33. CAMILA

Chapter thirty-three

CAMILA

Back home in Sasha's nest, I block out everything other than the Omega I've fallen in love with. He's talking in his sleep about ice cream and slathering it somewhere which will not be happening. Kolsen joked about fucking me with the zucchini in the fridge and Sasha promptly said he'd eat it. I immediately outlawed any and all food-related sex. Well, most of it. Sasha mumbles something again and I curl into his chest, pressing little kisses on his cheeks and nose.

He's completely worn out, more so than I am. Kolsen and Amiri say that it's normal but I'm still a little worried, even with Kolsen passed out on the other side of us. Amiri is checking in on a few things at Temple as well as helping to deliver my painting. He promised that everything would be set up in time for the meeting with Teo so all I had to do was wait.

"You smell like sunshine, buttercup," Sasha mumbles as he tucks his head into my neck. "Goddess, I wish I could have gone with you to see all those people who've stood by you. To thank them for bringing me my Beta."

I chuckle as I wrap my arms around him. "Ethan got to see Mom. He was so happy to have her with him. I didn't know how I'd feel removing her from the house but it feels like we freed her the same way you guys did for me." I frown as I realize one of the many reasons I couldn't ever let my mother's things go was because her memory would have disappeared. My father did nothing to keep her memory alive save for the color of the walls and her urn. He didn't even have a picture above the mantle so that everyone could see the wonderful woman that had brought Ethan and I into existence.

With my mother's urn outside of that house, I know things will be different. That the next time I walk into my brother's house, my mother will be sitting on a mantle with a bouquet and dried petals and her picture right beside it. She was my hero and my safe place but she had been Ethan's everything.

I sigh as he starts kissing up the side of my neck. "Tell me more, buttercup. Doctor's orders that I'm not supposed to move for at least another 12 hours."

"He didn't say that."

"Yes, he did. I'm the doctor. Kolsen already gave me a bath but it feels like I've been run over by a truck. No more suppressants. As much as I don't want to be a bother to the business, this heat was just a little too violent for me."

I agree wholeheartedly, even if it was enjoyable. The scratches I left on both of my Alphas worried me for a while until Kolsen explained that they would proudly wear those marks until they healed. Kolsen rolls over and throws an arm over the both of us, his purr rattling through his chest. "You're not a burden, babe. You never have been. Heat or no heat, you are precious and well-loved. And if that means I get to lose myself in your nest every couple of months, I'd be honored."

"As long as my buttercup wears one of those dresses at the beginning. Watching you guys basically rip her out of it at one point was amazing."

My gaze narrows at the both of them when I pull away enough to catch Sasha's expression. "I really liked that dress."

"I'll buy you more, love. I promise."

"Whatever, back to the picnic. Ethan is going to set up a little service for our mother in the next couple of weeks and invite all the family. Well, the ones that never got to say goodbye. I want you to come. She was so beautiful and so full of life before she died." My brows furrow as I realize I've never shown my mates a picture of her. In fact, I haven't really spoken much about her at all over the years. I sit up and look around for my phone, thankful that it still has a little charge.

Both Kolsen and Sasha are sitting up watching as I furiously scroll through my phone and then show them a picture. It's years old, Violet and Sofie standing next to me, and a much younger version of Ethan in front of me with the goofiest smile. My mother is standing behind us with the silliest grin, holding up the peace sign seconds after we taught it to her. It's hanging over my head so it looks more like bunny ears but it's my favorite picture of her.

"Like this?" My mother asks. She sticks up her pointer finger, smiling as if she knows that she's not following directions. I growl at her, placing my hands on my hips before showing her again. I just want one cool picture with my mom and my friends and she isn't doing it right .

I shove two fingers at her again, revealing the peace sign. Violet and Sofie come up on either side of me, throwing out the same sign, giggling when my mother does another form but it still isn't right.

"Mom! It isn't that hard!" I stomp my foot, unruly curls flying across my shoulders. My mother's smile widens as she reaches forward to pull me into a big hug.

"I'm sorry. It's just so cute when your nose gets all scrunched up." She places a kiss on the top of my head and then pulls back to hold up two fingers in the ‘v' sign. "Like this?"

"Yes! Come on. We have to take the picture."

We're in our Sunday best, one of the few times Mom has been healthy enough to attend. I'm more than ecstatic to have this picture in my memories and plastered on my walls and to show my mother every chance I get how happy we are with her around. Maybe she won't leave.

I place everyone in position and then look around for the missing piece, Ethan grinning as he runs toward me. I throw my arms out and he flies into them before snuggling into my chest. He's always been a snuggly Omega, a little ray of sunshine in our strange lives. My mother wraps her arms around us from behind as she makes a sound that only female Omegas can make for their children.

"Do you want to grab your father?"

"No. This picture is just for us. Make sure you do the sign!"

Sasha has my phone in his hands, memorizing the picture as he runs his finger across my mother's face. "You look just like her. I bet she was a lot of fun and I'm sad we never got to meet her. I want to hear everything about her, buttercup. All the times she made you happy." I could spend a lifetime doing that. Sasha continues looking at the picture before he frowns. "Is this Violet and Sofie? Your Beta friends?"

"Yes, why?"

"The small one isn't a Beta, Camila."

It's funny now but it was such a sore subject when Sofie never presented. I'm sure Sofie will also find it funny at some point down the line. "We always thought Sofie was a Beta because she never presented. In all those years, nothing ever happened. She presented yesterday, though. She's a little terrified but Violet is helping her. They're together."

"Love, it's rare that an Omega finds their Beta before their Alphas. I'd be interested to see how that pans out. If Sofie is as territorial as Sasha was over us, Violet isn't going anywhere and I pray for any Alpha who tries to rip them apart." Kolsen opens his arms for me to crawl into his lap and I gladly bury myself into his chest. It's nice to hear that Violet and Sofie might be endgame. They both deserve their happy endings just as much as I do.

Silence filters between us as I relax, soon finding sleep again for my weary limbs. After all, I'll need my energy for this evening to give the performance of a lifetime. I'm still also taking his money afterward as well.