The day unfolds happily from there on out, with Bridgette and I spending most of the morning curled on the sofa, enjoying ourselves. The Betas come, of course, but we bribed Ian and Alvin with the offer of much candy to move Victor’s little command station into the kitchen, which they do with enthusiasm.

“What!” Victor exclaims when he comes into the house and sees the two of them scurrying around with laptops and computer monitors in their arms. “What are you doing?!”

“Bridgette and I need the living room today!” I call to him with a lazy smile.

“Evelyn!” he protests, taking a step towards me. “I have work to do –“

“And I have gossip to watch,” I toss back happily, leaning my shoulder against Bridgette and winking at her as I grab the remote from the floor and flick the TV on. Victor starts to protest again but I just smile at him. “Wasn’t I told to relax?”

Routed, Victor growls a little and then stomps into the kitchen to help the boys set up. Rafe filters in with the Betas and they all get to work, Alvin and Ian helping happily before Miss Georgia can come and give them their lessons.

“You’ve got him a bit under your thumb, don’t you?” Bridgette murmurs to me as I flip through the channels, looking for something juicy.

“For now,” I say with a happy sigh and moving a hand to my stomach. “At least, for the next nine months.”

“Why –“ but then Bridgette gasps, grabbing my hand. “Wait – you aren’t –“

I laugh a little and put a finger to my lips, nodding towards all the Betas in the kitchen. “It’s early days – we’re not public with it yet – even Rafe doesn’t know –“

“Ohmygod!” Bridgette gasps, wrapping me in a hug with a little squeal. Victor looks over at us at the noise, concerned, but I send him a little message in his mind to let him know that she knows. He nods happily to me, taking a moment to smile at Bridgette who beams back at him. “I’m so happy for you guys!” Bridgette gasps, and I am warmed to know that she’s truly thrilled.

“Yes, we’ll have fun with these ones,” I say, leaning back against her. “It will be good to have some girls in the house –“

“Girls?!” she exclaims. “How can you know so early –“

he shouts, eager. “It’s me!” I turn to him and follow the direction of his finger,

up and focus on the

I say, raising my eyebrows as the gossip network begins to flash through photos of my family. “I guess…the news of

room followed by Ian and Rafe. Alvin runs to deposit his pile of folders in

news of Alpha Kensington’s engagement broke recently,” says the eager voice of a reporter over top of the images, “via the social media

actually never seen this one before, and I wonder when Delia had a moment to snap it. I’m pleased, though

announcement from the Kensington office – which has been quiet for weeks – has confirmed the news: Alpha Victor Kensington will indeed be marrying Evelyn Ortega, formerly Evelyn Walsh, the mother of his two children, Alvin and Ian Kensington, whom the Alpha recognized formally as his sons and heirs in a ceremony

can’t believe they said your name first,” Ian grumbles,

out his tongue,

of what they know of our relationship, starting with the scandal six years ago (luckily, she doesn’t show any of the scandalous hotel window pictures) and then moving through my time as a Rogue, my work as a therapist, our apparent rediscovery of each other

the reporter, taking my hand and squeezing it. I smile up at him, knowing that he, too, is relieved to see that they’re telling rather…well, rather a romantic story. This could have had a much more scandalous bent, marking Victor as a man who betrayed his mate for a woman who ruined his life twice,

reporter uses the word “star-crossed lovers” to describe us more than once, a phrase which makes me laugh because of its closeness to the actual

together,” I whisper, looking up at him. “This is what you

we are?” Victor asks, smiling at me and nodding. “Yes, that’s precisely what

little gasp at the next bit of news that pops

rejected Amelia Jones, she was recently spotted on

to peer at

my god!” I hear myself cry as the gossip network gives us several images of Amelia laying out, gorgeous in a white swimsuit to contrast her amazing tan, and then shows us images of her wrapped in the arms

gasps, pointing again at the

is replaced of one of Amelia laughing in Edgar’s arms, her head thrown back, Edgar

say again, and then I fall back against Bridgette in hysterical laughter. “Victor!” I gasp, “you tried to punish her, and instead you sent her away on a

do was to keep her contained and out of our life,” he says, “I didn’t give him any instructions on how to do that.

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