Page 146 of Down Knot Out
The sound of her daughter’s laughter softens Sadie’s expression. She moves to the wall, studying the photos of Quinn riding on Blake’s shoulders at the beach, Holden and Quinn covered in flour as they bake cookies, and Nathaniel trying to teach her to play chess.
The pictures appear in the frames when no one is looking, which always delights Quinn when shespots a new one. I suspect Dominic is the photo fairy, since he’s in none of them, but I have yet to catch him in the act.
“You look happy here,” Sadie whispers.
“I am.” Quinn’s grip on my hand loosens. “I am. But I miss you, too, sometimes.”
The admission hangs in the air, honest and unfiltered in the way only children can manage.
Sadie’s throat works as she swallows, her fingers hovering over a frame without quite touching it. “I miss you, too, kiddo.”
Quinn tugs me forward, breaking the moment before it can grow too heavy. “Come on, I want to show you the office now!”
The scent of garlic and onions wafts up from the kitchen below, signaling Holden’s meal preparations, and my stomach growls in response.
Quinn giggles. “Uncle Holden says Aunt Chloe’s tummy is always talking.” She pats my middle with casual affection. “He says it’s because she needs lots of food for energy.”
Heat rises to my cheeks as Sadie’s eyes drop to my stomach, then lift to my face in question. I shake my head. No confirmation of pregnancy yet, though the possibility lingers in the air.
“These are the bedrooms,” I say, changing thesubject as we move back toward the hallway. “There are still a couple of empty ones.”
Quinn wanders ahead of us, aiming for the entrance to the garage office, giving us a moment of privacy.
“Have you lived here long?” Sadie asks.
“Not officially until recently.” My fingers trail along the hallway wall, feeling the slight texture of the paint. “I originally came here for a two-week vacation. A lot happened, and we made it permanent.”
“Before or after the bonding?” Sadie looks at my neck, where the Marks of my Alphas peek above my collar. “Those are fresh bonds.”
“Before. The bonds came after I was already part of their lives.” My fingers rise to touch the raised edges of Blake’s claim. “But it didn’t take long for us to know it would be a true bond.”
“All four of them?” Surprise colors the question.
“Yes.” Pride fills me. “How could it not be, when they’re all true bonded Alphas?”
Her brow furrows in confusion. “They are?”
Now, it’s my turn to be confused. “Did you not know?”
“Blake said so when they first formed their pack, but our dad…” She shakes her head, her lips thinning. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised Dad lied. This being a true bonded pack doesn’t fit the narrative he’s built in his mind.”
It sounds like there’s a bigger story there, and I offer, “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Our father has always aimed to be on the same level as the Burton pack, and he’s pushed us to make those connections to pull him up the social ladder. He was furious when Blake broke out on his own.” She turns toward me. “You know about him and Nathaniel?”
“That they grew up together, and Nathaniel was the one who asked Blake to form their own pack?”
She nods. “Dad always hoped they’d form a bond, but his scheme was for Blake to become a Burton, so the wealth and connections would trickle down to him. He never fathomed Nathaniel stepping away from his familial pack and giving up everything our dad wanted.”
“So, in your dad’s mind, if Blake doesn’t share a true bond with Holden and Dominic, there’s a chance Nathaniel will go crawling back to the Burtons, and his plan for Blake will be back on track?” I ask, my storyteller’s mind spinning.
“Exactly.” Sadie turns to where her daughter waits by the office door. “And with Quinn now joining your pack, there go his plans for the Patels, too.”
I hesitate before I reach out to touch her arm. “You don’t have to keep carrying the weight of what he wanted for you.”
Her eyes flick back to me, wary and vulnerable all at once.
“It’s hard to cut ties.” My arm drops back to my side and, not wanting to appear closed off, I resist the desire to hug myself. “Even when they’re choking you. My dad wouldn’t even acknowledge me, and my mom used me like a bargaining chip to fuel her extravagant lifestyle. I spent too long trying to hold on to the idea of family. But all it did was hurt.”
