Chapter 40
Chapter Forty
Derek
Aiden came back into the living room with Oliver, I’d yet to meet him myself, but I’d heard so much about him that I felt I knew him pretty well already. His greeting to Aiden had been loud enough that Nolen and I knew he was the one visiting.
“Derek!” Oliver exclaimed, hurrying over to where I sat on the couch with Nolen. He sat down next to me and hugged me like he’d known me for years.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I said, meaning every word.
Aiden had told me how Oliver was just so truly himself when they’d met and I couldn’t wait to get to know him myself. He’d had trouble socializing with others too in our old world, so I instantly felt a companionship through that knowledge alone.
“Another half sibling,” Oliver sighed dreamily. “And so far, you’ve all been so nice!”
Nolen sat up at that. “Wait, you’ve met more of the newly arrived mates?”
Oliver nodded. “Sure have. Grovar has tasked me with the job of welcoming them to our world. It seems to help ease them into everything. One had a mother she loved back in our old world. It was hard for her to pass through the portal and leave her mother behind, but I helped her mate and together we made her feel safer here. She’s currently visiting her mother in her old world, and has visited once a week since she arrived here. ”
I smiled at that. “It sounds like you’re doing a good job.”
Oliver grinned at that. “Grovar seems to think so.” Was that a blush on his cheeks?
Aiden sat down on Nolen’s lap, then smiled at Oliver. “Want to stay and eat with us?”
“Hell, yeah!” Oliver’s excitement was too cute.
“I’ll message Juno and Remi and ask them, too,” Nolen said, tapping away on his slate.
It only took five minutes, and then Juno just walked right in like he lived here. No surprise there.
Juno, Remi, and Oliver stayed for hours and chatted, loving that Aiden was now a part of us.
While Nolen cooked dinner for us, we sat and chatted about how different our upbringings had been.
I think it helped Aiden to learn how Remi had grown up, seeing as he had the same feeling of not quite belonging as we did.
“What about jobs?” Juno asked after we’d finished eating.
“I mean, Nolen can’t really continue with the team anymore.
” Juno had left the team himself, no longer seeking to leave their world, but now he trained others to do it instead.
The rulers wanted more portals to be found and seeing as many still had the urge to leave, that could only mean more mates were out there.
“I want to cook food for a living, I just don’t know exactly how yet,” Nolen replied.
“And since we were told to rest and get our strength back for the next year or two,” I cut in. “It isn’t something that has to be decided this instant.”
Nolen’s hand found my lap under the table. “Precisely. I want to enjoy my mates a little bit longer before I begin working again.”
“But what about you two?” Oliver asked Aiden and me.
We both shrugged. “I guess that’s something we’ll figure out as we go, too.”
After a perfect chocolate mousse dessert, we waved goodbye to Juno and Remi, who promised to be back in the morning for waffles. Oliver left shortly after, having been picked up by Grovar who’d briefly said his hello’s before they’d left.
Nolen closed the front door and grabbed us both in a tight group hug. “I can’t believe this is my life now. Having friends over and having fun while my two beautiful mates sit beside me.”
“Now we just need to have Nix and Louis over, too,” I said, looking forward to our house being filled with our closest friends.
“And family, too,” Nolen reminded me.
“That too,” I smiled.
The doorbell rang and I eyed Juno and Remi who were already sitting at our table and eating their waffles. Could it be Oliver had changed his mind and wanted to join us for waffles anyway?
Leaving the table, I went and opened the door, then froze. An older version of the man I loved stood in front of me, a woman who was noticeably shorter was next to him, both of them grinning as they watched me.
“Um,” I said, swallowing. I was not up for meeting the parents right now! I had my pajamas on for fucks sake! I’d thought it would just be Remi and Juno. Had I known I would need to impress I would’ve showered and gotten dressed!
“Good morning, dear,” Nolen’s mom said, her tone gentle and kind. “Hope we didn’t wake you.”
“Um,” I said again, my other words escaping me.
“Mom!” Nolen exclaimed happily from behind me. I jumped, not even noticing he’d approached the door. “Dad!” he hugged them both. “Where’s Yaz?”
Nolen’s mom wiped her tears away before answering. “She just travelled through the Numbious portal an hour ago. That’s why we’re here, actually.”
“She left our world?” Nolen gasped, and I could feel his sadness over it. I just didn’t know if it was because of her leaving, or him not being told. It was likely both.
“We wanted to surprise you,” his dad tacked on. “Hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all,” I assured them, finally finding my voice. “I’m Derek.”
His mom hugged me then, not saying a word as I felt what a mother’s hug should feel like for the first time in my life.
They followed us inside and I watched as Aiden got the same hug and how his eyes teared up. We’d never had that. He had his dads, but it was different being so welcomed by our mate’s family. It was healing in a way, to be so accepted for who we were.
Juno and Remi were hugged too, and soon we all sat and ate Nolen’s waffles. Nolen even teased his parents that they’d likely smelled the freshly made waffles and that had guided them here. I hadn’t known until then that his dad’s favorite food was waffles.
“Now,” Nolen’s mom said, wiping her mouth. “Let’s talk about vacations. I, for one, would love to show your mates where you grew up.”
And that was how we spent the morning. Planning a trip to visit Nolen’s parents and promising them it would be soon.
With Remi and Juno out the door, too, I grabbed Nolen into a big hug. “I can’t believe how big our family is now.”
“Just wait until we get my dads involved too,” Aiden said, his tone amused. “I wished they could visit us here, but I know it’s best to keep this from them.”
“The rulers seem to think that wise,” Nolen reminded him and he nodded, even though I knew he wanted to show our new world to them. It was simply for the best they stayed in their world.
“I can use magic on them whenever they ask to visit us,” Nolen offered. “That way it won’t be a problem we have to dodge every time we see them.”
“Thank you,” Aiden whispered, then hugged us both.
Feeling cheeky, I used my glamour on Nolen, then bumped my elbow into Aiden. “Oh, no,” I said in mock surprise. “Look at Nolen’s skin!”
Aiden seemed shocked when he spotted all the little red hearts I’d dotted all over Nolen.
“He needs our love to get cured!” I exclaimed dramatically, then tugged Nolen behind me. “To the bedroom!”
Aiden cackled behind me as I continued to tug a very confused Nolen with me.
Our poor mate wouldn’t stay confused for long.