Chapter 20 #2
Once the baby was situated, he handed me a bottle.
Merlin immediately started fussing when he saw what I was holding right in front of him, and I had to pull his fist out of his hand before quickly replacing it with the nipple.
“Little man, there’s no milk in that fist of yours.
So yes, it will frustrate you,” I told him.
Not that he understood. I watched Merlin for a moment, and once I saw he wasn’t going to choke because he was trying to drink too fast, I moved my attention to my mate. “Okay. Spill it. What’s happening?”
Maxwell took a deep breath and nodded. “Father went to talk to Alistair about your parents. They haven’t done anything criminal.
Not really. Your mother did try to kidnap Caleb’s son.
He stopped her before she could leave with him, but it needs to be addressed.
All of you have gone low or no contact. You’ve all moved away, but what if she starts focusing on someone else? Someone not related to her?”
My eyes rounded. I looked down at Merlin, calmed myself, and then back at my mate.
“I’d not thought about that. We all just deal with her.
I’d like to believe she wouldn’t actually harm anyone, but I do understand what you’re saying.
Are they going to, what? Make her do therapy? I don’t think it will help.”
“I’m not sure. The council has dealt with others like this before, and both of your parents will have some sort of consequences.”
Huh. I nodded absently. I didn’t know how, but I understood.
“I guess that’s good to know. I wrote them an email.
I addressed it to both, but really, it’s to Mother.
It was my goodbye. She didn’t need it, but I did.
And I sent it, and now that chapter of my life is closed.
I don’t have to deal with her ever again. ”
Maxwell smiled. “No, you don’t. If you don’t want to see her, you don’t have to.”
I had no doubt that Mother had read the email by this point.
And she most likely tried to call my phone immediately.
That number had now been disconnected, and she would get the message that it had.
I meant it when I said I was going to be deleting my email account.
I had a new one that those who needed it had access to it.
Beyond that, I didn’t need her to be able to reach me in any way.
She had given me life, but she’d made me completely miserable and dread waking up every day.
I looked over at Maxwell and felt peace. “Coming here is absolutely the best thing I ever did,” I told him. “And not just because I found you and we have Merlin now. But because it’s what I needed to get away. I needed to find myself.”
“I’m forever grateful that you applied to the position here. More so that you were accepted, but I have a feeling that Thomas and Canyon had something to do with that.”
“You know they did. This was their plan all along.” I wasn’t sure how it was that they could make something like that happen, but they did. I had no doubt at all that the fates were the reason I was picked for this position.
“Are you ready to go back to work tomorrow?” Maxwell asked, changing the subject.
I looked down at Merlin. “It’s going to be different,” I said. “Being away from him. He’s so little.”
“My love, we’re taking him with us. Papochka is going with us to sit in the office with the baby. He’ll be right there.”
I grinned. “I know. But Merlin hasn’t ever been out of the house.
He’s not been anywhere except here. And tomorrow, we’re taking him to work.
” Lukyan coming with us to work wasn’t something I had ever considered.
It was something he had suggested the other day when we were talking about going back to work.
We needed to, because there were more omegas that needed to be seen.
There was going to be a baby boom of sorts here on the mountain, and that meant we were going to be busy.
Omegas to care for, new babies to check up on—it was such a wonderful job to have.
“Are you truly concerned?” Maxwell asked.
I shook my head and set the bottle down on the table between the chairs. I moved the baby to my shoulder, and with some gentle rubs, he gave me a good burp, and I snuggled with him. He was the sweetest baby.
“It’s going to be easier once he gets a little older,” I said. “I thought I wouldn’t have any problems with leaving him in the childcare center, but I’m just not ready.”
“My love, we were always going to bring him with us.”
“Yes, but we can’t just leave him alone in the office while we’re in with patients.”
Maxwell blinked at me. “It’s not much different than him being in his portable crib downstairs while we’re in the kitchen or in the office down there. Same house, just a different room. Same clinic, just a different room.”
I blinked several times. He was right, of course. That was… I shook my head. “I’d not thought about it that way. And we can do a baby monitor as well.”
“Already done,” Maxwell said. “The office is set up for Merlin. There’s a crib, changing table, a bunch of diapers, wipes, all of the things he’ll need. Bottles, formula, it’s all there.”
“Well, aren’t you just efficient.”
Lukyan and Winston came into the nursery just then, and I stood, ready to pass the baby back to his grandpapa, who hadn’t gotten to spend nearly as much time with him as he’d planned.
“Here you go,” I said, passing the baby over.
“Are you sure? We were going to see if you would like for us to fix something to eat,” Lukyan said.
I glanced at Maxwell. “Maybe in a bit. Right now, I want to shift and go for a little run around our backyard.”
“Is it your first time since Merlin?” I nodded. “I remember that. It was the absolute best feeling when I let my leopard out for the first time after having Maxwell.”
“If you two would like to fix lunch, we won’t complain,” Maxwell said as he wrapped his arms around me. “We’re going to be out back for a bit, but then we’ll join you.” I had to bite my cheek. Maxwell hadn’t met my fox yet, and I knew he was excited to do so.
“Of course. We’ll fix some nice chicken since it seems to be Camden’s favorite,” Winston said.
I shrugged. Everything was my favorite, but I was fond of chicken, this was true. I felt my stomach flip and then was outside on our back deck. I looked up at my mate, who leaned down and kissed my nose.
“Excited to meet him, huh?”
“Maybe just a little. I know he’s going to be gorgeous like you, but yes, I am excited to meet your fox.”
I nodded. After I stepped away, I pulled my shirt off over my head.
It was July and quite warm here on the mountain, so there was no worry about getting chilled while I stripped to shift.
I toed off my shoes before I pushed my jeans down.
I winked at Maxwell as I ran my hands down my naked body.
We’d played around some since having Merlin, but we’d not yet had full-on sex.
Hopefully, that would change soon. And by soon, I meant tonight.
“You’re teasing me.”
I shook my head. “No I’m not. I’m more than ready for you and everything you’re ready to give me,” I told him and made a point to look directly at the front of his pants. Maxwell’s eyebrows rose, and his eyes darkened.
I smiled as I bent down and called for my fox.
It was probably one of the fastest shifts I had ever experienced, but in moments, I was seeing the world through my fox’s eyes.
I stretched, arching my back as far as I could.
When I heard a pop, I stood and shook everything out.
My fur finally fluffed up, and I sat and curled my bushy brush around my legs and looked up at Maxwell.
“My love, you are adorable and beautiful,” Maxwell said. He sat on the steps not far from me, and I walked over and right onto his lap. He pulled me close, and his fingers running through my fur felt just as amazing as his hands running along my bare back.
“I wanted to show him to you before, but things took over, and then he wasn’t available.”
“It’s fine, my love. He’s gorgeous and more than worth the wait.” Maxwell continued to run his fingers through my fur and then down my thick brush. “Besides, this way, you can talk to me through our bond. It makes the experience so much better, as far as I’m concerned.”
The door opened, and out came a blur of white and gray.
Immediately, my fox wanted to play, and I couldn’t help but yip and leap off Maxwell’s lap and chase after Lukyan.
He was so much larger and faster than I was, but he let me catch him, and then I took off and ran around the backyard.
We heard laughter, and when I looked at the deck, I saw Winston holding Merlin and sitting beside Maxwell.
He looked a lot like his warlock father.
Lukyan nudged me with his nose, and I looked back over at him as he bent down, his behind in the air, before he took off.
I’d been distracted, and he’d caught me.
I took off after my father-in-law again, enjoy life more than I had in a very long time.
I had an amazing family that loved me, and really, I couldn’t ask for more.