverything.
“Wow. Can I wear it when I get a mate?” Dare grinned.
Baba shot him an unamused look as he took it and set it on my head. He stepped back and snapped a photo.
“I won’t tell her you had one of the necklaces made into cufflinks and tie tacks.” Baba grimaced.
“They’re guys. I thought maybe they’d like to actually wear their gifts sometimes.” I shrugged. AJ’s family’s jeweler had done an amazing job, too.
They all wore them today. It was nice to give them something special.
While I was making progress engineering a rose for Grif, it wasn’t ready yet.
Baba’s look softened in a way I hadn’t seen in a long time as his sandy scent surrounded me. He straightened the crown. “You have grown up so fast–and into an amazing alpha. Look at you. Joining a successful pack. Havingtwoomegas. You’re working on your PhD at a prestigious university. You’re an alpha to be proud of.”
