Page 39 of Frederick
I felt Frederick’s mood shift to one of sadness, and reached out to rub his thigh. I gazed up at him, hoping that he understood that everything regarding our initial meeting was in the past and it did not bother me.
“It’s all right,”I told him though our bond.“It’s the past. Don’t dwell on it.”
“I only meant that with the reason for him being there on assignment, we couldn’t discuss things of a personal nature until after that was all sorted.” I looked up at Frederick again. “It was frustrating for both of us at first, but in the end, everything obviously worked out for us.” I rubbed his thigh again, making sure I stayed closer to his knee than his hip, trying to reassure him as best as I could.
“Do the two of you have plans to relocate anytime soon?” Edmund asked.
Frederick and I shared a look, because neither of us expected such a question. “What do you mean?” Frederick asked. “You know that I’m an enforcer for the council now. I have no plans to leave my position here in the near future.”
“I just thought that perhaps now that you had found your one you would consider moving back closer to home. Did you not join the council in order to find him?”
“It was obvious hope that being with the council I might have a better chance. But that’s not the only reason I joined, and you know that.”
“Edmund, leave the boys alone. They’re here and your family already. It’s not as if it is difficult for you to simply whoosh us here. Once everything settles out, we can work on figuring out a schedule for when is best for us to visit without interfering with their daily lives too much,” Dorthea told him.
I could sense frustration, and confusion from Frederick through our bond. I had no doubt that his father could see it in his aura.
“Was that your impression? That I was only with the council to find my One? Father, we’re doing good things here. We’re stopping, truly evil people. I’m part of that, and Dominic is supporting me in that. Why would I wish to leave that behind to return to Spain? What would I do there?”
“It was curious question there is no need to be upset about it,” Edmond said.
I gave Frederick’s knee a quick squeeze. “We do plan on traveling when our schedules allow for it,” I told them. “I will be taking at least a few years off from work to spend time with our little one and possibly his sibling if we should be so gifted.” I looked up at Frederick with a hopeful expression. I wanted him to relax and enjoy the visit rather than become frustrated with his parents more so than he already was.
“What is it that you do?” Dorothea asked.
“I used to be in marketing. There’s not a big demand for it here at the council. Although my job can be done completely remote, I don’t want to have to divide my attention between work deadlines and our son. I’ve worked for a very long time, and although I don’t have quite the extensive portfolio that some do, I can certainly not work for a very extended period of time.”
“Marketing, that sounds interesting.”
“It can be,” I told her with a smile on my face. “Depending on the product you are trying to sell, or the company that you are working with, it can be fun. It can also be quite frustrating at times.” When I’d first gotten into marketing, I loved my job and chosen field. Sadly, the coven decided that we all had to work for them and my days of enjoying my job quickly disappeared.
“Will you miss it?” Dorthea asked.
“No. In the last few years, it had become less and less enjoyable because I was working for my birth coven. I’m not saying I won’t ever go back, because at this point I’m not sure. For the time being though, I want to focus on our family thatwe’re creating.” I looked over at Frederick and offered what I hoped was a loving smile. He reached out and touched my cheek briefly before he looked back to his parents.
“The council is very understanding when it comes to time off when needed,” Frederick told them. “I received a month off when Dominic and I first claimed each other, and I’ll receive another month off once he gives birth.”
Edmund looked as if he was going to say something, but then his expression suddenly changed.
“What is it that you do?” I asked. Frederic and I hadn’t talked about his parents too much beyond the fact that they still lived in Spain and they enjoyed spending time with his brother’s children.
“We’re both what I guess you would consider retired,” Dorthea said. “We spend a lot of time with Emmet and Sofia’s children, helping them out.”
I nodded. I knew that at one point, Edmund had been a dentist, but then changed careers and moved to teaching at the university level. He was able to stick with that for quite some time by moving from in-person classes to teaching online. I also know that he’d gone by many different names when it came to his professional career, and I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to do that. I was rather attached to my name. Despite knowing all of that, he sat there without elaborating.
“Have I done something to upset your father?”
“No. He most likely was expecting us to return to Spain. He and Mother have always had this dream of having all of their children and grandchildren nearby and they could be this weird involved “it takes a village” family.”
Frederick sighed. “We’re not leaving Montana,” he told them. Edmund and Dorthea blinked at us. “I love you, and I promise I’ll visit, but I’m happy here. I understand you’re excited that I’ve finally met my One and we’re having a family. But we’re notgoing to be part of your plans of having all of the grandbabies running around everywhere.
“It’s taken you so long to find your One,” Dorthea said.
“Yes, but that is not for lack of trying,” Frederick replied.
“But we?—”
“Dorthea, leave it,” Edmund said. “Rainier warned us, and we knew it was a probability that they wouldn’t be ready to return to Spain with us.”
