“I can tell you’re not used to all of this yet,” Synder said beside him.
Alistaire shook his head. He’d stayed away from family for a reason, refusing to get close for fear of losing them, but he could also see the mistake in his thinking.
“Don’t worry. It will take time. It was the same way for me when I met Trenton and Rosemary. They’re very accepting and affectionate.” He stood, joining Kayne and LaMarkus by Rosemary’s side, hugging her. “Congrats on finding love again.”
“Thank you, my little vampire.”
“All right, I’m hungry, let’s eat.” Sirius stood pulling Alphonso and started walking out of the room.
“Odin and I are getting married on Valentine’s Day,” Rosemary said. “We would have gotten married before I started showing, but I’ve had dreams of getting married under the blood moon.”
“Okay, sounds good,” Sirius said as he started walking, then stopped.
The urge to laugh hit Alistaire again as he watched the realization show on all their faces.
“Nana, showing what?” Sirius asked.
“Child, you’re a doctor, shouldn’t you know?”
“But...that means...” Sirius stuttered. “But you didn’t come to see me.”
“You’re pregnant!” Alphonso blurted out.
Everyone in the room went silent as they stared at a smiling Rosemary.
“But how? You’re old,” Grayson said after a couple of minutes.
“Yes, well. This old lady has moves you’ve never heard of,” Rosemary countered sassily.
Alistaire couldn’t hold it in any longer. He barked out a laugh, falling back in his chair, holding his stomach.
This family is so weird but fucking awesome.
“Shit, we broke Alistaire,” Moniqué said.
“Never seen him laugh like that before,” Kayne added.
“You guys have no idea what a joker this guy is,” Synder said. “Just you wait.”
Chapter Four
Fox sat in the car with Zev waiting for the large gates leading to the Hannigan property to open. In the past few days, he’d been trying to grapple with the amount of information he’d gotten from Nafri.
The Hannigans weren’t mere wine shop owners, and even though they weren’t shifters or vampires like most of the residents in the small town, they were filthy rich.
Vale Valley was filled with long generations and strong bloodlines that enriched the town both financially and magically. The Hannigans, for instance, were a generational family of investors in and out of Vale Valley. Either they had the gods’ blessings or knew how to pick a good investment because everything they touched added to their wealth.
Fox continued to stare out the window at the vast land the Hannigans owned. They might not live near town, but their property was connected to the magical Vale Valley lake. Fox tried to take everything in on the property, but it was a bit overwhelming, his eyes moving from the gazebo sitting next to the lake to the stable on the other of the mansion.
A town filled with magic. Even after finding out some things from Nafri, I still feel like I’m in a dream.
Movement out of the corner of his eyes caused him to look away from the scenery, and the stark realization hit him—he was wide awake.
“Am I doing the right thing?” Fox whispered. “Can I be a good father to you, Gen?”
He caressed her cheek lightly, trying not to wake her. He’d always wanted to have kids and planned on waiting until after he had been a lawyer for a couple of years, but that was his old life. With his current situation, he wasn’t sure what the future held.
According to the information he’d gotten from Nafri, he was a tutor and had a degree in teaching. Fox couldn’t picture himself as a teacher, but he’d give it a try for a bit until he figured out what to do next. He’d been given a second chance at life in a younger body and a family he needed to get to know. Fox didn’t plan on wasting it. He would deal with any possible drawbacks as time went on.
