Page 6 of Knot Letting Go (Knotty Streak Omegaverse #4)

The morning flew by as I got to know Lillianna better. She was such a smart and observant child, and I was lucky to be her nanny. We talked about what she liked to do and the ideas I had for her summer. She chattered on and on over lunch to her father and uncle about the fun we were going to have.

While they listened to her, many times I felt the brothers’ eyes on me.

Konstantin and Quill were opposites, but I felt a pull to each of them.

Konstantin in his immaculate tailored suit with his sensual mouth, so in control, and Quill in his black button up shirt and board shorts with his wild and sexy laugh.

My boss and his brother. My best friend’s brothers. I didn’t need to be thinking any of these things. Yet being around them made my stomach flutter and my heart beat faster.

After lunch, Konstantin took Lillianna out to shop for beach clothes and picnic dresses. I wanted to tell him that she could just wear shorts and t-shirts, but she was too excited. Quill was meeting friends in Seattle, and so I was left by myself to settle in.

There wasn’t much to it. I only had a single suitcase that I’d brought with me for Callista’s wedding weekend. It was easy to find linens and towels for my suite. I ordered my favorite toiletries to be delivered to the manor, and that left only one thing I had to do: call my dad.

I stared at my phone and took in several deep breaths, letting them out slowly.

Why I was so nervous about it, I didn’t know.

Dad loved and supported me. Yes, he was overprotective, but that was only since he lost my mother.

I thought perhaps he saw me as the last connection he had to her and wanted to hold on.

Yet sometimes he squeezed too tight and I found it hard to breathe.

Tapping his name in my contact list, his phone rang. He picked up after the first ring.

“Hi Aubrie, sweetie. How’s my girl?”

“Hi Dad. I’m good. How are you?”

“Excited to see you. I’m having the housekeeper prepare your favorite, veggie lasagna for dinner. How was the wedding?”

I winced at the mention of a special meal being prepared and guilt made me queasy. I swallowed hard. “The wedding was beautiful. Everything went perfectly. Wait until you see the pictures.”

“I can’t wait.” I could hear the smile in my dad’s voice and that made my shoulders tense up even more. “What’s your ETA? I might pop out to get us some ice cream.”

I closed my eyes. He wasn’t making this any easier. “Well, I have some news. Some really good news, but it means I’m going to miss out on the lasagna and ice cream.”

Dad paused, waiting, but it took me a moment to say it. “What is it, sweetie?”

“I have a job. An excellent job as a nanny.” It suddenly came pouring out of my mouth like a tidal wave.

“Callista introduced me to her eldest brother, and I’ll be nannying for his daughter, Lillianna.

She’s the sweetest girl, and it’s exactly the type of work I was looking for.

I get to stay here at Birk Manor, and I’ll be able to see Callista every week.

All my food and board is covered, and the salary is more than generous.

I’ll be able to finish my degree while Lillianna is in school.

It’s perfect. More than I could have ever hoped for, but they needed me to start right away. So I won’t be coming home.”

“That’s wonderful, Aubrie.” Dad sounded genuinely happy, but also a little sad. “It’s too bad you couldn’t come back home first, but I understand. Are Callista’s brother and his mate nice folks?”

His mate. Right. Dad didn’t need to know there was no mother in the picture right now.

There was no reason to make him worry when there was nothing to get worked up about.

I gripped the arm of the sofa with my free hand.

“They work a lot, but they’re nice. I will need you to pack up my clothes and some things to send to me.

I have my own suite here, so lots of room. I can send you a list through a text.”

“Of course, sweetie. I can have Nevaeh do that today and I’ll get everything shipped off to you as soon as possible.

” I heard him open a door and rummage around.

“I have some boxes here in my office closet that should work. If you need any furniture or sheets or anything like that, feel free to use the credit card.”

“Thanks, but I’m good, Dad. The suite is fully furnished, and my salary will more than cover anything else I need. Which, as you know, isn’t much. I’ll be spending all my time with Lillianna hopefully outside at various parks, the beach, and in the garden.”

“You’re just like your mom.” His voice grew wistful, and I heard his chair squeak as he sat down. “If you’re taking the girl all over like that, I hope the Birks are providing you with an escort.”

There was the reminder that I was an Omega and my freedom was restricted. I pressed my lips together in a thin line before speaking. “I know I have a driver to take us wherever we need to go, and I assume whoever that is will be there as a chaperon too.”

“Good, good. Gotta keep my girl safe. I’m proud of you. You’re a career girl now.”

I didn’t doubt my father loved me, but he made me feel like a child.

Maybe all fathers did that with their daughters, but I was eager to start life out on my own.

Callista had done me a favor in more ways than one pushing her brother to hire me.

I needed to feel what it was like on my own and gain confidence out in the world without anyone else making my decisions for me.

My dad had held onto me too tightly, and it was time I stretched my wings and learned to fly.

“Thank you, Dad. I’m going to miss you, but this is an opportunity I can’t pass up.”

“I’ll miss you too. Maybe on the July long weekend, I’ll drive out and visit. We can see the fireworks over the harbor, and I can finally meet your friends and the Birk family.”

The Birk family. Where there was no Mrs. Birk other than Callista’s mother.

I nipped my lower lip. I was in a safe environment.

Quill and Konstantin had been nothing but respectful.

I was in full control of myself and would never step over the line.

I’d always followed the laws and that wouldn’t change.

“I’d like that a lot. I can ask if you can stay here at the manor. They have plenty of room.”

“Oh, don’t trouble them with that unless they extend the invitation. I don’t want to encroach on the family’s privacy.” Dad sighed and shifted in his chair. “I should go, sweetie, and start getting your stuff packed. Maybe I’ll throw in a few treats too.”

“Dad.” I smiled, suddenly feeling the distance between us and tearing up. I wanted to hug him and assure him everything would be fine.

“You will be a better nanny than Mary Poppins. I love you, sweetie.”

I laughed and it betrayed the turmoil of emotion in me. “I love you too. Take care, Dad.”

“You too. Bye now.”

“Bye.” I ended the call and leaned back, closing my eyes.

I’d lied to my dad. Never before had I lied to him.

It wasn’t a bad lie. I wasn’t doing anything wrong. Konstantin and Quill treated me well and had never stepped out of line. Yet I had still felt the need to lie.

My stomach roiled and I wanted to cry. Yet, at the same time, I didn’t think I deserved to.

I hurried into my bathroom and splashed my face with cold water.

This was why I never broke the rules. Following the letter of the law gave me peace.

I’d always been the good girl, the perfectionist, and after my mom passed, it had intensified.

Rules gave me a sense of security in a world where anything could happen.

“Please watch over me, Mom.” I looked up into my own eyes in the mirror. Crystal blue eyes that were exactly like my mother’s. “I love you, and I love Dad, but I need to do this.”

Tears spilled down my cheeks as I imagined her hugging me and saying everything would be okay. She encouraged my desire to become a teacher, and I was inspired by her. Ever patient and loving, and never afraid to let me get dirty in the garden.

I dried my face and decided not to let the nice afternoon go to waste. Putting on my sandals and grabbing the signed contracts, I headed back downstairs. I didn’t think that anyone would be back home yet, so I opened his office door and slipped in to put the papers on his desk.

Konstantin’s presence still commanded the room.

The scent of him lingered, especially around his desk.

I’d never met an Alpha who felt so incredibly powerful but spoke elegantly and wore a suit.

Callista’s and NIcolette’s mates were large and muscular, but they had jobs which required it of them.

Even Kienna’s men were built big for their sport.

Yet Konstantin felt bigger than them all, even if he wasn’t physically.

I breathed in deeply, feeling as if his scent was seeping into every pore and filling me with… What? I shouldn’t think about it. He was my boss.

Setting the contracts on the desk, the movement caused the screen of his computer to flicker on. It wasn’t any of my business what was on it. None. I shouldn’t be nosy, but I was curious to see if he had a picture of Lillianna on there, or even a photo with her mother when they were all together.

I inched around the desk and leaned back to peer at the screen. Unfortunately I couldn’t see his desktop background. A web browser sat open with several tabs lined up across the top. I would have immediately looked away if the headline of the article he’d been looking at hadn’t made me freeze.

‘A Second Wave of Arrests in the Italian Omega Trafficking Ring.’

The photo that topped the article had two officers escorting a dark haired man with a face mask and dark glasses. I skimmed the first few paragraphs of the article which stated the Italian civil national police were cracking down on a large underground organization that kidnapped and sold Omegas.

Leaning in, I read the other tabs, and each of them were the same thing. Everything was about illegal Omega trafficking.

I swallowed and wrapped my arms around me.

There could be several reasons Konstantin was reading such things.

Maybe he was worried for his daughter if they went to Italy.

If he was like any other father of an Omega, he’d be overprotective, and since it was a place where they had lived, he had personal interest in Italy.

Perhaps he had a strong sense of justice and knew someone involved. Like one of the investigators.

Or one of the men arrested.

Or more than one of the men arrested.

I took off out of his office and beelined for the garden. It was none of my business. I shouldn’t have looked.

Outside, I ran my fingers over tender leaves and fragrant petals. The shining sun warmed me and pulled me out of my head. After about five minutes, I could breathe normally again. It was nothing. I’d been overreacting.

Life was fine at Birk Manor. I had a new job and was starting a new life. My days would be filled with a child’s laughter and imagination, and I’d be in this beautiful garden as much as possible. We were a half of a world away from Italy and far from any worries.

My future was as bright as a cloudless summer afternoon.