Silence met my rushed explanation, and I was thankful my family couldn’t see my face.
“And you’re keeping the baby?” Mom asked, sounding hopeful but also like she was bracing herself for more disappointment.
“I am,” I told them. Because that was one thing I was sure of in my mess of a life.
Now, I stared at my ringing phone, seeing it was my mom, and debated answering or not. I was exhausted, all the time, and I wasn’t sure I was up for more questions from my family. Still, I answered, because it was my mom.
“Morning, Mom.”
“You haven’t left for school yet, have you?” Mom asked, then I heard the phone clatter down on something, her muttering, and the echo telling me I was on speaker phone. Great.
“Who else is there, Mom?” Because I did not need for them to ambush me with Balfour, Goddess forbid. I was fairly sure I had done a good enough job selling them my alpha hook up story.
“Just me, son,” Dad’s gruff voice said. “Your mother and I wanted to talk to you together. We’ve been talking and…”
“Just tell him Merv,” Mom urged. “He might not even want it. We need to not push him, especially right now.”
Blowing out a breath, I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Tell me what?”
“We’d like to gift you our house,” Dad said, and I was stunned.
“What?” I couldn’t keep the shock from my voice. Last I knew, they were planning to list the house and bank the profits. Since Santa's Village didn’t require money, and Nik had provided them with a cottage to retire in, they really didn’t need the money. They were planning to travel a bit, in the human world, so they would use it for that.
“That one bedroom apartment of yours is no place to raise a baby,” Dad declared matter-of-factly. “The house is paid for, and it has plenty of room for you and the baby.”
“But,” I stammered, “you were going to travel. You’ll have your retirement pension, but how does that work if no one will remember you?”
Mom laughed, “Oh, that’s easy, we took it as a lump sum. It’s already in the bank, so once we officially make the move here, next month, we’ll bring the money with us. We want to do this for you, Kendrick.”
I was stunned and didn’t know what to say. Tears pricked the back of my eyes, because it was all too much. The last few weeks had been so many emotions and then finding out I was pregnant; I could do nothing but cry. Which was annoying to say the least.
“Thank you,” I finally managed. “I appreciate it more than you know.”
I hoped I would be as great a parent as my own were.
Kendrick
Past…
Me:One of my students asked me during reading time today, why I wasn’t mated.
Grumpy Elf:What did you tell them?
Me:That alphas are icky and have cooties, of course.
Grumpy Elf:Of course. Did they buy that story?
Me:LOL I didn’t really tell them that. I said I hadn’t met the right alpha for me, but someday I would.
Grumpy Elf:Sooo….you lied.
Me:Of course I lied.
Grumpy Elf:I’m putting you on the naughty list.
Me:Do what you need to do. Just remember, I have an in with Santa.
Chapter Eighteen
