Page 46 of Worthy or Knot (Serendipity Omegaverse #3)

FOUR YEARS LATER

COLE

“ D addy, look!”

Drake pulls on my hands, forcing my attention away from my own dads.

His bright blue eyes stare up at me from under the waterfall of blond hair that’s just like his mother’s.

The moment he realizes I’m paying attention, he turns and points across the room.

Some of Violet’s friends stand there, chatting amongst themselves.

They’re members from the LA Philharmonic.

Jasper stands with them, laughing, his hands in his pockets.

One of them glances up as Marcus closes the front door behind him.

“Marcus,” he says, surprise in his voice. “What brings you out here from New York?”

“Oh, I forgot you wouldn’t know,” Jasper turns to the other man. “Marcus is part of Pack Harper, Violet’s brother’s pack.”

Drake’s voice drowns out the man’s reply. “Daddy! I say hi!”

He pulls on me again. I let my gaze drop from where Marcus and the man are hugging and focus on my son.

“Yes, bug, you can go say hi to Jasper.”

He grins and then bolts. I watch as he navigates the quickly filling room as more of Violet’s friends and her pack’s families arrive for her celebration. Jasper grabs him before he can take out his knees, pulling him into his arms.

“Hey, Drake,” he says, a smile light up his face.

“Of all the people in this family to love, he picked the Beta,” Scarlett says, a warmth in her voice, as she slides into the stool beside me.

Papa laughs. “Jasper has a way with people. And he doesn’t growl when he’s in a bad mood. That cuts out most of the people available to Drake.”

Scarlett grins. “That’s true.”

And then her attention is pulled away by her daughter tugging on her sleeve.

“Momma?”

Amelia looks just like her mom with strawberry blonde curls and bright green eyes.

The only thing she got from the asshole who fathered her is her narrow chin and her obvious height.

She’s nearly double the height of Drake despite being only a year apart.

Scarlett leans down, letting her daughter whisper something in her ear.

Then, she turns to me with a sad, apologetic smile.

“Sorry, I’ll be back in a minute. I’m going to see if she can find a quiet corner away from all the Alphas.”

My chest tightens at the reminder of what they’ve both endured over the last couple years.

Papa growls before swallowing it quickly.

Scarlett eases off the stool and scoops up Amelia, keeping her perched on her hip and running her hand through her daughter’s hair as she approaches Jasper.

His eyes sharpen as he sees the way Amelia’s tucked into her mom, her face hidden against her shoulder.

He nods before my sister can even say anything.

Marcus takes Drake, kissing his cheek, and then Jasper and Scarlett disappear down the hall, probably toward Violet’s room.

“I hate that they’re having to go through this,” I admit, turning back to my dads.

All three of them follow the trio, too, their jaws ticking in near-identical fashion. Dad’s the first one to manage to look away. Father is ready to tear down the whole house, his woody scent sour with his rage.

“We are, too,” Dad murmurs, quietly grabbing Father’s wrist, drawing his attention back to the party slowly taking shape. “But she’ll get through it. We’ll all help her. Just like we did you.”

Warmth spreads under chest.

“Thank you,” I say.

I’ve said it too many times to count over the last four years, but it never feels like enough. Dad cups my cheek with warm affection, nevermind that I’m 25, bonded, with my own pack and kids.

“Love you,” he says. His gaze catches on someone approaching behind me. “And I love you, too.”

“I know, Dad,” Violet says. She takes the stool Scarlett just vacated. Her hazel eyes take me in. “Wanted to make sure I saw you in case you need to leave early.”

I give her a smile. “Here I am, in the flesh, much to your chagrin.”

She rolls her eyes but laughs. “As long as Rylan doesn’t bring up double knotting, I think I’ll survive this time.”

“ Sirena , it doesn’t matter if he does since you always do,” Dominic murmurs, palming her waist and kissing her temple.

“Must have been a memorable experience to still be brought up four years later.”

Jasper’s laugh precedes him. “Oh, it’s happened more often than that.”

Violet’s blush is swift and fierce.

“Damn it,” she mutters.

“How are you all settling into the new house?” Papa asks, tactfully turning the conversation away from his daughter’s sex life.

“It’s good.” I take a drink of the punch Dominic’s sister brought. “I miss the city, but not having to navigate stairs has helped a lot.”

We purchased a place on Long Island in March.

The process of settling in has taken longer than any of us expected, but I guess that’s what happens when there’s a preschooler running around and a newborn to care for.

Marcus only goes into the office once a week, mostly working remote so he’s near us.

Megan never was able to return to work, though she doesn’t seem all that bothered by it.

I look over my shoulder, trying to find my own family.

They must feel my worry, my need for them to be near me, because all three of them look up like I’ve called them.

Megan and Charlotte says something to Dominic’s mother and then cross the room, their elbows linked.

Megan’s arm cradles her belly as she walks, the movement second nature.

Finley sleeps in the carrier strapped to Charlotte’s chest, her pink lips and brown hair about all anyone can see.

She’s the perfect blend of Marcus and Lottie already at only four months old.

It strikes me again that we’re going to have two babies under a year old before Christmas.

We hadn’t meant to have two babies so close together.

After Megan accidentally got pregnant after my crisis event, we all took extra precautions.

The only reason we survived the newborn period was because there were four of us—and my dads were happy to step in and offer extra hands any time we needed them.

They helped fill in the gaps my long-term damage left.

When we decided we wanted one more, Charlotte retired from dancing.

It took a couple months longer than we thought, but we were all ecstatic when it finally happened last fall.

And then Megan’s birth control failed.

Nerves fill my throat at the thought of not being enough this time.

My OBS has been in remission for nearly four years thanks to Dr. Faulks and the entire team in Brooklyn.

But the damage done from the crisis never lessened.

The tremors and pain get worse with exhaustion, sometimes making it impossible to do much more than get to the living room couch.

But I can’t imagine not having both babies or Megan being pregnant again.

Charlotte runs her hand down my shoulder, feeling the mix of emotions twisting through me.

My hand trembles as I trace Finley’s brow and then her hand.

Marcus takes up the only open space around me.

Violet eases back a bit, letting them crowd around me and comfort me with their scents and touch.

I blink the tears away and take an unsteady breath.

And then the rest of my family is there, too, even Scarlett, her hand lacing with mine. Warmth and happiness fill me.

“I can’t believe this is my life,” I say, awestruck all over again. “That this is what our family looks like.”

My dads all smile, their eyes glassy, too.

“We couldn’t be more proud of all three of you,” Father says, his voice fervent. “You’re every thing we could have hoped for.”

Marcus kisses under my ear, and Megan grabs my open hand.

“We love you, Omega. Always,” Charlotte whispers.

And just like the last four years, the words fill me with hope and happiness. I relish them both.