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I look around one more time to be sure I have everything. When I’m confident I do, I close the door, pocketing my keys and pulling my phone out. A text from my mom pops up when I unlock it, and I quickly reply, letting her know I’m ready. A few minutes later, I hear my mother’s voice.
“Honestly, Aeon, I don’t see why you won’t just let me tie you to the bed just once-,” she cuts off as she finally comes into view and squeals as she locks eyes with me.
I don’t even want to know why she wants to tie him to the bed. I can guess, and my guess would be gross, so we just won’t go there. I scrunch my nose up. Nope.
Valley Jacobs is a sprite of a woman with hair as dark as mine and not a trace of gray in sight. Her deep green, almond-shaped eyes, rimmed in long, thick lashes, sparkle happily as she quickens her steps to get to me. I laugh and close the distance, wrapping my arms around her. She’s a few inches shorter than my 5’5 frame, with fewer curves than me. Lavender and chamomile surround me, and I breathe in the familiar scent, relaxing immediately. All the tension drains out of me, and I feel light for the first time all day.
“Oh, there’s my baby. Gods, I’ve missed you so much, my sweet girl,” she coos at me, rocking us side to side.
“Quit hogging her, Sugar Plum. You hogged her for eighteen years.” My dad, Aeon, rolls his eyes, and I stifle a laugh as my mom narrows her eyes at him.
“I grew her for ten months and pushed her out of my hoo-hah. You’re damn right, I hogged her. She was my last baby. Besides, you three hogged Ridge and Ridleigh! And don’t get me started on Shep’s mother. Woman damn near drove me nuts with all her unhelpful advice and constantly wanting to take them for sleepovers.” She grumbles the last part out low enough he doesn’t hear her.
Mom reluctantly releases me, and Dad swoops in, picking me up into a big bear hug, my feet dangling off the floor. His rainstorm scent envelops me like my mom’s, taking the last of my stress and worries away from me.
“Happy birthday, my sweet girl. We’ve missed you. Your mom hasn’t stopped getting everything in your room ready for weeks. She’s damn near driven us all mad with the million tasks she’s given us.”
His soft brown eyes look at me warmly. His brown hair has just a few streaks of gray at the sides, but otherwise, you wouldn’t guess he’s in his fifties. He’s still fit because he, Pops, and Papa are all active and like being outdoors hiking or working out in the gym setup they made themselves in the old building at the back of the house. Mom will go with them on hikes too, but she said she draws the line at the workout stuff.
I chuckle. “I’ve missed you guys, too. I wish you all could have gotten here earlier before the ceremony.”
My feet touch back down on the ground, and I smile up at him. I’d originally intended to skip the ceremony and go straight to my parents. I’d even asked Director Khan if I needed to go. It turns out it didn’t matter since they couldn’t pick me up before it, anyway.
“I know, Little Bear. We tried to be here, but Ridleigh needed us to keep Saxon and Ruben because she got called into the hospital. James and Noah were still at work; poor Alex is sick with a stomach virus the kids passed onto him, and Sloan isn’t due back home from his trip to Singapore until next week. Something about contracts being held up or something. I think he’s ready to be home for a while. He’s such a strong-willed omega, but being away from your sister, the kids, and his other bonded is taking its toll.” He sighs. “Ridleigh said to tell you she’s sorry for keeping us from being here, though.”
I shake my head and reassure him, “It’s fine. Nothing too interesting happened, so you guys didn’t miss anything.”
Lie—such a lie.
Papa and Pops emerge behind Dad, and I immediately run into their waiting arms. They fold me between them into a Ripley sandwich as I hug one and then the other. I missed them. It hasn’t been that long since they came to visit, but it’s not the same. Now, I’m ready to go and be in the comfort of my family’s home and a familiar space. I haven’t been back since the Christmas holidays. I think I need some of the peace that comes with being out there. As much as I hate moving back in with my parents, it’s not because of them or their house. I just would rather be moving into my own place. With my own pack.
We break apart, and Pops ruffles my hair.
Damien Jacobs. Tall, dark, and dangerous. Or he used to be before he met Papa and Dad and then subsequently found Mom. Jet black hair with silver dispersed throughout, tattoos as far as the eye can see, and light brown eyes. He used to be in a biker gang or something when he was younger.
I always thought it was so cool that he was such a rebel growing up. He may look scary to those who don’t know him, but to me, he’s just Pops and a big teddy bear. Never tell him I said that, though. He’ll deny it until he’s blue in the face. But if you watch him with my mom, you’ll see this sweet side of him that’s beautiful. He looks at her with undying love and devotion. That’s how he looks at her. Like he would live and die for her. They all do.
I want that. So fucking bad.
I roll my eyes at him playfully while he grins at me. Papa smacks his hand away, starting a mini hand-slapping war between them. I swear, they’re still just big kids.
Last but certainly not least is Papa. Shep Jacobs. He looks like the boy next door, but all grown up. Pale blonde hair, cool blue eyes, and a perfectly straight, bright smile. He’s always smiling and happy. When I was little, I asked him once why he smiled so much, even when things weren’t perfect.
He’d looked at me and said, “Sweetpea, there’s always going to be some bad with the good. It’s what you make of it that defines how your life goes. I prefer to always look on the bright side. No matter what, I have you. I have your mom and your siblings. I have this beautiful home with nature surrounding me every day. Life’s not so bad when you see all the positive that outweighs the negative.” He’d bopped me on the nose and swung me around while we laughed.
Looking in from the outside, none of them should fit together. Pops is ‘scary’ and ruthless-looking. Papa looks like he should have been a model when he was younger, but instead, he’s a closet nerd who loves coding and who knows what else. I never really got the appeal and couldn’t understand anything when he would try to explain. And Dad is just... Dad. He’s an average guy who likes regular, everyday things. Like cars. Which is where Ridge gets his passion for it.
Growing up, we never knew who sired us all biologically. It never really mattered to any of us simply because they are all our dads’ no matter what. But that’s not to say that we never noticed similarities between them and us. I’ve always thought I look like a wonderful blend of Mom and Pops. With Mom’s nose and eye shape, but his cheekbones and my height certainly isn’t from my mother. I also always thought that my eyes were a pleasant mixture of both of theirs as well. Ridge looks a lot like Papa when he was younger, except he got Mom’s black hair. We all did. And Ridleigh looks most like Dad, just tiny like Mom. In the end, it doesn’t matter. They love us all equally.
Mom joins us and pushes a lock of hair behind my ear, her eyes roving over my face. I give her a weak smile, and she nods her head once. My mom knows me too well. She knows something is bothering me, but she won’t pry right now in front of my dads. I silently thank her for it.
I step back and pick up a bag as everyone else does the same, grabbing boxes and other bags. Before long, our arms are loaded with all my belongings, and we make the trek to Papa’s Suburban.
“I’ve got your room ready for you, so when we get home, you can get some rest. Tomorrow morning I’m making your favorite breakfast, and then we’ve got the whole day to just us girls while your dads go out for a guy’s day together. We can do whatever you want. How does that sound?”
“That actually sounds perfect. Thanks, Mama,” I tell her gratefully.
She smiles warmly at me. “Of course, baby.”
