Chapter 461

Marigold studies me for a long moment and I feel Jackson step close, feel him settle down on the ground behind me. The little girl flicks her eyes to him and then back to me.

“Ariel,” she whispers, and my name said in her tiny voice makes my heart seize. I smile at her – a big, rich smile – even as tears slip out of the corners of my eyes. I wipe them hastily away, not wanting her to think that I’m sad.

“Yup, that’s right,” I say, laughing a little and shifting my eyes to my mom – who, of course, is also crying.

Marigold shifts her eyes to Jackson, a clear question on her face as she tries to figure out what his name is. She knows the rest of us by name, after all, except him. His name – the name of the most important person in the room to her right now. The person with whom she has a bond, whom she already knows to be attached to her.

“Um,” Jackson says, working hard to keep his voice casual and steady. “I guess you can just call me…dad. If that’s okay with you.”

Marigold stares at him for a long moment and then nods once, turning her eyes back to the book in mom’s hands, clearly wanting more of that.

But mom, I laugh to see, is crying too hard now to continue reading. She laughs along with me – we all do – as she sets the book down in Marigold’s lap and wipes at her cheeks with her palms.

“They’re all messy, Marigold,” Rafe says on a sigh, laughing and picking up the book as the little girl turns to him. “Here, let me continue this, though I’m not going to be as good at the voices as she was.”

We all curl up then, quite quiet and cozy, and listen as Rafe reads the story. Jesse comes down from the bed to stretch out next to me and Mark comes in too, bringing a bunch of child clothes – where on earth did he get those? – and continuing to fold them as he listens.

I lean back against Jack and keep my eyes fastened on the little girl.

Jackson’s little girl.

Who eats cookie after cookie as about half an hour passes, her eyes fastened steadily on the page as my brother reads to her.

And I smile, just slightly, because…

I mean, because I think it’s all going to be okay.

With this team at our backs? It’s all going to be okay.

Rafe reads until Marigold’s eyes start to droop, until she slumps down against the pillows, her breathing slow and deep.

“All right,” mom says, making Rafe pause as she pulls the blankets up around Marigold’s chin. “Why don’t you big boys clear out of here and give Jackson a chance to tuck his little girl in.”

Mark and Jesse grumble – honestly, the story was very good – but get to their feet. Mark ducks into the closet quickly to put away all of Marigold’s freshly folded clothes.

“Hey,” Jesse whispers, bending down to put a hand on my shoulder. I look up at him in surprise as he tilts his head towards the door. “Why don’t you come out with us for a second. Let me buy you a drink.”

I just stare at him in shock at this request, making him laugh.

“Come on, Princess,” Jesse says, straightening and grinning at me. “You look like you could use one.”

I laugh a little, glancing at Jackson. “Do you mind?”

Jacks just stares at me for a second. “Should I mind?”

I laugh and shake my head, getting to my feet as my mom smiles softly at me and Rafe gets up too, tucking the little story book beneath Marigold’s tiny mattress so she can find it tomorrow.

“You go, Ariel,” mom says with a little laugh, looking down at the little girl who works hard to keep her eyes open, wanting to see everything that’s going on. “Jackson and I can handle it in here.”

“Can we?” Jackson asks, looking at my mom with a great deal of fear on his face.

I laugh and get to my feet, pressing a kiss to his cheek as I do. “It’s just tucking her in, Jacks,” I say softly. “No trouble at all.”

“What’s tucking in?” he whispers, looking at me and then mom, baffled.

I laugh and take Jesse’s proffered arm as mom grins at Jackson and begins to explain. Then, Mark and Rafe following behind, the four of us head out the door and into the living room.

Rafe, Jesse and I head for the bar car in the corner, but Mark hesitates, looking towards the door.

“You don’t want a drink, Markie?” Jesse asks, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. “And get the full debriefing about Ariel’s actual emotions on the subject of Jackson’s love child?”

“Um,” Mark says, running a hand through his hair, his eyes again straying to the exit. “I think I want a walk.”

“You okay, baby?” I ask, turning to him with a frown. Mark – why is he being weird now? Honestly, with all of these developments, I’m not sure I can handle anything new from Mark too.

“I’m fine,” Mark says, turning and giving me a big grin. “Don’t worry about me, Ari. You have enough on your plate.”

“Does she ever,” Rafe says with a sigh, turning to me and handing me a fresh glass of white wine that he just poured. Mark waves to us over his shoulder, calling to us that he loves us, even as he heads for the door.

“He’s the most mysterious of the Sinclairs,” Jesse says, smirking after Mark even as he heads for the couch and waves for Rafe and me to follow. We do, Rafe carrying a glass of wine for him and Jesse too.

“No, he’s not,” Rafe and I both say at once. We all laugh as my brother and my cousin settle down with me, Jesse with me on the couch and Rafe in the arm chair to my left.

I sigh and slump back against the cushions, lifting my glass to my mouth and gulping down a great deal of wine in one go.

“So,” Jesse says on a happy sigh, grinning his wicked smile between the two of us. “You two have had some…developments over the past few days. Haven’t you?”

“You’re the one whose mate is sleeping on the roof in a tent, Jess,” Rafe replies, dry, making us both laugh, Jesse’s head tiling back on his neck as he does. “When it comes to weird developments, you have no room to talk.”

“True,” Jesse says, lifting his head back up and grinning at both of us, I think genuinely happy to have our little trio back together. “But tonight’s really about Ariel anyway. How you doing, kid?” He gives me a prodding little nudge with his foot.

“I don’t know,” I groan, letting myself slump further against the cushions, tucking my legs up beneath me. “That…I mean that all happened so fast. This morning Jackson and I woke up alone and everything was fine, and then two hours ago I’m just on a video call to Daphne, and then boom! All of a sudden my mate has a daughter and mom is tucking her into bed in my room!?”

I sigh, baffled by it all.

“To constant surprises,” Rafe says on a sigh, lifting his glass to both of us. “At least this family never gets dull.”

“We could use a little dull,” I grumble, staring into my wine.

“Oh, should I call Mark back?” Jesse asks, making me laugh even as I shoot him a little glare. “He can go on and on about the native breeds of squirrel –“

“You leave my Markie alone,” I snarl, kicking him this time. Jesse grins at me and nods. I forgive him immediately, knowing he was kidding.

And also, Mark really can be weird about wildlife. So…I get it.

We’re quiet for a few long moments before Rafe sighs, long and deep, drawing our eyes to him.

“You’d better do right by Jackson on this, Ariel,” my brother says, holding me with rather a steely gaze.

I sit up straight, gaping at him. “What!?”

“I’m serious,” he says, giving me that slow and steady Alpha nod that dad uses when he’s laying down the law. “You’d better put Jackson first and support him in everything he needs as he adjusts to –“

“To begin!” I interrupt, whipping a finger in the air and whipping my head between my brother and my cousin. “You two are supposed to be on my side! Where are the comforting questions of ‘how are you, dear Ariel?’ and ‘Ariel, darling, what a shock – how do you face such stress with such equanimity and poise?’!?”

“Would we call this poise?” Jesse murmurs wonderingly, narrowing his eyes and gesturing at me with his drink.

I snarl, glaring at him.

“And continuing on that point!” I say, only baring my teeth at him a little bit. “Why would you assume that I’m not going to do right by Jacks!?”

“Well, are you?” Rafe asks, leaning towards me, stern and curious.

“Because if you’re not,” Jesse says, likewise leaning in. “We’re not going to forgive you for it, Ari.”

I spin my head back and forth between the two of them as I gape at both, shocked to be at the center of this interrogation that just seems – so ridiculous to me!