Chapter 344

Olivia

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” I asked, looking up at Nathan with my eyebrows knit together. He had just announced to the entire pack that Edward would be staying with us without even consulting it with me beforehand, and I was appalled.

“What? Why not?” Nathan leaned in, noticing the tension on my face.

“It’s just… too much, Nathan,” I said as I lowered my voice.

Nathan looked a little confused. “Why? If anything, Edward could be a help around the house. And it’s not like he’ll be in the way or anything.”

I sighed. “I’m just thinking about how we have two babies and one more on the way. Don’t you think adding your uncle into the mix might be a lot for our home?” I asked, my voice tinged with concern. “And the twins are still babies. They’ll be confused about a new face in the home. They’ll get fussy.”

“Oh come on, it’s just temporary, Liv. Uncle Edward isn't the type to impose. He’ll stay out of your hair.”

I paused, staring up at Nathan. Part of me wanted to throttle him for making this decision without me, but the excitement in his eyes was so palpable that I found myself sighing and caving in.

“Fine. But no more than a month, Nathan. He has a month to find his own place. I’m not running a bed-and-breakfast here,” I huffed, maybe a little harsher than I intended.

“Alright, alright, a month it is. But let’s give him a chance, okay? He’s family,” Nathan said, relenting.

There was a silence between us. I felt myself soften as I looked up into the beautiful blue-green depths of Nathan’s eyes, like a soothing ocean horizon on a warm summer’s day. But I only softened a little. “You should’ve talked to me first, Nathan. Before announcing it in front of everyone,” I scolded.

He looked at me, guilt swimming in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Olivia. I don’t know what got into me. Maybe it was the champagne, or maybe I just got carried away after his speech. I’m just so happy he’s here.”

“It’s okay,” I said with a sigh. “I’m glad you’re happy. Just promise me you won’t make such big decisions without me again. We’re supposed to be a team, remember? Remember what the therapist said? About—”

“Joint decisions, I know,” Nathan said, running his hand through his dirty blond hair, which had gotten a little tousled from a night of champagne and animated discussions. “I need to keep that in mind.”

His words made me smile slightly, and so did he. He took my hand and ran his finger across the engagement ring that adorned it, his cheeks a little red from the alcohol. “Speaking of being a team, Angela told Levi, who told me that you said we weren’t planning the wedding yet. Is that something you’d like to start doing soon?”

I felt my cheeks warm up. Good old Angela, always spilling our secrets to Levi, who always spilled his secrets to Nathan. “Well… I was thinking we could maybe start planning soon? I’d like to get married before the third baby arrives. But maybe we should focus on Edward first. And that witch situation next.”

“That sounds like a solid plan,” he said, smiling at me. “I promise, we’ll sort the Edward situation, and then we'll tackle the witch thing together.”

Feeling a sudden rush of relief and affection for this beautifully messy man, I grabbed his face and kissed him deeply. “I love you, Nathan.”

He grinned. “I love you too, Olivia. And by the way, you do look stunning tonight. You’re absolutely gorgeous.” Then, before I could respond, his eyes twinkled mischievously. “And I’m definitely making more babies with you as soon as I can.”

I punched his arm lightly. “You’re such a pig,” I said, but I couldn’t stop myself from laughing.

Wrapping his arms around me from behind, Nathan pointed at one of the long banquet tables filled with laughing people and a spread of delicious food. “See that? Wouldn’t you want a table like that in our home? Full of our kids?”

My face flushed red, but the picture he painted was charmingly appealing. “You’re crazy,” I said.

“Only crazy about you,” he replied, as we both stood there, considering a future that seemed fuller and noisier and messier and altogether perfect.

…

As I eased back into the banquet hall and the night wore on, it seemed as though the guests were beginning to feel the effects of the champagne. The long table was pushed aside, and the dance floor emerged as the centerpiece. The music’s tempo picked up, and couples started to fill the space.

I was standing off to the side with a glass of sparkling water in my hand, giggling as I watched Levi and Angela move around the dance floor. They were both drunk, and Levi was practically whipping Angela around the floor, causing her hair to fall into her eyes.

“Levi!” she gasped, gripping his shoulders for dear life. “You’re gonna kill me!”

“C’mon, I got you,” he teased, twirling her around again. “You can always count on me.”

Suddenly, a voice interrupted my thoughts. It was Edward, extending his hand toward me. “May I have this dance?”

I looked over at Nathan, who was in the midst of a lively debate with one of his Betas. His eyes met mine, and he nodded with a warm smile.

“Um, sure,” I said, placing my hand in Edward’s. His palm was cool and just a little rough, creating a mental picture of a man who had had to work to get by over the past twenty-seven years.

We walked onto the dance floor, and as his hand settled on my waist, a strange feeling stirred in me. But I brushed it off; I was probably just being overly cautious.

“You look lovely tonight, Olivia,” Edward said, taking the lead as the music played. “It’s so nice to know that my nephew has met such a beautiful young woman.”

“Thank you, Edward. You look nice as well,” I replied, forcing a smile.

He chuckled. “So, how long have you and Nathan been together?”

“About a year now,” I answered, trying to maintain the polite dance of conversation.

“A, a yeah?” he inquired, his eyes a bit too focused for my liking. “That seems awfully soon. And you have children together, no? You’re engaged, right?”

“We’ve been engaged for a few months,” I replied. His questions felt a little probing, but I chalked it up to an overly curious older man, and answered anyway. “And my twins are from a previous relationship. But I am expecting another. With Nathan, this time.”

“Hm… Two babies from a previous relationship and another on the way, before marriage? Quite unconventional, don’t you think?” Edward said, almost too casually.

I stiffened. “We’re very happy, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt that. Nathan seems quite enamored with you,” Edward said, but his tone had an undertone I couldn’t quite place.

“Now, tell me,” Edward pressed on a moment later, “before… well, everything, was Nathan close with his family?”

“I guess.” I shrugged. “It was complicated. Why do you ask?”

“Just curious about my nephew’s life,” he said, swirling me around as the song reached its crescendo. “I’d like to hear another’s perspective. And from what I understand, you and Nathan have been friends since childhood.”

“Yes, we have,” I replied, feeling a bit breathless now from a combination of the dance and the onslaught of questions. “But really, I can’t answer those questions any better than Nathan would. I wasn’t here for ten years.”

Edward cocked his head. “Why is that?”

“My father and I were evicted by Colin.”

Edward paused, nodding slowly. “Ah… I see.”

He looked as though he was about to ask another question, but thankfully, the music came to an end. However, I still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Edward’s hand lingered a moment too long on my waist before he finally let go.

“Thank you for the dance,” he said, his eyes searching mine.

“Yeah, of course,” I said, forcing another smile.

As I walked back toward Nathan, I felt an odd sense of discomfort lingering in my gut. I touched my hand to my abdomen, where our third child was growing.

“Why do I feel this way about him?” I asked my wolf, hoping for some wisdom.

“I’m not sure. Maybe it’s your maternal instincts,” she suggested.

I considered that. Maybe my senses were heightened because of the pregnancy. “Yeah, maybe you’re right,” I thought back, trying to shake off the uneasy feeling.

Nathan wrapped an arm around me as I rejoined him. “How was your dance with Uncle Edward?”

“It was...fine,” I said, and the smile I gave him was almost entirely genuine. I glanced over my shoulder to see Edward standing by the bar, ordering another drink. He was leaning on the bar, his tall and lanky frame towering over the petite bartender. He appeared to be saying something to her in an animated manner, and she was laughing. “He’s an interesting man.”

Nathan laughed and followed my gaze. “Yeah. I’ve learned that rather quickly myself.”

I still couldn't quite pinpoint why Edward unsettled me, but for Nathan’s sake, I pushed the feeling aside. It had to be the pregnancy hormones or something, right?

Sighing softly, I leaned into Nathan and tried to focus on the joy of the occasion. But somewhere in the back of my mind, a small voice whispered that my discomfort had nothing to do with maternal instincts. Yet, I chose to ignore it.

After all, what could be the harm?