Page 29 of Homecoming

But then, maybe they would surprise him.

Aiden chuckledas he listened to Angela relate their afternoon. “You actually saw him kiss her?”

“I did,” she grinned, setting a pan in the dish drainer, “and when they were done, they both looked shell-shocked. And he actually smiled. After talking to her, I feel like Grace is already half in love with him.”

Aiden made a face at that. Owen Black was a decent guy, but more than a little closed off. And that was saying a lot, because he was the king of closed off. “Well, this is going to be interesting, then.”

Angela turned to him, wiping her hands dry on a dishcloth. “I want you to talk to the guys over the next couple of days. See if you can smooth the way for Owen. I think if he senses any resistance, he’ll use it as an excuse to distance himself from her.”

“I can talk to some of them, anyway,” he agreed. “And we have dinner tonight and tomorrow night to talk to them. You can work on them too.”

Angela nodded. “Already planned on it.”

Yeah, she was smart that way.

As the new couple on the mountain, it was a bit of a challenge to fit into the dynamic. They alternated work times, so that one of them was always with Fallon. Angela was settling into working with Yates in IT, and he was still doing remote planning for the OMEGA team. He could do that from the cabin, here, if he wanted to, but he’d kind of adopted one of the desks in the main building. It was nice to get out of the cabin and actually feel like he was going to work.

There was a rotating schedule of outdoor and indoor chores, but everyone already had their groove. And the outside stuff had gotten easier since they had ready power. Owen said they’d gone through truckloads of firewood in the beginning, but they didn’t need to do that as much now. Dominic Dart and Fontana kept them powered. Shade ran security for the Foxhole. Duck took care of the animals and the outside equipment. Evan took care of the greenhouse. Grunt took care of the stockroom and kitchen. Over the past year, they’d all found their places, and now it was Aiden and Angela’s turn.

Aiden looked forward to the work.

“What do you think he’ll tell her?” Angela wondered, narrowing her eyes.

Aiden shrugged. “I’m not sure. I appreciate his overall caution. I mean, with the way this place is set up, and the security they have on us, I’m actually more relaxed than I’ve been in a long time.”

Angela crossed to him and ran her hand over his shoulder, giving him that smile that made him think that anything was possible. “I know. He has to walk the line, though, and take a little risk when he tells her about everything. She’s going to be shocked, but maybe, if she sees the men as men before he tells her anything big, she’ll be more accepting.”

Aiden nodded, wrapping his arm around her waist as he pulled her close. “That’s what I’m hoping. I would love for him to have this,” he motioned with his head between them. “I never even imagined I would find this kind of relationship, and if I don’t tell you enough, I am so thankful for you.”

Angela leaned closed, resting her cheek on his. “And I’m so thankful for you, as well.”

The baby monitor let out a squawk and Angela pulled back, grinning. “The princess is awake and probably jealous that she’s not between us. Let’s let her open a present!”

Aiden quirked a brow at her excitement. “It’s not Christmas,” he said, but he gave in. He was excited, too, for Fallon to have her first experience with presents.

When they presented Fallon with the wrapped package, they had to show her how to rip the paper. But only the first time. Babies didn’t normally have a lot of dexterity, but she managed to unwrap the big box in a very respectable time. Angela snapped pictures with her phone and took a video. Fallon was so incredibly cute as she cooed over the new, brightly colored toy, learning what the buttons did.

Once Fallon was playing happily in her little toy nook, Aiden reached for the package he’d wrapped and tucked into the couch cushions earlier. The little box had been with him in Alexandria, and he’d had it for a good while. When he handed it to Angela, her eyes filled with tears.

“I thought we agreed no gifts for each other? This year was just for Fallon. And it’s not Christmas.”

Aiden made a face. “It’s close enough. It’s Christmas Eve eve. I remember you suggesting that, but I don’t specifically remember agreeing.”

Angela took the package and very carefully unwrapped it. She gasped when she opened the blue velvet jeweler’s box. “Oh, Aiden… It’s stunning.”

It was a gold chain with a dangling purplish blue alexandrite stone for Fallon’s birth month.

“Well, you’ll notice that there’s plenty of room on the chain for more stones, too,” he murmured.

Angela blinked at him, and he realized he’d shocked her. It was a big step for him, even thinking about having another baby. He’d gone through so much guilt worrying about Angela when she was pregnant, and whether they should even have created a child. They didn’t know what the Spartan drug and the genetic modifications it had set into effect would do to the baby in the long term, but he couldn’t imagine being without her now. If he could maybe have a little boy with Angela’s blue eyes, their little family could be complete.

“Not right this minute,” he said, quickly, “but you know, down the road. Maybe when she’s out of diapers,” he laughed.

Without saying a word, Angela shifted close to him on the couch and swung her leg over his hips. Then she leaned down and wrapped her arms around his neck, nestling in close. “Do you know how much I love you?”

Aiden wrapped his arms around her. “Hopefully at least half as much as I love you.”

She shook her head against his neck. “Nope. More.”

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