"What?" Bea gasped, eyes wide and startled. It was a bit blunt, but he didn’t take it back. "I haven't thought about that much."
"No, no, what he means is that we'd like to live together once the baby is here. Just so we can take care of you three and not stress about you while you recover," I said, giving him the side-eye.
"Yeah that," he smirked. “But it would help to have us around as you get further along, too.”
Since when did the beta have this much confidence?
"We have a few months before that happens. I want to get to know you better as well as Phoenix. I don't want to seem unreasonable but it's just a lot at once," she explained carefully.
"What if we do two dinners a week for a month and then increase it? That gives you some space, but also time with us," Apollo offered.
"With or without Phoenix?" she questioned.
"That's up to you two," I answered. "We aren't going to leave your niece out if she wants to join us."
"Can one of you pinch me? I think I'm dreaming," Bea said with a teary look in her eyes.
"You are our dream," I promised.
Dani’s pack snagged us amazing tickets to the game. We were close enough to see the action and they’d even supplied fresh jerseys for the guys and Phoenix. I loved how easily they’d accepted her into our big, messy family, and how much she loved being around them.
Right now, she was wearing a standard Knuckleball Knockouts jersey and matching blue stripes painted across her cheeks. She was smiling more than I think I’d ever seen her smile.Thiswas exactly what I wanted for my girl. She deserved to see what happiness looked like, to not have to look over her shoulder every five seconds.
Part of me still worried my sister would come calling, showing up out of nowhere. Then again, she didn’t know our new address. It wasn’t that I was hiding it from her. I was just… avoiding surprises. She knew where our store was and had my number if she decided to check in.
It was strange having my pack with me now. I’d avoided them for so long, been so stressed that things would turn out poorly, that I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that they hadn’t just accepted me and the baby, but Phoenix, too.
“And now, let’s welcome the Knuckleball Knockouts!” the announcer yelled across the speakers.
The team rushed out, music blaring as they jumped straight into a choreographed dance. Corvin looked over at me, eyebrows raised. It seemed we took the alpha by surprise.
“Did you not realize this wasn’t a standard baseball game?”
“I mean… I think I knew,” he admitted. “I just didn’t expect it to beallof this.”
“Oh, come on. This is the best part,” Apollo said. “Maybe I should’ve gone into this instead of firefighting.” He was doing a little shimmy in his seat now as he watched the players on the field, his smile wide and bright. I loved how open and secure he was.
The moment the players called out to have everyone join in, half the stands jumped to their feet, dancing along. Apollo joined in, shaking his ass with zero shame, making Phoenix cringe and the rest of us laugh.
When the dancing ended and the game started, the guys settled in around me. My omega had never felt so content. There was no need to run. No need for insecurities.
Any time anxiety would flare, their hands would brush my arm, land on my lower back, always touching me in some small way. Grounding me.
“Do you guys want anything from the concession?” Ezra asked as he stood, glancing down at Phoenix first.
She perked up, looking at him with wide puppy-dog eyes. “Nachos. Maybe cotton candy. And a soda?”
He looked at me for confirmation, and I shrugged. I wasn’t going to be strict at a game like this. It was probably her first.
I reached into my purse, but he waved me off. “No, I’ve got it.”
I bit back the argument. He looked almost amused before leaning down and pressing a quick kiss to my lips, right there in front of Phoenix and my friends.
Not one of them said a word. In fact, I caught the hint of a smile on Phoenix’s face as she turned away.
I think she liked the idea of me finding my pack, especially if it meant them taking care of us and adding even more to her unexpected family. She deserved that kind of stability and security.
Our focus shifted to the field again as the Knuckleballs played against a newer team in the league. You could tell they were still finding their footing, and the Knockouts didn’t hold back.
