Chapter Fourteen

I snuck out of bed but not before taking a peek at Zeus and Fyn cuddled up together. Last night had been amazing. We hadn't mated or marked each other, but bonding had occurred nonetheless. After putting on a pair of jeans and grabbing my sketchbook, I made my way to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. I didn't want to wake up my new mates or Zeus' precious little girl, but I had to see the garden as the sun rose in the distance. It would give me the inspiration I needed.

I sipped from the baby-blue coffee cup while watching the rising sun fill the sky with violet and tangerine brushstrokes.

Before long, I had sketched out the entire place and started in on the details, adding notes on the sides when different thoughts sparked.

"What's up, Rip?" Thia's wind-chime voice tinged in my ears.

Rip. Adorable.

"Good morning, princess," I said, taking in her attire. This morning, she had chosen a sparkly violet dress with high-top tennis shoes that had matching glittery shoelaces. She even sported a new wand and two little buns on top of her head.

Zeus and Fyn walked behind her, cups of coffee in their hands.

"Whatcha doin'?" Thia walked over and hung on my leg so she could see my sketchbook.

"I'm drawing the garden—how it will look when we're done with it."

Zeus and Fyn came over but, after our decision the night before to discuss our mating with Thia before proceeding, we refrained from affection. Shame, too, because I wanted to kiss them both silly.

"How can you plan a fairy garden with no tutu?"

A valid question. All three of us chuckled.

Zeus stepped forward and rubbed Thia's back. "Not everyone wears tutus, little one."

Thia turned on her father and gave him the stink eye of the century. "Daddy. Everyone should."

"I've got an idea," I announced, flipping my notebook shut. "How about we do some shopping for the garden and pick up some things that we need for the motel and then we visit the fabric store. I'm afraid I can't possibly go on planning this garden without a tutu."

Thia gasped. "Can we stop for breakfast? I need pancakes."

"Of course. Guys, is that okay with you?" I asked Zeus and Fyn who, I realized, I had put in a precarious position, not asking them before I presented the idea to the princess. This was all a learning curve for me. A big one.

"It's perfectly fine," Fyn replied. "I don't even know where to start with the renovations."

Zeus picked up Thia. "We should probably start with the lobby. It needs a lot of love and updating. Plus, it's the first thing the guests will see."

Fyn nodded. "That's a great idea. We can pick up paint while we're out. If that's okay?"

I walked over to the omega and winked at him. What I wanted to do was pull him in for a kiss but again, we had company and that company hadn't been asked if this was all okay with her. "It's okay with us, Fyn. Let's go eat and shop."

After our breakfast at the local diner that consisted of entirely too much sugar and empty carbs, we went to the hardware store. Fyn picked out a lovely buttery yellow to go in the lobby, saying he wanted everything to be happy and inviting in the motel. While we shopped, we snuck some hand-holding in, and Zeus passed his hand down my back while probably no one was looking. I didn't want the sneaking-around phase to last long, but damn, it was fun while it did.

"Let's go to the nursery next. I'm not sure if they will have all the things I need or if I will have to order online. It's fun to shop around though."

Thia had a fun time at the nursery. Surprisingly, they had a ton of the things on my list, but, first, the garden needed a cleanup and some of the items removed. I did pick up some bulbs and organic fertilizer for prepping the beds but, other than that, things would have to wait until I had a clean canvas.

The unicorn fountain? That, I would need James' help with, a custom job.

"Can we go to the tutu shop now?" Thia asked.

"It's not a tutu shop. It's a shop that sells tulle. Tulle is the fabric that makes the tutu." Zeus always explained things to her in a loving way.

"Oh. Then let's go to that store."

We ended up buying enough tulle for the entire NYC ballet company to perform Swan Lake fifty times, and in all colors—only a minor exaggeration—but what the princess wanted, she got.

By the time the shopping was done and we'd ventured into a few more stores, including a grocery store, we were all ready for a late lunch. Zeus had snacks for Thia that tided her over, but she needed a real meal.

We went back to the motel where Zeus cooked up some simple buttered noodles and garlic bread. We'd had a long but lovely day, and a carb fest was exactly what we needed.

While we ate and discussed the plans for the motel and garden, I noticed Thia glancing between us all.

"What is it?" Zeus asked me.

"I think the little one has something to say."

Fyn had been holding my hand under the table for the last few minutes and he squeezed it, nodding at my assumption.

"What is it?" Zeus asked his daughter who had demolished the plate of noodles, claiming it was the best thing ever. It kind of was.

"I really like my new family."

Not a dry eye in the room.

"Is this okay with you, Thia?" Zeus made sure he had her full attention. "Is it okay if Fyn and Ripley are my mates now? They would become your family, too."

"Of course!" she said. "I like having three daddies."