Leaving Jamie's bedroom, Wolf makes his way downstairs to where Yasmine is waiting for him, pacing the living room anxiously and filled with worry at how her Sugar is doing after everything.

This was an eventful birthday to say the least.

Hearing him once he reaches the living room, she lifts her head and pauses her footing, "How is she?"

"Asleep." He answers simply, taking off his mask and running a hand through his dark hair as he avoids the gaze of the Davenport woman, being safe rather than sorry but nerves shake him ever so slightly because even if he knows Yasmine loves him enough to tell people that she's got a son... Her daughters mean everything to her. "Look Yasmine, I can ex—"

"Was Jamie with you in Argentina?" Yasmine cuts him off, straight to the point and his eyes shoot to hers as he blinks at her, before dropping his gaze and refraining from answering. "I had the phone she called me on traced and the serial number matched the one you called me from when you were away in Argentina."

With a sigh, Wolf takes a seat on the thick white couch and bows his head.

"Yes. Jamie was with me in Argentina."

"For how long? How long have you and my daughter been seeing each other?" Yasmine demands and he rubs his hands up and down his face.

"I don't know... I went to see her a few days after the attempted shooting outside of Prescott Corporations. It kinda started then but didn't become official until Argentina, I guess." Wolf gets to his feet with his eyebrows furrowed in worry. "I know what I promised you all those years ago—"

"Do you love her?"

Taken aback, Wolf sits back down on the couch but keeps his eyes in the platinum haired woman. "I mean..."

"Yes or no."

"What I feel is closer to love. Yes." He finally mumbles carefully and Yasmine stares at him thoughtfully, like a machine she doesn't know how to work. "I'm sorry..."

"Why are you apologising?"

He stares at her warily, because her voice is calm and all she's doing is watching him from where she stands. "Because I know how you feel about that sort of thing, you don't want your daughters to risk getting hurt the way you did and I'm supposed to protect her in every way I can."

Yasmine nods slowly. "Does she know your name? What you look like? Where you're from and the reasons you left?"

"Yes. To all of those." Wolf gets to his feet again. "She told me she didn't want to deal with all of this–this Prescott stuff and if I had tried to understand what she meant instead of just waiting to see how she reacted with time then today..." Sighing, he covers his face.

"Listen to me, and listen to me good. Jamie has never opened up to anyone, so the fact that you were able to begin such a close relationship with her is saying something. Don't lose it over one accident." Grabbing her white luxury bag from the couch, Yasmine reaches out and gives Wolf a warm squeeze on the shoulder. "You're still here, that's all that matters. Make sure to continue to be here for her because you're good for her. You're good for each other.

"I love you. Call me when she wakes up... I trust you to know what to do for my daughter." Kissing his cheek, Yasmine makes her way to the door, pausing when he calls her back.

"Happy Birthday."

"Thank you, Wolfie." Smiling, Yasmine disappears out the front door.

.....

Waking up very late that night, Jamie finds her bedroom cast into a dim glow, only lit by two side table lamps. The sheets are gripped in her hands and she works to remember why she fell asleep and when since her mind is just...seemingly empty with the accompaniment of a headache that causes her temples to pound faintly.

"Are you okay?" Jamie turns to the sound of a familiar voice, watching Wolf stand from the chaise lounge in the corner of her bedroom and begin to walk forwards her.

At his question, everything comes back to her, the party, her breakdown, Prescott's daughter...

Feeling the tightness of her face and the dryness of her throat, all Jamie does is nod. Moving back slightly, she watches him take a seat on the bed beside her, brushing her hair back from her face. "Your mom knows about us...your sisters too probably - my sister obviously."

Clearing her throat, Jamie comes up with a vocal response, "I ruined my mother's party."

Wolf buries his hand into Jamie's hair, massaging her head gently. Closing her eyes, tears slide down Jamie's cheeks and Wolf frowns, watching her take a sharp inhale before beginning to cry all over again, her shoulders shaking even as no sound leaves her. "I'm sorry." She finally chokes out and he lifts her up, out of the blankets and hugs her to his chest tightly.

"They aren't my family, and I personally don't feel as though I owe them anything just because we share the same blood." Raising a shaking hand, Jamie wipes her cheek uselessly, more tears covering her cheek and falling onto her lips at once. She sniffs. "I thought about it, I did but it isn't what I want. I feel so fulfilled with what I have now and...if I did want to know any of them, I'd need time. But I don't."

"Why didn't you say anything before?" Wolf asks and she shrugs.

"I couldn't. I didn't know how and people kept assuming things for me...it got a bit suffocating but things got better when we left. When you took me away. It's why I tried to put a restraining order against them because I just don't want to have them." She sniffs against his shoulder. "My mom and sisters are the only family I know and unlike my sisters, I never wanted to extend. It's a lot of work to deal with all of that and that's not the reason I want nothing to do with it, it's just—"

"Breathe." Wolf wipes Jamie's tears and lays down on the bed with her, rocking her in his arms.

"Thank you." She whimpers and he smiles.

"For what?"

"Being here." Her eyes are rimmed red as she stares at him, her lips pursed. "Being the best boyfriend who cares for me when I'm not too bright."

Wolf cups her cheek and presses his lips to hers, tasting the salt from her tears but simply kissing her harder. Exhaling shakily, Jamie rests her forehead against his once they've pulled away and falls into another deep sleep.

Jamie respects Connie's decision and all she wants is for her own decision to be respected. She understands that the Prescott family lost a piece of who they loved but seeking her won't fill the void and quite frankly, she doesn't want to seek the void.

The Davenport daughter knows that deep down all she'll ever feel is distant pity towards the family but she could never call them her own. She has a family and if Connie were here today, she'd thank her for giving her away after all.

Shifting her in his arms so he can see her face, Wolf looks down at her properly and pecks her face.

*****

Splash!

Diving into the water, Jamie swims laps over the length of rectangular pool. Her body glides in the freestyle motion, before turning and stroking backwards, looking up at the bright sky, the sun spilling into her eyes as she blinks lazily.

Waking up this morning, Jamie found herself alone in bed with a platter of breakfast on her side table as well as a note from Wolf saying he had to leave but would back later.

There was also pills and a glass of water and she happily had those since all the crying left her with an even stronger headache after the second take in Wolf's arms.

She feels better now though, her mind pretty much cleared and relaxed. Yes it's not good to hold things in but she's glad the in the end, the release she needed came through.

Later on, Jamie finally manages to drag herself out of the pool to eat something, using a towel to dry off her body and shake the droplets of water out of her hair.

Ding Dong.
Knock. knock. Knock.

On her way to the kitchen, Jamie hears the door and tosses her towel aside, straightening her triangle bikini top before opening.

"Hi Sugar." Yasmine stands in front of her with a bag of takeout food, smelling fragrantly greasy and salty to Jamie's hungry nose. "Are you just going to stare at me, or are you going to invite momma in."

"Uhm, yeah. Sorry, come in." Jamie steps aside and let's her mom in, closing the door behind them then following her through to the kitchen. "You know you didn't need to knock."

"I brought burgers."

"Thank you momma." Jamie says softly, grabbing two bottles of water from the fridge and handing one to Yasmine while sipping her own.

"Are you not cold?"

"I'm still alright." Jamie slides onto the bar stool across the counter from her mom and takes out the food, eating some fries quietly. She isn't sure what to say, because she isn't sure what her mother's intentions of coming here were.

Yasmine doesn't eat the food, just sips her water and stares at her daughter thoughtfully, noticing her tired eyes and slightly washed out face.

"Sugar."

Jamie swallows and looks up. "Yes momma?"

"I love you and I want what's best for you. I want you to tell me what you want instead of assuming and doing the wrong thing. As your mother, I should've known that everything with that family wasn't what you wanted to get involved with.

"So, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not looking closely at your feelings, only because I was afraid that you'd leave me if I flat out neglected your choice of wanting your biological family—"

"Mom I—"

Yasmine pauses, lowering her head and clasping her hands underneath her chin. "You know I'd do anything for you girls right? Anything. But Jamie accepting you to leave me is the biggest blow I've experienced because you've been my bear for the longest time and I held you fresh out of the womb as though you were my own."

Yasmine adopted Jamie a few hours after she was born, continuing to raise her for two entire years, before later adopting Rickson, who was already eight at the time. Nial was then taken in a year after, making her four, before finally adopting Elijah when she was one, a year after Nial.

The steps of seeing Jamie grow, made Yasmine have a nearly biological connection towards the girl, no matter how equally she loved all her children, she couldn't deny that special bond

"So please Sugar, tell me what you want." Yasmine drags her finger underneath her eye to wipe a single tear away and meets Jamie with a deep stare.

"I want my only momma bear. I want to press restraining orders against the Prescotts because even if they don't mean it, I feel cornered and all I need and want is you and my sisters. I can never be who they'll want me to be and I don't wanna try."

"Okay sweetheart. Come here." Jamie stands and hugs her mother, the warmth of Yasmine's coat leaking into her bare skin. "I love love love you."

"I love you too." Jamie says. "I'm sorry for ruining your birthday."

"You can make it up to me at brunch next week."

"Okay."

Kissing her mom's cheek and receiving one to her forehead, Jamie steps back now and smiles at the woman in front of her. "You okay now?" Yasmine asks and she nods. "Good. You can come in Wolf."

Jamie's eyes widen and she turns around as her boyfriend comes into the kitchen, holding Jamie's fluffy robe and slippers, which he hands over.

"I had just gotten here when Yasmine arrived. I thought I'd give you two some space so I quietly went upstairs." He explains and Jamie nods, pulling on the robe and shuffling into the slippers.

"Thank you." She says softly, turning to her mother who stares at the two of them curiously.

"You don't have to look so guilty. I had an idea long before I saw you at the party." Yasmine shrugs, picking up her water and sipping it. "You can take your mask off too furball."

Jamie smiles a little bit at the nickname and looks at Wolf who lowers his mask and winks at her.

"It just happened." She rushes to tell her mom.

"So it seems. Like I told Rickson, if he makes my cub happy, then she can keep him, just be aware that momma bear gets first grabs if he does anything to hurt my cubs." Yasmine stands and brushes herself off. "I expect you both at brunch. Love you."

"Love you too." Jamie and Wolf echo and Yasmine winks then leaves the room.

"You okay?" Wolf cups Jamie's cheeks and glides his thumbs underneath her cheeks.

Jamie nods, looking over every inch of his face and smiling. Going on her toes, she brushes her lips against his once. "Thank you."

"Of course."

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