Olivia watched the three of them tenderly. Her heart felt warm to be a part of this family. However, at the back of her mind one thing was nagging—she wanted to tell her parents about Luke's child. Even though at the beginning she didn't want to reveal about Ara's pregnancy, she was now leaning towards the idea of letting them know. Or should she not? She sighed as her eyes went back to Kaizan and his sister.
Kaizan was now pulling Paige's braid and she was swatting his hands off him with a growl. Ookashi intervened between the two but obviously she was ignored in the siblings' fight. Ookashi shook her head and came to sit next to Nate. She took his glass of whiskey and gulped an impressive mouthful.
When Kaizan came back, he plopped on the sofa beside Olivia. He lifted his feet up and rested them on the armrest as he rested his head on her lap. Paige came to sit near her mother after pouring a flute of wine for herself and whining at Kaizan for tearing apart her little hair.
The family talked about groves and how to expand them further. Surprisingly, Paige had so many plans that Nate was pretty stunned after hearing them. After a while, Olivia yawned. She was feeling too sleepy. Kaizan got up immediately. He scooped his wife in his arms. "My wee little kitten is very sleepy," he announced without a kernel of shame. "I am taking her upstairs." He pressed a kiss on her forehead as she squealed when he picked her up and even blushed a little.
As Nate laughed, Paige grunted, "Go away, will you?"
Kaizan took his wife to their bedchamber as she curled her hands around his neck. "Have you eaten anything, darling?" he asked. "Or are my pups hungry?"
"I have eaten but I may get hungry at midnight," she replied with a sigh. She was actually feeling very hungry at weird times.
Kaizan's voice dipped low as he opened the door of their room. "You are always welcome to eat me, wife. My cock would love the feel of your mouth."
"Gods above!" Olivia breathed out. She swatted his chest. "Have you got nothing else in your mind?"
He frowned and tilted his head as he closed the door behind him with a kick. "Actually, I do, but it involves more eating. No, to be precise, more licking. I would love to lick off your orgasm juices."
"My god, wolf!" Olivia rasped, her blush spreading to her neck. The man was incorrigible.
With an ear-to-ear grin, Kaizan set her on her feet on the bed. "Pick your hands up," he said. When she picked them up, he removed her gown and helped her to wear a nightgown. He made her lie on the bed and tucked her in a blanket. He sat beside her and started stroking her hair gently. "I love you…" he murmured.
She had closed her eyes but his words made her smile. "I love you too, Kaizan…" After a pause she said, "I wanted to meet Anastasia tomorrow. Will that be okay with you?"
"Of course, why not? I will send her your message. But what for?"
She didn't want to say that she wanted to take Anastasia's opinion about whether to reveal about Luke's child or not. Kaizan would have felt bad. He was such a beautiful man inside-out that she didn't want to hurt his feelings. He was the one who had given the idea to adopt the baby, but— "Just like that. Both of us had been planning on going to meet Darla. She has been complaining for a long time."
"Ah, Darla! Well, that is one girl who I can't handle. I wonder how Aidan does. And I also wonder that because he doesn't know how to handle her, he keeps her pregnant." He chuckled at his joke. "But you can go to visit her. Obviously, you both will travel with a lot of security." Kaizan wanted to tell her that she could invite Darla and Anastasia to their home, but he decided against it. Maybe, the girls needed a time out.
Olivia thought of arguing about it, but she didn't. She just took a deep breath and chuckled. Her husband was overprotective. She slid into a deep slumber and when she woke up again, it was already morning. Her husband was wedged between her thighs, lazily thrusting inside her. His scent washed over her and she felt like a lovely start to a new morning. Kaizan came inside her with a snarl against her skin. "A lovely morning to you, love," she said. He murmured something that sounded like, I need more.
Anastasia was sitting on a swing in the east gardens of the palace. It was hanging from a tall oak. Honeysuckle vines entwined around its rope, lending sweet aroma to the air. Birds chirped around it, fighting over the small berries. A gentle breeze swayed the swing. "Are you sure you want to mention this to your parents?" she asked as she covered herself with a shawl while feeding Alexander.
"I am in a dilemma…" Olivia muttered. She sipped her herb tea and stared at the fountain that gurgled a few yards away. She was sitting on a couch along with Darla. For a change, Darla had left her children with her mother and father, Fleur and Liam. The grandparents wanted to take the kids out for a new circus that was in Level three.
"In my opinion, you should tell your parents, Olivia. Why would you keep it a secret?" Darla said. "That child is more of their responsibility and not yours!"
"It's not about responsibility, Darla!" Anastasia chided her.
"Don't take me wrong Anastasia, but why would Olivia be burdened with one more baby when she has two to take care of? Not only that, it isn't fair that Vaarin and Kaia wouldn't know about their grandchild," Darla said with a shrug.
Olivia pursed her lips. That was exactly what she was thinking. Her parents had the right to know that a part of their son lived. She looked at Anastasia and asked, "How is Ara doing? Has she… settled?"
Anastasia chuckled. "She has settled well. Don't worry about her. The Head Priestess had made sure that she had enough work in the temple. But I have asked her to give Ara light work. These days she is very quiet." Anastasia knew that Ara was undergoing some major change in her thinking and that was why she was very low. In her presence, Ara would stiffen and look at her with reverence.
"Should I meet her?" Olivia probed.
"Umm… If you want to, I wouldn't suggest." Anastasia changed Alexander's direction and fed him from another breast.
"You should simply send a message to your parents that you want to meet them. As such ever since you have returned, they haven't come here even once. Once they are here, they can see Ara from a distance or meet her," Darla suggested.
Olivia nodded. It sounded like a good plan. She didn't know how she was going to tell her parents about it, but that was the right thing to do. It would be her parents' choice to accept the baby or not. She already had backup support from Kaizan.
At lunch, the girls were joined by their husbands.
