Phoenix cheered the loudest, but we all joined in. Dani leaned in closer to my niece, pointing out players and plays so she could understand the game better. They were forming a bit of a bond themselves.
Apollo and Ezra walked back in twenty minutes later with their arms loaded full of snacks. Even though not everyone requested something, they passed them out. I snagged a bag of popcorn, and Ezra handed me my favorite soda.
I’d mentioned itonceduring dinner, and he remembered.
Every time they made me feel seen or heard, it pushed Cameron a little further from my mind and rewrote my ideas about pack life, about how I saw myself.
Sitting there with my chosen family, my niece, and my pack by my side was probably the happiest I’d been in… who knows how long.
If ever.
Maybe I was being pathetic, but I didn’t think anything could top this moment. My hands instinctively went to my stomach, caressing the growing bump. I was barely paying attention to the game, just soaking in the company.
“Oh god, this is the worst part,” Phoenix groaned dramatically, putting her hands over her red face.
I looked up just in time to see the kiss cam panning across the audience, picking out packs and couples. Alphas dipped their omegas back, laying on the charm, and the crowd ate it up. The teenager next to me looked like she was dying a little more with each couple that flashed on the screen.
“Tell me when it’s over,” Phoenix complained.
“Don’t look now,” Dani shot back, cackling.
It had landed on me.
Of course, my pack didn’t hesitate. All three of them dove in at once, kissing me one after the other until I was breathless and my cheeks were as red as the other team’s jerseys. The crowd around uslost it.
Phoenix chose that moment to look up. “No! I thought I made the rules clear,” she complained.
“Rules don’t apply to kiss cams,” Apollo argued, ruffling her hair and earning a glare while she huffed and played it up.
She didn’t really look upset, which was a relief. The last thing I wanted was for her to hate going out in public with us. I didn’t want to bethatpack anyway. The ones perpetually all over each other, stuck in the honeymoon phase and making everyone else around them miserable.
My friends could be sappy about their packs, but they didn’t lose themselves and neither would I.
As the game continued on, Ezra pulled my hand into his lap, one hand lacing our fingers together, the other trailing slowly up and down my arm. Goosebumps spread at his touch, and as much as I tried to keep myself under wraps, my scent spiked.
Phoenix gave me a side-eye but didn’t call me out as the cloud of pure happy omega hit them before the open-air snatched it away.
It was like my omega needed the whole world to know she was content.
After the next inning the soda hit and I excused myself to head to the bathroom. I hopped up and told my pack where I was headed, and Taryn decided to join me.
"How great is your pack? I love that they care for not just you, but Phoenix, too," she gushed, looping her arm around mine.
"Right? I was an idiot to push them away," I admitted.
"What? No, we all have things to work through and you're facing them head on. That's all you can do. I’m proud of you for deciding to work on yourself," she said gently as we stood in line for our turn at the restroom. It was busier than I expected, I just hoped it moved quickly.
"Why don't these places make the women's rooms bigger?" I asked Taryn, trying my best not to squirm from the pressure on my bladder.
"That's a great question, we'll have to ask Dani and her pack about that," she laughed, before giving me the look that said she wanted details. "So… tell me how things are really going?"
"Better than I could imagine, honestly. They’ve respected all my wishes and they are great with Phoenix.” I didn’t bother hiding the smile on my lips when I thought of them. She’d see right through it anyway.
“Good, I didn’t want to have to kick their asses. Apollo is huge and I’m a tiny girl,” she teased.
“Nah, we’d just call in the grannies. They’d have their asses in shape in no time,” I shot back, both of us laughing at that mental image.
“I hope we grow up to be as feisty as they are,” Taryn said as we finally moved closer to the door.
