Goddess, am I in a bad mood. All I can think about is how my lovely bedroom with its ensuite is perfectly fine for me. Perfect for one. I haven’t outgrown it.
Pink takes a deep breath. He glances at his husband and gets a proud smile.
“So,” he continues. “Monty has an entire stately home sitting empty since his mother fled. Fifty-three bedrooms and more drawing rooms and galleries than can be counted. There even is a ballroom.”
Monty stands up. “There is a boating lake for Lello to swim in.”
The little kelpie lets out an excited sounding squeak. Monty smiles softly and turns to Red.
“There are large grounds and woods for Red to run in.”
Red’s eyes light up. Shit, I never even considered what it must be like for a wolf shifter to live in a city. Red never complains, so it never crossed my mind. Some friend I am.
“We can build a large saltwater pool for Blue,” adds Pink.
Monty smiles at his husband. “There are clear skies for Gray to watch the stars, and the folly has a great view of the sunrise.”
Gray sits up a little straighter and despite my self-pitying mood, I can’t help but smile. I love that my scary demon friend loves tostargaze and watch the sunrise. It is so cute. Until I remember it’s because he spent a hundred years chained to a bed in a dark room.
“There is so much room that Ned and his family can have their own wing of the house, if they want. Each of the kids can have their own bedroom.”
Ned and Morgan look at each other. Communicating something silently in that way that only couples seem able to do.
Pink turns his attention to me, and he falters. Yeah. There is nothing to offer me. What do I need? I’m not interesting in any special way. Just keep me away from fey stone circles, I guess. And it’s unlikely Monty has any of those on his giant, fancy property.
“The only downside we can think of,” says Monty. “Is that it is quite far away.”
Pink quickly interjects, “But we only moved here so Ned could be close to the kids. Nobody has any ties to this area.”
“Noah and Oscar will have to change schools,” Ned says.
Pink nods solemnly.
“It is a lot to think about,” agrees Monty. “There is no rush to make a decision. Pink and I merely wished to put the suggestion forward.”
“And you’d be happy with a bunch of random people living in your ancestral home?” I ask.
For fuck’s sake. Why do I have to be such a moody bastard? Always ruining the mood and bringing everyone down.
Monty coughs. “I don’t consider anyone here to be random people. I consider you all to be family.”
He blushes, and Pink takes his hand. My bestie gazes up at his husband with an utterly adoring expression.
Chatter breaks out. Mostly people assuring Monty that they think of him as family too. It’s making me seem like a right jerk.
I hide my sigh and fight to keep my expression neutral. The thing is, I do think of Monty as family. I love everyone in this room. My found family that I do not deserve.
The boys I went through hell with, and the men that love them. So I have no idea why I said such a bratty thing.
Brodie says that sometimes when a person feels unlovable, they push others away as a defense mechanism. Pink says that everyone understands that I don’t mean it. But I have a feeling he is far more forgiving than the rest.
Talk drifts on to the benefits of moving to Monty’s house. I guess it’s Pink’s house too, now that they are married.
I sit and listen quietly. Everyone sounds excited. Happy. It sounds more like plans than a serious discussion of the pros and cons.
My stomach twists uncomfortably. This is awful timing. The very worst.
What about Flyn? Things are just starting. I have my misgivings and I’m riddled with guilt, but something is blooming and I want to see where it leads. Goddess, do I want that. More than anything.
