Chapter 13

Thirteen

"Charlie, are you sure that you wanna keep working the front desk?" Mister Jack looked so worried, and Charlie just wanted to pop him in the nose.

"I'm fine. I'm just pregnant." Pregnant didn't mean he was an invalid.

"Yes. Pregnant and working on your feet all day while restoring the rooms here in the hotel. Not to mention restoring the house. It's a lot."

He hated when Jack was like this—the benevolent alpha. He was more than capable of dealing with things. He was capable. "Do you want me to stop renovating the rooms?"

"No." Jack's answer was very, very firm. "I want you to stop working the front desk and focus on renovating the rooms. You're not just a front desk person." Jack stopped and pursed his lips. "What I meant to say was that you have a particular talent, and I don't want you to waste your energy on the desk work."

Charlie closed his eyes for a second, trying to find that part of him that knew what was the right thing to do. God knew he wanted to design. That was where his passion lay—making things look like they should have been, making things beautiful, making things functional.

But he also knew he wasn't trained, that this was partially just Mr. Jack being good to him.

Jack caught his gaze, and also his attention again. "Look, I love the rooms. The guests love the rooms. It's good practice for when you hang out your own shingle, for when you start doing this for other people." At Charlie's surprised look, Jack laughed. "Did you honestly think people were going to look at the house and not want you to come down and do the same thing here in town?"

"Of course not. I mean, I hadn't even considered…"

"The rumors about what is going on in that house—and I'm not talking about the ghosts—are flying. You're going to be so busy."

Charlie snorted. "Busy. I'm already busy, and when the baby comes…"

"And when the baby comes, you'll be in that amazing house with your amazing alpha and he will help." Jack grinned, the expression oddly lupine. "Trust me, nannies are a thing."

Him? Have a nanny? Dude, he couldn't even fathom that. He didn't know anyone except for Jack and Chase who had a nanny.

Was Kaleb going to want him to get a nanny? Did they need a nanny?

All of a sudden he had so many questions. So many things. They'd been so busy with remodeling the house and working that they hadn't bothered to find out about one another.

Like what were they going to name their daughter, and what color were they going to paint the bedroom?

Like was Kaleb going to want to put her in dance?

Swimming?

Athletics?

Band?

Did Kaleb want to get married?

Whoa. He wanted to get married. In fact, Charlie thought he wanted to get married before the baby was born.

It was old-fashioned, and it was silly, but it was what he wanted.

He was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't realize that Mr. Jack was speaking to him until he'd stopped. "Oh, I'm sorry, what?"

"Charlie, you're an amazing employee and a good friend, but it is more important for me that you work for me as a designer than you work for me at the front desk."

"I think I understand." Charlie nodded, feeling a mixture of regret and satisfaction. Mr. Jack was right. He had a lot to consider. "I think I need to speak to my lover, but yes you have my two-weeks notice for the desk position."

"I accept on one condition. Will you be willing to train the new person for your duties?"

Charlie nodded, and he didn't even begrudge Jack's victorious smile. "Absolutely. I won't leave you in the lurch."

"I know you wouldn't. Why don't you go take the afternoon off? Go take some lunch to your man, see how the house is going."

That was an easy thing to agree to, because it was exactly what he wanted to do. He was going to go grab some sandwiches and some soup because it was getting chilly, especially up in the mountains. Then he was going to discuss some of these things with his husband-to-be.

Because he intended to ask his husband-to-be if he would like to be, well, his husband-to-be. Dammit.

He gathered his things and headed out to the parking lot. It was still amazing to see the little car. Kaleb had just handed him the keys, and there was a little bow on the front of the car.

Just "here."

Not happy birthday. Not happy Arbor Day or anything, just, "Here. This is for you. I love you."

He headed into town, stopping at Alicia's for one veggie sub—no cream cheese, heavy on the hummus—and one Italian sub, plus two bowls of potato soup. He also got turkey sandwiches and chips for Hank and Stone.

Then he stopped by the bakery grabbed half a dozen cookies before he started his long slow drive up the mountain.

He loved how, as he drove up into the mountains, the house just sort of appeared. Every time he saw it, he had a little moment of awe.

Hank was trying desperately to communicate with the ghosts in the house, and Charlie had simply decided that he was not going to have any more of that nonsense. He was done with worrying about ghosts. He was going to live in this house, and they were going to be happy, dammit.

Still it didn't hurt that Hank was going to be at the house today working with Stone, doing some kind of podcast up on the third floor.

He knew too that Kaleb was working on the sunroom off the back porch. That room was going to be one of his favorite spaces, he could tell.

Charlie pulled up into the big circular drive, and he had to smile. The outside paint was done now, and the house was red with white trim. It seemed friendly.

He grabbed his bounty, balancing the baked goods while he pulled bags of sandwiches out. Grinning, he figured once a concierge, always a concierge.

"Hey, do you need help, baby?" Kaleb appeared, smiling at him as if he'd made his lover's day.

"I will take some, love." He lifted his face for a kiss. "I missed you. I needed to see you, be with you. I'm off for the afternoon."

He was off any regular schedule in two weeks, in fact.

Kaleb gave him a lingering kiss, lips warm from the sun and his natural heat. Then he took the big box of baked goods. "What's all this?"

"Lunch. Sandwiches and cookies. Kynan always provides for the crew, but the ghost hunters forget to eat, and so do you." Him? If he missed a meal, their little one reminded him.

"Yeah, Kynan's crew is on an emergency job in Montrose today. So I'm just pottering on the sunroom." They wandered into the house together, and it was more like home every time he walked in the door.

"Oh, emergencies suck." He left Hank and Stone's lunch on the kitchen counter, then texted them. "Let's go into the sunroom? I love it in there."

"Sure, baby. There's a little dust from me working, but I do have a table and a couple of chairs set up." Kaleb led him to what the ghosts probably would have called the solarium or the conservatory. The glass was mostly original, though the casings had all been reinforced and a few panes replaced. There was ironwork, and the old woodwork gleamed again from oil soap and wood conditioner.

"This place is like heaven." He could sit here and see the river valley, the town, the snaking highway.

"It's something, huh? I love that Kynan was able to get someone in to convert the heating so we can use it all year." Kaleb set the food down, then grabbed him and waltzed him around. "The Crapitorium says we can come pick up the chaise lounge this week. Mrs. Clinton had it cleaned for us."

"Oh cool. I loved that thing." Charlie stepped in, humming. "I have a lot to talk to you about. I want to talk about baby names." And about quitting my job.

"Yeah? Have you had some good ones spring to mind?" They stood there, leaning on each other for a moment, Kaleb's hands on his lower back.

"I was thinking about Natalia Quinn. Natalia Raleigh has a nice cadence." And Nat was a sweet nickname, too.

"Is that family name stuff?" Kaleb just sounded kind of curious. Kaleb hadn't really mentioned any names he'd particularly want…

"It was my mom's name." He thought she'd like that. She'd been killed along with his dad when he was a kid. He'd lived with his grandma until he left home.

"It's a beautiful name," Kaleb said, offering him a little smile. "Do your siblings have kids?"

"No. Vicki is a doctor overseas and her twin, Victor, is in the service."

"Victor and Victoria? Seriously?"

He nodded. "They had a sense of humor, my parents."

"Sounds like it. So were you Charlie for a reason?" He could feel Kaleb's side move with laughter.

"I'm named after my dad's favorite silent movie star." He waggled his eyebrows, teasing hard.

"Ah, you little tramp."

That made him laugh too, because it was a great comeback. "Yep. That's me. Should we eat?"

"Absolutely." Kaleb sat and pulled Charlie down to sit on Kaleb's lap rather than the other chair.

He did love that. He snuggled right in and handed Kaleb his sandwich. "I'm giving notice at the front desk, love."

"Are you?" Kaleb leaned back enough to just beam at him. "That will take quite a load off both your stress and your ankles."

"I'll train the new person, but I'm going to just work on the new rooms."

"Hey, that's amazing. I mean, I think between that and doing stuff up here? You'll be busy as hell. Even when we get all the reno done, we'll have the baby, and Hank is making noises about tours and maybe teas in the old formal parlor."

"Oh, wow. That could be fun, but we'll have to work around the baby's schedule, hmm?"

"Yes. I told Hank we probably wouldn't roll out any events until the baby was close to a year old. And did I say I liked that name?" Kaleb nibbled his sandwich.

"Do you? I'm glad you like it. I do too. It makes me smile." Charlie leaned into him, nibbling at his own sandwich. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, baby. What is it?" Kaleb stole his pickle.

He chewed on his bottom lip. "Do you want to get married? To me, I mean?"

Kaleb's eyes went wide and the icy gray blazed like silver in the sunlight. "Are you kidding? Of course I do. I was planning to ask once the house was ready to move into full-time. I bought the ring last month."

"Oh. Well, I have a ring for you too. I want to marry you, before the baby comes. I mean… I would want to marry you without the baby, but with the baby, there's a timeline."

"Then we need to get the show on the road." That gaze went speculative, Kaleb turning in as he thought. "What kind of wedding do you see for you, baby?"

"You. Me. We can do it on the grounds here. The roses are blooming. It's beautiful." He didn't need fancy. He needed Kaleb.

"Okay, cool. We can just have our friends then. And someone to do the ceremony. You don't want your sibs?" Kaleb's smile was just like the sun outside. Bright and warm, making him want to bask.

"I'll invite them, of course, but they may have to attend virtually, if they forgive me at all." Charlie shrugged, but he had to believe they would understand.

"Why don't we reach out to them? We can just see. I can help, if you want." Kaleb squeezed him with the arm holding him on that warm lap. He felt so safe right where he was, and that made him think maybe he could do it.

"I should. I want to. We aren't super-close, but they are my family." And he was building his own family here.

"When you're ready, baby. No rush. If you want just our local friends to come, then that's what we do, and we call your sibs later." Kaleb offered up a chip.

He munched it, humming deep in his chest. "No. No, that's cruel. I'll just do it. Send out an email to them, explaining everything." It might take a bit to fix, but starting with an apology and a reason couldn't hurt.

"That sounds great, baby." Kissing his temple, Kaleb hugged him close and hummed, like he was compelled to comfort Charlie.

"You seem happy today." He leaned in, laughing as Natalia kicked hard.

"I am. I have the sun. The work is going well today. I have you and a yummy sammy. What's not to love?"

"True. When we're done eating, I'll help. Just let me know what you need done."

"Sure, baby. But no ladder time, okay? If it needs fixing or polishing high up, that's my job." That knowing tone made him blush a little.

"Yeah, yeah, no ladders. I promise." Charlie had to roll his eyes. "It was a brand-new ladder."

"It was. It had a weak spot. I looked." Now Kaleb sounded super solemn. "Someone did you a favor. That last rung had a knot hole in it. It would have broken anyway."

Now that made him feel good. Honestly, the ghost was protecting him? That was amazing.

"Kinda goes against Hank's murder tale, huh?"

Kaleb chuckled. "I guess that depends on who broke the ladder for you. But I'm not buying the murder thing based on what we've heard. They seem to be searching for each other."

"You think they are? Has Hank managed to contact them?"

"No, I don't think so." Another chuckle. "I mean, I've heard things. Someone calling for Ezekiel."

"Yes. I've heard someone crying for an Augustus."

"Yeah. So…" He got another kiss. "Ah, well. I guess we may never know for sure. So, I was about to start on that baseboard."

"Okay. Painting? I'll work on it."

"Yep. Wear a respirator please." Kaleb patted his butt when he got up.

He wiggled deliberately. "Yes, sir, alpha sir."

"Such a sweet tease, my omega."

"Yes, but you like it," he shot back.

"I do." Laughing, Kaleb rolled up the trash from their lunch. "I'm going to go toss this and make sure the guys got their lunch. Respirator," he repeated firmly.

"Right here." Charlie slipped it on, then went to sit on the camp stool Kaleb had set up, grabbing up the paintbrush.

A gust of cold air brushed the back of his neck, and he shivered, his whole body chilling down super quick.

"Whew. When the sun changes positions, it gets cold fast," he said to no one.

I miss him. He was my sunshine.

Okay. Okay, Charlie, be cool. "I'm sorry. Is…is he still here?"

I miss him. He was my sunshine.

Was this what Hank said happened when a ghost was caught in a loop? Was he hearing just…echoes? But echoes couldn't break a ladder. "I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do?"

Tell him I love him. I got lost. I want to come home to him.

"Okay. I can do that."

Somehow. He had no idea how.

Thank you.The whisper trailed off, and the warm sun fell on him again, heating the room.

"Wow." He pulled out his phone to text Hank. Encounter in the solarium. Temp change etc>

OMW> That was fast, and soon he heard the thundering footsteps of Hank, Stone, and his Kaleb.

"I said to be careful!" Kaleb exclaimed.

"I was! I just sat here!"

Hank held up some sort of meter. "So what happened?"

He explained, and Stone wandered around the room taking measurements with a point-and-shoot thermometer.

"Wow. Wow, okay. That must have been Ezekiel. He was Augustus's omega that was murdered."

"He wasn't murdered," he said.

Even as Kaleb said, "He wasn't a murderer."

Hank looked up, bright-eyed and bushy tailed all of a sudden. "What?"

Charlie's ears heated. "Ezekiel. He wasn't murdered. He missed Augustus."

"Exactly." Kaleb pursed his lips. "I think they're looking for each other."

"Yes. He wants to come home. He says he was lost." Charlie had heard that loss.

Hank breathed out a happy sound. "Oh, wow. Stone, did you?—"

"I heard." Stone gave Charlie a little wink. "That's sad, but cool for us. That's always easier than an angry or vengeful ghost."

"What do we do?"

Hank shook his head. "I'll research. See if we can find where they found the body. Maybe something was left behind?"

Stone chewed his lip. "I can see that. Maybe if we can find whatever it is, we can clear Augustus's name once and for all, and then the house's history will still be tragic but not scary. That will be nice for you if you want to do events, huh?"

"Yes. And for us as a family. We need to help this be the home they deserved." Charlie believed that with all his heart.

Kaleb shared a look of understanding with him. "Hence the tower room. I get it."

"I knew you'd catch on," he teased.

"I can't wait to write this up for my next book with Elliot," Hank said.

"I just want Charlie and Natalia safe. I need to know that this is a good space for them." Kaleb kissed him hard enough to make his eyes cross.

All Charlie could do was hold on, clinging to Kaleb's arms as he melted into his alpha's embrace.

There was a light round of laughter, but when he opened his eyes, Hank and Stone had disappeared, probably heading back upstairs.

"Oh, oops," he whispered, swallowing hard. "Why aren't any bedrooms ready?"

"I don't know. I think our priorities are askew, huh?" Kaleb stared at him as if there was no one else left on earth.

"Yes. Master bedroom. Bathroom. Kitchen. Then we can move in."

"Exactly. I'll have Kynan's crew back up Monday, and he tells me two more days on the big suite." Kaleb looked so pleased.

"Okay. We can start packing the apartment, then, and call for the movers to bring your things."

"Yep." Kaleb kissed him again. "We're doing it, baby."

"We are. We're going to make a home here." He kissed Kaleb's nose. "Dammit."

Kaleb nodded. "I can't wait to have our bed here. You and me." They had picked one out, and it was in storage.

"Soon. I'll tell them a week from today, and then we'll spend the night in our house."

"I knew when I saw it. I was getting it for a reason, baby. There's nothing else I would rather do."

"Maybe…maybe you knew I needed you." It wasn't impossible.

"I think I did. I'm not arguing with that." Kaleb hugged him close, and it didn't matter.

They were together. That was all that counted.