Page 56 of Surprise Mother Pucker

A child…everything was different now.

I had only caught one glance of the baby before her mother had scooped her up and ran from the apartment. She had been sitting on Micha’s lap, watching the TV as he spoke to her in an animated, quiet voice. Even in my sleep-addled state, I could tell she was beautiful, just like her mother.

She was…mine?

“I’m a dad?”

How had I managed to mess things up so badly? Most people I dated knew my name, but occasionally, I gave the name of a random pack mate of mine, just so the girl wouldn't be able to follow me.

Why had I done that? It had been a stupid split-second decision, and the impact of it was going to haunt me forever.

If Kennedy had known my name, would she have been able to find me? Even if she had, would I have been there for her? I had spent hour after hour ranting at my twin sister about how some guys got a girl pregnant and ran for the hills.

Most of my ranting was dedicated to the guy that got my twin sister knocked up, then ran away, but she was reluctant to tell me anything about him. All I knew was that he wasn't involved in my sister's life or around for the birth of my nephew. She’d had to go through everything alone. Well, not completely alone. I wasthere for her as much as I could, because we didn't have parents, but the father should have been there.

All the righteous indignation I’d felt toward the alpha who had betrayed my sister… and I had done the exact same thing to Kennedy.

My throat was thick, my vision blurring as the realization of what I had done pulled at me. I was hypocrite, and I hated myself for it. Rubbing my hand over my face, I took a deep, ragged breath. My chest was tight, heavy with the realization I was a father.

Sinking down onto the couch, I rested my head in my hands, trying to will the room to stop spinning.

“I treated Kennedy like shit,” I mumbled, more to myself than to my pack mates.

And a member of my pack had swooped in and swept her off her feet. I loved my pack deeply, but the idea that one of my pack mates knew my daughter better than me made my head spin and my stomach turn queasy.

“What is she like, my daughter?” I asked quietly. I knew I had no right to ask. I didn’t deserve to know. But the alpha in meneededto know, or I was going to lose my mind.

Eli was standing a few feet away from me, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he tried to contain his anger.

Anger that I deserved.

“She’s cute as a button, dude,” Micha said. “Eli and I went over there a few weeks ago when they were both sick and looked after them. I got all the baby snuggles while Eli cared for Kennedy. We took turns feeding her, and she vomited all over me—it was adorable!”

So, all three of my pack mates had cared for the mother of my child in a way my immature, idiotic ass hadn’t managed to? My chest was burning with some unleashed emotion. Possiblydespair, more anger at myself, and an overwhelming sense of loss.

I had failed so spectacularly, and I didn’t know how to make it right.

As painful as it was, there was nothing I could do to change the past. I regretted my actions so deeply, it physically hurt, but moping would get me nowhere. Resolve strengthened in my chest as I thought about what I would need to do now.

Groveling. There would certainly be a whole lot of groveling, but I also needed to be there for Kennedy now. I needed to get to know my daughter and try to build at least a friendship with this omega who my pack mates were enamored with.

Eli was in love with her, that much was obvious. So, clearly, I was in for an uphill battle, because my pack was treating Kennedy the way I should have, with love and respect. Eli wasn't one to love easily, but when he did, it was deep and unwavering and so powerful.

There was no doubt that he was going to be Kennedy’s defender now.

I didn’t know what had possessed me to go out the night before. I didn't want to admit it to my pack mates, but deep down, I was scared. With Eli finding an omega, it signaled that the end of our college years were upon us. We were about to enter the real world and face responsibilities that I didn't know if I was ready for.

I doubted Eli was going to be a help when it came to getting Kennedy on my side. He was going to do everything in his power to protect her, because not only was he in love with her, but she was also pregnant with his child.

“I know you guys have no right to believe me, and I probably wouldn't believe myself in this situation, but I will make this right,” I said, my voice ragged.

“How can you make it right when you weren't there for her?” Eli asked pointedly, crossing his arms.

“All I can do is be there for her now. Be there for my daughter. Shit… Eli, man, you know I never would have left her if I’d known.”

Eli nodded reluctantly. He knew all too well how I felt about the father of Sunny's child. There had been a number of evenings when I’d had a few more drinks than I probably should have and vented to him and my other pack mates about the situation. They had talked me down when I was considering hiring a private investigator to track the guy down.

Charlie had been all for it, but Eli and Micha had mentioned that, if Sunny ever found out, she would probably murder us. The last thing we wanted to do was ruin her trust in us at such a vulnerable time, so, reluctantly, I tabled that idea for a while.

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