Page 36

ELI

We take Mo for a late breakfast while everything gets set up back at Dak and Sparrow’s house. I seriously wonder how they’re going to fit everyone in their backyard. It’s a good size yard but there are a lot of people coming: almost all the Omegas, almost all the hockey team, a third of my cheer squad, a dozen of Mo’s friends from school and her old aftercare program, and then some family.

All in one place. That’s a lot of people. Not to mention there are tables and tables of food. There’s probably going to be a pyramid of presents taller than the Tower of Babylon. And a bounce house to entertain the kids.

Oh, and there’s a pool taking up a third of the yard. Honestly, I don’t know how they’re going to do this.

But it’s not our job to worry about it. Our job is to distract Mo and make sure she doesn’t suspect a thing while they rush to set up her surprise party, allow people to arrive, and then all wait for us. It is tricky. Breakfast only lasts so long.

Thus, why we went later for breakfast. The first people to arrive will be the cheer squad, and they’re going to help Dak and Sparrow set up. The frat boys are in charge of food, and they’ll arrive next. The hockey team is responsible for getting the bounce house and setting it up.

Guests should start arriving at 10:30 and we’ll need to be back at around 11:00. I have my doubts that we’re going to pull this off as seamlessly as we’re hoping.

As much as Mo’s loving some of the changes in her life—like cheer and spending time with some of her favorite people after school now—she’s truly been struggling with having to move out of the frat house. There was no way to explain it to her and make her understand why so many people would have an issue with her living with forty-eight guys.

In all honesty, yeah, that sounds sus. I’m not even gonna lie. If I hadn’t seen it and witnessed this situation for myself, I’d have had major cringe moments. I’d judge hard.

That’s the world we live in. That’s how we’re conditioned to think. And really, there have been enough horror stories revolving around a group of men and a female of any age to make it doubly horrifying to hear that an eight-year-old lives with frat guys.

But I’ve seen it. I’ve seen how wholesome it is. I’ve seen how those guys absolutely adore that little girl. How they’ve literally adjusted their entire lives to accommodate her, make her feel safe, study with her, play dolls with her. Every single one of them would do anything for Mo.

Something she knows. Which is why she just doesn’t understand why she had to move out. It hurts her more because she knows it’s because she lives there that they had to move out. The only thing we could truly stress to her is that it wasn’t her fault.

It was her grandmother’s. Yes, we definitely placed the blame on Edin’s mother.

We drag breakfast out as long as possible. I’m getting a running update from Zeke, though I’m trying not to look at my phone too much. I’m rarely on my phone, so after I’ve picked it up for the third time, Mo is noticing.

We chose a little mom-and-pop restaurant just down the road. Three minutes to drive to. Fifteen minutes to walk with a child. On our way back, we mosey around the green area as Mo talks about anything at all. The color of the flowers and maybe she wants a flower garden. Her big new bed that was just like the one in the hotel she stayed in with me, Zeke, and Edin when we went to Jude’s game together. School. Math, where she’s now onto the four-times tables, though she’s struggling a bit beyond four times six.

We pause as she bends down to the flowers alongside the road to smell them. I get creative and decide I’ll start taking pictures of her to excuse having my phone out and check my text conversation from Zeke. Mostly everyone has arrived. They’re waiting on Denton, who’s furiously still waiting for his tray of smoothies from the smoothie shop. They were supposed to be ready eight minutes ago and it’s going to disappoint Mo if they’re not there on time.

“Daddy?” Mo asks as she runs her fingers over the petals of a tulip.

“Yes?”

“Is your mom in jail?”

I let my hand with my phone fall to my side as I look at her. She’s not looking up at us but still playing with the flowers. I glance at Edin, who just glanced at me, too.

What is she thinking about?

“Yes,” Edin answers.

“Is she going to stay there?”

Edin considers before he answers. “That’s the plan.”

Mo nods.

Edin joins her beside the flowers. “You don’t have to worry about her anymore. I won’t let her near you ever again. Even if she somehow manages to get out of jail, I won’t let her near you.”

She looks up at her father. “Thank you, Daddy. But I don’t want her near you either.”

God, this girl always melts my heart.

Edin presses a kiss to the side of her head. “We’re working very hard on both of those things.”

“Okay.”

She doesn’t sound upset. She sounds curious. Almost like she’s looking for an update on a project and needs the report.

Mo gets to her feet and starts moving down the sidewalk again as he examines the flowers. I reach my hand out to Edin and pull him up, keeping his hand in mine. Mo’s quiet as we walk, which I know worries Edin. The girl is only quiet when she’s sleeping.

It’s ten minutes later when we’re standing in front of Dak and Sparrow’s house, and she stares up at it thoughtfully. I text my brother, telling him we’re right outside.

But Mo doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to go in. Edin glances at me.

“Daddy?”

“Yes, sunshine?”

“Does Mommy love me?”

Fucking Christ. My heart nearly stops. Edin looks horrified at the question. But Mo’s still staring up at the house.

We weren’t far enough away from Edin and his mother that we couldn’t hear when he was yelling at her about Lydia not asking for Mo back. That she didn’t fight to keep her. How she willingly signed over all her rights and Edin’s never heard from her again.

Mo hasn’t brought it up until now.

“Yes,” Edin answers.

Mo turns her eyes to him. “How do you know?”

Edin stares at her for a long time. “Because I know your mother, and I know she loves you.”

This doesn’t convince Mo, though. She frowns.

“Come here.” Edin tugs her gently to the stairs. They sit and Edin takes her hand. “Remember how sick I was when we lived with Mommy?” Ghosts skate through Mo’s eyes as she nods. “Mommy was sick, too.”

Mo’s eyes go wide. “She was?”

Edin nods. “She was just as sick, but her sick looked different.”

“Oh,” she says, her voice quiet.

“Did you know we were still kids when we had you?” Mo nods. “We were only six years older than you are now. That’s it. We were still in school and participating in school activities. We had an accident and Mommy got pregnant with you. As angry as we were at our parents for…” Edin trails off.

He looks at me, and I can tell he’s searching for the right words. All I can do is shake my head, though. I have no idea what’s appropriate to say to Mo. How to tell her the truth without telling her the whole truth.

“They made you sick,” Mo supplies.

Edin’s shoulders relax a little. “Yeah. Something like that. But even though we were getting sick, we were still very excited to meet you. As soon as you were born and placed in your mommy’s arms, she cried because she loved you so much. And I cried because I didn’t know I could love someone so much.”

Mo’s lip trembles.

“But sometimes, no matter how much you love someone, you’re not good for them. Mommy wasn’t ready to be a mommy, and that meant she got more and more sick because she knew she wasn’t being good for you. Sometimes, when you love someone so much, the best thing you can do is not be with them because being with them is hurting you both.”

Mo nods. “I didn’t like it there,” she confides. “I didn’t think Mommy loved me because she yelled at me all the time and threw things, and she didn’t like to be around me.”

“Oh, Mo,” Edin says, bringing her into his arms.

I turn away, trying to give them a moment and not cry with them. How fucking heartbreaking for a little girl to feel so unwanted by her parent. A parent who was still a child herself, and needed just as much help as her baby. I can’t even imagine how that must have been for all of them.

“I promise, your mommy loves you. Someday, when you’re older and want to talk to her, you can do that. You remember how hard it was for us to find a way to be happy? We had Uncle Dak and Uncle Sparrow to help us. Mommy doesn’t have people like that. She has to struggle all on her own and we need to let her because we already know that all of us living together makes us sick, right?”

Mo nods. “Yes. I don’t want you to be sick again.”

“Neither do I. It was scary.”

“So, so scary,” Mo agrees.

They’re quiet for a minute before Mo says, “Eli?”

I turn to look at her.

“You can hug us, too.”

Smiling, I join them on the stairs, sandwiching Mo between us, I wrap them in my arms. I love how she phrases her demands as suggestions. As if she’s giving us a choice. Clever. This girl is going to take over the world. I’m sure of it.

“Want to go in now?” Edin asks.

Mo nods. “Yeah. Can we go swimming?”

“Sure.” We get to our feet and Edin adds, “We can talk about Mommy any time you want. You know that, right?”

Mo’s smile is soft. “Thanks, Daddy.”

He brushes her hair behind her ear and then opens the door. Mo steps inside and announces her presence by calling for Dak. There’s no answer.

I kiss Edin’s cheek, giving him a quick hug. “You did good,” I whisper.

“I have a feeling we’re going to hear a lot of tough questions over the next few months, especially.”

Mo’s therapist and the one they talk to together warned Edin that Mo’s probably going to be asking him questions as she becomes more comfortable talking about things she’s seen and remembers. I’m not sure Edin’s truly ready for that.

“Dad?” Mo calls.

I let him go as we follow her voice through the house. She’s standing in the kitchen looking at the sliding glass door covered in a dark film that she can’t see through to the backyard. Her hand is pressed against it.

“What happened to the door?” she asks, looking at him like she just ate something bitter.

“Maybe Uncle Dak and Uncle Sparrow are outside already,” he suggests, shrugging. Pressing his finger against the glass as if he’d never seen it either.

“Should we stay in then?”

“Nah. Let’s surprise them.”

She gives him a wicked grin.

“Ready?” he asks, voice low as if they’re sharing a secret. Mo nods excitedly. “On three. One. Two. Three.”

They throw open the door together. Before Mo can get words out, an entire football field of people call, “Happy Birthday, Morgan!”

She stumbles backwards right into Edin, her eyes bugged out and her mouth hanging open. She stares for a solid minute before looking up at Edin. “Did you know they were doing this?”

Edin shrugs. “You can’t know all my secrets.” He tugs gently on her hair. “Happy birthday, sunshine.”

Emotion skits across her face before she wraps her arms around his waist. “Thanks, Daddy,” she whispers. She lets him go and then throws her arms around my waist. “I know you helped. You always help Daddy.”

I smile. “And I always will. Now go celebrate.”

Mo turns and runs outside, right into Dak’s open arms. Yep, it’s crowded, but somehow not as crowded as I thought it would be.

Gracie waves and I spot my parents with her. Jude is a dozen feet away, talking to some of Edin’s teammates. Grinning, I turn back to Edin. He’s still watching Mo with a soft smile as she sits on Mario’s shoulders and points at the mountain of presents with awe. I’m watching him closely, so I see when he starts looking over the crowd.

His eyes widen, and he sways backwards. “Is that…? Oh, my fuck, is that your brother, too?”

“You’ve met Zeke a hundred times,” I say innocently. Edin gives me a deadpan look, and I grin. “Yes. Come on.” I grab his hand and pull him outside and toward my parents. Gracie bounces to his side and gives him a big hug.

He rests his cheek against the top of her head for a minute. When she steps back, Edin stares at my fathers, his eyes moving between them.

“This is my dad, and this is my dad,” I say. We’ve never been good at calling them different things. It’s always ‘ Dad .’ If the one we’re not looking for answers, we say, ‘ Other Dad, please .’ “Otherwise known as Owen and Zak. This is my boyfriend, Edin.”

Zeke stops beside me and crosses his arms. Dad, Owen, holds out his hand. “Great to meet you.”

Edin is a little zombie-ish when he raises his hand. His lips part as if he’s going to say something, but nothing comes out.

“I love when people look at you like that,” Gracie says.

Other Dad holds his hand out after. “It really is great to finally meet you, Edin,” he says.

Edin takes his hand and murmurs, “This is unreal.”

Then Jude sidles up next to Dad and Edin looks like he’s seen a god. Sure, they’ve met before, but Edin had time to work up to that. Jude grins and waves. “Hey. I’m looking forward to your game tonight.”

And now Edin looks mortified and turns to me with horror. I laugh, wrapping my arm around his waist.

“Please tell me you didn’t come to see me play. I’m not that good,” Edin says.

“You’re good,” Zeke argues at the same time I say, “That’s bullshit.”

Jude laughs. “No, I didn’t come to see you play specifically. That’s a bonus.”

“Happy accident,” Dad adds.

“Then… okay, why are you here?” he asks.

“To meet you and your daughter,” Dad says.

“Yeah,” Gracie adds. “We’re so excited to spend time with our first niece and dads’ first granddaughter!”

Edin inhales sharply.

“Okay, okay,” I say, and tug Edin away. “Come with me.” Gracie gives me a deer-in-the-headlights look as Zeke playfully shoves her.

There’s not a lot of space that’s not taken up with bodies, so I bring him back inside, just over the sliding door’s threshold, so he can still see Mo. Who he reflexively looks for before I gain his attention again.

Cupping both sides of his face, I say, “First, please remember that Gracie doesn’t think before she speaks. She means well. I promise.” He gives me a wary smile. “Second, I love you.”

When he inhales this time, it’s deep, and he holds it. I wait several seconds until he finally lets it out, then repeat myself, “I love you. I love you and I love Mo more than anything at all.”

“You do?” he whispers.

“I thought I was being so damn obvious,” I say, shaking my head.

He laughs, closing his eyes.

“Yes, I do. I love you and I want to spend forever with you. I thought meeting the rest of my family in a crowd when you can’t focus on them right away or for very long was going to be easier than one-on-one when you might feel like they’re only looking at you and nowhere else. Besides, they’ve been very impatient.”

“Why?”

“Because I love you and I’m spending my life with you. Which means they feel like they’ve gained you and Mo as part of our family. Mo’s the first kid that they get to spoil and they’re so damn ready to spoil her.”

His eyes are glassy as he stares at me.

“I have something to say,” Edin says, taking a breath to calm himself.

“Okay.”

“I… will you stay here this summer? Move in with us? I already talked to Dak and Sparrow, and they’re okay with it. They’re going to do things on their own sometimes, too. I talked to them… about a lot of things.”

I press my forehead to his. My chest tightens because yes , but also… Zeke. “Edin, there’s nothing I want more than that.”

“But?” he says, and I feel everything inside this man tense.

“I don’t know if I can stay so far away from Zeke for so long,” I confess.

“Oh,” he says, shoulders relaxing. “Sorry. I said this wrong. Will you and Zeke stay here this summer? I already talked to Dak and Sparrow, and they’re okay with both of you. There’s the guest room, that’s all for Zeke.”

This time, my mouth falls open as I stare at him. I have him in my arms so abruptly in the next second that his laugh is muffled in my shoulder. I’m not sure I’ve ever held him so tightly.

“You know, they say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach or his pants. Mine is through my brother,” I admit.

I hear his amusement when he says, “So me with your brother turns you on? Is that what you’re getting at?”

Chuckling, I shake my head. “Twins are adorable when they’re kids. How close they are. How much time they spend together. Seeing them cuddle. When you get older, it’s less cute and more questionable. People don’t understand. Age doesn’t lessen a twin’s bond; it strengthens it. So yeah, you constantly just… thinking about my brother and making sure he’s accepted and included like family. That’s the way to my heart.”

Edin sighs and presses his face into my neck. “He’s important to you. Just like Mo’s important to me. You accepted Mo without question. You loved her without question. So did Zeke.”

We remain wrapped in each other for far longer than is appropriate considering the party going on outside. Eventually, he steps back and takes a breath. “Come on. We need to be out there for Mo.”

I nod, taking his hand and lacing our fingers together.

Before he can step outside, Edin looks back at me with the sweetest smile and soft eyes. “I love you, too.”

The next book in this series is Project: FU .