Chapter 3
Monroe
My mate was adorable. I could tell from the very beginning that he was both overwhelmed and hesitant.
His life, much like mine, hadn’t been an easy one.
I was curious to get to know all about him and wondered what it would take to get him to trust me.
Our situations weren’t ideal. Most couples didn’t meet their fated mates with children already in the picture.
Would he be accepting of Mason and Mae? Would he want children with me?
I wouldn’t mind having one or two, but I didn’t want a lot of kids.
But I wasn’t an omega. I wouldn’t be the one carrying them; Oscar would.
That was something we were going to have to discuss, very soon.
But first, the basics. The house was more than I’d ever seen. Even the most prominent families in our village didn’t have a house the size of the one we were currently in.
“Do we even know this is our house? Or I guess yours since you’re the one that is taking the position at the council store. I’m not sure what work I’ll be able to find up here. I do know I can continue working in Timber Valley though. There are others that come and go from the mountain every day.”
I held up a hand for Oscar to wait, and then I went to the front door and stepped outside.
The ground was covered in snow—it was the end of December, after all—and from just a few steps away from the front door, I could see the council building.
It was impossible to miss it. I hurried back inside and closed the door behind me.
Inside was much warmer, and I shivered at the sudden temperature change again.
“I would say definitely ours. Not mine, ours. Unless you have decided you don’t wish to mate with me?” I really didn’t want that. I wasn’t going to say anything to Oscar about how my body would react if he decided that he wasn’t interested. I wouldn’t force him though. It had to be his choice.
Oscar sighed, then plopped down on the couch. I went back to where he was and sat at the other end, waiting. “It’s not that I don’t want to. But…I’ve been through a lot, Monroe. I was forced to do things that nobody should ever have to do.”
I nodded. “I understand that. I’ll be patient. We can get to know each other. Take our time.” It would become painful, that much I knew. But perhaps the fates could help with that in some way?
Oscar sighed again. “No. That’s not what I want either.
We’re mates, and I really don’t see a reason to wait unless you don’t want to claim each other right away.
But my life is pure chaos. I work two jobs, I have a teenage sister that’s a bitch all of the time anymore, and I honestly wouldn’t want her around your two siblings with the way she’s been acting.
She didn’t use to be like this. She was so sweet.
But when we came here after she was rescued, she found some not-so-great friends. ”
“I believe that Alpha Forest is going to work on that. At least, it sounded as if he was.”
“I really hope so. I get it; I’m not her parent. I’m all she has now though, and she just treats me like she’d rather I hadn’t made it out of that basement.”
That was wrong, and I hurt for my mate. “I’ll help in any way I can. I’m not sure if I’ll be seen as any type of authority figure, but I can try.” I had plenty of experience with teenagers. “I’ve dealt with teenagers before. I’m one of fifteen.”
“Fifteen?” Oscar asked, his eyes wide.
I wanted to groan. “Yeah, my parents were big on kids. Having them, that is. They did as little as possible to raise us, or really anything other than spend time locked in their bedroom.”
Oscar seemed to want to say something but held his tongue.
“You can ask anything. I have no secrets, really. I used to be a bit of an entitled ass because I desperately wanted out and away from my family. I worked on fixing myself, and now I’m raising my two youngest after our mom died in childbirth with Mae. Our dad only lived a week after that.”
“I’m so sorry,” Oscar said. He reached out for me, and when I held my hand out, we were just able to reach each other.
“Thank you, but it might make me sound like an ass, but I don’t really miss them. They weren’t parents. Not really.”
“I don’t know which is worse. My parents and my older brother sold me and later my brother and sister. They were both rescued before anything happened to them, but I wasn’t so lucky.”
“Do you need anything regarding that? Should I know anything?” I honestly knew next to nothing about sex. Of course, I knew how it actually worked, but I’d never had it. It was just something that fae didn’t do until we met our mate.
“I’m good. I had therapy for a while. I did a lot of self-reflection, and I decided I wasn’t going to let them win. I shouldn’t freak out or anything, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
I nodded but glanced down at my lap. This was probably the most unromantic mating to ever happen. I was certainly attracted to my mate. But it was apparent that we both had a whole lot going on, and we would need to make sure we focused on us and prioritized our bond so we wouldn’t have issues.
“I feel that we need to make a date or something,” I said.
Oscar chuckled. “A date? Why?”
I shrugged. “Maybe because you’re my mate and I want to treat you right? Don’t you want to be taken out on dates?”
Oscar looked thoughtful for a moment before he shrugged. “I’ve never thought about it, really. I don’t think I’ve ever been on one. I haven’t really dated anyone before. It wasn’t that I wasn’t overly interested; I just was busy. First college, then work.”
“What did you go to college for?”
“Art,” Oscar snorted. “It was a waste though. You can’t make money with art unless you know someone, it seems. When I went to college, my parents were different—they were still loving and encouraging. I’m not sure what happened to cause them to change so drastically.”
“What kind of art? Do you draw? Paint? Sculpt?”
“I don’t do any of it anymore. I used to draw a lot. And I like photography because I would take pictures that I found aesthetic and then put them onto paper with pencil or charcoal.”
That was amazing. I wanted him to know that and to be able to do that again. We all needed to do things that made us happy, and if he wanted to do art, he should. “You should do that.”
“What?”
“Your art. You should go back to it. From what I saw in Timber Valley, I would think that the area would be filled with prospective things for your artwork.”
Oscar snorted. “I have two teenagers to support. I can’t afford to do art.
Not only that, but I no longer have any of my supplies.
I wait tables during the day at a restaurant in Timber Valley, and at night, I’m a bartender at a human bar south of here.
I don’t have time for anything other than to be tired and berated by my sister for not being good enough. ”
That just made me angry, and it was definitely going to change. Oscar was going to be able to do art again, even if only as a hobby.
“I have questions, and maybe we should look into going on a date today because, yes, I do want to date you, even if we have our siblings to take care of because our relationship is going to be important as well. But my first question is, do you want children?” I knew it was odd to just throw that out there right out of the gate, but I needed to know before anything happened.
I knew how biology worked, and if we claimed each other, Oscar would go into heat soon after.
“One or two, maybe. I’m not really wanting a bunch of kids, if that’s all right. I understand you come from a very large family, but I already have my two younger siblings. Now with your two, who are way younger, maybe one or two for the time being?”
I grinned. “Perfect. Next question. Do you want to continue working?” Oscar started to reply, but I held him off with a hand up.
“I’m going to be making a sizable income.
Yes, there is childcare here, and yes, I’ll put Mason and Maelie in it.
I’m not expecting you to just take over their parenting.
I would never ask that of you. Or either of your siblings.
They are my responsibility, and I’ll take care of them.
Just as I will take care of you and your siblings. ”
Oscar furrowed his brow and shook his head. “That seems unfair. Why do you have to take care of me and everyone else, but I don’t have to take care of anyone?”
“I want to take care of you and your siblings.”
Oscar glared. “I get it that I’ve been doing a crap job of taking care of mine, but—”
“No,” I said, probably a bit too harshly.
I pinched the bridge of my nose a moment before I looked at Oscar and tried to smile.
“I want to take care of you. I’ve been here in this realm for two days now, and everything has been gone over with me in great detail.
I’ll make more than enough for you to not have to work.
All fae are given funds when we’re brought over because we don’t have the same type of money.
It’s been placed in a bank account, and my income will also be there.
I’m told that the council has been through a very recent restructure and that one of those things is personnel and how they’re taken care of. ”
Oscar started shaking his head.
“No what?”
“You shouldn’t have to shoulder everything. That’s just not fair.”
“I’m not saying you can’t work. It’s not a requirement though.
If you want to do your art, I’m good with that.
Since I have young children to take care of, I was told I’d be working an earlier shift at the store.
I’ll be home for supper every evening. I’ll pick the kids up from the childcare center on my way and then come home. ”
Oscar was still shaking his head. I wasn’t sure why, and he wasn’t really telling me what was going through his mind.