Page 15 of Roman
I shared a look with Roman. I didn’t think I would need to call out for help, but I was going to agree to anything I needed to in order to be able to talk to the alpha for at least a little bit. I had questions, and I really wanted to know for certain if he was my mate. If so, was the baby his? Maybe it was a sibling and he was raising it like Evan had me? I needed answers!
“I’ll be fine, Ev,” I said as I took a step away from my brother.
“You just found something that you’ve been looking for, Beau. Why would you want to give it all up to start raising babies with someone?”
I was through being nice. “Just because I might have found my mate, and of course I will eventually have babies with him, doesn’t mean I’m giving up the bakery to have babies. I can work while pregnant, and I can take the baby to the bakery with me.”
“There is a free childcare center directly behind the council’s store and bakery,” Ramsey interjected.
There was? How had I not realized that? I, of course, knew about the council store and had walked past the two buildings that were behind the store and bakery several times when on my way to the bakery. I hadn’t ever paid either building too much attention, though, because I had no business there.
“Is that really what you want?” Evan asked again. “To give it all up? Because that’s what you’re going to end up doing.”
I sighed and shook my head. “I’m sorry, Ev. You are asking me to give up my mate, and I don’t understand why. It’s notsomething I’m willing to do, nor should I be asked to.” I took another step away from my brother and closer to the alpha who would eventually be my future. As I did, the tingling in my body increased, telling me I was making the right choice.
My eyes were locked with those beautiful blue ones, and when I reached out for his hand that was hanging at his side, Roman slowly took mine. The zap that went through my body upon contact told me everything I needed to know. Roman was most definitely my mate. I smiled up at him, and when he returned the expression, I felt my cheeks heat.
“I promise to be a complete gentleman. I would very much like to ask if you would join me for the evening meal? I wish to learn all I can about you,” Roman said. He gave my hand a gentle squeeze, which caused another burst of energy to pulse through my arm and, in turn, into my body. I didn’t think he knew exactly what he was doing to me, and I wondered if it would ever stop. Would my body always react to him like this?
“I’d love to join you,” I said without any hesitation. “I think there is a lot for us to talk about.” I needed to know what he would want from me—from his mate. Would he expect me to give up everything and stay home? Would he be supportive of my recent adventure? I’d literally just started it, and the thought of giving it up already was upsetting.
But what was up with my brother? He’d always been so supportive, and now this. He was being anything but supportive.
“We can watch from afar,” I heard a familiar voice say. When I turned, I was met with the smiling faces of Konrad and Elias. They had been joined by their own mates and were standing not far away. “We won’t interrupt, but we can keep an eye on things. Not that we need to,” Konrad said. “Roman is an incredible person and alpha. He’s done more for his brothers and some of the rescued omegas than you know,” Konrad said as he looked directly at Evan.
I threw a smile in Konrad’s direction and made a mental note to be sure to ask him all about Roman if I didn’t learn everything today. What had he done for his brothers? Who were his brothers, and how many did he have? And the omegas? What was going on with that?
“Care to go get plates? The line seems to be forming already.”
A quick glance up at Roman showed he was gesturing toward the massive table of food. It was so much longer than I expected and seemed to keep going. Roman was most certainly correct: the line was already forming.
“Oh,” I said absently. “I guess we should get in line?” I met Roman’s gaze again. “Do you have somewhere to sit?”
Roman appeared to start to nod but quickly shook his head. “I did. I was going to sit with my family, but that wouldn’t exactly be the best place for us to get to know one another.”
I started to look around, but my attention was drawn to Evan. He appeared to be deep in conversation with not only Konrad’s mate but the tall gargoyle from earlier.
“Umm…who is that to you?” I asked, indicating the gargoyle.
“Ramsey?”
Ramsey! That was his name. I nodded.
“He’s my brother-in-law. I’ll tell you all about my family during the meal if you’d like. You need to know, and some of what you hear might make you have reservations, and I wouldn’t blame you even a little.”
What was it that he needed to share with me?
“Not to interrupt, but there are several blankets over that way,” Konrad said as he pointed toward the side of the building. “We have claimed one, as have others, but there are many left that are still unclaimed.”
“Thank you,” Roman said before he glanced down at me. “Shall we?” He gestured again to the line of food, and my stomach chose that moment to tell everyone nearby that it hadbeen too long since I’d last eaten. It had been mid-morning because we’d become so busy that we’d barely had time to sneak away to use the bathroom.
“Yes. I’m quite hungry after the day I’ve had.”
“I wish to hear all about it.”
I smiled at him as we walked toward the forming line. We didn’t say much while we made our selections, and by the time my plate was piled with food, I’d only made it halfway down the line. That was frustrating because I’d not yet made it to the fruit or the desserts. You would think with me making desserts all day, I wouldn’t enjoy them as much as I did, but you would be wrong. I loved the sweet treat at the end of a meal.
Being fae and having magic, I wasn’t about to go without some of my favorites when I could use magic to help. With a bit of magical thought, my plate was floating beside me while I magicked another and then started filling it with various fruits and puddings. When I came to something that I was unsure of, I looked back at Roman for an answer.
