Page 53 of Broken Chains

“Honestly, it could work,” he said.

I was relieved to find him so agreeable. After another hour of just looking around the place, he seemed excited even. I had a good feeling this was going to work.

We walked back hand in hand. A lot of the glumness of earlier had passed and I could feel his wolf had started to settle again.

“Tomorrow while Eve’s at her grandparents, I want us all to go for a run,” I said.

“All of us?”

“Yeah. Our little pack,” I said happily. “It’s time we mark our land once and for all.”

Oliver smiled back at me, stopping at the back door to kiss me. “I love the sound of that.”

Oliver

Chapter 18

The next morning I didn’t wake with the looming feeling of doom hanging over my head that I’d expected. The workshop Peyton had showed me was incredible, or it would be by the time my brothers and I were done. I couldn’t wait to get started. First, though, I needed to talk to Thomas.

I didn’t mind asking Peyton’s brother for a job, but I hated asking the Collier Pack Alpha for a job. In this case, I couldn’t differentiate the two.

Peyton slept in, while I took care of breakfast for everyone. I knew she had a long evening ahead of her with a slammed schedule at work. Once the boys were off, I packed Evie up for her two days at her grandparents.

I had wanted to call them and cancel for this week, but we had a deal and I was a man of my word. I would not keep their granddaughter from them. Still, it seemed ridiculous to be dropping her off when I would be home all day.

The drive over to their house was uneventful. Usually Melina’s mother was waiting at the door, ready to grab her the second we arrived. There had never been any doubt in my mind how much they loved Eve.

I knew I was later than usual, but no one greeted us. I walked up the porch, juggling the car seat carrier and her weekend bag crammed full of the ridiculous number of things necessary for a baby.

I knocked on the door and waited. Terry finally came to the door. He looked upset.

“Hey, is everyone okay? If you need the week off, it’s fine. Eve and I can make do,” I told him.

“No, come on in. We wanted to talk to you about something,” he said.

Something told me it wasn’t going to be a pleasant conversation when we walked into the formal living room and Melina’s mother was sitting there, looking upset and wringing her hands in her lap. She made no move to reach for Eve.

I set the baby and her bag down next to me and took the chair across from where they both now sat.

“What’s this all about?” I finally asked.

“We heard some disturbing news in town this week,” she said. “I’m afraid it has us both quite upset.”

Shit,I thought. They heard I lost my job.

“It was brought to our attention that our granddaughter is living with a strange woman who is not her mother. Is that true? You’ve already taken a new girlfriend and are living with her?” she accused, like it was something terrible, but then they didn’t know about my kind. They didn’t know what it meant to take a mate.

I sighed. I hadn’t even considered how that would look to them. “I know it may seem fast, but it’s not like that. Peyton is wonderful. You’ll love her. I’m sorry I haven’t brought her by to meet you sooner. Yes, we bought a house together. It’s a much nicer place than my dad’s. Eve even has her own room.”

“You bought a house with this woman?” Terry asked, sounding very concerned.

I sighed. “She’s my fiancée. We’re getting married,” I blurted out. I didn’t know how else to explain that this was real and solid and forever. I needed to be clear that Peyton wasn’t going anywhere and would always be a part of Eve’s life.

“Oh dear Lord, if the ladies at church find out about this,” Becky started. “When are you getting married?”

“Soon,” I said. Peyton was going to kill me. Wolf shifters didn’t care about things like marriage. We were mated and that was far stronger than any marriage, with no chance of divorce.

“Does Melina know?” she asked.

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