Page 6 of The Wolf's Bullied Pregnant Mate
I grinned before joining her on the sofa. “Hopefully, he won’t tell Alex. I don’t want the big bad alpha on my case about hurting one of his guys.”
“Oh, Alex won’t. There are probably times he wants to drag Zephyr out by the scruff of his neck and teach him a lesson. He always says Zephyr talks too much without thinking about what he says.”
“That’s for sure,” I muttered. “But, anyway.” I held out my hand. “Show me the ring again.”
Harper’s face broke into a grin as she flourished her left hand, showing off the gorgeous, sparkling diamond Alex had presented her with. The whole gesture of his proposing had been small and intimate. He’d gotten down on one knee during a family day out on the mainland one day a month ago.
“I’m still sort of bitter I wasn’t there to take at leastonepicture,” I laughed.
“You’ll get plenty of opportunity next week at the engagement party,” Harper assured me. “Maybe I’ll even get you and Zephyr in one together.”
I snorted. “I don’t want him anywhere near me if I can help it.”
“Who?” Alex asked, walking into the living room.
“Nobody,” I muttered, not wanting to offend him, despite Harper’s assurances earlier, but she just tossed her red hair over her shoulder, smiling up at her fiancé.
“Zephyr,” she answered. I shot her a look, but she pretended not to see anything.
“Oh, I thought you two were…” Alex grimaced. “Not on civil terms.”
“Is that what he said?” I asked, my voice flat. Alex just shrugged and wandered into the kitchen to brew some coffee. As soon as he left, there was a rush of three sets of footsteps thundering down the stairs, squealing.
“Auntie Addie!” Hallie cried, scrambling over the back of the sofa and into my arms. I laughed, scooping her up properly to spin her around.
“Hi, baby,” I cooed at her. Her tiny teeth flashed as she grinned at me. “What did you get up to today?”
“Daddy took us swimming!” Marie cried. “He put rubbers on us.”
“Rubber bands,” Harper filled in quickly when I gave her a look of concern.
“We sort of floated with him, but he said one day, when we’re big, we will swim like he can!” Hallie said. I set her down next to her sister. Joseph climbed up to sit alongside them, with Alex coming over to sit next to Harper. The five of them all huddled close, a family that had gone through their fair share of trials and come through it so much stronger.
“Daddy said there is a lot we will do when we’re bigger,” Joseph mumbled. “Butwhenis bigger?”
I chuckled, ruffling his fine, red hair. “Don’t wish your childhood away so quickly, kid. When youarebig, you’ll just want to grow back down again.”
“You can’t grow back down!” Hallie cried.
“Hey, listen to this,” Alex said to me, grinning. “Joseph, what will you sound like when you’re older?”
Joseph got to his feet on the couch and inhaled deeply. His tiny chest puffed out, and his small hands clenched into fists. His head tipped back, and he let out the tiniest, cutest howl. Alex beamed as Harper clapped, cheering for him. In tandem, Hallie and Marie joined in with softer howls, all three of them grouping together.
“The Garson pack is on its way to being complete,” Alex said proudly. “I even bought Harper some running shoes so she can keep up with us.” Harper snorted, waving him off as she brought the triplets closer to her.
“It wouldn’t be a full pack without the best uncle, though, would it?”
The new male voice broke the peaceful family moment and turned my mood sour immediately. Zephyr strolled through the front door, inviting himself in. As soon as he saw me, he paused.
His eyes narrowed, his lip curling. “I can’t get away from you today, can I?” he muttered, quiet enough to almost be to himself.
What in the hell didthatmean? Seeing each other in passing twice wasn’t unusual. If anything, I could not.
“Says you,” I hissed. “You just can’t bear to leave me alone, can you?”
“Don’t flatter yourself,” he snapped.
“Okay!” Harper said loudly. “Children here who do not need to witness their auntie and uncle having an argument.”
