his jumper. “I could be persuaded.”
“I love you, you know that?” he softly tells me, making my heart flutter uncontrollably in my chest. “I feel like I don’t tell you that often enough.”
Smiling, I lean up, brushing my lips across his. “You don’t have to tell me, I just know it, and that is far more important than words could ever be. I love you too, Mason.”
“There you two are!” Liam shouts, and Mason grumbles as we turn to see Liam and Alex walking up the deck.
“Where is Skye?”
“Your parents are having Skye and Phoebe overnight and taking them to some carnival,” Alex tells me, not looking or sounding impressed. “I don’t trust them, but I couldn’t say no to her. Whatever you and Skye do that makes me forget common sense and give in to your wishes, should be made illegal.”
“It’s called girl charm, and it’s a natural effect of being this awesome,” I tease, making all three of them laugh.
“So we have the place to ourselves for the night?” Mason asks, linking his fingers with mine as we head inside.
“Yep. I got us a movie and food. The markets here are incredible, everything is fresh,” Liam declares, his voice full of wonder. “And our people have just fit in here like it’s meant to be.”
“Raine is struggling,” I remind them. I spent the day with her, but she has gone into some kind of denial and is just loving the twins with her boyfriends. They have a cabin near the woods, and Estelle is staying with them all to help out with the babies. Hugh’s loss weighs heavily on her, and I’m sure it will just take time to heal. Time heals all wounds, but not in the way we expect. Time teaches us how to hold our wounds and not let them weigh us down or let their lessons be forgotten.
“How is she coping?” Alex asks as he sits on the couch, and I join him. Mason kisses the top of my head, going into the kitchen to see Liam. From the couch, I can see them both and know they are listening.
“Like any girl who lost her dad. But the twins seem to give her a light in the darkness,” I admit, remembering how she looked at them, how she sings them songs and tucks them in with the blankets. The little loving gestures that are everything. “Raine is going to adopt the twins with her mates. They also want to get married. It’s so sweet.”
“That is a good idea,” Liam replies. “I’m happy the little twins have such a good home and parents. Has she come up with some names yet?”
“Yeah, baby one and baby two is confusing. They look exactly the same,” Mason adds in.
“They did. Baby one is called Hugh after, well, you know. Baby two will be called Alexia, after you,” I nudge Alex, and he smiles for a moment until it drops into a frown.
“Why did they name the girl after me and not the little boy?” he asks.
“Raine didn’t say why,” I smile, trying not to laugh. “Maybe because two Alex’s would be confusing, and now it’s Alex and Alexia. Also Hughina is a weird name.”
“Fine,” he grumbles, and I chuckle as I snuggle into his chest. Shadow and Silver make their way in as Mason and Liam cook us all pasta and salad. We eat on the sofas, watching a cheesy comedy romance with Adam Slander in it, and it makes us all laugh. When the film ends, a knot of fear clogs in my throat as I click the off switch on the remote and stand up in front of Silver and Shadow sleeping on the floor.
“I need to tell you three something I’ve kept a secret, only because it never felt like the right time to tell you and I’ve only known for a few weeks,” I blurt out, trying to slow my voice. I look down as I cover my stomach with my hands on purpose. I can’t look at them as I try to get the next words out. “I’m pregnant.”
The silence that follows my two words hurts my heart more than a little bit, especially with the fact no one moves closer to me. Eventually, I tell myself I need to see their faces, and I lift my head to meet Mason’s eyes first. His eyes are wet with unshed tears and shock. Next, I look to Liam, who is looking confused and also