18. Bryce

18

Bryce

“ S o, today was interesting.” I sat on the oversized beige couch, Connor laid his head on my lap, and Ren curled up next to us. Our plans for the night were to hang out all evening in the living room and watch reruns of reality TV shows. “Guess who I saw at the grocery store tonight when I went to grab our snacks?”

“Who? Was it someone famous?” Connor’s tongue reached out and swiped the lingering bit of chocolate from the corner of his lips. I wouldn’t tell him how adorable I found it since pregnancy hormones had left him noticeably more self-conscious whenever anyone brought up his eating.

“I really wouldn’t bat an eye over someone famous, considering I’m technically famous in sports.”

“I guess.” Connor shrugged. “I forget that sometimes.”

“Anyway. I saw Hector and Bruno. They were buying some frozen pizzas.”

“What? They’re still in town? Then, why haven’t they stopped by to say hi? That’s incredibly rude.” Connor’s lips pursed in a cute pout I was dying to kiss. But I needed to defend my friends before my mate went out to find them and torture them for slighting him.

“I think they’ve been a bit wrapped up in things.” I leaned down and gave in to the temptation, pecking the soft lips of my mate. “They’ve been trying to secure jobs with a security agency in Valleywood. I think they said it was Synder Protective Services. So far, they haven’t had luck, and their savings will run out soon. They took a leave of absence but want to quit their current positions and move here permanently. They need a new reliable source of income.”

“That would be amazing if they could move to Valleywood.”

“I agree. If I thought I needed the security, I’d hire them myself. But it’s been super chill out here. It’s almost like everyone forgot me.”

“They didn’t forget you.” Connor sat up and tucked his legs under himself. From the way, he was bowing his head and fidgeting his fingers, my gut instinct told me he was about to confess something. “I kind of asked my friend Sierra to put a protection spell on us and the house so that no crazy fans would harm us and the paparazzi wouldn’t take unsolicited pictures of our family. She said we might need to keep refreshing it monthly due to the corruption in Valleywood and the chaos it has on magic here, but it should keep us safe enough we won’t need daily security. I had a protection spell on myself anyway, in case a reader turned into a stalker. Sometimes there’s a thin line between biggest fan and biggest hater. If anyone wanted to find me with negative intentions, they couldn’t. Adding you and our pups wasn’t an issue.”

“I do wish you had told me about it sooner, but it seems a harmless enough spell, so that’s fine.” I grabbed and pulled him onto my lap. “That would explain why no one ever asks for my autograph while I’m out.”

“I’m sorry. Do you want it off of you?” Connor reached for his phone on the cushion next to us, but I pushed it farther away.

“Nah. This has been nice.” I kissed his nose and loved the smushed face he made when I did so. “At least now I know they didn’t forget me altogether. I was still hoping to find some work in Valleywood or nearby. Maybe a coach position or something.”

“I did hear a rumor.”

“You did?”

“Yeah. I heard Valleywood was possibly gaining a hockey team. And someone is thinking of asking a recently retired hometown hockey star about putting it together.”

“Did you really?”

“I did. I wouldn’t be surprised if you hear something from Alex in a couple of months.”

“Are you sure you didn’t have someone work some magic for this?” I eyed my mate suspiciously. This sounded too good to be true.

“I did not.” Connor leaned in and kissed my nose. “I am really good at gathering the city’s gossip.”

“There are a few other things you are really good at.” I captured his lips with mine and forgot what we had been talking about, what we were watching, or really anything else that wasn’t my mate and what his mouth tasted like.

Connor

“I guess it was the hormones messing with me after the mating and getting pregnant so quickly. But ever since I got further along in the pregnancy, I haven’t been as insecure or anxious about our relationship.” I propped my cell phone on my mug of tea next to my laptop while Evelyn and I had our weekly video chat. I had to finish these edits tonight, so I had my laptop open to my manuscript to make a few fixes as we talked.

“That’s great.” Evelyn took a sip of margarita and leaned back in her lounger. “Bryce has done nothing but prove his love and dedication to you and those babies, so, if you were still unsure, I would give you the number for my counselor. She has been a huge help to me lately. Even though you seemed more confident and secure lately, I can text it to you if you still want it.”

“I probably will want it. Send it to me after we hang up, and I’ll see if my insurance covers it.”

“You got it.” Evelyn scribbled something on a piece of paper in front of her. “Just made me a note about it. Now, am I missing out on anything else there in Valleywood?”

“Not really.” I searched my mind for anything of importance that may have occurred in the week since our last chat. “I think we’re all caught up with me and Valleywood. So, tell me about you and how things are going there. Do you think you will be back anytime soon?”

“Things are boring here, but that may be what I needed.” Evelyn rolled her eyes. “I think I’ll be staying here a little while longer though. My brother seems to like having me here, and I don’t miss my job there. I actually quit over the phone this week when they warned me I needed to return to town or lose my job. Of course, now they call me twice a day and beg me to rethink my choices. It makes me sure I did the right thing. I have a little nest egg I can use, but my brother has a small bar out here he would like me to help run for a bit while he works out a few issues in his personal life. The career change won’t be permanent, but it may be a nice change of pace.”

“Yeah. I can see that being a good thing for a while. Is everything okay with your brother? Do you guys need help?”

“Oh no. We are okay. He’s having alpha issues. I hope this time will give him a new perspective, and the alpha will disappear.”

“Okay, well, call us if you need help or your brother does. We’re here for you.”

“I appreciate that. Thanks.”

Evelyn and I stayed on for a few more minutes and discussed what a tool her brother’s alpha boyfriend was. I agreed that it would be best if the guy left. But that was something only her brother could decide for himself. When our video chat was over, I went to find my own alpha. Hearing about what a loser they were dealing with made me realize what a catch I had. I thought it was time to show him my appreciation again, naked. But when I found him, he was napping in the middle of our large bed, with Ren snoring on his chest and Bryce’s hand buried in his fur. I guess it’s time for a nap instead.