18. Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

Seb

W inter Solstice was finally here and already in full swing despite the fact that we were still waiting for half the family to show up. Ailin and I had woken up super early to get food in the oven and on the stove, but luckily, a bunch of the kids had come over yesterday to help set up the backyard with lots of tables, chairs, and decorations.

It looked great out there. There were fairy lights hanging across the top of the yard and in the trees surrounding it, making pretty, warm lighting. Strands of paper snowflakes hung throughout the yard with specks of blue glitter and streamers strewn about, plus decorative pinecones and fake snow in very specific spots—our daughter, Leilani, was very particular in her decorating, and it honestly paid off. It’d turned out really beautiful.

We had tables full of food, even after all the early birds had done a round. We’d continue refilling the food throughout the day so everyone could eat to their heart’s content. We’d made enough food to feed an army, so I was sure we’d even have leftovers. Or at least I hoped so.

Not everyone was here yet since it was still kinda early. We were waiting for our Gauhala crew and a couple of families that’d had to go to the in-laws’ celebration first, so we hadn’t opened presents yet. Much to the dismay of all the little kids that were already here.

There was a humongous pile of presents on, under, and in front of the present table, so I knew the kids were dying. Once everyone got here, we’d let them dig in and hand everything out.

Even the elves were running around, playing games with all the kids, and it looked like everyone was having a great time. So hopefully that meant having the elves here would work out in the long term.

They’d already taken over the shed and made it their own, so Ailin had to ask another tree to form a smaller shed for us to store our outdoor tables, chairs, movie projector, and screen for our big family movie nights. But that was no big deal. The trees on our land were always more than happy to accommodate my viramore.

I still hadn’t gone down to the basement to check out my staff, and I honestly wasn’t sure I wanted to anytime soon. I knew avoiding it was probably only building the problem up in my head more, but I just wasn’t ready yet.

I was sure Ailin would help me soon enough, though, so I wasn’t too worried about it.

When I checked the time, I found myself migrating over to the small shed we’d built for the Gauhala portal. Delaro had created a new type of portal, and he set one end up in our front yard and the other end in Remi’s yard in Gauhala. We’d all decided to make sure the portals were heavily guarded, so Ailin had asked a few trees to build a shed around it, and we added extra wards so only family could exit the shed itself. Just in case one end of the portal ended up in the wrong hands. I didn’t see that happening because they were so well-warded, but Ailin was nothing if not overcautious when it came to the safety of our coven.

Remi, Tan, and the rest of the Gauhala crew were due any minute, and I wanted to greet them as soon as they got here. I missed having Remi and Tan here every day, but they were both so damn happy with their viramores in Gauhala that I couldn’t be angry about it. And now that we had the portal, it made visits so much easier.

Almost as soon as I reached the portal shed, Remi walked out the door. He smiled when he saw me and walked over to give me a hug, saying, “Hey, Pops.”

“Hey, bud. How’re you doing?”

“I’m really good.” He released me and smiled before turning and grabbing a large bag from his viramore, Bel.

I pulled Bel, Remi’s viramore, into a bear hug because I knew the kid needed more familial hugs in his life. “It’s so good to see you.”

“You too, Seb.”

When I released him, I saw Ailin headed our way, and I shot my viramore a grin. We were both always so happy when our entire family was able to get together.

Tan was next in line, and I pulled the kid into a tight hug. He too needed extra familial hugs. “So good to see you.”

“Right back ‘atcha.”

Garrick, Tan’s viramore, was behind him, and even though the dragon shifter was a little standoffish at times, I still gave him a quick hug.

Then Oakley came into view, and I couldn’t help but smile widely at the kid. They were Garrick’s only child, so also a dragon shifter, and they’d had a really rough childhood, thanks to being kidnapped as a baby. Garrick had only recently gotten his kid back into his life, and I was so grateful for it. At twenty-five, Oakley was technically an adult, but anyone younger than my own kids counted as a kid in my eyes.

“Hey, Oakley,” I said with a smile. “I’m so happy to have you here. Can I give you a hug?”

They seemed unsure but still nodded.

So I pulled them in and was relieved when they sank into me and hugged me back.

Quietly, I said, “I really am glad you’re here. If you need anything today, don’t hesitate to ask me, although I’m sure Tan would love to help you.”

That got a small snort out of them as they released me. “Thank you, and you’re right. Tan will be all over it.”

We shared a smile before Ailin came over, saying, “Can I get a hug too, kiddo?”

It took Oakley a second to realize Ailin was talking to them, and when they did, they blushed a little but went in for the hug anyway.

When Ailin released them, he walked over to Garrick, and the two of them did a sort of bro-hug kind of thing that looked incredibly awkward and ridiculous. It wasn’t often my viramore was awkward, so I found my eyes drawn to him.

And then Ailin made it worse by saying to Garrick, “Good to see you, kiddo.”

They both froze, and I couldn’t help the snort that escaped me. Garrick was, like, over fifteen hundred years old. Calling him kiddo was the most ridiculous thing I’d ever heard Ailin do.

And he’d done some really ridiculous things over the years.

Ailin shook his head with a grimace. “Yeah, no, that’s… that’s weird. Sorry. I don’t even… yeah, no. Let’s forget I ever said that. Please.”

“Agreed. You never said… whatever that was.” Garrick gave him a nod that Ailin returned, and I caught Tan’s eye before we both burst out in laughter. Even Oakley, Remi, and Bel joined in.

While we all cracked up at them, I saw Keryth and his sisters—Bel’s cousins—arrive.

As Tan teased Garrick, Bel met his cousins near the shed, and I overheard Ker ask him, “Are you sure it’s okay that we’re here?”

Without hesitation, Bel said, “Yes, of course.”

But that wasn’t good enough for me because Ker still looked unsure.

So I walked over and pulled Keryth into a hug, saying, “You’re a part of our family now, Ker. You’re a part of our coven, and we want you and your girls here. I promise you we do.” God, it killed me that he didn’t already know that. To Ailin, through our bond, I said, “We need to do a better job of making sure Ker knows he and the girls are Ellwoods now.”

The poor kid had been through a lot in his short life, and he wasn’t used to relying on anyone but himself. He wasn’t used to having a family.

We needed to change that.

“Agreed.”

Ker took a deep breath as he hugged me back before nodding and whispering, “Okay… okay. Thank you.”

“Anytime.” I gave him one last squeeze before finally releasing him.

Then I made sure to give each of Ker’s sisters a hug—Alsira, Gemma, Saranor, and Zellya. They were a good group of half-fae kids that I already loved to death and was excited to spoil. I couldn’t wait to see if they liked all the presents we’d bought them.

Once everyone was hugged by Ailin and me, I said, “Alright, guys, let’s go to the backyard. I know everyone’s excited to see you. And the kids are dying to open their presents.”

To my surprise and delight, the girls took off running, giggling as they met up with some of our other grandkids. They jumped right into the game they were playing, and I was relieved. Ker and the girls had been coming to our family movie nights for months, so I was happy the girls were comfortable here.

It took forever to get through all the gifts, and I was sort of dying to go get my gift for Ailin. He had no idea what I’d gotten him. For once, I’d done a good job of keeping it from him. I’d even had Emrys and Julius—two vampires in our coven—hold onto his gift last night so he wouldn’t see it before today.

“Here, baby,” Ailin said, handing me a present before he retook the seat beside me.

I took it with a smile and opened the pretty wrapping paper, feeling a little bad about ripping it when the elves had done such an amazing job.

When I opened the box, my eyebrows rose in surprise. A photo album sat inside, so I gingerly took it out and opened it up. As I flicked through the pages, my eyes felt a little misty.

Every page had pictures of our family and of the two of us that we’d taken over the last few years. It had to have taken Ailin a long-ass time to go through the hundreds of pictures we had on our phones and pick out the best ones. The time and effort of this gift was so meaningful to me.

And I’d had no idea, so it was the best surprise.

“Thank you, A. I… I don’t even know how to thank you. This is beautiful.” I glanced up at him with a watery smile.

He grinned back and leaned in for a soft kiss. “You’re welcome, baby. I’m glad you like it.”

“Like it? I fucking love it.”

That made him chuckle and pull me in for a hug and another kiss before we drew our attention back to Niya, who was, of course, making a big show about opening her present. My god, that girl loved to be the center of attention. She was a goofball, and I adored her.

A little while later, I smiled down at my gift that I hadn’t wanted to put down yet. I still couldn’t believe my viramore had given me such a thoughtful gift. This might’ve been my favorite present I’d ever received.

I leaned over and kissed Ailin’s temple. “Thank you, sweetheart.”

He eyed me. “That’s the tenth time you’ve thanked me. You don’t have to keep saying it. I know you like it.” He sent me a small smile. “I’m glad you do.”

“I’ll treasure it forever.”

He rolled his eyes with a grin and leaned over to kiss my lips, then whispered against them, “I know you will. Now stop thanking me. Please.”

I laughed, then pulled him in for a hard kiss. I kept it mostly chaste since we were surrounded by people—people who would totally start fake-gagging if I even hinted at tongue—even though I really wanted to deepen it.

“Later.”

I hummed in agreement, gave him one last peck, and released him. “Okay, now it’s time to get your present.”

Ailin clapped his hands together and rubbed them. “I can’t wait to see what you’ve been so secretive about.”

He made me chuckle, and I stood, then kissed the top of his head and walked over to Emrys. “Do you mind if we grab Ailin’s present now?”

Em sent me a smile. “No problem. I’ll go grab it.”

And then he was gone, using his vampire speed to run along the pathway to his home on coven land. I’d been planning on going with him, but apparently, he’d decided to leave my slow ass here. But I walked to the edge of the treeline to wait.

Emrys was a good friend—a good family member—and sometimes I thought back to when I first met him and had absolutely hated the guy. He’d been a bit of an ass, truth be told, but he’d had a good reason to be, and I’d been… super jealous of his relationship with Ailin. Regardless, I was happy he was a part of our family now.

I glanced back at Ailin because I knew he was watching me, curious about what I had up my sleeve. I was nervous-excited about it. I knew he’d love it, but… I wasn’t sure I would.

Oh my god, I was probably making a horrible, terrible mistake with this. It was so much responsibility, but… but it would make my Ailin happy, so I guess I was willing to sacrifice for it.

Emrys reappeared only a few minutes later. So with a deep breath, I retrieved the wiggling box from him.

“Thank you so much for keeping them last night for me,” I said with a bright smile aimed at the vampire. I’d picked up the gift yesterday, and Emrys and Julius had hidden it for me in their house. Since they’d come back home from their special assignment a few cities over, their house had seemed like the best hiding place.

He grinned back. “No problem. I can’t wait to see his face.”

“Me either.”

He patted my back, and the two of us headed back over to Ailin while I second-guessed my decision the whole way.