Chapter 15

Fifteen

"Okay, everyone smile. One, two, three—perfect." The photographer took the last of the pictures, then gave them a thumbs-up. "Yay! Okay, folks. That's the last of the pictures. You are reception bound."

Charlie chuckled, looking at Kaleb, who was so handsome in his dark suit. "Yay. My ankles want me to sit."

"Well, come on, baby. Do you want me to carry you?"

"No!" He did not need to be carried. He just needed to sit. "Butthead."

"That's Mr. Butthead," Kaleb teased, and everyone laughed, including Vicki and Victor, and the Mrs. Raleighs, who didn't want to go by Mary and Charlotte.

No, they wanted to be Mom and Maman.

"My Mr. Butthead." He lifted his face for a kiss and got it immediately. God, it was a glorious day, the sun bright, the flowers smelling amazing, and only a little crisp this high up. The house shone like a jewel.

"Yes. Mr. Raleigh." Kaleb smiled as Charlie sat, and Charlie had never been so happy.

All their friends were milling about, their families were here, the baby was kicking—it was perfection.

He glanced up at the house and blinked. Was there someone up there in the tower window?

Charlie waved, figuring if it was person or ghost, they needed welcoming.

"What are you waving at, baby? There shouldn't be anyone up there."

"Well, what if the ghosts are watching the wedding?"

That got him a few odd looks, but Kaleb just grinned. "Good point."

He'd decided to live with them, and so far, so good. Every time he got scared, he was just a decent person. He explained what he was redoing. He had found everything but the baby's cradle for the ghost's tower room.

It had to be somewhere, right? He had a feeling Augustus had hidden it out of sight after the death of Ezekiel had happened… Who could blame him? Maybe it was in one of the sheds…

"Earth to Charlie," Kaleb said, handing him a glass of apple juice.

"Oh, thanks. Sorry. I was thinking."

"Be careful of that nonsense." Vicki winked at him, her hair almost as short as Victor's.

"I can see the smoke coming out of his ears," his brother drawled, and they all grinned at each other.

They were dark-haired where he was light brown, almost blond, but they all had the same blue eyes.

"It's a hazard for sure," Charlie agreed. "Especially with pregnancy brain."

All of the assembled omegas groaned with sympathy in a chorus.

Hank's daughter, little Antonia came over to him, patting his belly. "Poor Charlie belly."

"I know!" Charlie bent down to whisper to her. "It's like I need cake."

"Ooooh." Her eyes got big.

"After supper," Elliot said, coming to lift his daughter into his arms. "I hear there are hotdogs."

They had gone informal with grilled meats and lots of late summer salads and vegetables for their food, and the kids were excited about the hotdogs and potato salad.

"Hotdogs and chips, all the good things." He winked up at Elliot. "Having a good time?"

"I am. Man, this place is a historian's dream. And you guys throw a great party."

"Thanks." Kaleb just beamed. It was true, Charlie thought. Kaleb had spared no expense to make their day special, but not just to throw money at it.

He was thoughtful about it. There was a bouncy house for the kids, and shady places to sit with their feet up for the preggers among them like him. There was food and games and people laughing and talking all over.

And he knew the food and music and fun would go on long past when he and Kaleb headed down the mountain for a night at the hotel and a long private soak in the hot springs pool. Their mini honeymoon. Hank and Elliot and Kynan and Andrew had offered to spend the wedding night up at the house with the family just to give them their little idyll.

They'd join everyone for breakfast again in the morning.

Then his siblings were headed out for a vacation in Boulder, and they had Kaleb's folks for another week.

Good thing he already liked them so much.

"Hey! Who's ready for a plate?" King waved his tongs from over by the grill.

"I'll deliver," Ryan piped up. "Just tell me what you two want."

They had the best friends on earth. Charlie felt so loved.

"Oh, I want a little of everything not red meat, please." He still couldn't handle beef.

"No burger for you, man?" Vicki sat next to him. "Hormones suck."

"They do, but it's not that big of a deal. I'm due around Thanksgiving, so I can make a roast for Christmas."

"Mmm. Roast beast." Vicki smacked her lips.

"Well, you're welcome to come back then. I have mom's recipe."

"Woo." Victor fist-bumped their sister. "Though I bet there's some serious-ass snow up here then. How are you going to get up and down the mountain?"

Kaleb chuckled. "I've got a snowmobile if I need it, and an extra vehicle I'll store down at the main road in the garage we're building. It will have a block heater."

"Nice! That way if you can't drive down, you can get out in an emergency." Vicki nodded. "Babies can need medical help sometimes."

"They can. And I don't want to have to attach the St. Bernards to a sled."

There was a round of chuckles, but then one of the kids yelled as one of said Bernards stole a hotdog.

"Oops. Let me go replace that," Chase said, hopping up to go get a new plate for his child.

"Neo!" Kaleb called Neo to the carpet, and the big dog slunk off to lie down near the grill, no doubt hoping King and Bridget would drop stuff.

He kind of wondered if anyone was left in town working. He guessed the peasants back in Secret Springs would have to eat pizza and Senor Dragon's…

Then he giggled, because that was such a silly thought.

Especially since David and Mrs. Chen were here at the party…

"This is the wedding of the year, man," Hank said, coming to sit next to them. "I love it."

"I was just thinking how no one was in town working," Charlie said. "Is that weird?"

"Nah. You know how it is when Jack has a to-do out at the ranch."

"True." Small towns seemed to be very understanding that way. When something was important to people, they just took the time off to enjoy it.

"So," Hank asked. "Are you feeling more comfortable up here now?"

"I am. I decided to make my peace with Ezekiel and Augustus." They had been here first after all, and he didn't think that was such a bad idea. He was convinced that Augustus was absolutely not a murderer. There was no way that he had murdered his omega. No one might be able to prove it, but he believed that with his entire soul.

"Good deal. I think the house is beautiful, and I'm hoping at some point—after the baby's born of course and maybe when everything's finished—that you would let me do ghost tours up here. Not every day, or even regularly, but you know, on special occasions."

"I can see that. I keep wondering if it's not weird for Kaleb to have bought this house—to have this house just for us. For the two of us, soon to be the three of us, I mean. But then I think, we can have parties, there can be people. We might fill this house with children."

Hank cackled. "You mean like Jack and Chase?"

Charlie snorted, lowering his voice. "I'm not sure anyone is like Jack and Chase."

"True that."

"Kaleb and I were talking, and if you want, you could come do a special-edition ghost tour here for Halloween night."

Hank's eyes lit up. "Oh really?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "I don't see why not." It wasn't like he was actually going to be able to help by then. He'd be pretty far along, but he could sit and serve cookies and nod to people as they passed through. Or maybe he and Kaleb could go down and watch all the things in town while they ran the tour up here. That way, he wouldn't even have to be here when it happened.

A breeze lifted the hair on the back of his neck, making it stand to attention. Oh, that was far too cold for the nice day. He looked around, trying to see where that had come from.

"Oh Charlie! That would be amazing!" Hank's face lit up. "Stone and I could really do it up. Dress the part. We could bring a select group of people in, and it would be amazing!"

It was worth it just to see the excitement in Hank's eyes, and God knew he owed Hank. Hank had been the one to believe that he was down in the coal cellar.

"All right. Fair enough then. I think we should do it. You'll just have to let me know what, if anything, you need me to do here before the date."

Hank shook his head. "You guys don't have to do anything. Whatever state the house is in is the state the house is in. We're there to see ghosts, not the house."

Charlie's new in-laws came wandering over, sitting down with him.

"How are you holding up, son?" Kaleb's mom asked, and Charlie smiled.

"Good! I'm good. It's been an amazing party. The weather's really held out—not too hot, not too windy. Have you met my friend, Hank?"

"We have!" Mary smiled at him. "You really have made Kaleb very happy, you know. We never thought that he would settle down. He never seemed to find the right person. I think we both thought that we'd both be grandchildren-less."

Kaleb's mom just cracked up. "Well put, dear."

Maman looked so pretty in her little bohemian summer dress, sandals peeking up from underneath the flowered hem. "Mary's not lying, though. We are tickled to have you join the family."

Charlie nodded and smiled. He had no doubt that they were telling the truth, although he had this suspicion that having the grandbaby didn't hurt.

"Are you going to be having a baby shower?" she asked.

"Of course he is!" Hank exclaimed. "We're thinking September—that should be early enough that he can enjoy it and late enough that the pictures make him look gigantic."

"Oh thanks." He rolled his eyes, patting his stomach, which had never been this big or this round. He couldn't imagine what he'd be looking like in two or three months…

"No problem, buddy. That's half the fun."

"Do you know what the theme is going to be?" Mary asked.

"Charlie's got a bit of a registry, but the nursery is decorated in woodland animals. It's adorable—the only room in the entire house that's not done up in Victorian." Hank was almost as excited about this baby as he was about his own child. Of course Hank wasn't pregnant, which was apparently his least favorite part of the entire experience, and Hank the godfather was notorious for being generous and eager.

"Not exactly. This week I thought we could explore the house and then, of course, the town. We could do some shopping. I know Kaleb has a lot of plans, so that we can all get to know one another." If he was completely honest, Charlie was already feeling a little pooped, but not tired enough that he would disappoint his new in-laws. He wanted to be a part of their family. After all, they had bothered to come, they'd been supportive, and they'd been kind and willing to fold him in. He could do no less than the same.

He looked over the party. All these people had come up here to celebrate with him and Kaleb. All of them, and they were both new. Charlie had been here in Secret Springs for so short a time, and Kaleb had been here even shorter.

It didn't matter to all of these people.

They were here to celebrate them, to fold them into this little town like they were meant to be here. Hell, to fold their child into this space.

Thank goodness Joe had been there to save him.

He looked up into the tower room and, sure enough, there was a face there again, staring out and looking down at the party as if he was confused. It was as if someone was questioning why anyone would be here, and Charlie wanted to go up and tell them it was okay. They were here to celebrate a wedding.

He didn't of course.

The last thing he needed was for his in-laws to think he was a nut case.