Page 20 of Single Mom’s Navy Seals (Claimed by the Alphas #2)

AVA

E li sprawls across the bed beside me, crayons scattered around him on the quilt as he draws each horse from memory. His small tongue pokes out from the corner of his mouth, deep in concentration as he chooses the perfect shades of brown and black.

I sit cross-legged next to him, sketchpad balanced in my lap, but my eyes keep drifting from my half-formed drawing back to my son. After everything we’ve been through the last few days, moments like these ground me, anchoring my spiraling thoughts.

“Mama,” Eli says, not looking up from his paper as he colors in the mane of his newest horse. “Did I tell you Cole told me about his daddy?”

My pencil stills mid-stroke, a faint sense of surprise washing through me. I set down my sketchpad, shifting to better see Eli’s face.

“No, honey. What did he tell you?”

Eli lifts his head, his blue eyes thoughtful and serious, far older than they should be for a child his age. “He said his daddy died, too. Like mine.”

My heart squeezes painfully, but I force my expression calm, brushing a strand of hair from his forehead. “He did? Well, that must’ve been hard for Cole, just like it’s hard for you sometimes.”

Eli nods, fidgeting with the crayon in his hand. “What about your daddy, Mama? You don’t talk about him. Did your daddy die too?”

My breath catches, Eli’s innocent question digging unexpectedly into a wound I’d buried long ago. I stare down at my hands, fingers twisting nervously together in my lap as I search for the right words.

“I…I didn’t really know my daddy, baby,” I finally manage, my voice barely above a whisper. “I never had a daddy to protect me. That’s why I always tell you about my mommy—your grandma—instead.”

Eli studies my face, his small brow furrowing as he processes my answer. After a quiet moment, his gaze drops back down to his drawing, his voice soft and hesitant.

“Mama, do you think people can be mommies or daddies without having babies?”

I blink, momentarily caught off guard, trying to make sense of his question. “What do you mean, sweetheart?”

“I mean…” Eli hesitates, picking nervously at a worn edge of his drawing. “Do you have to have a baby to be a mommy or daddy? Like…what if there’s already a baby who doesn’t have a mommy or daddy? Can someone just decide to be their mommy or daddy?”

My heart pounds in my chest, emotions swirling chaotically as his words sink in. Eli has always been insightful beyond his years, but deep questions like these still manage to surprise me.

“Why do you ask, honey?”

He shrugs, not meeting my eyes. “I was just asking. Do you like my horse? It’s the brown one with the baby.”

I exhale, accepting the abrupt change in subject, grateful for the reprieve as I lean in to examine his drawing. “It’s perfect, baby. The baby horse looks just like the one we saw earlier.”

Eli’s face breaks into a bright smile, pride shining clearly in his eyes. “I’m going to name all the horses while we’re here.”

“That’s a great idea,” I tell him, ruffling his hair affectionately. “I think the horses will like having names.”

He nods eagerly, attention shifting back to his drawing. Silence settles comfortably between us, but my thoughts remain tangled in the conversation we’d just had. Eli’s questions weren’t random, and it’s easy to guess who inspired them.

I hadn’t stopped to think about Eli’s attachment to these three men.

It’s only been two days, and I’ve been so consumed with fear and financial worries that I haven’t paused to notice the deeper connections forming right under my nose.

My chest tightens with a blend of anxiety and guilt.

Eli has spent his life isolated, craving interactions beyond just the two of us.

And here he is, finally getting it—connecting with three men who seem genuinely good, even if it’s only temporary.

The thought twists uncomfortably inside me.

But how can I deny him this chance, even if it is brief?

Whether Liam, Cole, and Jax leave us here or help Morales move us somewhere else, either scenario ends with Eli returning to isolation.

He deserves to experience something normal, even if it can’t last.

“Mama?” Eli’s voice startles me from my thoughts, his small hand resting on my arm. “You okay?”

I blink rapidly, forcing a smile as I reach out and squeeze his hand. “Yeah, baby. I was just thinking.”

Before he can press further, a deep voice calls up the stairs. “Ava! Eli!”

“We’re coming!” Eli hollers at the top of his voice as he scrambles from the bed, his drawings forgotten. “Come on, Mama!”

Laughing, I rise from the armchair and follow Eli as he darts toward the stairs. For now, I’ll push aside my worries and fears, allowing Eli to have this small moment of happiness. After all, I remind myself, he deserves every bit of joy we can find, right?

Eli takes the stairs two at a time, his small feet pounding against the old wooden steps.

By the time I reach the bottom, he’s already sprinted into the living room, eyes wide with curiosity.

I trail behind, stepping into the open space that connects the kitchen, dining area, and the cozy living room.

Jax is sprawled out on the worn sofa, fiddling with the remote control, frustration clear on his face. The television flickers between static and random channels, the audio crackling unpleasantly.

Eli skids to a stop beside me, scanning the room. “Where’s Liam?”

I glance around for him as well. Things between Liam and me have been…

strange. Not unpleasant exactly, but there’s definitely a tension since the morning at the motel, when I woke him up far too intimately.

Liam hasn’t said anything about it, but I can feel the careful distance he’s created.

We barely exchange words unless it’s strictly necessary, and I haven’t sat in the front passenger seat with him again since.

Honestly, I get it. He probably thinks I’m weird after practically dry-humping him awake.

Still, knowing that makes it hard to feel completely comfortable around him.

“He stepped outside,” Jax tells Eli easily, his voice casual as he glances up from the TV. “Taking a call.”

Eli accepts the answer, and his attention shifts to the television. “What’re you doing?”

“Trying to get this ancient thing working,” Jax says, grinning as he sits up and pats the sofa cushion next to him. “Wanna help?”

“Yeah!” Eli exclaims eagerly, darting forward and climbing onto the sofa. He curls up beside Jax, eyes locked onto the remote as they begin whispering conspiratorially about buttons and antennas.

A small smile tugs at the corner of my mouth as I watch them. He definitely deserves these normal interactions like these, even if it’s only temporary, I decide.

I turn away from the living room and head toward the kitchen, sliding onto the middle of the three wooden stools at the island. Cole is still standing with the refrigerator door open, silently staring into the interior. He frowns, clearly displeased by what he sees.

I lean my elbows on the countertop, curiosity pulling at me when I notice a few stray groceries. “When did you guys go grocery shopping?”

Cole glances back at me, shaking his head. “We didn’t. The closest town is forty-five minutes away. Morales left some stuff, but he barely left enough to sustain one person, let alone five of us, for any length of time past tonight.”

His voice trails off, something dark flickering behind his steady gaze. He shuts the refrigerator door a bit harder than necessary, frustration clear in his tight movements. He’s clearly upset by the lack of food Morales left us. I’m honestly surprised he had anything here for us.

“What’re you cooking for dinner tonight?” I ask, trying to break the brief, uncomfortable silence.

Cole’s lips quirk in a faint smirk, his voice gruff and dry. “Well, I don’t cook, so nothing—unless you count the frozen pizza I’m about to shove in the oven.”

The bark of laughter that escapes me catches me off guard, and I clamp a hand over my mouth to smother it.

Thankfully, Cole had turned his back to set the oven temperature, sparing me embarrassment over my own reaction.

It’s been years since anyone besides Eli managed to draw a genuine laugh from me, and the sound feels foreign, almost startling.

When Cole turns back with a pizza box in hand, already opening the cardboard pizza box, my expression is schooled into polite neutrality.

“Pizza sounds good,” I say, hoping he doesn’t notice the faint flush still warming my cheeks.

Cole slides the pizza onto a battered metal tray that he pulls from a lower cabinet, his gaze flicking toward mine. “It’s edible, at least.”

His forearm brushes mine as he sets it down, the accidental contact sending a ripple of awareness up my spine. I freeze, eyes flicking to his, but Cole doesn’t react—just keeps working with the same quiet, capable ease that somehow makes it worse. Or better. I’m not sure.

A brief silence settles comfortably between us before I speak again, curiosity tugging at me. “Is Liam talking to Morales?”

Cole nods once, reaching up to scratch at his jaw thoughtfully. “Yeah, Morales called back after Liam texted that we arrived safely.”

As if summoned, Liam walks in through the front door, shutting it behind himself.

Liam’s gaze finds Eli and Jax, now both crouched behind the television, whispering fiercely about wires and ports.

He pauses for a second, watching them closely with an expression that’s impossible to read, before finally turning his attention toward Cole and me.

For a brief moment, our eyes meet, a sharp, swift glance that sends something uncomfortable squirming in my chest., Liam breaks our gaze, moving to lean casually against the counter, his body angled toward Cole in a way that feels intentional—open enough to include me, yet distant enough that he doesn't have to look directly at me. I try not to let the awkwardness of that observation bother me, but it’s easier said than done.

“Morales said we’re good here for now,” Liam announces, his voice steady and measured. “He wants us to stay put until he reaches back out.”

Stay put. So, that means this place is going to be our new home for a while. I assume “we” means Eli and me. My thoughts jump ahead immediately, the familiar anxiety about my next move crowding into my mind.

“When do you guys plan on leaving?” I ask abruptly, forcing a casualness into my voice that I don’t entirely feel. “If it’s alright, I’d appreciate it if you could take me into town first. I need to get a few things.”

A familiar wave of discomfort washes through me as soon as the words are out.

Even thinking about it makes my skin crawl, knowing I’ll have no choice but to accept Jax’s offer to use his card.

It feels wrong, relying on someone else’s money, but I don’t have any other option.

I mentally cringe at the thought, already planning how I’ll keep track of every dollar spent and pay him back eventually.

Liam’s brows pull together in confusion, the silence stretching between us just long enough to make me regret asking. He opens his mouth to respond, but Cole speaks first, his voice low but edged with something like irritation.

“You can’t possibly think we’d leave you and Eli here without making sure you’re set up, do you?”

Heat rises in my cheeks, embarrassment swirling in my stomach.

“Sorry,” I mutter, forcing myself to hold his gaze. “I was just trying to think ahead.”

Cole frowns deeply, eyes narrowing as though he’s genuinely annoyed at the thought that I’d even consider them leaving me stranded. Before I can react, Liam’s voice cuts in, tone serious and steady, pulling my attention back to him.

“Never feel like you have to think ahead with us, Ava,” he says, words delivered in careful monotone, his expression guarded but sincere. “We’ll never leave you in a worse situation than we found you.”

His words catch me off guard, their quiet kindness surprising given the awkwardness still hanging between us.

His gaze flickers toward me again—just for a second—but it’s enough.

Something heavy sits in his eyes. Not annoyance.

Not discomfort. Maybe restraint? Whatever it is, it sparks that stupid memory of waking him up wrong.

Of straddling him in my sleep. My cheeks burn at the thought.

I can’t quite process it, my chest tightening oddly.

He doesn’t wait for a response, pushing himself off the counter and heading directly toward Eli and Jax.

My eyes follow him as he moves, and I watch as Eli finally notices him and practically jumps from behind the TV, his face lighting up. Liam’s normally stern expression softens as he crouches down, patiently listening to Eli’s enthusiastic recounting of their cable-fixing adventures.

For a moment, the heaviness in my chest eases, replaced with a warmth that’s hard to ignore. Liam might be distant and closed-off with me, but with Eli, he’s patient, steady, and surprisingly gentle. Jax and Cole are the same way—more invested and kind than anyone I’ve ever known before.

God, maybe I shouldn’t just be worrying about Eli getting too attached. Maybe I’m the one in trouble here. Because somewhere between fleeing for our lives and heating frozen pizza, I started noticing the way Liam watches Eli… and how Cole’s silence sometimes speaks louder than words.

And worst of all, I don’t think I want to run anymore.