Page 81 of Fated Alpha Baby

“Check this out!” she chirps as she turns the light off and clicks another switch that illuminates the room in a soft, purple light, the ceiling and walls covered in shadows of wings and antennas.

Bugs for our little bug.

“Whoa, kiddo! This is so cool!” I smile proudly as I advance into her room and take a seat on her bed. She continues to point out all the bugs she’s cut out for her bedside lamp, and the pride swells in my chest, because there’s no doubt.

Clarissa might look like a replica of her mother, but her personality matches mine.

We have dinner together, and that’s when I give Hannah an update about what’s going on with the dark witch we have in custody. Eating together, it feels like we can enjoy that little crumb of peace, even if it won’t last long. But it’s for that very reason that I decide to finally cross a bridge I almost crossed in the park before the dark witch attacked.

That’s why I say goodnight to Clarissa and ask Hannah to tell her a bedtime story tonight.

“Come find me in the bedroom,” I whisper in her ear, and she looks at me with a confused frown.

“Er—okay,” she says hesitantly before returning her attention to Clarissa.

While she’s tucking our daughter in bed, I head to the ensuite bathroom in our temporary bedroom and run the bath, filling it with essential oils, rose petals, and bath salts.

Once I’ve lit the candles on the side of the bathtub, I sit on a corner and wait for Hannah to join me.

“Conan?” she calls out from inside the room.

“I’m in here!” I call back, and frown when I hear her stop outside the door.

“Er—is it safe to come inside?”

“Of course, Hannah,” I chuckle. “I’m not undressed or anything.”

When she comes in, our eyes meet, and I chuckle again. “I’m not pooping, either. Unless you want to believe that it smells like roses and peppermint.”

Hannah covers her mouth and giggles, her eyes lighting up when she notices the candles burning alongside the bathtub, and the aromatic steam filling the air.

“What is this, Conan?” she asks, and I reach out a hand toward her. She takes my hand, and I draw her closer.

“Over these past few weeks, you’ve been through a lot, Hannah,” I say as I smooth my finger across her knuckles. “I wanted to do something special for you, for a change.”

“Conan…” she whispers, her eyes becoming moist with tears as she tilts her head to one side and pouts. “You really didn’t have to.”

“I absolutely had to, Hannah,” I insisted, lifting her hand to plant a kiss there. “At the park, I wanted to tell you something, but we were interrupted. Then you saved me, and beat me to it.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I love you, Hannah Young. I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember.” I smile as the memory of arriving at Dorothy’s house with a box of dominoes to play with the shy girl who lived with her comes to mind. “And even after eight years apart, when I saw you again in Augusta, there was only one thing I wanted to do.”

I kiss her hand again, and watch her reaction through my lashes, noticing the way her creamy cheeks fill with color.

“I wanted to make you mine, Hannah. I wanted to have you by my side, because no matter what, I have always loved you.”

A tear rolls down her cheek, and I leave her hand to wipe the tear away. She wraps her arms loosely around my shoulders and stares deeply into my eyes.

“All of this because I said it first?” she giggles.

“It’s all about winning, remember?” I chuckle.

Hannah blushes more. “Then you will be happy to know that you have certainly won my heart, Alpha Conan Becker.”

“Oh, have I, now?” I purr as I slide my hands to her waist, staring up at her in a seductive way as I pull her closer.

She giggles lightly as my hands travel to her rear, and I give a gentle squeeze.