Page 92 of Knotted their Beauty

“Exhibit A,” Lennox says, pointing out the doorway.

“Yes. We’re going to spend forty-five minutes at the park, come home, and she’ll be good to go.”

“You know how to balance her out,” Baron says.

“Pretty much. She’s such an easy kid.”

“Easy for you,” Ves snorts, coming back in. “She’s also changing into her favorite pair of shorts. We’ve gone through so many nannies, and none of them understood her. You just get Cali. I should have known you were special when you immediately started chatting together like you’d known each other for years.”

My cheeks burn with heat, but I’m really proud of my bond with Cali.

“Okay! Ready,” she announces soon after.

“Awesome. Let me toss these in a bag.”

I check to make sure I have my phone, pack a hat, and insist on having her let me add sunscreen.

“Am I ready yet?” she groans.

“I guess,” I laugh.

“Yay. Okay, now hugs. I got excited and needed to see everything.”

Cali runs around giving Lennox and Baron hugs, along with promises to give everyone more love once she’s done at the park. I love that she managed to slow down enough to make everyone in our pack feel special.

“We’ll be back.” I take her hand after shoving the bag over my shoulder, and head out the door as our pack tells us to have fun.

“Okay, tell me what your favorite thing about visiting your grandparents was.”

The two of us chat nonstop as we walk. The sidewalks are well maintained, and we never have to cross a street since it’s one big L-shape to get to the park. The breeze keeps us from getting too warm, and she keeps me laughing with her stories.

There are a couple of times that the space between my shoulder blades itches, and I glance around to see if anyone is looking at us. While cars pass on the road, and a couple walks by with their dog, there’s nothing necessarily wrong with what I’m experiencing.

Baron mentioned he saw a woman who acted kind of creepy when he was working on the van, but I get the feeling he doesn’t like many people. Some people are very forward about talking to those who might need help. My alpha isn’t a fan at all.

“What do you think?” I ask, hanging my bag over the top of a bench. There are a few other people here, and there are kids running around the park.

“I think I need to explore,” she giggles. “Think they’ll play hide and seek with me?”

“It’s worth a shot!”

Cali takes off to talk with some of the kids, and they agree to play with her. I watch as they run around, changing my position to keep my eye on her.

“Is she your only one?” a man asks.

Startled, I turn toward him, and he points out his three kids.

“At some point, I let them go free and know they’ll watch out for each other,” he explains.

I smile at him and shake my head. It’s too complicated to explain. “She’s my only one,” I reply.

The kids have shifted into a random game of tag, and they’re screaming as they run. I can’t see Cali’s wild curls and my stomach clenches uncomfortably.

“Cali?” I call out, taking a deep breath as I begin walking through the playground. I look in tunnels, on the swings, and still don’t see her. “Excuse me, have you seen a little girl with curly hair?”

The little boys I ask shake their heads and run off, and my heart begins to pound. Fuck, fuck, fuck!

“Cali!” I yell, getting really desperate. I’ve been searching for the past fifteen minutes, and I have tears in my eyes.