Chapter 463

The room is dark when I step inside, but my eyes focus immediately on Jackson sitting on the ground at Marigold’s side, both of them lit by the light of a tiny nightlight shaped like a unicorn. Jackson looks up at me and smiles when I come in, even as a little request for quiet comes down the bond between us.

Because Marigold – she’s asleep, all curled up, her hair spread out all around her.

“Where on earth did you get a nightlight so fast?” I whisper, grinning as I sit next to Jacks, leaning against him. His arm wraps around me, almost instinctually.

“Jesse brought it,” he replies, giving me a squeeze. “He brought…most of this. I had no idea that they made so many things just for kids.” Jacks looks around, a little baffled at the array of child-sized books, blankets, toys.

“Kids have the best stuff – especially girls,” I sigh. “I’m always a little jealous of all the purple and the pink and the sparkles…”

“Ariel, you wear black every day,” Jackson murmurs, turning his head to frown down at me.

“Only because I’m obliged to pretend I’m a boy,” I say, rolling my eyes. “It’s the worst part!”

He laughs and shakes his head, turning his gaze back to his little daughter.

“How are you doing?” I ask, putting a hand on Jackson’s chest, rubbing it back and forth softly, opening the bond so I can begin to investigate and explore, wondering if there’s anything I can do to make it better.

“I’m…” Jackson searches for words and then sighs, dropping his head. “I have no idea, Ariel. I’m still so shocked and confused. And my mind is racing trying to figure out what to do next.”

I hum consideringly, understanding, and wordlessly offer him the rest of my glass of wine.

He huffs a little laugh and takes it, taking a long sip. “Any thoughts?” he murmurs, truly seeking my advice.

“I think you should sort of take it…moment by moment, Jacks,” I say quietly. “There’s no need to have a plan just yet – you don’t know what all the options are, you haven’t had time to figure them all out. The priority is to keep Marigold fed, and warm, and happy, right? So…let’s just do that for a few days until we have a better idea of what’s going on.”

Jacks goes a bit still and then turns to me. “We?”

“Oh, we,” I say, laughing a bit and grinning up at him. “I mean, you have no idea how to do this, right?” I say, gesturing towards the little girl. “I have a little sister. And six younger cousins. Kids? I know how to do kids.”

Jackson scowls a bit. “I mean, I can keep her alive, Ariel.”

“Yeah, but when it comes time to convince her to take a bath?” My smile widens when I see his eyes do the same. “See? You don’t even know how to use bubble bath. Or what no-tears shampoo is. Or where to find mom’s stash of bath toys.”

He narrows his eyes at me. “You’re messing with me now,” he murmurs. “There’s…there can’t be any such thing as bath toys.”

“Oh, stick with me, kid,” I say, laughing and nodding up at him. “I’ll show you a whole world of child wonders.”

“Shit,” Jackson sighs, turning his eyes back to the sleeping girl. “Just when I thought I’d learned all about a new world…here come all of these insane new lessons.”

“Life’s great mysteries await,” I say, pressing a kiss to his shoulder.

He hums doubtfully and I laugh, getting to my feet.

“Where are you going?” Jackson asks, frowning up at me.

“To get blankets,” I say, gesturing over my shoulder.

He just continues frowning, confused, and I laugh as I turn, heading for the bed.

“Well, we’re sleeping on the floor, right?” I call, gathering the comforter up in my arms alongside some pillows, yanking it off the bed and dragging it back to Jackson with me.

“Why on earth would we do that?” he asks, staring up at me like I’m crazy.

“Because,” I say, nodding down to the little girl as I begin to make us a little makeshift bed. “If she wakes up and doesn’t know where she is, she’s going to flip out, and we’re going to want to be right here so we can help her.”

“Damn it,” Jackson murmurs, shaking his head. “I should have thought of that…”

“No, Jacks,” I say with a happy sigh, finishing laying out the blankets and plopping myself down in his lap, pushing my hands gently against his shoulders as I urge him to lean back. “That’s why you’ve got me. I’ll think of it. You…let your mind turn on whatever else it wants to think of.”

He sighs for a second, my pushing obviously doing nothing to actually make him lay down, and then he finishes the glass of wine before putting the glass down and wrapping his arms around me, taking me with him as he lays back on his back. “Too good to me, Ariel Sinclair,” he murmurs.

“Not nearly good enough,” I murmur, pressing a kiss to his chest.

“Thank you,” he replies, dismissing my point. And I smile, opening the bond again, passing a constant stream of love and reassurance down the bond to my mate. Because it’s not that I’m not freaked out, or scared, or shaken by all of this –

It’s just that Jesse and Rafe are right. Jackson needs me right now, and so does Marigold.

And if I can just put the rest of the worries out of my mind and concentrate on helping them for right now…then the rest we can figure out as it comes.

I sigh and concentrate on my bond, and my mate, and this brand new little girl. And Jackson and I just sit quietly for a long time, sharing emotions and watching Marigold sleep until we, too, join her in that state.

My eyelids slowly begin to lift in the morning as I wake up, blearly and confused, trying to figure out…why I’m so close to the ground…even though Jackson is sprawled out beneath me as usual…

But I flinch, just slightly, when I see two very blue little eyes peering at me.

“Ariel,” a little voice whispers.

My face breaks into a smile. “Hi,” I whisper back, reaching out a hand and drifting my palm softly over the little girl’s pretty dark hair. “Good morning.”

She smiles at me too.

“Who’re you talking to,” Jackson mumbles, his eyes still closed. He dips a hand low on my back and flips up the edge of my shirt, running his hand up the length of my spine. I can feel, down the bond, precisely where his intentions are leading with this and I grin, propping my chin on his chest so I can look up at his face.

“Jacks? Probably not the best idea right now.”

“What?” he asks, cracking an eye open. “What’re you –“

He flinches and then gasps when he sees Marigold, having apparently forgotten all about her. I burst out laughing as Jackson clasps me to his chest, sitting half up. And, to my delight, Marigold laughs along with me – the happiest, prettiest little tinkling sound!

“You scared me,” Jackson says to the little girl, his sense of humor catching up a moment later as he smiles first at his girl and then at me. Marigold laughs harder and falls back into her blankets, making me grin. “God damn it, I…was not expecting that,” Jackson murmurs, stroking a hand over my hair and pressing a kiss to my cheek and then a quick one to my mouth.

“You’d better,” I say, looping my arms around his neck. “You’re a daddy now. Kids around all the time.”

He hums in consideration, looking between Marigold and me. “We’re going to need to get her her own bed…at some point.”

“And her own room,” I say, winding my arms around Jackson’s neck, pressing my own quick kiss to his mouth, sending all of my cheerful, happy morning emotions right down along the bond. He laughs and gives me a tight squeeze before I crawl off him and stand up, stretching.

“Okay, Marigold!” I say, grinning at the girl and offering my hand. “What do you think? A little bath before breakfast?”

She peers up at me, going still. And then she bares her teeth a bit, growling.

I blink at her, surprised. “You…don’t want breakfast?” I glance between her and Jackson, confused.

“No, it’s the bath…” Jacks murmurss, yawning and rubbing a hand over his hair. “She’s sending me…images, feelings. When she thinks of a bath it’s very…cold.”

“Really?” I ask, standing straight and staring at him. “You can get all that down the bond?”

He shrugs and looks up at me. “Is that…abnormal?”

I consider it for a second, remembering back to my own childhood. Children’s bonds with their parents change as their language develops, as their needs change. But I do remember being very small and passing thoughts and feelings to my parents so… “No, I guess it’s not,” I say quietly, putting my hands on my hips. “I’m just…not used to you having a bond with someone else.”

He looks up at me, his own feelings slightly guilty and worried as he looks up at me, almost apologetic.

Jackson reaches for my hand and I take it, giving him a squeeze. Guilt sweeps through me immediately, because who am I to begrudge Jackson a bond with his daughter? After all, it changes nothing about my bond with him.

I bend slightly, bringing Jackson’s hand to my mouth and kissing his fingers before turning to Marigold, crouching down in front of her. “Things are different here – we have very fancy plumbing. Our baths are warm – as warm as you’d like!”

She narrows her eyes at me, dubious, but I just grin and reach for her hand too. “Come on, kid. Let’s get you cleaned up. And then we’ll bring you to Ella, who will give you something delicious to eat.”

“Ella,” she whispers, reaching out on impulse and taking my hand. I laugh and nod to her, standing and helping Marigold to her feet too.

“Yes, the lure of Ella is universal,” I say on a laugh, starting towards the bathroom and grinning between Marigold and Jackson as they follow me.