Page 50 of Knot Letting Go
“A family day out.” Quill leaned in and kissed me with a grin. “That way you can get in some girl’s time, but we’ll be there if you need some knot time.”
I readied a protest in my mind, but then tossed it away. A family day out sounded good. Callista wanted to spend more time with her brothers, and Lillianna would be thrilled to have all of us there. She rejoiced in being surrounded by family. No doubt she missed it since it had been only her father and her since she was two.
And I really liked the idea of all of us together. While I’ve been bonding with Quill and Konstantin over the past few days, getting to know them outside of the nest excited me. It would be like a sneak peek of what life might be like after my heat was over.
A life I might have been fantasizing about a lot lately. My own pack. I’d never thought I’d have more than one mate, never mind a pack. And it was more than just the two of them with me. Lillianna was part of our family. I haven’t said anything out loud yet, but knowing I might be a permanent figure in her life made me extremely happy. Then giving her siblings…
I shouldn’t get ahead of myself. Time to focus on today.
“Alright. That will work.” As if they hadn’t already decided it was going to happen anyway. I loved that they looked out for me. I was still getting used to someone else taking care of me, but they’ve proved very capable on all levels. “I’ll have to say something to Callista. I need to think of the best way to tell her what’s going on.”
No matter how much Quill and Konstantin assured me, there was still a small part of me that was afraid I’d lose my best friend. Even more so, if things didn’t work out between me andher brothers, she might never speak to me again. The thought made my chest hurt.
“Whatever you want to do. You lead the way on this. Whenever you’re ready to tell Callista, we’ll support you.” Konstantin dipped his head and kissed me, soft and long.
“Calli will be good about it. Trust me.” Quill swooped in and wrapped his arms around me, dipping me down to dramatically kiss me. I giggled against his mouth and tapped his arm when he started to get more carried away.
“I need to go. Lillianna will be waiting, and I don’t want to be late.”
Leaving them proved more difficult than I expected. The pull to my Alphas kept tugging me even when I was seated in the car with Lillianna and driving away from the house. A little thread of panic ramped up, and the only way I calmed it was repeating to myself that they would join us in a little while.
“Are you sure you’re feeling better, Aubrielle?” Lillianna asked again. So sweet in her concern for me.
Little kids shouldn’t have these sorts of worries though. I squeezed her hand and smiled. “I’m sure. I think maybe it was just allergies. So no one has to worry about catching anything from me.”
“Daddy wouldn’t even let me see you.” She kept a firm hold on my hand, her grip tightening. “I was scared.”
I wrapped my arms around her. Poor girl. She definitely didn’t need this sort of stress. “Don’t worry, sweetie. I took some medicine and it helps. Your daddy is very protective of you because he loves you so much. He just didn’t want you to get sick.”
“I know he loves me. Just like I love you and I’m very protective of you.” Lillianna snuggled into me and I totally melted. “Stay with me forever.”
Oh God. This sweet, darling child. She had owned my heart from the start, but this… I had to bite the edge of my tongue to keep myself from crying. I wanted to tell her that I would always be there for her and soothe her worries, but nothing was set in stone. I was trying to stick by what Kienna had told me about not making big decisions while in heat.
The very least I could say was, “I love you too, Lillianna.”
Talis glanced back at us from the front seat with a smile and turned the car onto the road toward the children’s museum.
Lillianna and I chatted about the things we would see and do in the museum, and what she wanted to show Isabella. We’d brought our mermaid tails to model, and the gift baby tail for her cousin. It was the first thing Lillianna had to do when we arrived and met up with Callista and her daughter.
A sense of joy settled over me as we started our afternoon at the museum. My best friend and I getting together and entertaining our children. Not that Lillianna was my child, but if Konstantin claimed me, I could adopt her as my own.
I mentally pinched myself. I needed to stop it with these daydreams. No big decisions.
Entering the building, Talis gave us bracelets with the museum logo on them. They had chips in them with info of who we were, so if a child got separated from their guardian, security could just scan it and call the adult. Plus, it was a cute blue and gold band that would make for a nice keepsake.
An hour after we arrived, Lillianna found herself a friend her own age in a room with several water features the kids could play with. It was also an Alpha free room and not quite as busy as the others. Levi and Talis waited outside by the entrance as Callista held Isabella, letting her bare feet wriggle in a gently swirling whirlpool.
“You seem distant today.” Callista gave me a nudge.
I blinked, glancing at Lillianna who was about ten feet away discussing mermaids with her new friend. “What do you mean?”
“Usually you’re very attentive. You ask about everything and help out before you’re even asked. You haven’t even asked me about our trip yet.”
My cheeks heated with shame. What a crappy friend I was. I turned my full focus to her. “I’m so sorry. All this excitement, and this being the first time I’ve taken Lillianna to a place as busy as this… How was your trip? Did you get to relax at all? I know Isabella is barely two months—”
Callista laughed and lifted her daughter onto her lap, patting her feet dry with a baby blanket she had over her shoulder. “It’s okay, Aubrie. I was just worried about you. I hope being a full time nanny hasn’t stressed you out or that my brother hasn’t demanded too much of you.”
“Oh no. Lillianna has been a dream. She’s so bright and creative and mermaid obsessed. I don’t mind that though.” I smiled, feeling warmed at that thought, but feeling hotter at thoughts of what Konstantin had demanded of me. “Mr. Birk has been very supportive of whatever I’ve wanted to do with Lillianna.”
