Page 40 of Frederick
I looked at Frederick, suddenly a bit uncomfortable.
“We’ll visit,” Frederick said again. “I’ve already said we’ll visit, and we will. But we’re happy here and I feel like the council is somewhere I need to be right now. We’re doing so many good things.”
Edmund stared at Frederick for a long moment before nodding. “I understand. I do.” He glanced over at Dorthea and you could see the love they had for one another from that look alone. “We’ve always hoped that you and your brothers would find what your mother and I have and raise a bunch of babies near us so we can spoil them.”
“Not to sound like a broken record, but we’ll visit. I cannot say how often, but at least a few times a year. We have a lot going on at the council at the moment.” Frederick touched the back of my head and gently massaged it. “We’re not sure how much traveling our little guy is going to enjoy.”
Dorthea snorted, which was unexpected from what little I knew of her. She easily became excited, but she didn’t seem as if she was the type to make such a noise.
“You can travel between here and there just as easily as your father. You are giving us excuses.”
“If that is how you take our reasoning, then they’re excuses,” Frederick said. “Look, I love you both, and I enjoy being home with my brothers, and spending time with them. But I’m obviously in love with Dominic and we’re building a family.We’re still strengthening our bond. We don’t want to spend a lot of time with family showing up every day, and butting in all of the time.”
“They do that?”I asked. I was suddenly very happy we lived where they couldn’t easily access us whenever they wished.
“But you’re all?—”
“Dorthea,” Edmund said.
She looked up at her One and after a moment she let out a loud sigh. “Fine.” She set her tea down on the coffee table, and then placed her hands on her lap. “I apologize. You know how I am, Frederick. I love the babies. All of them. I want to be around them as much as I can because I don’t want them to not know who I am.”
“I understand that, Mother, and I can support it as well. We will do video chats so you can talk to him in between visits. But he’s not going to know who anyone is for some time yet.”
“Dorthea, they seem to be happy here. You knew when Frederick followed Sebastian here that he most likely wasn’t going to return. This is exciting, and as he’s said: he’s doing something important.”
“We will visit,” I told them, hoping that it would help calm her. I wasn’t sure why, but I wanted to make her happy. “My parents are both gone, and have been for some time. I would love for the two of you to be involved in our children’s lives.”
Dorthea looked from me to Frederick and then back at me. “Why didn’t you say his parents were gone?”
Frederick sighed. “I’ve been busy with work. And then there’s the whole…I just got mated and we’re still very much in the honeymoon phase of everything. I go to work and come home and spend all of my time with Dominic. I’ve just not thought to mention the fact that his parents are gone.”
“Do you like living in Spain, Dorthea?” I asked, hoping to change the subject a little. “Do you travel a lot? Have hobbies?”
It worked because Dorthea’s face lit up. “We do travel. We have vacation homes in three countries.” Dorthea looked up at Edmund. “It is three, isn’t it?”
“Four. England, Greece, Australia, and then the one in Brazil we just purchased.”
“Oh yes. How could I forget about it?” Dorthea shook her head before looking back toward me and Frederick. “Do you like to travel?” She asked.
“I do. I haven’t had a whole lot of time in recent years, but Frederick and I have plans to visit a few places next summer after the baby is born.”
“Before you ask, yes Spain is one of those places,” Frederick added.
I chuckled while nodding. Dorthea and Edmund seemed to be pleased with that response.
“That will be nice. Sofia will have had her baby by then,” Edmund said.
“Speaking of Sofia. When is she due?” Frederick asked.
“The last week of March,” Dorthea said excitedly. “They’re having a little fox shifter, so there is a chance we will have another baby girl in the family.”
I thought about that for a moment, and then placed a protective hand over my stomach. I would only have little boys. Frederick and I were both warlocks and we would only have warlock babies. Warlocks were only males, so there was no possibility for us to provide a female grandchild to them.
Seeming to sense my thoughts, Frederick placed his hand on the back of my neck and gave it a few gentle squeezes.
“It will be only little warlocks for us,” Frederick said.
“Yes, but they’ll be so handsome and powerful, like the rest of the family.” Dorthea looked directly at me. “There is nothing upsetting about you only having warlock babies.” She told me.“Except for the fact they will be so far away. I’ll have to learn to deal with that.”
