Page 74 of Blades of Ice

“How did you get my social sec—?” Beck snapped his mouth shut when Carleigh arched a dark eyebrow, smirking. “Yeah, I forgot who I’m talking to for a second,” Beck muttered, but he was smiling.

Carleigh took a sip of whatever she was drinking, then continued. “I bought Christmas presents for your parents and Locke. Oh, I got me something from you too.”

Lydia huffed. “Like a new company, a warehouse, and a helo weren’t enough?”

“I bought something I can actually hold in my hand. And that helicopter is used goods with all the miles you put on it.”

“Yeah, yeah. Seriously, though. Thanks for all that. Anything else?”

“Nope. I’ll let you get back to your visit. Dooley and Kennedy, I expect to see you in person sooner rather than later.”

“We’ll do our best,” Dooley fudged. He and his mate already had their plane tickets. They were giving Beck and Lydia a couple of days to get settled, but they were coming for the handfasting. Lydia convinced them to travel to West Virginia after the new year as well.

“Happy holidays, and all that.” Lydia blew kisses, then signed off.

Kennedy climbed onto Dooley’s lap. “What do you think she bought for herself?”

“Probably the new sweater she had on.” Lydia stretched her arms overhead. “I’m glad y’all agreed to come visit soon. As much as I’m ready to get out of Alaska, I’m not ready to say goodbye to you.”

Kennedy bit her lip, and Dooley goosed her. “About that. Kennedy and I have decided to make our visit permanent.”

Lydia jumped up and grabbed Kennedy’s hands, pulling her to her feet. “Are you serious?”

“Yes. We talked about it as soon as we got back from Chugach. Since you claimed us as Clan, we want to be a part of it. Meet everyone. Follow you and Beck to wherever you look for new shifters for the council. Dooley can do his computer work from anywhere, and I…” Kennedy tugged her hands free from Lydia’s and pressed them to her stomach. “I want my baby to grow up surrounded by family, and like I told you, mine is scattered. Dooley’s, well, they’re a lot like Beckett’s.”

“A baby! I’m going to be an aunt!” Lydia hugged the little fox. “This is exciting. He or she will be the first child to come from our generation.”

Kennedy angled her head to the side. “How do you know that for sure? I thought your Clan was massive.”

“It is, but I’m the archivist, and I’m notified of every birth and death so I can add it to our history books. Now, I think it’s time for some of your pie. You sit down, and I’ll cut everyone a slice.”

While enjoying Kennedy’s scrumptious fudge pecan pie, Beck and Dooley talked about leaving behind everything they’d ever known for a new adventure with the Stone Society. Lydia and Kennedy talked babies. Beck was happy for his friend and hopeful for himself. He couldn’t wait for the day he and his mate announced they were expecting a child.

The next morning, Kennedy cooked breakfast even though it was early. There were hugs all around and excitement at seeing each other in a few days. Beck and Lydia flew back to Valdez where they stored the helo in their warehouse. Beck still wasn’t used to the fact that what Lydia owned was also his after having lived frugally for years.

Beck then drove them in the rental SUV to Anchorage where they flew first class to Atlanta. Since they waited until the last minute to book the flight, they couldn’t get a non-stop, but the layover in Seattle was short, and ten hours later, they touched down in Lydia’s hometown. The airport was massive, and they had to take a train from the concourse to baggage claim. Beck expected to call for a ride, but instead, three familiar faces waved as they got to the bottom of an escalator. Sophia tried to rush forward, but it was more of a waddle, and Beck could imagine his mate in her mother’s situation – round and radiant.

It was odd seeing Lydia’s parents’ young appearance. She had mentioned that Nikolas was over five-hundred fifty years old, yet he looked to be in his late thirties, early forties at most. And Sophia looked like Lydia’s sister instead of her mother. No wonder they wore prosthetics. As they waited for the luggage carousel to begin spitting out their bags, Beck was embraced by each of Lydia’s family. Even her teenage brother got in on the action. Locke was seventeen, but he didn’t hesitate to welcome Beck to the family.

The drive to Lydia’s – their – house took forty minutes even though it was going on two o’clock on Christmas morning. Beck had never seen so much traffic in his life. When Nikolas turned into a driveway, Beck figured the male must have taken them to his and Sophia’s house until Lydia said, “Here it is,” as Nikolas parked in front of a two-car garage.

“This is your house?” When she described it as small, he was thinking something along the lines of where he’d lived the past ten years. Amara’s house wasn’t this large.

“No, it’s ours. Come on.”

No wonder she said there was plenty of room for Dooley and Kennedy to stay with them. If this was what she considered small, he couldn’t imagine her parents’ place. No, that wasn’t true. He could considering Lydia had shown him photos of the house they had bought in New York, which she explained was smaller than the one they owned in Atlanta. Lydia scooted out on her side, then helped her mom out of the front seat. Beck followed mother and daughter to a door at the side of the house when Nikolas said he and Locke would grab their bags. Instead of using a key, Lydia punched in a code on a numeric pad before pressing her thumb to some sort of scanning device.

“I’ll get your biometrics added after we’ve slept,” she told him as she opened the door.

Biometrics?

Sophia parked herself at the kitchen table while Lydia showed Beck around the bottom floor that someone had decorated for the holiday. His money was on Carleigh. Nik and Locke carried their luggage upstairs, and when they came back down, Nikolas pulled Sophia to her feet. After more hugs and promises to see them later that day, they left Beck alone with his mate. He appreciated the greeting at the airport and the ride to their house, especially at such a late hour, but he was more than a little overwhelmed, therefore grateful to be alone with Lydia.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, hugging him from the front and looking up at him.

“Nothing.” When she arched a brow, which he’d come to learn was a trait of the women in her Clan, he kissed her forehead. “Nothing’s wrong. I just wasn’t expecting your – our – house to be this big. I’m not complaining, I promise. AndI shouldn’t be surprised. I mean you and Carleigh bought a warehouse and a half-million-dollar helicopter like it was nothing.”

Lydia placed her cheek to his chest. “We did split the cost, if that helps.”

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