The party wasthe perfect way to end the night. I clutched Ginny to my chest while we danced to the slow music playing through the speakers. We hadn’t wanted anyone but our friends and family here tonight, so there was no live band—which Eloise had wanted. Instead, we just had music playing from a tabletconnected to speakers around the large courtyard, where everyone now congregated for food, drinks, and celebration.
“Ivy liked it, right?” Ginny asked, yawning as she rested her head on my shoulder.
My arms tightened around her as I glanced over at my mate, sitting after a couple of dances shared between her mate circle. Through the bond, all I got was a sense of comfort and contentment.
“Yeah,” I murmured, swaying. “She liked it.”
“So, we did good?”
I chuckled. “You did.”
Ginny hummed under her breath as I held her close. Eloise sat with Thea and Ivy, drinking her sparkling non-alcoholic Fae wine. Maisie danced with Kingsley’s father while chatting up the others from Greer’s mate circle. Unlike her sister, Maisie had no intention of going to bed early.
Vanilla-musk and something floral filled my lungs when someone tapped on my shoulder. Normally, I’d get annoyed by the unnecessary touch, but I didn’t find myself as irritable as I used to be. Ivy’s influence, I was sure.
When I turned, I found Thea’s mother standing behind me. “Think this one is ready to say good night?”
Ginny groaned as if to say no, but I passed her off to the older woman without fuss. “You sure?”
“I’ve put this kid to bed so many times,” she said with a smile. “And anyway, spend some time with your wife. It’s the other one I’m worried about, though. The little talker.”
I chuckled as I looked over to Maisie, who was now showing Leith and Ya’Dahir her fight moves.
Shaking my head, I scrubbed a hand down my face. “Thank you. She’ll drop when she’s ready.”
They moved towards the front door, while I locked in on my mate. Her cheeks were flushed. Through the bond, I felt a smallwave of exhaustion along with a soreness I knew she’d feel in the morning. Still, I stalked towards her, keeping her in my line of sight. The others in her mate circle either mingled or sat around her.
When I made it to the table, Ivy’s eyes roamed my body before meeting my eyes. “Care for a dance, Angel?” I asked, offering my hand.
Ivy pressed a hand to her swollen stomach and eyed me for a moment before sighing. “Only a short one,” she grunted, fitting her hand into mine. “I won’t feel my feet tomorrow, though.”
“It’s a good thing I enjoy carrying you everywhere, anyway,” I replied, grinning.
The pink that’d been staining her cheeks since she came down in her white dress darkened as I helped her to her feet.Thea’s mom took Ginny to bed, I said as I guided her onto the dance floor.Still waiting for Maisie to drop, though.
“Good luck with that,” Ivy laughed as she wound her arms around my neck. The swell of her stomach made it difficult for me to hold her close, but I could almost feel our babies inside her. Their little movements, especially. “You guys really nailed it today. I don’t know how, but this…this is all I could have ever wanted.”
I lowered my face to hers until our foreheads touched. “You should know by now, we’ll always know what you need, Angel.”
“Oh, I know that much,” she said, grinning. “You guys still manage to surprise me.”
“I won’t take that offensively,” I replied quietly, which made Ivy giggle. “Apparently, we don’t surprise you enough.”
My mate groaned, pulling away. “I’m not built for many more of those,” she said, smiling softly. “Maybe not until these two are off to the academy.”
I moved my hand from her lower back to her stomach, feeling the length of one of the twins. “I think we can all agreewith that,” I replied, meeting her stare and smiling. “There have definitely been enough surprises for a lifetime.”
I couldn’t muster an ounce of annoyance when Kingsley came up behind Ivy and wrapped his arms around her. “Are we talking about more babies after they go to college? Just so you know, my mother tried that and it failed miserably.”
Ivy snorted, leaning into him. “No, that wasn’t what we were talking about.”
“Oh, thank the Goddess,” he muttered, closing his eyes.
Ivy laughed, keeping a swaying motion even though we weren’t really dancing anymore. Probably had more to do with her sore feet than anything else. “Weren’t you the one who obsessively wanted to knock me up and have a big family as soon as possible?”
The mage opened his eyes and kissed her neck. “Sure. But it’s different now. We don’t have a flock of nannies anymore.”
“Fuck’s sake, man,” I muttered, rolling my eyes.
