Page 66 of Home: Posy 5

"My goodness, he's a little chunk!" Jayden chortled and gently tickled the rolls on Gage's chubby thighs. "How much does he weigh?"

"He's twenty pounds," Leyly answered with a shrug. "Well over average, but he has alpha blood and is the son of an alpha. He's going to be a heftier boy than a human."

"He sure is a cute little thing." Wyatt held out his index finger and Gage latched onto it, his tiny hand barely curling all the way around it. "Goddess, I hope he doesn't turn out to be a mischief-maker like all of my little brothers. They started out this cute, too."

"So did you," Cole teased with a straight face as he played with the baby's tiny toes.

Everyone laughed at that, even Wyatt, who couldn't disagree without admitting he wasn't cute.

I waited for Mason to say something or interact with the baby and was slightly disappointed when all he did was stare at Gage with his usual emotionless face. His gray eyes glittered, though, so I knew he wasn't as unaffected as he wanted everyone to believe.

"Congratulations. He's a fine boy," he said in his business voice, which was probably the best we were going to get out of him, even though I knew he was longing to hold the baby.

I wanted to tell him that he was with family so he could relax, but I knew that wasn't how my eternal flame worked. He'd been stiff with the Everleighs, too, and they were omegas! No way would he bend in front of an alpha and a former alpha, no matter how informal the setting.

As if Ash read my mind, he shoved Gage into Mason's arms without warning. True to form, Mason didn't even blink. He simply situated the boy to sit on one arm, then put his broad hand on Gage's small back to hold him steady. Surprisingly, the sudden hand-off didn't bother the baby; in fact, Gage brought his hands up to touch Mason's face as they stared at each other.

And miracle of miracles, Mason Price cracked a smile. It was small, but it was there, and my heart leapt with joy.

Before anyone -coughWyattcough- could tease him and ruin the moment, the sound of a vehicle approaching caught our attention. As we all turned toward the driveway, I saw Ash reclaim Gage and held back my smile.

I hope Leyly doesn't think she's getting her son back anytime soon.

"The Everleighs made good time," Grandpa said as he stepped forward, preparing to greet them.

Then Ethan leapt out of the SUV before Uncle Lincoln even put it in park, and I gaped at his flushed face and wolf-lit eyes.

Did Maple wake up and cause problems?I frowned in disappointment.And I was so sure my Ultimate Luna Voice would work!

As soon as his feet hit the ground, Ethan raced toward us, and I realized his eyes had fixed on Camille. She realized it, too, and reacted about the way I expected, now that I knew her a little better.

With a shriek, she spun on her heel and ran inside the house.

12: Beau-ti-ful Mate

Ethan Everleigh

As Dad drove across the Crystal Caverns border, Maple stirred for the first time in days, and all my senses went on full alert.

Last Saturday, cousin Posy had put him to sleep until we found our mate. It had been the most stress-free week of my life. I'd relaxed and enjoyed time with my family, and my mom and dad helped me make a plan for my next steps.

I'd also been able to do a few jobs for the Royal Pack's gamma corps, the first time I'd been able to work in over a year, and added a nice bit to my bank account. It didn't look quite so anemic now, but I needed a lot more jobs before it was anywhere near healthy.

Thankfully, with Maple asleep, I could take care of that. I wasn't afraid of hard work; in fact, I liked being challenged. Kept me sharp and fit, both mentally and physically.

But now he was stirring, and I realized that could mean only one thing.

"Son? Are you okay?" Dad asked.

"Maple's waking up."

I didn't have to say anything else. Everyone in the vehicle knew what that meant. I thought Grandma was going to cry, and my mom did, laughing in relief as she wiped her happy tears on the backs of her hands.

"Congratulations, Hen!" Evan crowed with his normal enthusiasm and reached up from the back seat to slap my shoulder. "Posy was right about you finding your mate soon!"

Eden, on the other hand, moaned, and I knew something dumb was about to come out of her mouth, but was too excited to care. My long suffering was coming to an end!

"Thank the Goddess! I'm so tired of your sad self moping around."

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