8. Dance Party

Nivia’s pov

I held my tongue as we walked inside, wanting nothing more than some peace and quiet. Unfortunately, Ford was heading in the same direction as I was.

We both wanted to freshen up before dinner, I guess.

“I’ll leave you alone to do your thing; I’ll head down to the living room.” I said awkwardly. How was this going to work?!

“Fifteen minutes until dinner is served,” Ford said sternly as he turned his back to me and walked into the bathroom.

Thankfully the kids were downstairs to distract me.

They both smiled when they saw me, and Ada called me over. “This is our playtime.”

“That’s cool, so what are you playing, and can I join?” I always play around with the kids in my family. There are a lot of them!

“A puzzle.” Ada pointed to the pieces in front of her.

That’s boring. They have homeschooled all day, it seems, and then have some time to play, and they play with puzzles. I mean, if they like that sort of thing… It’s not how the kids at home play, though.

Percy joined me and Ada, while Madeline stayed seated on her sofa across from us, reading a book. But I saw her looking at us from time to time.

“What do you do for fun?” I asked Percy.

He smiled at me, “I like to read.”

“Okay, that’s good. And sports?”

He nodded, “I have training each weekend, and we run laps.”

“No soccer or other sports?”

Percy shook his head, “Football, we call it football.”

I giggled, “sorry, forgot your dad is British. Football. And you’re homeschooled?”

He nodded, but before he could speak, Madeline interjected. “Those are a lot of questions, Miss Omari, that should be directed at the alpha.”

I faked a smile, “I’m just trying to get to know them.”

My attention went back to Percy and Ada, “you know what I do with my cousins when I babysit?”

They both shook their little heads.

“We do dance parties. Sometimes we dress up too. We have this big chest with dress-up clothes for Halloween and other holidays. And then we dance. We play a lot of hide-and-seek or tag because our house is pretty big. Or... we go to the petting zoo.”

“Petting zoo?” Ada asked, her eyes wide. I knew she would find that interesting.

“Yes, my granddad has a farm. And all the kids are allowed to visit the farm and see the animals. We help feed them and take care of them. He has dogs, bunnies, guinea pigs, alpacas, and horses. All kinds of animals. It’s a lot of fun.”

“Can we see them?” Percy asked. “I’ve never seen an alpaca or a guinea pig. Only in books.”

I chuckled, “maybe one day. I’m sure Grandpa Cy would love you guys. But if you want, we could do a dance party soon."

Ada clapped her hands, but Percy seemed unsure. “You don’t have to dance, Percy. You can just jump around.”

He laughed, “jump around?”

I nodded, trying to look very serious. “Yes, or just use one finger. My other granddad calls it the white-man dance. You just dance with one finger, and that’s it.” I showed him the move, which made him laugh even harder.

Ada joined and started dancing with just one finger.

“And then if you want to step it up, you use one arm.” I said as I raised my hand to the roof. “But remember, the rest of your body does not move with you.”

I took my phone and put on some music. “And this is how it looks.” I said as I stood frozen, except for my right arm, which slightly moved up and down to the beat. “Or you can add some shoulders like my aunt does when she’s been, um… happy.” When she’s been drinking.

Percy and Ada both tried my moves, while Madeline looked at me with disdain. I guess that’s why Ford chose her to be the nanny; she’s no fun either.

Soon we were all dancing silly, with the kids laughing loudly until my mate walked in to ruin the whole thing.

He coughed to draw attention to himself, and immediately the kids stopped dancing and stood up straight with their eyes down to the floor. Like fucking soldiers.

I turned down the music and waited for Ford’s next rant. Thankfully he decided not to complain, but I was sure I’d hear about all this soon enough.

“Let’s head over to dinner, shall we?” Ford said with clear disapproval in his voice.

“I’ll race you.” I said to the kids with a wink as I ran out of the living room towards the dining room. “I can’t be tardy again.”

I took my seat as the first person there, and the look on Ford’s face did not disappoint. Not only was his throbbing vein there, but he had a sneer that would surely be accompanied by some hurtful remark.

But I wasn’t going to let my mate ruin everything. I’m a fun person. I enjoy life, and he will not turn me into a miserable person just because he’s a boring stick in the mud.

Thankfully, my mate didn't say a word. Actually, nobody did. We all ate in silence, and as much as I felt the need to speak, I held back, remembering that this is not my home. If Ford can keep himself from making a remark about our little dance party, then I can eat in silence.

One benefit of eating in silence is that dinner is over much faster. Once everyone cleared their plates, the kids were excused from the table.

"I will be by to wish you goodnight," Ford said as the kids walked out.

"Can Nivia come too?" Ada asked, and it warmed my heart to hear her ask this.

I held my breath, wondering if Ford would say yes or no. He did not like his routine changed, so I was convinced he would tell her no.

"That will be up to Miss Omari." 

I breathed a sigh of relief; the thought of little Ada being disappointed didn't sit right with me. "I'd love to say goodnight to you, Ada. And to you, Percy, if you like."

Percy smiled at me and nodded, "Thank you, Nivia. And thank you, Daddy, for saying yes."

"Thank you, Daddy." Ada added excitedly. 

So this was out of character, it seems. If Ford hadn't been a dick all morning, this might have made me feel like there was a chance for us. But if I counted all the negative things my mate had done and said and compared them to the few moments he had been nice... Well, it was no contest which list would win.

The kids and nanny left, leaving Ford and me at the table.

"So... what do you normally do after dinner?" I asked Ford.

"After saying goodnight to my children, I train and prepare work for the next day."

"And what do you do for fun?" I regretted my question immediately, but it was too late to take back my words.

"I'm an Alpha, Miss Omari. I do not waste time on frivolity such as dancing.” He sneered. “Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to change into my workout attire. The children will be in bed within fifteen minutes. Can I expect you to be on time?”

"I'll be there?" Goddess, I sounded so insecure. This stupid man.

I texted my parents and a few other people to let them know I was alive and okay. Of course, I could have mindlinked most of them, but they're too noisy, and they could probably tell by the sound of my voice that I am not okay. I'm miserable and want to go home, and if Dad finds out, he'll come get me instantly.

When it was almost time for the kids to go to sleep, I headed up. I was proud to see I got there before Ford did.

Since Ada is the youngest, I went to her room first. I figured she probably has to sleep before her brother does; at least that's how it was with me and Forrest. She smiled when she saw me come in, all tucked into her little bed. She looked adorable. 

"Aren't you the cutest thing ever, Princess Ada?" I said, walking up to her. "Are you all ready for bed?"

She nodded, and I looked around the room. There weren't many toys, but there were plenty of books.

"Do you want me to read to you until your dad comes here?" I asked, and she nodded eagerly. 

"Yes, please." 

I looked through the books to find one I knew and grabbed a chair and sat next to her on the bed. I had purposefully left the door open so I could hear Ford's footsteps when he was coming.

But there were lighter footsteps headed this way as I read the first page.

Soon Percy stood beside the bed, "can I join?"

I nodded, and he sat beside his sister under the covers. The kids seemed mesmerized as I read to them. I tried to use different voices for different characters, which made them laugh.

It was so cute, and it made me feel proud to see I got this reaction from them. Even if their dad hates me, at least they like me.

When I heard Ford's footsteps come closer, I kept on reading. I wasn't doing anything wrong, so I didn't see a reason to stop.

He entered the room, but let me finish the page before speaking. After finishing the page, I glanced up at him. He was wearing shorts and a tight shirt, showing off every muscle. He had good legs too. Bastard.

"It's time for bed. Thank Miss Omari for reading to you." He told the kids sternly.

"It was no problem." I told the kids. I kissed the top of Ada's head, "goodnight sweetie."

Percy looked at me expectantly, so I did the same for him. He waved at me before walking back to his room. "Goodnight, Dad, goodnight, Nivia."

"Sleep well, Percy." I said, waving back.

"Night night, Adalaide," Ford said, giving her a nod.

"Night night, Daddy and Nivia." She yawned, and I so badly wanted to squeeze her and eat her up. She's so freaking cute.

I walked to the door; Ford turned the lights off and closed the door behind us and then kept walking, not uttering a word to me.

His butt looked good in his shorts, though. 

I went up to the room I would be sharing with my mate and got dressed for bed in my brother’s old shorts and a big shirt. There was no need to dress sexy for Ford, since he clearly wasn’t interested in me, and more importantly, I was planning to avoid his side of the bed entirely.

Making a wall of towels between us crossed my mind, but I was sure we could both use his king-size bed without touching each other.

My experience with men or women in the bedroom hasn’t been, um, how do you say that?

‘You have no experience?’ Gwyn joked.

Basically, it’s limited to kisses and a few awkward second base moments.

But after the way Ford treated me today, it was clear he wouldn’t try anything with me. Even a kiss between the two of us seemed ridiculous at this point.

Boy…. Was I wrong…