23. CHAPTER 23
The Lafayette Mansion hadn’t changed one bit since my last visit here when Leia and Gavin invited the whole family over for dinner. I’m willing to bet that it’s the first time that a witch has stepped on its grounds.
I intertwine my fingers with Helia’s as we enter the living room where everyone seems to anxiously wait for the news. Not wanting to be rude, I lead us to Leia’s father first.
“Nice to see you again, Grayden,” Lucas tells me when he shakes my hand. He looks at Helia with softness in his eyes that immediately makes me like him more. “Thank you for coming, Miss Payne. If you allow me, I heard that you’re a doctor.”
“That’s right,” Helia confirms. “Emergency medicine.”
“I know it’s a bit unorthodox, but would you mind going up to keep an eye on my daughter and grandson?” Lucas asks, looking quite nervous about the birth.
“I’d be happy to help in any way I can,” Helia replies with a warm smile.
A witch healer and a doctor,my wolf comments. That must be the safest birth ever.
Don’t forget our kind’s healing abilities,I remind him, although in this case, Leia is the only one who has them. My little nephew’s wolf will also be only a newborn pup who has a lot to learn.
“I’ll take you to her,” Lily suggests, undoubtedly itching to go to her sister’s side.
I offer Helia an encouraging smile before she disappears after Lily. It’s safe to assume that Leia’s mother and Gavin are both up with her along with an entourage of their personal royal physicians.
“Are you guys ready to be uncles?” I ask with an excited grin, looking from Garren to Graham, and finally at Lily’s twin brother Larry.
“Hell yeah,” Larry replies with a grin of his own. “I can’t wait for the little pup to grow up enough to be able to pass a football around.”
“Calm down, boys,” my mother says with a soft chuckle. “There will be many sleepless nights first.”
“And teething,” my father adds, surprising all of us by speaking up. He looks excited and his eyes seem to shine with pride. “That’s the worst part.”
“Don’t remind me,” Lucas agrees and nods. “I’ll make sure to move my bedroom to another wing and let the young ones deal with the crying.”
“Hey!” Larry exclaims teasingly.
From the corner of my eye, I catch Garren intertwining his fingers with Alyssa. She lovingly rubs her thumb over his hand.
I walk up to Graham and pat his shoulder. “How are you doing, little brother?”
“I’m a nervous wreck,” he admits and rubs the back of his neck. “It’s even worse than the official launch of my app.”
“F-Rec?” I inquire, raising my brows in surprise. “You’re releasing it to the public?”
“Not exactly,” he replies. “I’ve been offered some very profitable contracts which will help put down the funds that I need to start my own company.”
“Wow,” I breathe. “I had no idea.”
He smirks. “Knowing you, I bet you thought I was just wasting time and watching porn on my phone all the time, didn’t you?”
I smile guiltily at him. Graham rolls his eyes and shakes his head.
“By the way,” Graham says, looking up at me from his chair. “Wyatt called the house. He asked to tell you to call him back.”
“Okay, thanks.”
Since there’s nothing else to do but wait, I decide to try him now. The familiar English accent comes from the other side.
“Hey, mate,” I greet him, a small smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. “Where have you been?”
“Where have I been?” Wyatt asks with a soft chuckle. “Mate, I’ve been to England chasing after Priscilla, but that’s a story for another time. Right now, I want to know about you and your fated mate. What exciting news. Congratulations!”
I smile and step out of the room for a bit of privacy as I begin to tell Wyatt everything that happened since he left me in Helia’s apartment. He reacts at all the right times and makes all the best comments. He makes me promise to properly introduce him to Helia, and I make him promise in return that he won’t try to flirt with her.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he tells me with a serious voice that is so unlike him. “There’s something that I have to tell you, too.”
“What is it?”
“I asked Priscilla to marry me,” Wyatt says. “She said yes!”
“Dude!” I exclaim. “Congratulations!”
We continue our chat, going on and on about the things we’ve missed. Before I know it, I have to let him go because a set of footsteps comes running down the stairs. I return to the living room just as Gavin comes, a massive smile on his face.
“It’s a boy,” Gavin announces. “Baby Leon .”
The room erupts in celebratory cheers. Garren’s the first to embrace Gavin and as the line forms, I go to my mother instead.
“Congratulations, Grandma,” I say with a teasing smile and pull her into a hug.
My mother chuckles softly. “I’m too young to be called Grandma, but I’ll settle for Gammy.”
I roll my eyes, knowing that she’s just joking. Not about being too young, but about being embarrassed to be seen as a grandma. She will embrace it openly and proudly.
“Is that a tear?” I ask my father. “I didn’t know you were capable of crying.”
“You’re lucky that you’re not a disappointment anymore,” my father replies, which might be the nicest thing he’s ever said to me. He subtly wipes his cheek, confirming my guess that even his dark heart was touched by this joyful news.
I’m the last to hug Gavin. Ever since he married Leia, he’s really come into his own. They’re a great team and an even better couple. The Lafayettes are lucky to have such fair leaders.
“Congratulations, brother,” I say as I hug him. “You always had to be first at everything.”
“Life’s a competition,” Gavin replies with a soft laugh. “One has to always keep their eye on the ball.”
“How’s Leia doing?” Lucas asks, inquiring about his daughter.
“She’s good. The baby and my wife are both good and resting,” Gavin replies, then glances at me. “There was a little complication at birth. Leon turned and insisted coming out with his feet forward. I’m glad that Helia was there, otherwise, we might be having a different conversation right now.”
I subtly nod at Gavin, accepting his wordless gratitude. We’re a family and while there might be some healthy competition between us, we won’t let any outside force hurt us. Not if we can help it.
Looking around the room at my entire family, both close and extended, I feel at peace. My heart is content, and my chest feels light.
We’ve been through a lot together. At times, it felt as if we were fighting each other. What matters is that when push came to shove, we found ourselves standing side-by-side.
This is the family that we became. This is the family that baby Leon was born into. This is the community that all our kids will grow up in. It will be one of peace, prosperity, and happiness. It will be something that Helia and I can be proud of, a place where we will all belong.
Long live the happiness!my wolf exclaims, joining the celebrations and sending a wave of pure joy through my body.