16. Chapter Fifteen #2
“I completely understand what you mean,” Elias said, grimacing. “I asked Seb to please grant me one of the other advisors’ rooms. I didn’t want to live in my father’s.”
Elias’ father had also been one of the four advisors who had been banished from the kingdom following their betrayal of Seb. They’d hidden the truth about alphas not being a danger to omegas, a thing Seb found out to be a lie when he and Gus were forced apart.
“We still have the other two rooms if you want any of them instead?” Seb asked. “You could always take Brennan’s?”
“I hadn’t even thought about that,” I whispered. “I’d love that, if that’s okay?” It would feel like a fresh start, a new beginning with Hal without the shadows of the past looming over us.
“Of course it is. The rooms have all been cleaned and cleared of personal items. You can spend the day moving your things. Everything you want bought or ordered, you can add to your yearly purchases. I want you both to feel at home in your new rooms, so please don’t worry about the price.
” Seb’s offer was generous, and we happily accepted.
“Perfect!” Seb exclaimed, moving across the room to search through his drawers. “Here are your keys.” He handed them to Hal, and my heart bloomed with happiness. My alpha owned the key to my heart and now to our future home as well.
Hal accepted the keys, staring at them like they were a strange animal.
I nudged him. “What is it?”
He cleared his throat. “I’ve never had a set of keys before. I’ve never owned anything that required a key before.” Oh, my poor, sweet alpha. How my heart broke for him.
I cradled his face in my hands. “But you do now.”
“Now get to work!” Elias sassed, sending a wink my way. “And make sure to familiarize yourselves with all the rooms.”
“That’s horrific!” I exclaimed, looking at the mustard-colored armchair in the corner.
“What?” Hal laughed. “You don’t like the brown marks on the arms?”
“I don’t even know what caused that color,” I sniffed, moving away from the offending chair.
“Just look at how big our living room is!” I spun around in a circle with my arms out.
We had a spacious, well-lit living room with huge windows and a small balcony.
There was a fireplace, encased in white marble, and I could just envision my alpha and me snuggling up in front of it on a cold winter night.
“Most of the things we don’t like can be changed. Like the wallpaper and curtains.” I frowned at the heavy curtains. Brennan had surely loved his yellows.
“If only the chair had been a lighter and brighter yellow,” Hal mused, sounding deep in thought as he took in the room. The wallpaper was brown with mustard-yellow flowers, a dreadful look, in my opinion. I wanted bright and happy colors.
“What about the bedroom?” Hal waggled his eyebrows, moving toward the office.
“Wrong way,” I giggled, gesturing to my right. “The bedroom and bathroom are in there.”
Hal followed me, and it was obvious we needed some big changes in there as well.
It didn’t put a damper on my excitement, though.
We would live here for the rest of our days.
Mostly. I had this idea of living in a small cottage in the country with my alpha once we retired, but this would be home for many years to come, and the thought of sharing this space with Hal and our future children made me giddy as hell.
“We also have the office and a guestroom,” I said, leading Hal back to where he’d tried to go before. “I doubt we’ll need a guestroom, mostly because Seb has a lot of free rooms for visitors.”
“So they’re what? For our future sons?” Hal peeked into the first room while I went all weak in the knees. Our sons. The way he’d spoken so casually about it, as if we would for sure have children together. My brain turned to mush as I gazed adoringly at his strong back.
“Do you want children?” I asked, my mind now reeling.
He turned with a wide smile that lit up his face. “Yes.” Then his face fell. “You don’t, sweetness?”
“I do!” I rushed out, nodding my head furiously. “I just wasn’t sure if you also wanted them.”
A slow grin that didn’t help my weakening-knees situation curled along his lips. “I want to fill you up with so many babies, Briar, you have no idea.”
“So, that wasn’t just the heat talking? When you said you wanted that?” I’d been too afraid to hope for it, brushing it aside as dirty talk in the heat of the moment.
“Gods no! I want everything with you, silly omega.”
“You want to breed me for my next heat?” I asked, blushing a little for being so forward.
“Not until your doctor deems it safe.” Hal looked stern. “I won’t risk your health, Briar, and we have no idea what pregnancy will do to you after your previous strenuous heats.”
I swallowed. “And if he says I can’t have them?”
“Then we’ll adopt, or live happily just the two of us. We decide what happens going forward, Briar. You and me.”
I wondered if Hal could truly be happy if we couldn’t have any children of our own.
As if he’d read my mind, he lifted me into his arms. “Look at me, sweetness.” He cradled my chin.
“I was abandoned by my birth father. The only love I’ve ever known, before I met you, was from my found family: Lord Willoughby, Kenneth, and Gus.
Being a parent has nothing to do with blood or genes, but everything to do with love.
We will love our children regardless. Won’t we? ”
I nodded. Hal was right. My father hadn’t loved me, not really. “We will,” I whispered, then kissed my alpha.