Which they did so often that I really thought they should've just taken over the downstairs that we still hadn't used instead of having their own cottage built. I grinned and nudged Niles with an elbow to the ribs, jerking my chin in the direction of our self-proclaimed mama and uncle.
Niles chuckled low his throat, the deep sound sending a shiver of delight up my spine. "I can't ever get over what a beautiful peacock Sandy makes."
We both watched the oversized blue bird with its gorgeous tail feathers fanned out in all their glory and shining like jewels in the morning sun as he strutted around the yard.
Dottie was sitting on their front porch swing, rocking gently as she watched him and sipped from a large mug. I shot Niles a grin. "I think Kyle is right. She doesn't ever shift around him because the female peafowl doesn't have the same brilliant plumage."
Niles snorted. "I can't believe you doubted that for a moment. You really think our Dottie would be happy being the plain one? I think she's lovely in her hen form, but there is just no match for Sandy's bright blue feathers."
"I'd be careful if I were you," Kyle called up to us. "If I can hear you whispering down here then there's a fair chance Dottie can too." Niles and I shared an alarmed glance. When Dottie didn't look our way, I thought we might be safe. That is, until Niles started chuckling again and pointed to where she was scratching her cheek with an extended middle finger.
"Sorry, Mama Dottie," Niles said in the same conversational tone we'd been using. Honestly, it wasn't our fault that shifter hearing was hard to beat. Or that Dottie seemed to have better hearing than most, despite her advanced age.
I bit my lip, wondering if I should give my own apology or whip up some "I'm sorry" zucchini bread with some of the veggies that Kyle had harvested this week.
Niles leaned over to kiss my cheek. "Quit worrying, babe. She won't hold a grudge, especially not with you. You've got a pass for just about anything now that you're carrying her grandchild." He rested a possessive palm on my belly, rubbing a calming circle. Neither one of my mates seemed to be able to resist touching my still-flat stomach now that we were expecting.
I rested a hand over his as I smiled with agreement. Dottie and Sandy had been so thrilled when we found out I was pregnant last month that they'd gone a little nuts. The baby wasn't due until winter but I already had a fully equipped nursery, enough clothes to cover twins for the first year—we didn't know if it was a multiple pregnancy or not, but Dottie swore she’d had a vision—and there was already talk of college funds.
Making sure my voice was barely above a whisper, I spoke in a hush. "We really need to find a way to calm them down. It worries me how much money they're spending."
"That's because you're a worrywart. Those two are excited about this pregnancy and can't wait to spoil our baby—or babies, if Dottie got it right again. In case you haven't noticed, they don't care about money. I guess if you have enough of it, you tend to see things differently. What they care about is making sure those they love are spoiled and have everything they might want or need. This is just like when they insisted on paying for the new furniture and decor in the solarium."
"True. We didn't need the help but they really enjoyed being part of it." Truth be told, I could've handled it myself but the room did have a bit of extra panache thanks to their input. Not only had they totally immersed themselves in helping pick everything out, Dottie had insisted on paying for everything.
We’d drawn the line at the rest of the house. The solarium was different since that's where we entertained, but there was no way we could take advantage of their generosity when it came to our private quarters. Kyle had finally convinced Dottie that giving us the house was gift enough.
Kyle stood and dusted the dirt off his knees and hands before walking uphill to join us. He stopped to give each of us a kiss before sitting down on my other side.
"Are you guys about done? I've finished with the garden. Don't forget we promised ourselves to go look at vehicles today."
Niles and I were both frantically shaking our heads to make him stop talking so loudly, but it was too late. Dottie's head swiveled to look our way before she stood and whistled at Sandy. "Get over here, birdbrain. You're done strutting around to show off those ridiculous feathers; our boys are finally ready to take us up on the offer to buy a minivan for the twins." She opened the door and stood there while Sandy dashed across the lawn and into their house.
"She sure didn't have to tell him twice. Apparently, they actually think we will allow them to pay for our vehicle." Kyle snorted and grinned fondly in the direction of their house. "Sorry I let the cat out of the bag, mates. I wasn't thinking."
Niles shrugged. "It's fine, we'll just take the RV instead of my Jeep. That's probably better anyway since it has a bathroom for when Larry gets carsick."
I couldn't even get upset at his candid remark because it was true. I tended to puke a lot lately. Morning sickness, my ass. It was more like all-day sickness and combining it with a moving vehicle only made it worse. Slipping my hand around Kyle's arm, I nuzzled his neck and whimpered. "Save me, honey. Just let me stay home and take a nap while you guys deal with the car dealership."
Kyle sighed as he pressed a kiss against my temple. "I hate that I can't reach into my bag of tricks and heal you. Hopefully it will pass soon. I can't imagine it going on much longer. Usually it disappears after the first trimester, so we'll keep our fingers crossed."
As we sat there talking, I felt a warm breeze ruffle my hair as I breathed in the fragrant notes from the wildflowers that were in bloom all over our mountain. I knew Kyle was right and the morning sickness would pass soon enough. Even if it didn't, I would push through because there wasn't anything I wouldn't do for our growing family. Taking each of their hands, I felt myself tearing up from all the joy in my life. "I love you both so much. I'm glad fate brought us together."
"I love you too, baby. And you too, Niles. I love both of you and I love what we're building together with our quirky little pack here on this mountain." Kyle moved to squat in front of us so he could pull us both into a three-way hug.
Niles took a moment to kiss us both. "I'm right there with you guys. I love each of you with all my heart and I can't wait to see what the future brings for our family." He smiled absently at the solar panels then turned his head to glance around the property before looking back at us. "And can I just say that I never would've dreamed I'd be living off grid as a homesteader and absolutely loving it?"
The sounds of Sandy's and Dottie's affectionate arguing drifted up the hill when they came back outside. The three of us shared a grin as Niles finished his thoughts. "And those two. I love everything about our new life, even them."
Dottie leaned over the porch railing to peer up at us. "I heard that, pretty boy. Amend that thought to especially them and then I can tell you that we love you too."
All three of us rocked as laughter bubbled up. We definitely had been given a lot of blessings when the Fates had brought us together, even including our adopted family members.