Chapter 5
Monroe
Iwas positive that two years ago, I wouldn’t have been ready for my mate.
Being left behind while my younger brother was picked ahead of me to come to the human realm was quite a kick to my pride.
I did a lot of self-reflection and knew that the only reason I was able to step up and take responsibility for Mason and a newborn Mae was because I’d spent so much time really thinking about my actions and who I was.
I’d not liked who I realized I’d become.
When our parents passed, I honestly didn’t even think twice about stepping up and taking care of Mae and Mason.
It had been rough, sure. But they needed me, and I felt a connection to them.
I was feeling that and so much more with Oscar.
My mate had been through things that nobody should ever have to go through.
He was a fighter though, and even after everything he’d gone through, he went back to the pack that had sold him for his younger siblings.
In my opinion, he more than deserved to have someone take care of him for a change.
I wanted to be that person. I had a feeling he was going to fight me every step of the way, but I was willing to be patient. He was fiercely independent, after all.
I had time. We had the rest of our lives.
Granted, the tingles that were going through my body were telling me that I only had days before I was in excruciating pain, but that wasn’t the point.
Oscar had already said he was willing to go through with us claiming each other.
The way he mentioned it was incredibly unromantic, but I hoped to change that.
I had no experience. None. Not even a kiss, so this was all going to be completely new for me. I would figure it out though, and I was certain my mate would help me. He’d reached for me several times already. He didn’t seem to be shying away from me, so that had to mean something, didn’t it?
“Do you use magic often?” Oscar asked, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Sometimes. I don’t use it for everything.
And I definitely don’t if I’m not fully awake.
I’m too afraid I’ll mess something up and hurt someone by accident.
I could never forgive myself for that.” That was exactly why I didn’t use magic in the middle of the night when it came to taking care of Maelie.
Unless I knew for a fact that I was completely awake, I did everything the way we learned it when we were young.
I couldn’t risk hurting her. Or Mason for that matter.
More than once, we’d heard stories about how explosive fae magic could be when not used correctly.
“I can understand that. I wouldn’t want to hurt anyone either.
” Oscar stood and took his empty plate to the sink.
I watched as he rinsed it, then opened what I knew was a dishwasher before placing it and the fork inside.
I saw his mug was empty and took both of ours to him, putting them on the top rack where they would be washed later.
“Did you want to go out? We could go explore the mountain,” I suggested.
“Umm, do you have a coat? Are you going to be warm enough?” Oscar asked. “It’s December in Montana, on top of a mountain.” Oscar glanced toward the windows before he shook his head. “I’m not sure, but I’d say there’s at least a foot of snow outside.”
“I can have a coat in moments,” I told him seconds before I was wearing one. He had one on but had taken it off and dropped it by the front door when we first arrived. “I’m ready whenever you are.”
“Well, then there’s really no excuse to not go out and explore a little, is there?”
I shook my head. I wanted to spend the day with him.
I already knew that a whole lot of our time together would be “practical” and spent “parenting” when, in reality, neither of us were technically parents yet.
We had been thrown together because, for whatever reason, we were going to be perfect together. I could see it on some level.
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. ”
“I still think you need to get back to your art. We can figure out how to sell it, and you can do something you say you love.”
Oscar sighed. “I wish. I just…there’s bills.”
I nodded. “I understand that too. I’ve been informed about the bills and how money works here. We will be all right. And besides, there are two of us now.”
I had always envisioned that my mate would stay home and raise our children. At least until they went off to school. But that didn’t mean I would be an absent father. I had that growing up, and I’d always wanted something better than that for my own kids. And now my two youngest siblings.
“I just don’t know, Monroe. I’ve been on my own for a while now, and it’s kind of hard to rely on someone else, to trust them,” Oscar said.
He immediately held up his hands and shook his head.
“I do trust you, for the most part.” His eyes widened again, and I started chuckling when he covered his face with his hands.