Page 52 of Knot So Damaged

Cal grunts at the distance between us as immediately pulls me towards him. A tiny body jumps in between us, pulling one of the blankets from her bed over our lap.

We spend the entire movie laughing at our favorite parts, yelling at the bad guys and cheering when the hero gets the princess.

When Cal said that princess movies were his kryptonite, he wasn't kidding. It was a shock to the system to watch such a big burly Alpha sing along to the sound track.

All it did was put another tick in his favor.

I know not every male would sit on this couch and indulge in a three-year-old’s wishes. Especially not one that didn’t have some kind of familial connection.

Each moment that I spend in this Alpha’s presence is another moment that I let my guard down. That I allow this person in.

For once, I actually want to. After trusting him with the dark secrets I hold close to me, I can see something more with him. A life that sees more days like today.

While there is still a large part of myself that holds fear, I know that I can’t reduce every single Alpha down to the four that ruined everything for me.

At least for now, I am going to allow myself to open up to Conall. To at least see where things go.

Because I deserve to find out. To, for the first time in my adult life, have some kind of healthy interaction that involves a man.

I didn’t realize I had fallen asleep until I jolt awake and instantly regret how fast I moved. I must have been laying in an awkward position as pain shoots up through my neck.

After taking a moment to rub out a spot that will no doubt have me needing Deep Heat and anti-inflammatories later, I gasp as I see just how dark it is outside my window.

My apartment is oddly quiet and I am completely alone.

No Conall. No Amity.

My first reaction is to panic.

I immediately jump to the worst conclusions. That I have finally let my guard down and in doing so, it has cost me my daughter.

I storm down the hallway, just about ready to barge into Amity’s room to double check if she is in there but instead, come to an abrupt halt.

“...But where is the green sheep?”

I collapse against the wall as I hear the gentle words of the Alpha reading to Amity.

I shake my head as I clutch my chest. Slowly, my heartrate settles.

After a moment of berating myself for allowing my thoughts to drift to the worst, I step closer to the door and peek around the corner.

A smile brightens my face as I look at a half asleep Amity and a Conall who looks away too invested in finding where the green sheep is.

How is this man real? What have I done right in my life to ever deserve him?

Instead of walking in and breaking their moment, I silently walk away and return to the lounge room.

It's only a few minutes before I hear. “Goodnight, Firefly.”

As Conall steps out into the lounge room, his eyes quickly find mine. That heartbreaking smile of his that I have become used toadorns his face. He comes to sit beside me and doesn’t hesitate to pull me into his chest.

“Afternoon, Little Devil. I’m sorry that I didn’t wake you but I could tell that you were exhausted after this morning. So when Firefly woke up from her nap, we decided to let you sleep.”

I sigh, “Thank you, Cal. Seriously. I hope that she behaved for you.”

He chuckles and rolls his eyes, “That little girl has me wrapped so tightly around her finger.” He pauses for a moment, looking down at me and tucks a bit of hair that had fallen out of where I had tied my hair up into a bun that morning. “You both have me wrapped around your fingers. It’s been a long time since I felt anything for anyone but I know that I am already falling in deep with you, Valentina Rossi.”

It's almost a shock to the system to hear my full name on his lips. For years I have gone by some shitty last name that was one of the most generic names I could find.