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 –“

before I can respond Alvin almost drops a pile of folders in his excitement. “Hey!” he shouts, eager. “It’s me!”

focus on the screen to see –

eyebrows as the gossip network begins to flash through photos of my

Ian and Rafe. Alvin runs to deposit his pile of folders in the kitchen and then rushes back in, eager to

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

a moment to snap it. I’m pleased, though – it’s not the formal engagement photo that is common to these kinds of announcements. Instead, it really captures what I

an 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

they said your name first,” Ian

his tongue, pleased. “Alphabetical,” he

and then moving through my time as a Rogue, my work as a therapist, our apparent rediscovery of each other sometime in

hand and squeezing it. I smile up at him, knowing that he, too, is relieved to see that they’re telling

phrase which makes

all coming together,” I whisper, looking up

are?” Victor asks, smiling at me and nodding. “Yes,

room gives a little gasp at the next bit of news

she was recently spotted on the beaches

all lean forward to peer at the

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 of a shirtless man with muscular shoulders and a curly thatch

pointing again at

Edgar’s arms, her head thrown back, Edgar smiling at

I gasp, “you tried to

disbelief. “I mean, all I told Edgar to do was to keep her contained and out of our life,” he says, “I didn’t give him any instructions on

The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

Comments ()

0/255