Page 53 of Knot All Is Lost: Part 2

I shouldn’t have been surprised to find Rafael waiting just inside the door for us. He wasn’t one to ever miss details, especially when it came to me. “Are you alright, Little One?”

“I’m fine now, I just couldn’t walk through the front door,” I shared. “They didn’t drug me until I fought against them and clung to the front door. The memories were too much right now, so I thought the garage was a better choice.”

Rafael smiled and reached out a hand. Oscar urged me forward, assuring me he was fine as he signed,“I love you” before heading up the stairs. Rafael took my hand and led me into the living room, where we’d all gathered the first night I came to the house. He sat in the large overstuffed armchair and before he could even ask, I sat in his lap, resting my head on his chest listening to his heartbeat.

“Are you sure you’re okay being back in the house?” Rafael asked as he wrapped his arms around me, resting his head on mine. “I feel like I should have foreseen that you might have some trouble being back here, when they stole you right out from under our noses.”

“No, this isn’t your fault, Raffy,” I countered, pulling back to meet his gaze. “This is our home and it’s where I want to be. I didn’t know I was going to have any challenges but with all of you around, I know we’ll figure out how to work around them. Being here doesn’t make me feel unsafe, quite the opposite, actually. It feels so amazing to know I have a home here with all of you.”

Rafael tucked away a lock of hair that fell on my face and brushed his thumb along my cheek. “You’re one of the most remarkable women I’ve ever met, Cambrie.”

“I highly doubt that, you’ve told me before that you used to work with all the rich and famous people before working at the shelter,” I argued. “How can I be more amazing than any of them?”

Rafael laughed at that. “Oh, with ease, Little One, you have more grace and resilience in your little finger than they’ll ever know in a lifetime. See, those people didn’t want to be better, I shouldn’t say that. Those of the rich and famous don’t realize there is a world they can live in where they can be better. All they witness day in and day out is their fellow man struggling with the same things they are. The real problem is they aren’t willing to do the work to break out of the cycle, they think it’s too hard and have to give up too much. They wouldn’t have found an alternate way to enter the house, no they would have sold the house with everything in it and started over.”

I gaped at him. “Why in the world would they do something so drastic? That doesn’t make sense at all.”

“This is why I’m saying, you’re far ahead in the game than they are. People pay for my help to learn how to do what you did naturally. For you doing the hard work just makes sense, you’ve lost so much in your life before now, if something stands in your way you’ll do whatever it takes to keep what you have,” Rafael explained. “To me, this makes you absolutely remarkable. In your situation most would come out of that experience with hatred in their heart and a chip on their shoulder. What I would love to know is how, after everything, you remain this sweet, kind, caring woman who chooses to see the good in this world.”

I thought about his question and it brought me back to Peggy, her fiancé, and Charlie, the man at the newspaper stand. “I’ve seen what anger and hatred do to a person, and experienced it firsthand. During that time, I’ve also seen what kindness and a simple selfless act can do when you need it most. Those are the people who changed my life, made it better, and kept me alive. Why would I want to become someone so jaded and angry I can’t help anyone else? How does that ensure what happened to me doesn’t happen to someone else?”

He just looked at me for a moment as a smile tugged at his lips.

“What?” I demanded, feeling like he was trying not to laugh at me.

“Oh, I was just thinking that you might be a great therapist someday. It takes people a whole degree to understand something like that, and even then, I’m not sure they grasp it quite the way you do. Maybe instead of a therapist, a teacher, because if one of them had explained it in such simple terms, I think we’d all be better equipped for our jobs,” Rafael informed me.

His comment had me thinking about how I could help other Omegas. “Is it a lot of schooling to become a therapist?”

“Well, it took me about seven years since I went for a doctorate, but depending on what you’re doing with it you don’t need to go that far,” Rafael shared. “Cambrie, just because I said that doesn’t mean you need to do that. Granted, I think you would be a phenomenal therapist with the skills and background you have. Either way, whatever you choose to do with your future, even if it's not going to school at all, what we want, as your family, is for you to be happy.”

I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. “Thank you, I appreciate hearing you say that, it means everything to me. Right now, I don’t know what I want to do, I have a few ideas but I think there’s still some more exploring of the world around me that I need to do before I can settle on something.”

“That sounds logical and wise if you ask me. Too many people jump into things before they really understand. Granted, I know a few people that truly thought they wanted to be in my field of work but when they got into it they found it wasn’t for them. Sometimes, you don’t know until you start that it isn’t going to work. Even better yet, if you have a few ideas, take a class or two on each of them and see how you like the fit. There’s no need to commit to something if you want to explore,” Rafael decided with a nod.

I snickered at his complete turnaround. “I’ll keep that in mind for when I’m ready to work on that, but I think I should get my GED first.”

“Yes, I think that would be a good place to start,” Rafael chuckled, then turned slightly more serious. “There was one other matter I wanted to talk to you about.”

This had my attention sensing it was something far more serious. “Okay…”

“It’s about bonding,” Rafael started, then paused. “I know I’m the only one who hasn’t marked you yet and I don’t want you to question my intention, Little One. As I’ve said before you aremine,and I have every intention of leaving my mark on you. It’s just… I never thought I would have an Omega. Yes, I knew this pack would bring one into the fold but if I’m being honest, I didn’t think I would be an Alpha that was picked.”

My nose scrunched in disapproval at the way he was talking. “Why would you say a silly thing like that? You’re amazing, kind, loving, patient, handsome, and someone I’ve come to love immensely.”

A slight pink hue shaded Rafael’s cheeks. “Thank you, Cambrie, you have no idea how much hearing you say those sweet words mean to me. Most would have turned their nose up at my age, you beingsoyoung and myself being twenty years your senior.”

“Why does it matter how old you are? Have we done something wrong?” I questioned.

Rafael shook his head. “No, not at all. There is no legal reason we can’t be together. It’s more people’s perception of us that might not be viewed well.”

“It’s not their relationship, if they don’t want an older man then they can have someone younger. I picked you. That’s all that matters to me,” I announced.

“Fair enough, Little One, if you’re not worried about it, then I won’t be either,” Rafael agreed and settled the matter with a breath stealing kiss. “Will you humor me and let me walk you through the house and make sure you don’t have any other triggering moments? It’s better to know now than when you want to go to bed later.”

“That sounds reasonable to me,” I agreed and slipped off his lap.

Together we headed upstairs, and I took in the rooms, curious which one Savo would choose. I’d been shown two of them and neither of them seemed to fit, but I noticed another door near Rafael’s room. Grabbing the handle, I looked at him but he just nodded for me to continue.

---