Chapter 12
Brandt
Emma set down the last of the boxes from my house that had been delivered this morning. “Where are we going to put all of this?”
I eyed up the living room, now filled with brown cardboard that held all of my belongings and the promise of a life outside of the clan. I’d wanted that once, especially after Emma had left me. But now that she was here and I was alpha, everything seemed to settle into place.
“What are you talking about?” I teased. “We have this entire house.” We’d officially moved into my father’s place the day after the challenge. But it had taken several weeks before I had the time, or the desire, to pack up my house in town.
“Well, we have to save room for Bo and Brennan to stay here, right?” I nodded and laughed as she placed her hands on her hips and studied the pile.
“So I think we should start with the kitchen stuff then.” Looking up at me with her bright blue eyes and contagious smile, she winked. “That’s going to be the easiest.”
She’d said that because I never really cooked in the kitchen and there were probably a total of three boxes for that particular room.
I sat at the small table near the house’s front entry, surrounded by contracts that needed to be signed by the new alpha, and preferred to help unpack boxes.
But then I remembered my new responsibilities to the clan and to all of my members, and had a change of heart.
It had been tough the past three weeks—trying to accept that both Emma and I were locked into this life forever.
But as I watched her nest, I knew that this was the life we were supposed to be living. Together.
Brennan walked through the front door without even knocking. I debated telling him that this was our home now, but then decided against it. My brother was welcome here any time.
“Hey Emma,” he called out over the pile of boxes as she carried a rather large one into the kitchen.
“Hi!” Disappearing around the corner, she kept working on the task in front of her. I think it helped keep her mind off everything else.
“She looks busy,” he mumbled.
Brennan was finally starting to warm up to the idea that Emma had returned. I would have liked to believe that was because he’d seen how happy I was, but I also wondered if it was just him submitting to the way his new alpha wanted things to go. “She hates seeing the boxes,” I said.
Brennan pulled out a chair across from me and set another binder on the table. “Additional contracts with the Tik’a pack,” he said when I gave him a dirty look. “I found a whole other pile in Dad’s work office.”
I hung my head in my hands and sighed. The never-ending trail of paperwork just got longer.
“Are you set to speak to the board on Friday?” Brennan asked.
“Yeah, I think so. You and Bo will be there, right?” Meeting with the Board of Directors of our largest fish processing plant was something I’d been putting off. It was a good group of local men and women; they were just a bit difficult to deal with sometimes.
“I’ll be there,” Brennan said with a clipped tone.
“Bo still pulling his disappearing act?”
Brennan rolled his eyes. “Of course.” He glanced at his watch and then looked toward the kitchen when Emma dropped something and swore. “Please give him some kind of responsibility. Dad never did, and I think that’s why he doesn’t participate in clan, or family, business.”
“You think he could handle it?” I asked.
“Yes. He’s brilliant.” That was the first time I’d ever heard Brennan acknowledge our little brother in that way. It made a small piece of that uneasiness settle inside of me. Brennan looked at his watch again.
“Are you late for something?”
“What?” He met my glare and then hung his head. “Oh, I just have a…I have a date.”
“You have a date?” Emma asked, coming back into the room and carrying a small espresso maker.
“Yeah,” Brennan muttered, embarrassed and obviously hiding something.
“Well, you look nice,” she said.
For the first time since he sat down, I really looked at him. He’d dressed in a dark green long-sleeved shirt and khaki slacks. His short hair had been styled, and his face was free from any stubble. Brennan was certainly trying to impress someone.
He sensed Emma and me staring at him and stood. “Just give me the Tik’a contracts when they’re signed, and I’ll take them over.”
I nodded, still wondering what he was trying to hide. “Okay.”
“Have fun tonight,” Emma said, causing Brennan to blush.
“Yeah, have fun,” I teased.
Brennan walked to the door and then stopped before leaving. “You guys are assholes,” he said with a smile.
“Be safe!” Emma shouted at his back as he closed the door. She giggled and then picked the espresso machine back up. “Where did you get this?”
“An ex-girlfriend,” I lied.
She wrinkled her forehead and gave me a fake glare. “Liar.”
“I think it was a gift from the board?” I honestly couldn’t remember.
“Well, do you even drink coffee?”
“Nope.”
“Then why do you have it?”
“I don’t know.”
She sighed and set the machine down on the table. Sliding into my lap, she nestled up against me. “Well, we should give it to Brennan since you don’t drink coffee and I won’t be able to for a long time.” Rubbing her stomach, I sensed her maternal bear rush to the surface.
I covered her hand with mine and enjoyed feeling the place where our cubs were growing.
Four days following the challenge, we learned that Emma was pregnant.
With twins. She’d been suspicious after the old woman blessed her and coaxed her bear back inside by telling her that her cubs were safe.
Within days, Emma bought every pregnancy test available and confirmed her suspicion.
“Are you feeling okay?” I asked, surprised at how much more protective I’d become since learning that my mate would bear my cubs.
She laughed and twisted in my lap so that she was straddling me. “I’ve never felt better.” Kissing my forehead, she pushed herself against me.
“Pregnancy makes you feisty.”
“Perhaps,” she said with a shrug. “But it definitely makes me hungry.” Her stomach growled right on cue.
Laughing, I pulled her closer to me. “What shall it be tonight?”
“Hmmm,” she glanced at the ceiling in thought. “How about steaks and pickles?”
“Pickles?”
“And steaks. Rare.” She licked her lips, and my heart nearly exploded with how much love I felt for her right now.
“Streaks and pickles it is.”
“Yeah!” Leaning forward, she kissed me slowly and sensually, savoring every drop. We continued making out at the table until her stomach growled again.
With a laugh, I reluctantly pulled away. “Let’s get you guys some food.”
She stared down at her still flat belly and then back up at me. “I love you.”
The sense of relaxation and contentedness flooded me and my bear once more. While we’d had so much happen to us over the last year, we were right where we needed to be. My mate and my cubs would always be safe here.
I scooped Emma up into my arms. “I love you, too.” She giggled as I took her into the kitchen to prepare a meal for my new family.
The End…