Page 15 of My Ruthless Alpha (Alpha Outlaws Club #5)
It was dark by the time I got back from Sydney’s new place, and everything was much quieter when I entered the house.
With the guys and Zoe gone, I found Beau and Miles in the living room playing with Margo, who was surprisingly still up and playing. It seemed she hadn’t wound down yet, but I could imagine she was ready to crash any moment.
I didn’t say anything at first. I just hovered by the entryway to the living room and watched while the two of them sat on the floor with her, surrounded by coloring books and dolls. They chatted quietly, and Margo looked completely content with their participation.
All the while, I couldn’t ignore the way Beau smiled every time he looked at Margo, as if she were the center of his universe, and he would do anything to make her happy. The thought warmed my heart more than I expected, and I just couldn’t look away.
While Miles colored with a crayon that looked far too small for his hands, focused on doing so neatly, Margo glanced over at his work and chastised him for using the wrong color, to which he and Beau laughed quietly at her determination before he tried to explain his decision.
A smile pulled on my lips at how natural it all looked. At how well they connected with her.
Watching Margo be surrounded by others who also care about her made me think back to those earlier days when I worried about her not having enough connections. I was afraid that without a dad around or any other family members, she wouldn’t feel that kind of external love and appreciation. Other than Sydney and a few others from our pack, she only ever had me.
But seeing her then and there, perfectly content while coloring and playing as if she had known the two of them forever, helped me see that she had exactly what I always wanted for her.
Margo was the brightest part of my life, and knowing she was happy mattered the most, above all else, to me. Luckily, being with Beau and Miles seemed to hit the mark, and watching it all unfold felt like a bigger gift than I could ask for.
While they easily interacted with Margo, I couldn’t help but consider what that meant to me. With that and Beau’s effort and kindness over the last few weeks, I could not hold on to the old grudge I had before.
The resistance I came armed with started wavering even more.
It was easier to give in to my attraction to Beau and indulge as we had been physically, but it was an entirely different story to face the emotions that came with it all. To forget about my defenses and give in to him completely.
The thought alone had been so daunting. After everything that happened between us and all the things we still hadn’t touched upon, I felt it almost impossible to trust anyone.
But with time and dedication, Beau showed me that it was still possible—that I could let go of that old pain and begin to feel something completely new.
It was both terrifying and exhilarating, but for everyone’s sake, I was looking forward to seeing where we might end up. With our bond strengthening a little more every day, it was growing harder to keep him at arm’s length, but at least that notion seemed easier to digest then.
Despite myself and the previous wound from being rejected by the man I always wanted to be with, everything felt so different, and I could even see a future for the three of us.
The thought was enough to make my eyes water while I watched the heart-warming scene unfold, and I knew Margo and Beau both deserved that I try a little more and bridge that gap still left between us.
Reigning myself back in again, I stepped into the room, and Margo’s head went up at once. Her eyes lit up, completely forgetting about the other two as she pulled in an excited breath and stood.
“Mommy!” She called to me happily while she rushed over, wasting no time welcoming me with her arms out.
Smiling at her, I hummed and reached down to scoop her up. I chuckled as her arms wrapped around my neck, and she snuggled into me. I greeted her in return. “I can’t believe you’re still awake.”
Beau chuckled and leaned back against the couch. “She has a surprising amount of energy…I think the guys gave her a second wind.”
“Is that right?” I murmured, lifting a brow at Margo while I nuzzled her cheek with a finger, making her giggle. “I wouldn’t be shocked if you went down any moment now.”
“Nuh-uh,” she returned, resisting the idea even if she had the tell-tale signs of looking drowsy. “I still want to color.”
“All right…for a little longer, then you’re going to bed,” I said, compromising while I let her back down again.
Looking pleased, she wasted no time heading back over to Miles. She plopped down next to him and grabbed a crayon, easily busying herself again while talking aimlessly to him.
Thankfully, Miles didn’t seem to mind too much. He kept it up, coloring with her and only using the crayons she approved of.
“Did she give the others a hard time?” I asked, glancing over at Beau.
With a gentle grin on his face, while he watched the two of them, he met my gaze and shook his head. “No, she was good, apparently. But she did wear them out…I don’t imagine they’ll be having a late night.”
My smile lingered at the thought. “I can’t say I’m surprised…but I’m glad they got along well.”
“I’d say they were charmed by her,” Beau hummed, reaching out to gently ruffle her hair. She giggled quietly at the gesture but didn’t pull her attention away from her activity.
“I believe it.”
While Margo continued coloring, she told us more about what she got up to while the guys and Zoe were there. She was more than content to chatter while the three of us doted on her, hanging onto her every word.
As she talked, amusing us all, I couldn’t stop myself from glancing at Beau and taking in how especially attractive he seemed then. It wasn’t difficult for him to accomplish, but while he gave Margo his undivided attention with that gentle smile on his lips and how the soft living room light made his dark eyes gleam, it was getting harder for me to pull my eyes away from him.
The way he always seemed so ready to provide Margo with whatever she needed chipped away at my resolve, and I couldn’t deny how appealing it was for me.
It had always been easy for him to pull me in without even trying, and as frustrating as that could be at times, I found myself liking it more and more.
The two of us exchanged the occasional glance. At the same time, Margo went about her business, and every time our eyes met, I could feel that invisible tether between us pulling slightly tighter.
I didn’t realize how much I missed that feeling…being aware of the viable connection between us and everything it had to offer. After being forced to go how long without it, it was easy to forget just how important that presence was to me.
It was like having a security blanket around me at any given point. Whenever I needed it, he would be there to provide me with reassurance. Even if we were still working out those rough patches and my emotions were taking time to catch up, the bond would still be there.
After the connection was splintered the first time, I assumed I would never experience that kind of thing again. It was rare for any shifter to establish another genuine mate bond like that with someone new after already experiencing it, and I had thought that day was the end for me and Beau.
But it seemed the Goddess had other plans for us, and I wasn’t complaining.
Each time our eyes met and that warmth moved through me, Sydney’s words moved through my mind, and it was getting harder to ignore the truth in her advice. How I would only be able to get over that previous pain by addressing it with Beau and clearing up everything that happened between us.
As nerve-wracking as it seemed, I was too drawn to Beau not to sort everything out. I knew it was how we might be able to move forward, and it wasn’t something I could put off forever.
Of course, there was also the fact that Margo still didn’t know that Beau was her dad, and that had been on my mind more and more as of late, especially after our conversation earlier in the day.
He sounded genuinely excited at the mention of us potentially telling her the whole truth, and as I found myself trusting him more with both of us, I was opening up to the idea.
Margo deserved to know that her dad was actively involved in her life, regardless of how she might take it. At the very least, I’d get the reassurance of knowing I didn’t keep it from her indefinitely.
Letting her in on that secret would give me peace of mind, and I knew Beau would appreciate it more than anything.
As scary as it seemed, she needed to know, and I just had to pick the right moment to tell her finally.