19. Errol

Chapter 19

Errol

Grams had invited us over for dinner, and it was perfect timing because we wanted to talk to her about the idea of us moving in. I knew she would agree and probably love the idea. We just hadn't gotten around to discussing it yet.

There were a lot of logistics to figure out once we made the decision official. Davien and I had two places full of items, and while we wouldn't need them all at Grams's, we would once we found our permanent home. I was pretty sure my house would sell without too much trouble, but that still had to be done.

My parents were probably not going to be thrilled with the idea—they sold it to me in the first place because they "couldn't imagine anyone in our home but family." It worked for me, but also, that wasn't a reason to keep a house.

They never came up here to visit. If they did, I might've asked their opinion first. This place hadn't been home to them in a long time, and if they had an issue with it, that was on them.

I was currently at my place more than at Grams's because she was feeling so much better. And the days I did stay, it was more about being exhausted and not wanting to make the drive home than it was about her needing me. I'd been so tired lately. A week off to just sleep sounded delightful.

Moving in was going to be better for everyone. Not only could I sell my house to get some money for a down payment when a new house became available, but it was also time to let go of the memories. I didn't need my old phone number anymore, and I guess starting my new life with my mate made me want to let go of the past. My parents hadn't been the best, and I'd always known that. That's probably why I held onto Grams so much.

Davien and I would be able to see each other daily without the stress and wear of commuting. Grams would have us there when she needed help around the house or running errands. As better as she was, she was still getting older and couldn't do as much as she wanted. As far as I could see, this was a win-win-win for all three of us. It would be better when we got our own place nearby, but for now, it was the best option.

When we'd asked her if she needed anything, Grams had told us we could bring dessert. We ended up bringing cookies. I had to admit that they looked nearly bakery good. I was impressed with us. My mate set them down on the counter and hugged Grams.

"And don't worry, they look as good as they taste," he said.

"That might be cause for worry." She lifted up the foil and grabbed one.

I was never going to live down that cake.

She took a huge bite. "Delicious."

I still wasn't feeling the greatest, and seeing the cookie wasn't helping. I slapped on a happy face and averted my eyes. Whatever this stomach bug was, it could leave anytime now. I was so good and done with it. The problem was, every time I thought maybe it was time to go to the doctor, I felt great again.

Stupid bug.

"I made your favorite for dinner."

"You made lasagna?" I hoped not. Pretty sure my stomach would rebel on anything tomato-based.

"Not your favorite, Errol." She rolled her eyes. "I made quiche." Ahh, she meant one of Davien's favorites. It wasn't uncommon for her to tease that he was her favorite. I loved how they got along.

Davien loved a good steak, too. It had to be hard for him to live with a beast who didn't like the same things he did. Grams always made her quiches with broccoli, artichoke, and leeks—not ham or bacon. This was for sure a meal he and his unicorn would agree on.

We sat down to eat, and I got nervous. She already knew we wanted to talk to her about something, and I suspected that was why dinner was done before we even arrived.

Three bites in, I just spit it out. "We want to quit all this commute stuff."

"Hardly the way to ask," she said, raising an eyebrow. It shouldn't have surprised me that she had already pieced things together.

"What I mean is, we were thinking we wanted to live closer to you, but the market... there's not a lot on the market right now. Nothing, actually."

"You're going to sell your house." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah, it's time to let it go."

"Good. About time," she said, setting her fork down. "That thing is going to be a money-suck soon. That roof is only the beginning. I don't know of anything coming on the market soon. You two are just going to have to live here for a while."

Davien laughed. "You knew why we came over, didn't you?"

"I figured with the baby coming, you were going to want to save some money and be close to family. That's how it works."

"Baby?" Davien looked at me, and I looked to Grams. What was she talking about? If I was having a baby, I'd know it, right?

Grams shot me a knowing look. "Oh, don't look at me like that,"

"Wait, what are you talking about?" I was so confused as to how this conversation went from moving in to having a baby, but here we were.

"Answer me this… " She spent the next three minutes listing off a long list of symptoms she'd seen me experience, ones I hadn't connected the dots on. "That all describes you, right?"

I nodded.

"So what logical conclusion can you draw?" She made a hand gesture over her belly, indicating a baby bump. She thought I was pregnant… already.

"Are you sure?" I whispered.

"Well, the 24-hour pharmacy is open."

My jaw dropped, and Davien barked out a laugh, Grams joining in. "Just kidding! Although they agreed to let me back into the pharmacy. I talked to the manager and let them know why I hadn't been myself, and remarkably, they accepted that."

"I'll be right back." Davien got up, kissed the top of my head, told us not to eat all the quiche, and left. I didn't get the sense that he was upset, but he didn't say where he was going, either.

"What do you think that was about?"

Grams shrugged. "I don't know. Alphas are… alphas. He'll be back soon, so might as well eat."

I went to argue, and she cut me off. "Let's be productive and talk about how we're going to rearrange all my belongings so you can fit your stuff instead of biting off worry."

I hadn't been worried, but now I sort of was.

"You're going need one of those pod things to store your stuff for later for sure. Probably not too long. This neighborhood has a lot of older folks, so the odds are good something will open up soon."

She went on, talking about the neighbors and their work, retirement, grandbabies, and health. It was a good distraction. It shouldn't have surprised me when Davien came back holding a bag from the pharmacy.

"Here." He handed me a pregnancy test. "Let's go find out."

I'd already kind of believed she was right, but I didn't want to get too excited. That would only lead to disappointment if it were negative. Davien and I had discussed a future family, and we both wanted one. This wasn't the timing we had been talking about, but babies were like that. And now that it was a real possibility that I was carrying his baby, I really wanted this.

I peed on the stick and didn't even need to wait the three minutes for the results. It had two lines before I even set it back down on the toilet. I walked out.

"Now comes the wait. " Grams was leaning into my mate's side. It was adorable..

"No wait. You were right, Grams." I barely got the words out when I was swept up in a hug between the two of them. Both Davien and Grams were as happy as I was.

I had been so scared it would be negative and hadn't realized how much until the first line appeared.

Davien whispered in my ear, "Love you, mate."

"I love you, too."

We spent the rest of dinner talking about all things baby-related, discussing which rooms we could turn into a nursery. When we reminded Grams that we would be buying a place of our own as soon as something opened up, she said, "Well, that doesn't mean the baby can't have a room here, just like you two do."

It was nice—this feeling of having family, of everyone being excited. The next day, I met with a realty agent to list my house on the market, and the odds were in my favor. I had four offers by the first weekend. We were doing this. We were moving, starting our new lives, and growing a family. Life was good.