Page 70 of Destined Paranormals: Volume One

I followed Oscar to the front door, intending to hold his coat for him while he put it on, but he beat me to it. I would have to be quicker next time. I did get to the front door before him, and when I held it open, he gave me a smile as he walked through.

When I stepped out, I saw that it had started snowing. It was just a few flakes here and there, but it was pretty, and I wondered how long it would last. I was caught staring up at it, and when Oscar reached out and took my hand, it was my turn to smile at him.

“I’ve never actually seen it snow before. I know what snow is, but we don’t have it in the fae realm. The cold is something that’s new as well, but I have to say that I’m not upset about it.”

“We’ll have to get snowsuits for the kids and play in it with them. Maybe we can build a snowperson or something like that.”

“They would like that, I’m sure.” I gave his hand a squeeze and then pulled it to the oversized pocket of my coat and placed both of ours inside. “Where would you like to explore first?”

Oscar looked around, his gaze landing on the council building. “Did you want to go check out the store? You’re going to be working there, aren’t you?”

“I am, but I’ll be given a formal introduction next month at some point. You have friends that live here. Did you want to meet up with them? Is there a café here on the mountaintop?”

Oscar shook his head. “Not that I know of. There’s a store, a bakery, and the council building. But you said there’s a childcare center, so maybe there is a café and I just don’t know about it.”

I was at a loss. I didn’t have a vehicle, not that I knew how to drive one anyway. And we were stuck on top of the mountain with nothing really to do.

“All right. What do you suggest? Where can we go, or what should we do?”

Oscar looked around and shrugged. He pulled me back into the house, and when we were under the small front porch, he reached up. I bent down, wondering what he wanted. When his hand ran through my hair, I realized he was brushing off the snow. I reached out and did the same for him, and then we went back inside.

The temperature was drastically different, and I wondered just how long we’d be able to stay out in the cold tonight. I shivered a little, and Oscar sent me a concerned look.

“You’ll need a hat and gloves if you’re determined to go to the solstice festival tonight. And probably a warmer shirt. Maybe a sweater or sweatshirt? I’m not sure. But you’ll need to dress in warmer clothes.”

“You weren’t cold?”

Oscar shook his head.

“We were only outside for a few minutes,” he said as he took off his coat. He placed it back on the floor beside the door, and I did the same.

“We’ll need to find somewhere for coats and things, I guess.”

Oscar went to the other side, behind me, and opened the door that was there. Inside was obviously a closet with a bar.

“We just need hangers. I have some, and we can bring them when we move in, but for now, I guess we could take and hang them on the back of the dining room chairs.”

I nodded, and with a little bit of magic, the coats were there. Oscar looked around me, then up at me, and shook his head.

“What?”

“It’s just going to take a lot to get used to that.” He walked away but stopped after a few steps. “Oh, don’t let Hailey abuse the fact that you have magic. Don’t do things for her because you have the ability.”

“I can handle Hailey. I’ve dealt with younger siblings before. Trust me when I say she’s not going to be an issue.”

Oscar nodded once and then motioned for me to follow him. We ended up back in the back room where we’d started. The couch was dark leather and overly plush, perfect for taking a nap on if you asked me.

“I’m really at a loss. I’m not sure what to do. I’ve not had a day off in a long time, and when I had a morning off, I had to spend it doing housework or shopping for food or things for the house. I’m not sure how to handle downtime.”

I grinned. “We spend it together, getting to know each other.”

Oscar nodded. “All right. Ask me questions. Tell me what I should know about you, things like that.”

I wasn’t sure where to begin, really. We’d already talked some, and I knew if and when we claimed each other, we would have our bond that would share all of these things with one another. But I believed there were certainly some things that we should talk about and discuss personally. There were just some things that your mate deserved to hear from you firsthand.

“Anything important about you I should know?” I asked after we both had settled onto the couch on opposite ends.

“Umm…well, I think you know the most important things. I always wanted to be an artist, and my parents even encouraged it when I was younger. I, of course, wasn’t thinking about long term and, after I graduated, couldn’t really find a good job. It sucked. My older brother was an ass about it, but that was expected, I guess.”