Page 107 of Thorns That Bloom
He plays with her while Melody smiles, but when her eyes start to do that thing they do when she’s tired, we ease up on the fussing, and I rock her in my arms until she’s sound asleep.
Theo is already halfway done with breakfast pancakes by the time I finally get up and walk into the kitchen. Still only wearing his boxers… I almost get caught shamelessly checking out his ass when he turns around at me.
“Can you make coffee?”
“Sure.”
Once we’ve established that not only do I not enjoy cooking, but I’m also not very good at it, Theo happily accepted his position as chef, and my job became making coffee. I like that arrangement very much.
I watch the sunrise through the kitchen windows while the coffee brews. The warm colors paint the sky with stunning pinks and golds. When I check the time, it’s six thirty. I accept it; time no longer means anything since coming home with Melody.
It hasn’t been as bad as I expected, though… Exhausting and bordering on torture at points, but bearable. Mostly thanks to how perfect she is when not crying at various hours of the day.
Or perhaps thanks to the most incredible person in the world helping me through it.
I zone out a little, and by the time I come back to Earth, we’re sitting at the table together, the scent of coffee mixing in with the deliciousness of the pancakes with whipped cream and berries Theo serves us.
“Mhmm… I didn’t know we had cream.”
“I got some last night, on the way from work,” Theo says, looking at me with a satisfied smile from across the table, a cup of coffee in hand.
“Oh!” I blurt out, a thought popping up abruptly. My brain’s finally warming up enough to function properly. “I forgot to tell you yesterday. Gail called me.”
Theo’s face takes on a more serious expression. “I thought we said it would be better to wait a few more months before pursuingthe—”
“Wasn’t about that,” I say calmly. It’s sweet how protective he gets of me right away. Relaxing his shoulders, Theo nods. “Remember the email I found among the ones I received from all my old coworkers? The one from the girl who confided in me that she experienced something similar as well?”
His eyes flicker with pained sympathy. “Yeah. Did she take you up on the offer to join in and start working with Gail and the others?”
“Yeah. Gail said they’re in contact. That it could be big. Once everyone’s ready to get it going. There must be more victims, so they’re still looking. There could be criminal charges. And Magnolia really thinks this could be a part of their larger push to rework or completely dismantle the ROPID laws those alphas hide behind. It will take some time, but hopefully, it’s going to…have a good outcome. Help a lot of people. Anyway, that’s…not really why she called. Gail was asking me if I’d like to be a part of a social media campaign they’re going to run. Interviewing survivors and spreading awareness.”
I can tell just the mention of her gets Theo low, no matter how hard he tries to hide it. “That all sounds really great. And you’re going to do it? This interview?” he asks, sounding fiercely supportive, as he always does.
“I declined. I hope it doesn’t hurt my chances at—”
“They would never deprioritize your case just because you didn’t agree to some media thing, Sam,” he assures me firmly.
Licking the whipped cream from the corner of my mouth, I smile at him. “Well, I said a little more than ano. It was pretty obvious to me that the campaign is just going to be reiterating the same views Gail has on alphas, and I told her I didn’t want to be a part of that. Therealchange, the one that affects the lawsand is about fairness and justice? I’m all up for that. But this… I told her it wasn’t fair to the good ones unless the interview was nuanced enough not to paint every alpha as a monster.”
Theo blinks. He slowly moves his coffee cup, already pressed to his lips for his next drink, back down to the table.
His eyes soften, and he looks at me with a loving sense of gratitude. “That’s… You didn’t have to say that.”
“I didn’t say it for you.” I frown. “I said it because it’s the truth, Theo.”
“What…did she say?” he asks tentatively, voice low.
“She sounded taken aback. Then said that it was okay. Assured me that participation wasn’t mandatory and even mentioned that maybe the campaign could use more unbiased eyes before it goes further. She also asked about the baby and how we’re doing, and I…I said that she should come and see her someday. Come see us, since she’s Melody’s aunt. And Imight haveasked her if she’s considering repairing her relationship with you.”
“You did what?” he nearly spits out.
I knew that wouldn’t make him thrilled, but I can’t keep seeing the two of them like this, for no good reason. “I had to.”
Theo’s pheromones come out subconsciously, laced with bitter uncertainty. “And she said…?” His voice drifts away, like it’s almost too much for him to allow himself to hope. I want him to hope, though. I want him to fix this wound on his heart; the wound affecting their whole family, and I’ll do what I can to help with that.
“She got really quiet. For a while, actually. She said she’d like to meet Melody, and that she had thought about it. About the two of you, I mean.” I remember the way her voice becameso painfully unsteady. “She admitted that as more and more time has passed since it happened, she’s found it harder and harder to get back in contact. To know how to go about mending things with you and your parents. Maybe…maybe this can be a way for you to do that. An excuse, at least,” I say, giving him an encouraging smile.
Theo smiles back, if a little hesitantly. “I would love for her to meet Mel.”
