“You can’t stop fate. Trust me, that’s what got Fox in this situation.”
“I have no fucking clue what you mean by that,” Dilen said.
“For fuck sake, just tell him. I’ll go out on a date with you, if you do it.”
Dilen rattled off Fox’s address quickly, and Alistaire ran off, leaving the two men alone.
***
Fox hummed along with the song playing as he made a quick dinner of seared salmon, fried potatoes, and mixed vegetables. Genesis was sitting in her walker, babbling along, bringing a smile to his face. It had been a week since he’d moved to Valleywood. And although he’d thought the day he’d finally move from his family’s home would have been with Alistaire, he’d had to face the fact it wouldn’t happen the way he’d imagined. His parents hadn’t been happy when he’d told them he was moving but gave in after explaining his reasons.
“What do you mean you’re moving?” Barret asked.
“Have we done something wrong?” Aria interjected.
Fox smiled. “No, Mom and Dad. I just think now that I’m in law school, I need to be closer to the university. And I want to stretch my wings a bit. I’m only going to be two hours away.”
“I don’t like it,” Aria huffed. “I won’t be able to see you or my granddaughter every day.”
“How about I promise to come home every other weekend,” Fox said. “And since I bought a house, I was hoping you’d come help me decorate it.”
Her eyes widened at the last part of his statement. “You’ll come home every holiday,” Aria added. “And yes, I will definitely help you decorate your home.”
“How about only the major ones? I’m going to need time to study.”
“I still don’t like that you’re moving away from me, but I understand,” Aria said.
“You understand what?” Zev asked, walking into the family room with cute, little Phelan in his arms.
“Fox is moving to Valleywood,” Barret told him.
“Is that what you want to do?”
“Yeah,” he answered Zev. He also knew his brother was asking about his relationship with Alistaire. He hadn’t explained what had happened to cause their breakup. Fox simply told them he and Alistaire needed a break from each other and had left it at that.
“I’m ready.”
“Okay, I’ll support you, but you have to come home often.”
“You’ll be too busy with baby Phelan to worry about me. And that’s the way it should be.”
Zev smiled and nodded.
They’d come to an understanding in their relationship. His brother was starting to accept he was growing up. Now they knew he had some sort of magical powers instead of a heart problem, they were giving him room to grow. The family hadn’t talked much about his newfound powers, seeming more concerned that once again he was alive and looked healthier than before. He still wasn’t able to tell them he was a god but felt settled in his heart.
Fox looked down at his hand and sighed sadly, noticing an item was missing from his finger. On the day he’d left, he’d given Dilen an envelope with a letter and the ring for Alistaire. He figured since they were not together, it wasn’t right for him to keep it.
Emma meowed and walked over to Genesis, weaving her way around the baby’s legs. The day he’d packed up all his stuff and said goodbye to his family, he’d gotten in his car ready to drive off when Emma had jumped into the back seat and refused to get out of the car. He’d had no choice but to bring her along with him. Fox shook his head, staring at his daughter. Genesis was learning how to reach for things, and it turned out Emma’s tail was one of her favorite new things.
“No, don’t do that.” Fox kneeled in front of his baby girl and caught her chubby fingers before she could grab onto Emma’s tail. “We’ve talked about this, Gen. We don’t grab Emma’s tail.”
He picked up her rattle, shaking it and watching her beautiful eyes follow it. Over the past couple of weeks, the color in her left eye had changed into two colors. Half blue and the other green. Fox knew it was because she was a demi-god and was starting to come into her own powers.
Fox was well aware his days were going to be filled with watching her grow up. Picking her up, he turned off the stove and removed the pan to the back for later after he got Genesis settled. He was learning to do everything on his own all over again, but it was a bit easier this time.
Fox walked into the living room Aria helped decorate once he’d showed her around his home. His home wasn’t as big as the Hannigans’, but it was perfect for him, Genesis, and Emma. The house was two stories, and although a majority of it was decorated, there were other things he needed to finish. He’d turned one of the four bedrooms into an office and the other into a guest room for when Ava came to visit. The house had a basement, and he was in the process of turning it into a gym where he could workout. He might be a god, but he still had to stay in shape. He was about to go upstairs when there was a knock on his front door.
Who could that be?
