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As soon as I picked up the tray, my daughter beamed and started ushering me out of the room, excited to finally see Bethany.

“You know, Daddy, I don’t like that Bethany’s feeling yucky, but I do like that she’s here. Maybe we can have more sleepovers in the future?” she asked innocently as she followed me up the stairs.

“Maybe.” I hummed noncommittally. It was one thing to have her staying over while she was unwell, but under any other circumstances, my mind would be wandering to a place where it probably shouldn’t.

A place that didn’t involve much clothing.

“Bethany! How are you feeling?” Joey shouted as she opened the door.

“Joey! Inside voices,” I reminded her. “Remember, Bethany’s head hurts.”

Joey paused and looked back at me, wincing, before turning to Bethany, who was sitting up, a soft smile on her face. “Sorry!” she whispered.

Bethany chuckled. “That’s okay. I’m feeling a lot better. What have you got for me?” she asked as Joey clambered onto the bed. Bethany instantly wrapped one arm around her, pulling her into her arms. It was so natural a move, like something one of the dads would do, it made my chest burn with some undescribed emotion.

There was no denying the girls looked related. Sure, Bethany was too young to be her mother, but with the same blonde curls, they could have easily been family. Joey’s curls were slightly more platinum, but over the years, they had slowly been darkening to a tone more like Bethany’s honey blonde.

“Daddy Cullen cooked. He’s the best cook out of all my daddies.”

“Who’s the worst?” Bethany asked with a giggle. As I gently handed her the tray, she smiled and mouthedthank you.

“I can answer that for you,” I said. “That would be Jensen. He is so obsessed with health and nutrition that he will eat steamed vegetables with no seasoning.”

“Oh, that sounds…interesting.” Bethany grimaced before looking down at her tray. “This looks amazing!”

As she spoke, her hand ran lazily though Joey’s hair, their closeness evident.

The omega beamed at me, and the smile was like a punch to my chest.

I was falling, even if I didn’t want to admit it.

I cleared my throat. “I’ll leave you girls to eat. Call me when you’re ready for me to take your tray like a good servant.” I smiled, turning and leaving the room hastily.

If I stayed, I would have ended up begging her to run her hands through my hair as well.

Bethany was in our home, and she was sick. She was treating me just like everyone else, but there was still that hint of tension whenever she looked at me.

So, before heading to the restaurant, I took a drive across town to the fancy chocolate place that I had heard so much about. It was ridiculously overpriced, but apparently it was an omega’s dream. As a chef, I could appreciate some high-quality chocolate.

After spending what felt like the equivalent of Joey’s college fund on twenty different flavors, I grabbed the bags from the sales associate and headed home.

Joey met me at the door, and after I gave her a chocolate lollipop, she scampered off to annoy Gideon as he tried to work. Most evenings, she would bounce between the three of us, or we would all settle in the same room together. It was a little different while Bethany was staying with us, but that wasn’t a bad thing.

“Hey.” I spoke softly as I entered the guest room. The door was ajar and the light was on low.

Bethany was sitting up in bed, looking worse for wear. She had dark circles under her eyes, and her skin was pale and almost sallow. The sight of her clearly sick did things to me that tied my insides up in knots.

“Hey,” she greeted me weakly. “Sorry I’m still invading your space. I’ll leave as soon as I can.”

Approaching the bed, I said, “If you think you’re leaving this house before you are completely better, then you are delusional. You may be able to go toe-to-toe with me, but Gideon?”

Bethany grimaced. “Yeah, he’s too scary to slap.”

“Even I wouldn’t dare.” I chuckled.

“What do you have there?” Bethany asked, cocking her head to the side.

“Speaking of slapping me, I bring a peace offering.” I handed her the bags.