Page 90 of Destined Paranormals: Volume One

“Thank you. I have tons of questions about Hailey, but I think I should probably ask her, huh?”

Alpha Forest sighed. “She’s still upset, but she has calmed. Canyon came and collected her. He and Thomas took her somewhere, I’m not sure where, and when she came back, she was quiet. She’s still not where I would expect a normal fourteen-year-old girl to be, and she’s had a session with Dr. Swift since Dr. Bennett has been spending time with his mate.”

“Dr. Bennett is mated now?”

I only knew who Dr. Bennett was from Oscar’s memories.

“Yes. His mate ended up being the council’s new psychiatrist. They had to scramble to find a third one, and he came in late last month? Maybe it was mid-month? I’m not exactly sure. But Hailey is seeing Dr. Swift weekly, and she seems more and more open when she returns from her sessions,” Alpha Forest told us.

“Good. I’ll make sure she continues,” Oscar said.

I picked up Mason when he tugged on my sleeve. “I hate to run, but I want to get the kids home so Mason can burn off some energy and Mae can get put down for a nap.”

“We understand completely. Believe us when we say they truly are little angels.”

“Thank you,” I told them. I wrapped my free arm around Oscar, and after a quick look at him, I had us back at our house on the mountain in a blink. Mason giggled, and Maelie wiggled in Oscar’s arms but quickly settled back down.

“I’ll take her upstairs and put her in her crib. Should I change her, you think?”

“I’ll do that,” I told him. “I think a magical diaper change is definitely warranted in this instance.” I looked at Mason, who was staring at the house with wide eyes. “Would you like to see your new room, Mason?” He nodded, and I followed Oscar up the stairs. Luckily, the house had five bedrooms, and everyone would get their own room. Well, until the baby came. Oscar went to the room we decided would be perfect for a nursery, and I took Mason over to his room, which was across the hall. He’d never had his own room before, and when I set him down, he immediately ran to the trucks that were lined up on the shelf that was in front of the window.

“Are these for me to play with?”

“They are.” Oscar came in, wrapping his arms around my waist. Two down, two to go. We spent the early afternoon playing with Mason and Maelie after lunch. They seemed to readily accept Oscar as a father figure, which was a relief to my mate.

One thing I already knew about my siblings was they were fairly easygoing and accepting. I didn’t have any doubts that he wouldn’t be accepted. Mason and Mae were both down for their afternoon nap when there was a quiet knock on the front door, quickly followed by a voice that I’d not heard before.

“Oscar? Are we in the right house?”

I looked at my mate, who had been fidgeting on the couch for the past thirty minutes.

“That’s Joseph,” he whispered and quickly stood. He was walking toward the door, and I had to hurry to catch up with him. When I did, I saw when his brother and sister spotted Oscar. Joseph had a huge smile on his face and came up to Oscar, wrapping his arms around his older brother in a tight hug.

“Congratulations, big bro. I’m so happy for you,” Joseph said. He held Oscar for a moment and then let go, smiling at his brother. “You must be Monroe.”

I nodded once. “I am.”

“Take care of him. He deserves someone to be nice and dote on him. He’s given up a lot for us,” Joseph said. I saw Hailey flinch just behind him and wondered if Joseph had said what he did on purpose.

“I have every intention of cherishing my mate,” I said. “He’s my entire world, and I’m deeply in love with him,” I said. I hadn’t intended to tell him I loved him for the first time in front of his siblings, but we’d not really had the best opportunity until now. And I had no intention of hiding my feelings for my mate from his siblings.

“Good. He deserves it. He won’t ever admit it, but he’s put up with a lot, and he deserves someone to spoil him.”

I couldn’t take my eyes off Oscar. He was staring at me with watery eyes.

“Really?”

“Yes, really. I do love you. You are so warm and caring. You are full of love, and you’ve already picked up the role of other daddy for Mae and Mason. You’re going to be a natural when it comes to our little one you’re carrying, and I can’t wait to see that. I love you, Oscar. Always will.” I leaned down and gave him a quick kiss. He pulled away and buried his face in my shirt for a moment before he stepped back and swiped at his eyes.

“Wow, okay.” Oscar took a deep breath. “So, welcome home. Things have really changed. This is Monroe. He’s my mate. He’s from the fae realm, and we’re having a baby in the spring. That’s the quick rundown so far. Any questions?”

“Naw, I don’t have any,” Joseph said. “Except which room is mine? I have homework to do, and I wanted to know if I could go hang out with Sean later? He lives up here. He’s Alpha Maynard’s youngest.”

“Umm…sure. And your room is top of the stairs, on the left,” Oscar said.

“Cool.” Joseph took a few steps away and then stopped. “It’s great to meet you, Monroe. I can’t wait to get to know more about you.”

“Likewise,” I told him. We watched him rush up the stairs until he was out of sight. That left us with Hailey.