Chapter 418

Olivia

“Aha! I win!”

Nathan threw his hands up in the air and laughed, high-fiving Levi and Cade. He had gotten all of his rings around the bottles, and the attendant was approaching him with a grin. Angela, Layla and I walked up to join the guys with smiles of our own.

“Pick out a stuffed animal, Liv,” Nathan said, gesturing to the rack of prizes in front of us. “Whatever you want.”

“How about something for the twins instead?” I said with a laugh. “I think they’d get more use out of it than me.”

Nathan nodded, tapping his chin as he peered at the array of stuffed animals. Finally, he pointed to a small teddy bear and said, “I’ll take that one.”

The attendant smirked and took the teddy bear down from the shelf, along with a second one that was right next to it. “Here,” he said, handing both to us. “For our Alpha. One for each twin, you know?”

With a smile, Nathan took the toys from the attendant and stuck them into the stroller with the twins. Elliot and Aurora, their eyes wide, immediately reached out and grabbed the teddy bears. I smiled softly as I looked down at them, but I must have had a faraway look in my eyes, because Nathan suddenly nudged me with his elbow.

“You alright, Liv?” he asked, his voice low so only I could hear. “You’re not feeling nauseous, are you?”

I forced a smile and shook my head, placing my hand over my belly. This pregnancy had been pretty smooth sailing as far as the nausea went. I only had the occasional bout of morning sickness; but it was also early in the pregnancy, and I knew that it likely wouldn’t stay like this forever.

“I’m okay,” I said, deciding that it was best not to share the discussion I had had with Angela and Layla.

Nathan studied me for a second longer, his gaze searching for something more in my eyes, but eventually, he relented with a smile. “Alright. Let’s catch up before the group leaves us.”

Up ahead, the other four were already wandering off to the next booth. Nathan and I jogged to catch up, calling out to our friends to wait up for us.

As the night continued to unfold at the festival, we decided to explore more of the festivities. The six of us strolled through the twinkling lights and colorful stalls, taking in the joyful atmosphere. It was moments like these that reminded me of the simple joys in life, and I found myself smiling and laughing with my friends despite the nagging thought in the back of my head.

We soon stumbled upon a little area where a Christmas play was being performed by a group of kids. They were dressed in adorable costumes, acting out a silly holiday story. One little kid was dressed as a tree and was putting in his best effort to stand absolutely still, while another kid was twirling around in an angel costume.

We stood off to the side, watching the little actors with fond smiles on our faces. Angela, Layla, and I couldn’t help but gush over how cute the kids looked in their costumes.

Nathan leaned over to me, his voice low as he asked, “Liv, will you have the twins and the upcoming baby do this sort of thing when they’re older?”

I grinned at the thought, my heart swelling with love for our little family. “Of course,” I replied. “As soon as they’re old enough, I’d love for them to be a part of things like this…” I paused, giggling a bit. “I’ll be the embarrassing mom in the audience, cheering my kids on and taking way too many pictures.”

Nathan chuckled and put his arm around me, drawing me closer. “I hope you embarrass the hell out of our kids forever,” he said with a mischievous glint in his eye. “I’ve already got a stash of dad jokes in my head for when they're older.”

I laughed at his comment, imagining Nathan as the quintessential dad, cracking corny jokes to make our kids roll their eyes. It was a comforting thought, and it made me smile.

As we continued watching the little play, I rested my head on Nathan’s shoulder, savoring the moment. The cool night air, the laughter of our friends, and the heartwarming sight of the kids on stage all contributed to a sense of contentment that washed over me.

But at the same time, Layla and Angela’s words kept floating through my mind. Tonight really was perfect, aside from the lack of snow. Everyone was here—our friends, our pack, the whole town.

It could be…

Perfect.

The play ended, and all of the little kids lined up to bow. We all clapped enthusiastically before continuing to make our way through the festival, chatting excitedly about the cute costumes and the one adorable little girl who got scared halfway through and froze on stage.

Eventually, we stopped in front of the enormous Christmas tree in the center of the park. The lights twinkled under the night sky and the sound of a nearby band playing festive music made for a magical atmosphere. We paused there, marveling in the sight and sounds of everything.

But then, something happened.

Levi took Angela’s hand and dropped onto one knee.

My heart leaped into my throat, and I saw Layla and Cade exchange excited glances. I glanced over at Nathan, who just grinned at Levi and Angela with a knowing look in his eyes.

“Levi, what are you doing?” Angela asked, furrowing her brow.

“Angela, um…” Levi’s voice wavered, and he fumbled with something in his pocket. It took a moment for me to realize it was a ring, and my eyes widened in astonishment. Was he really about to propose here, in the middle of the festival?

Levi cleared his throat, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “Angela,” he began, his voice shaking, “I’ve loved you since the moment I laid eyes on you. You’ve made my life brighter, and I can’t imagine a future without you. So, Angela, will you marry me?”

And then, in the most Levi-like fashion, he accidentally dropped the ring. It fell to the ground with a soft tinkling sound, and he stumbled over his words, flustered and red-faced.

Everyone burst into laughter, and even Levi couldn’t help but chuckle at his own clumsiness. Angela, tears of joy in her eyes, bent down to pick up the ring and put it on her finger before throwing her arms around Levi.

“Yes!” she exclaimed, her voice filled with happiness. “A thousand times, yes!”

As Levi and Angela hugged in front of the enormous Christmas tree, I turned to Nathan, my eyes wide. “Did you…”

“Of course,” he said with a nod and a cheeky grin.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Nathan chuckled, his blue-green eyes meeting mine. “You think I’d trust you to not accidentally spill the secret to Angela?”

His words made me blush, and I couldn’t help but laugh. Nathan was right; I told Angela everything.

But as we looked at each other, surrounded by the excitement and chatter of our friends’ engagement and the celebration of love, the sight of Nathan’s beautiful eyes shining in the warm glow of the string lights made my mind up for me.

I wanted to marry Nathan. And I wanted to do it tonight.