15. Stellan
STELLAN
Miles stood in front of the mirror, eyeing himself.
He turned and checked out his profile. His bump wasn’t visible, and I doubted any of the tenants would guess unless they sniffed him. They’d done that constantly in the days and weeks after he arrived, but with us being seen together more, they’d stopped. Me glaring at them had helped.
But we planned to announce his pregnancy today, and for those who hadn’t discovered we’d mated, we’d inform them of that too, although I doubted it would be news to anyone.
He tugged at his shirt which he said was already getting a little snug.
“We’ll have to go shopping for paternity clothes.” I stood behind him and wrapped my arms around him.
He rolled his eyes because he hated clothes shopping, but Indigo said she’d help. “I go with Dad to choose new clothes.” She put a hand in my mate’s. “Otherwise, he’d be dressed in sweats all the time.”
“Hey, not fair. You’re ganging up on me.”
Miles hugged Indigo. ”True. What are you going to do about it?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Oh, those are fighting words, but you’ll keep because we’re late.”
“Please don’t let anyone sniff me this evening.” Miles put his nose to one armpit. “I don’t recognize a human by their smell, but I give myself a thumbs-up.”
“Before we go, there are rules.” Indigo sat us on the sofa while she stood before us.
“Don’t let Mr. Girling near the grill because he’ll pretend he knows how to use it but he doesn’t.”
“Remind me who he is,” Miles said.
“He’s the lion shifter two doors up from you.”
Miles tucked his arm in mine. “I’ve heard him growling in the middle of the night, and Marmalade goes bonkers, hissing and spitting at the window.”
Indigo flapped her hand. “Take no notice. He’s a real pussy cat.”
Miles gave me a look that I translated as, “Somehow I doubt it.” And I shrugged. The lion shifter was all roar and no bite.
“Mrs. Munro will ask you a lot of questions, and you don't have to answer them, she's just nosy.”
“She’s the one with the cat who keeps Jon fit because he has to climb after her.”
Miles nodded. Marmalade wasn’t allowed out of the apartment often unless she was on a lead, so she’d never met Blizzard.
“I’m not finished.” Indigo had her hands on her hips. “Clover’s the bunny, and if she offers you food, take it or she’ll be sad for a week.”
“If you don’t want whatever she gives you, hand it to me and I’ll hide it somewhere.” It was a lot for Miles and his pregnancy-addled brain to take in.
“One last thing.” Indigo shared a glance with me, and we both said, “The unicorn.”
“What about her?” My mate slid over the couch so our thighs were touching.
“Don’t ask her how she’s doing because she’ll tell you.”
Miles made a face. “Isn’t that a little rude?”
“She’ll talk for forty minutes if you do, and you’ll have to stand there and nod,” Indigo told him.
“So should I say hello with no follow-up?” Miles looked at me, but Indigo answered.
“Just say blessings. She likes that.”
“It’s a lot to remember, but I won’t leave your side.” I kissed his forehead as
Indigo raced into her room and came out with an unusual accessory.
“I’m ready.”
Marmalade was in a baby carrier on my daughter’s chest. I was doubtful the cat would enjoy the barbecue, but I could bring her upstairs if she tried to claw everyone.
When we arrived in the courtyard, a banner that read “Welcome Summer” was flapping in the breeze and would probably escape if the wind picked up.
The banner was the same one Jon put up at every event, no matter the season.
I’d tried to convince him once that we didn’t need that sign for a July barbecue because summer had arrived a month before.
“Stellan.” Jon trotted over with an oven mitt on one hand and a clipboard in the other. “And Miles, you came. Well, of course you did because you live in the building.” He fumbled in his pocket, but the mitt made it difficult. “I have name tags somewhere.”
“It’s fine, Jon.” Miles smiled at our manager. “Most people know who I am, but thank you anyway.”
Jon leaned in and lowered his voice. “I feel terrible about the sniffing when you first arrived.” He glanced around as if he was worried he might be overheard. “It’s a reflex because you smell so human but in a nice way. Also, we didn’t understand why you were here.”
Indigo and I looked at one another. We were both trying not to giggle because it had to have been Jon’s mistake that Miles got an apartment in the building.
I gave Jon a hug which I’d never done before. If he hadn’t messed up, I’d have never met my mate.
“Thank you for being you, Jon.”
“That’s different.” He saluted me with the oven mitt hand and scuttled away.
Rudy waved us over to his lawn chair. As the oldest person in the building and Indigo’s honorary grandfather, he was allowed to summon us.
“Indigo told me you have a cat, but I’ve never seen it.” He glanced around. “Is she here this evening?”
“No, she’s at home watching her favorite TV program,” Miles answered.
Rudy’s brows shot up. The poor man. He didn’t understand human sarcasm.
“She’s here, Rudy.” Indigo leaned over and allowed the older man to pet Marmalade. The cat behaved as if she sensed any scratching or hissing would get her banned from the event.
Mrs. Munro cornered Miles by the drinks table and asked whether he was planning to get a car with better brakes than the last tenant and if it was true he'd fainted in the woods. Her sharp fox eyes were bright because gossip was like an elixir for her. He nodded to the first question and denied the second. He had experienced morning sickness but there’d been no fainting and especially not in the woods.
Mr. Girling greeted Miles briefly but dashed off to defend his claim on the grill from the tiger twins. That was a war that had been ongoing since before I moved in.
Emerald, the unicorn shifter, strolled over and took both of Miles's hands and gazed at him before saying, “You carry old water.”
“Blessings.” Miles bowed his head as if she was royalty or a deity, and even Marmalade was in awe and put her two paws together.
I kept catching myself looking at Miles and marveling at how lucky I was. When he moved into the building, everyone had been wary of him, and now he was charming them all. They were smothering him with affection and I had to rescue him, so this was the perfect time for our announcement.
“Everyone.” I tapped my glass with a fork. “Miles and I have an announcement.”
“Is it that he’s your fated mate?” Mrs. Munro asked. “Because we know, and we’re very happy for you.”
I shouldn’t have been surprised they were aware, but it was hard to keep a secret here.
“Or that you’ve already marked one another?” Clover shrugged and said that was old news.
“Or is it that Miles is pregnant?” Rudy grinned. “We know everything in Moonridge Place. Besides, we scented that Miles had a little one inside him.”
“Yes to the first.” I put a hand on my mate’s back.
“Yes to the second.” Miles blew me a kiss.
“And yes to the third.” Indigo jumped up and down, holding and clapping Marmalade’s paws. “We’re going to have a little brother or sister.”
“Pay up.” Mrs. Munro turned to Jon and extended her hand. “You only got two out of three, so I win. You owe me ten dollars.”
“You bet on us?” I slapped a hand on my brow.
“Of course.” Mrs. Munro was looking very pleased with herself.
“I don’t have my wallet or phone on me.” Jon pulled out the crumpled name tags. “These will have to do for now.”
Everyone filled their glasses, and I poured Miles and my daughter a soda. The three of us held hands and Marmalade held up a paw.
“To Stellan, Miles, Indigo, Marmalade, and the new baby.”
“I foresaw all of this,” Emerald whispered.
She hadn’t, but we didn’t challenge her.
Jon knocked over a table as he toasted us and told Mrs. Munro the money he owed her would have to go toward buying a new one.
“That was interesting.” Indigo was ahead of us as we climbed the stairs to the third floor. “Marmalade says she wants to meet Blizzard at the next barbecue.”
“Not happening.” Blizzard had that name for a reason.
“I didn’t expect to enjoy the evening as much as I did. The tenants consider you and Indie family.” Miles had his hand in mine.
I pulled him close. “And you too.”
I’d spent so long expecting things to be taken away from me that I’d nearly forgotten that they could sometimes be given.
Miles belongs here with us, my bear told me.
We all do.