Page 71 of Verses and Blooms
When I was able to control myself, I held her at arm’s length, taking in the sweet face I remembered and noting even more changes.
She’d lost some of the baby fat in her cheeks, they were more defined. Her eyes were the exact same as mine, shining with relief and excitement and hope.
Her voice was a bit different. Less high-pitched, but just as sweet.
“My baby,” I said, my hands smoothing over her hair. I couldn’t stop touching her.
Movement behind her had me looking up at my sister. Sarah was here, too. She looked the same with her straight ashy-blonde hair and eyes that matched mine and Lilly’s, though hers had a hint of green from one of our dads.
“It’s so good to see you,” she said, joining us in our little huddle, tears streaming down her face just as intensely.
“This doesn’t feel real,” I choked out, one hand on Lilly’s cheek, the other on Sarah’s. “You’re actually here. She’s alive, Sarah.”
“Auntie Sarah told me about the bad man,” Lilly whispered, peeking over her shoulder as if the bad man might hear her talking. “She said they told you I was gone. Like Mama.”
“They did,” I said, my chest aching that she had to suffer because of them as well.
“I missed you, Daddy. Auntie Sarah said you were so sick that we couldn’t see you.”
“She was right, I was sick. But I’m better now, and soon I’m going to get out of here and right back to you.”
“Do we get to meet the omega?” Sarah whispered, quietly enough that Lilly didn’t hear. She’d nailed this whole parenting thing while I was gone. Especially for the woman who was adamant on being child free for years.
“Do you want to?” I asked.
“She’s going to be a part of your lives, right?” Sarah raised one eyebrow.
“Yes. Forever,” I said, raising my arm and showing her the bite. Her eyes widened, mouth falling open in shock.
“They allowed that? You bit her?” Her eyes scanned mine, likely seeing the depths of everything we’d been through together. “Wait, did I miss something? They were cagey on details.”
“I want to tell you it all,” I said, but my eyes shifted to Lilly, who promptly rolled hers with all the sass a nine-year-old could possess.
“I’m not a baby anymore, Daddy. You can talk in front of me.”
“Well… some bad people ran this place. The Alliance, the guards you saw outside, took it over and chased the bad guys out. Now they’re assessing if we’re ready to leave. Before they arrived, my omega was taken.”
“Your omega?” Lilly whispered, shocked. “But what about Mommy? Wasn’t she your omega?”
“She was,” I agreed, trusting she could handle the full truth. “I love your mommy, and I’ll never stop. But this omega is also my mate, and she’s so excited to meet you.”
“Did they get her back?” Sarah asked. She was horrified and barely holding herself back from asking for more details.
I nodded. “They did. She’s so strong, but she had to recover a little, which is why I couldn’t call and check in last week. I’m here now, though, and I’m not going anywhere ever again.”
Lilly’s eyes went glassy with tears. “Promise?”
I held out my hand with my pinky toward her. “I pinky promise.”
She hooked her little finger around mine, squeezing tight.
“It’s not just my omega,” I said to both of them. Lilly was right, she wasn’t a baby and deserved to hear everything. “I found a pack here. They can’t wait to meet you both.”
Lilly clapped her hands. “I always wanted a big family. Are they here?”
“How about I go get them?” I asked. Lilly looked reluctant. I had a feeling it was more about letting me go than anything, but she wrapped her hand around Sarah’s and finally nodded. I gave her time, not pushing.
“Okay,” she said in a small voice.
