CHAPTER SEVEN #2
We fell into a comfortable silence as we carried the tree back to the house.
It was a day earlier than Preston had wanted but it was as good of a coverup for what really happened as anything else would’ve been.
We arrived back to the front yard with the tree on our shoulders.
Baby Andy was still playing in his snow pile while his carrier and uncle watched on.
He’d dug in under the snow and shifted. Now only his fluffy butt and wiggling bear tail showed above the beautiful cold stuff.
“I wondered where you two got off to,” Preston said, pushing himself upright out of the snow and dusting off his butt and legs. “Was starting to think Dad strung you up.”
“Has he done that before?” I quirked an eyebrow.
“Not to any of my siblings’ mates but…” Preston said and Mori shot him a warning look.
Barry laughed and told one of them to come shake the rest of the snow out of the tree’s needles.
The twins worked together to rid the tree of the tiny snowflakes clinging to it for dear life and Baby Andy burrowed through the snow.
He growled as he made a little tunnel and popped his head out next to Barry’s brown winter boot.
He bit the toe of the shoe and ducked back down.
Then he popped up to bite it again. Barry showed his teeth and the baby bear clambered out and snarled, hopping around and pouncing on his grandsire’s leg before falling on his back in the snow and rolling around.
He ambled up the porch steps once he managed to escape playing turtle and we all went up not long after him.
We kept the tree and the baby company on the porch while the omegas ran around inside preparing all the little things the tree would need to survive the rest of the winter inside.
“Where are the bite marks?” Barry asked.
Out of instinct I glanced to my shoulder.
Preston and I hadn’t exchanged our claiming vows yet and he knew it.
I wasn’t on the Hemlock Wolf Pack link or on the one that belonged to the Nightshade Bears.
Once our vows were completed, I’d be on both because Preston was.
I’d also be on the family link with the rest of them.
“Between you and me that’s the cleanest I’ve seen the living room since the baby was born. We’ve offered to help. So, how many times did he bite you while you cleaned up?”
“Oh, yeah. He wasn’t keen on the idea but I’m persistent,” I shrugged.
“I’m a polar bear and we know how to cop an attitude right back when someone throws it at us.
I even sewed up the baby’s pillow. I live on my own.
Lived on my own,” I corrected. “I know how to do it all. It’s not like I’m going to walk into a city and find a job.
So, I know all the life skills. That’s what Rune called them anyway.
This is…. Well, this is the first time I’ve been in a village.
I never bothered on Hemlock Mountain. I just stayed where I was born.
It was my mountain. Is my mountain.” I corrected again.
“Hey, money isn’t something my kids have to worry about and you’ve already earned your spot here.
You responded to my kid. One of my oldest and smartest, if I’m honest. He didn’t send you packing and you didn’t pull a jackass move.
You’re family. It’s not that complicated for us.
I don’t even have to say don’t break his heart because if you managed to, he’ll cut it out while Mori holds you down,” Barry shrugged.
“Welcome to spending the rest of your life surrounded by bears.”
“I am a bear.”
“Yeah, well, welcome to spending your life surrounded by Nightshade Bears,” he laughed. “They’re a whole other breed.”
“We heard that,” Preston walked back out to the porch and scooped up Baby Andy still in his cub form. “Come on. Get it inside. We’re ready for it.”
We lifted the tree back up and Barry took the lead.
Perhaps he figured he knew the layout of his sons’ house better or was just used to taking the lead.
I had no clue where the omegas wanted the tree set up.
So I followed his lead. The sofa was piled high with boxes of Yuletide decorations and Baby Andy was already trying to squirm out of his carrier’s arms and snoop through the boxes.
The tree stand was in the corner of the room and included a huge pot of what I expected to be dirt but was water once I looked inside.
“There are fish in here,” I said aloud and all the adults groaned.
“Don’t say the f-i-s-h word aloud,” Preston said, covering the baby’ ears. “He doesn’t know they’re in there. The tree needs them but I’m pretty sure he’ll try to f-i-s-h them out.”
“Sorry,” I said, glancing at the baby now chewing on Preston’s fingers.
We slid the tree into place and Mori rushed over to fuss with it.
He murmured how we didn’t even give it any warning that it would be moving back inside and about how sorry he was that he didn’t know what we were planning to do but that it was okay now because he was there and wouldn’t let the brutes yank it out of the ground again.
Barry shot me a ‘told you so’ look and then pointed to my trunk and backpack sitting behind the door.
“Thanks for bringing them over,” he said.
“Eh, Colton took Bolt home once he was sure you weren’t going to eat his kid,” Barry shrugged. “That one’s pregnant. He just hasn’t realized it yet. Midwives are always the last ones to know when they’re pregnant. Ivan went with them and Lero said he thought you put the mountain inside your trunk.”
“It’s mostly ice. Well, just ice and a few outfits,” I said.
“Uh… You packed ice?” Mori looked over his shoulder.
I pulled the trunk into the center of the room and Baby Andy squirmed out of his carrier’s arms to run over and find out what I had brought.
I took the necklace off that held the key and raked it across my finger collecting a drop of my icy blood.
That was the magic behind the lock. No willingly given blood, no open trunk.
Preston sat down on the floor and pulled the baby away from the trunk.
Baby Andy snarled and growled but he didn’t really have any fight in him.
He was just whining about not getting his way.
I opened the trunk and Mori looked over his shoulder again.
In the far-left side, was a plastic garment bag of the outfits Rune bought me to blend in.
The rest of it was enchanted ice straight from my mountain.
Baby Andy broke free from his carrier and ambled over.
He put his little paws up on the ledge of the trunk and looked in.
His little tongue stuck out and Preston pulled him away again.
“That doesn’t melt. It would live inside you forever.”
“Not to override anyone’s authority but it would melt inside of him. That’s about the only way to melt it - eat it. Otherwise it’s frozen forever.”
“Who’s going to pack up your stuff for you from the mountain?” Mori asked and Barry shot him a strange look.
“Eh, I’ll figure it out when it’s time. I mean, I planned to live through New Year’s out of the trunk and bag. I’ll be fine,” I said. “I’ll go back when I need to.”
“We can find someone---” Mori started but Barry shot him another look. “I’m sure you can handle it.”
“You’ll have to forgive my brother. He likes to pack and unpack stuff,” Preston said, but I was still missing something.
Only I wasn’t about to dive into decades of family history.
If my mate was implying that Mori was a snoop, he’d be sorely disappointed in my stuff.
I didn’t keep much that wasn’t practical and the unpractical stuff I had was all stuffed into my backpack along with the survival gear.
The subject of my stuff was dropped, and I closed up my trunk so we could carry on with decorating the tree.
Mori and Preston fussed about what should go where and how high up to stop the breakable items. Sure, he was my mate .
So maybe I was a little biased, but he did warn Mori that Baby Andy had a big stretch to him.
When the little crystal jingle bell shattered, Baby Andy shifted back into his human form and wailed.
Preston held his baby close, cooing to him to calm him down and I sprinted through the house to retrieve the broom and dustpan from the pantry where I left it when I finished cleaning up the living room.
By the time I got back, Barry had already scooped up all the glass onto the cardboard top of one of the decoration boxes.
“Decades of broken decorations, plates, and cups. You learn to improvise quick,” he shrugged at me.
Baby Andy was still crying. I glanced around the living room, trying to guess what might cheer him up.
Barry disappeared through the house and Preston sat down in the armchair.
I hovered near him unable to leave but not sure if I was making things better or worse.
The baby looked up at me with teary eyes and a quivering lip.
I patted down my pockets for snacks and found an oatmeal protein bar.
“Rapbey,” Baby Andy said and I held it out.
“That’s not the raspberry chocolate ones you like, baby,” Preston said. “That’s ….” He took the bar and sniffed it. “Oatmeal, walnuts, peanut butter, and…. blue berries? Wild blue berries maybe?”
“And some honey,” I nodded.
“Rapbey,” Baby Andy said and made grabby hands at the bar.
“You can try it, but I don’t know if you’ll like it,” he said, taking it out of the bag and examining it. He pulled off a few of the larger chunks of walnut and ate them himself before passing the bar on to the baby who slobbered on it for a while but didn’t look all too pleased.
“Rapbey?” he said, pulling it out of his mouth and looking at it. “No rapbey.”
“Raspberry?” Barry appeared back in the living room, a baby gate stuck under his arm.
He patted the pockets on his cargo pants and found what he was looking for.
The bar he pulled out looked fancy with its beeswax made wrapper that showed chocolate and raspberries.
Baby Andy clapped his hands and then waved them out for the bar, making happy gurgling sounds.
“Rapbey!” he cheered.
“There you go, kiddo,” Barry said, opening the thing without dropping the gate. He tore off a piece and Baby Andy took it as soon as it was within grabbing distance.
“Rapbey,” he said again before starting to suck on the corner.
“Everyone loves them,” Preston shrugged. “They come from Europe. Elven made.”
Barry set up the baby gate and Mori finished decorating the tree.
He did a good job and when it was all lit up with the little winged bear on top of it the conversation turned back to where Baby Andy was going to sleep that night.
Usually, he co-slept with Preston more nights than not.
Mori and Preston talked it back and forth, but I kept my mouth shut.
Sure, I was involved now but it was a no win situation.
If I said to let Mori take him – I was choosing romping over the baby.
If I said keep him here – someone might say I didn’t want to be alone with my mate. The omegas could figure this one out.
“You’ve been awful quiet,” Mori said, looking at me as if he picked up on the thoughts that I was happy to be left out of the conversation.
“I’m letting you guys figure it out. I’m good either way. I want whatever’s going to make Preston happy,” I said. “I’m not that hard to get along with unless you’re annoying.”
“Well, poop, Mori. He’s not going to get along with you,” Preston teased and Mori stuck out his tongue at him.
“Poo Mo! Poo Mo!” Baby Andy said and we all laughed.
“Buddy, do you want to come home with me tonight?” Barry said, squatting down by the chair and resting his elbows on the arm. “Come home and have stick-your-hands-in pot roast? Maybe hunt down and murder a boiled potato and try to steal the dog’s dinner too?”
“Do! Do!” Baby Andy said and looked around.
“Dog’s not here,” Barry said, holding up his empty hands. “Dog’s at home. You want to come home with me? You can sleep in the dog’s bed again.”
“Dad!” Preston protested.
“What? The dog doesn’t sleep in it. Someone might as well use it,” Barry laughed.
“Do!” Baby Andy said again. “Go do!”
“Bring him back if he cries,” Preston said.
“I’ll bring him back if he cries for you. We raised you without any major problems, didn’t we?” Barry grinned and scooped up the baby who reached out for him. “I got him. You’re allowed to have fun, even if you’re a parent. You two don’t get this time back.”
“Don’t get the time with the baby back either,” he said and my heart sank.
Perhaps, it would’ve been nicer to everyone if I packed up my trunk and took the train back to Hemlock Mountain.
Then I could come back when Andy was older, and Preston didn’t feel so bad about being away from him.
Only, I was selfish. I didn’t want to leave Preston.
I wanted to stay here and build a life with him. To raise a family.
“He’ll be fine,” Mori said, shooting me a look I couldn’t read as he and Barry left with the baby.
“At least they’re not going to be jumped by Venal,” my bear chimed into my thoughts.