Page 91 of Destined Paranormals: Volume One

Oscar sighed and leaned into my side. I wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him tightly to my side, trying my best to support him.

“I don’t have it in me to put up with you acting like you were, Hailey. There is a sweet one-year-old and an energetic four-year-old upstairs. You throw a fit like you have been, I’ll look into sending you elsewhere. You aren’t going to act that way around them.”

Hailey’s eyes widened, and then she immediately looked down at her hands where they were laced together in front of her.

“I understand. I wanted to say I was sorry. I have a lot to make up for, and I blamed you for taking me away from the pack. I had an eye-opening trip with the fates, and I’m sorry, Oscar. I’ll behave. I don’t expect you to forgive or forget, but I am sorry. I only wanted to fit in, and I felt that you were the reason I had to leave. I know now that isn’t the complete case. That you were only doing what was best for me.”

“I accept your apology,” Oscar said.

I could tell Hailey was surprised. She looked up at Oscar, and when a tear ran free from her eye down her cheek, Oscar held open his arms, and Hailey ran into her brother’s embrace. I stepped to the side and let them have their moment. I wasn’t sure what all the fates had shown her, but I’d seen the way she’d treated my mate, and this was drastically different. I had a feeling we were going to be just fine. There might be some bumps along the way, but in the end, we’d make it through everything as a family.

Chapter 12

Oscar

April

“Come on, munchkin,” I said to Mae as I reached down for her. We were getting ready for our day, and I just wasn’t really feeling it. I was tired. My due date had come and gone, and both Monroe and I were more than ready to have our little girl. She was stubborn, though, and determined to stay inside and not join our happy family.

I lifted Mae, and a sharp pain hit my stomach, causing me to gasp. I then felt a sudden gush of fluid and looked down around my large, rounded stomach while holding on to Mae as tightly as I could.

“Daddy?” Mae said and pointed at the floor. “Go potty, Daddy?”

I couldn’t help it; I started laughing. She was about to turn two, and we had started to see if she was possibly ready to potty train. She knew what it was and where everyone in the house went to the bathroom other than her, but when you were twenty-one months old, what else were you going to think when you were suddenly standing in a puddle of fluid on the kitchen floor.

I laughed until a second sudden sharp pain hit my stomach. That one managed to bring my mate rushing toward us.

“Oscar!” he shouted from upstairs. I’d been downstairs getting Maelie her breakfast while he was helping Mason get ready to go off to the daycare center for a few hours. We’d put him in it during the mornings, mostly because although my pregnancy had been mostly uneventful, it was a lot to keep up with a four-year-old and a one-year-old. That and they had a preschool program that was offered mornings, and we’d jumped at that opportunity. I got to spend afternoons with Mason while Mae was down for her nap, and then when she woke up, Joseph and Hailey were both here to help tire Mason out. Who knew four-year-olds were so full of energy?

“I’m all right. But it’s safe to say that our little girl is ready to finally come out and join us,” I told him as he rushed toward me. Immediately, he took Maelie and placed her in her high chair. I grabbed my back, which suddenly hurt, and went to take a step so I could go sit down but remembered that I was standing in a puddle. Except when I glanced down, the mess was gone. Monroe was back at my side, immediately wrapping an arm around me.

“Is it bad? Can you hold on for a few minutes? I need to call Alpha Forest and get the kids to him.”

I laughed again. Well, until another contraction hit. Then I gasped and grabbed for my stomach.

“Yeah, I’m good. Can you…I don’t know. Help me to the chair? And put something under me so I don’t get it wet?”

Monroe winced. “Let me help with that.” I felt my pants suddenly change. They were no longer wet, nor were they sticking to my legs.

“That’s really very useful.”

“Papa!” Mason called from the direction of the stairs. Monroe sighed.

“Of all of the mornings for Joseph and Hailey to have to go to school early. They could have taken Mason and Mae down off the mountain with them.” Monroe helped me sit in a chair, and I sighed in relief. It wasn’t that it hurt that much, but it was certainly uncomfortable.

“I’m good. Call Aspen, not Alpha Forest. I’m sure Aspen is home, but Alpha Forest is probably taking their kids to school.”

“Oh, good point,” Monroe said.

“Papa! You left me!” Mason shouted again. This time, he was definitely closer. Monroe winced and seemed torn. I waved him off.

“Go,” I said with another chuckle. “I’m good for now,” I told him as I rubbed my stomach. I felt it tighten and wondered just how quickly this little girl would arrive. They had estimated my due date to be a few days ago and, up until just now, nothing. I had, of course, felt the normal movements from her, but so far, our little girl hadn’t wanted to make an appearance. Even my omega line hadn’t had much of a change. It had gone from silver to pink, but just barely.

I heard Monroe on the phone as he came back into the dining room, where I was sitting near Maelie. She was happily eating her breakfast, shoving diced fruit in as fast as she possibly could. She was going to be a complete mess when she was finished, but there wasn’t anything that could be done to help it. She was almost two; they were messy eaters.

When she reached for her yogurt with her bare fingers, I handed her the plastic spoon and watched as she dipped it in the bowl and then put it in her mouth.

“Good job, Maelie. You’re doing a good job with your spoon.”