Page 82 of His Temporary Alpha Mate
“I’ll go see if Ingal wants to come over and discuss moving in, if you want?” Maybe Roan saw my agitation.
“Sure.”
“Lark, is everything okay?” Dalton asked as he exited the bedroom.
“Roan said I was babying you. I guess, since he’s my friend, it kind of weighed more heavily on me. Do you think I’m fussing too much?”
“Babe, I’d tell you.” He fixed me with a flat look. “What about me makes you think I’d put up with it if I didn’t like it? You treat me so well! I love it.”
“Promise?” I could feel the insecurity I was sending over the bond.
He got as close as he could, considering the bump. “I swear. If I ever get annoyed, I’ll tell you. We communicate in this house, okay?”
“Alright. Want to meet the potentialnanny?”
“Yes! I’ve seen him with the kids, but we’ve never really spoken.”
Roan returned with Ingal by his side. By elf standards, he was small, though still taller than Dalton. Probably just six feet. His body was very lean and his long red hair was tied back. I did notice two braids, suggesting he only did his time in the army and went into service in another way. He could fight, all the elves could, but it wasn’t in his nature.
We did the introductions thing and offered Ingal and Roan a drink, which they both declined.
The silence was awkward for a moment before Dalton spotted something to spark a conversation. The man should have been a magpie rather than a raccoon. His little trash panda self loved shiny things, though, and once he spotted Ingal’s jewelry, he was off.
“Oh, that’s a pretty stone! Is it moonstone?”
Ingal looked surprised, but his eyes lit up as he answered. “Yes! It’s our family stone. I made this ring.”
“You did? You’re so talented!”
The elf blushed. “Thank you.”
“So you don’t just have an owl, you have a stone as well? That’s amazing. What kind of owl do you have?”
The elf looked rather embarrassed. “Our owl is not large, or fierce, or even rare. It is the little owl.” He looked uncomfortable. “My family is not prominent.Often I wondered why the queen chose me to come to Sweetwater.”
“The queen speaks to the goddess, she must have had a reason.” Dalton was careful with the elf, probably sensing a sort of frailty. Dalton didn’t realize it, but he was great with people.
“You’ve been so good with Roan’s family, which is why he recommended you to us.”
“Do you… do you really want me to be a part of your family? I am not a fighter. I prefer to create art.”
“We don’t really want a fighter,” Dalton said. “The world needs more beauty, more art. So if you’d like to try with us, I would love that. I really want you to make something for me as well, if you’d be willing.”
He’s so precious.Dalton was smitten with the elf.
Yes, he is. I think we are the change of pace he needs.
“I would love to create a special piece for you.” The pink of his cheeks clashed with his deep red hair.
“We would like you to help us with our children,” I added my thoughts. “I think it would be best if you move in before the birth if possible so you can be there to help us straight away. At this point, you’re more experienced than us with babies, so we’ll be learning from you.”
That earned me a shy smile from the elf. “I think I would like that.” He turned to Roan. “I will visit the babies often, but I feel like my place is here.”
Roan smiled at the elf, though it was tinged with sadness. “We just want you to be happy. This move will be great for you.”
We discussed the details. Of course, we remembered there were two other members of our house who needed consulting first. If Spice and Priscilla didn’t like Ingal, then it just wouldn’t work.
Rather than wait, we took the elf back to our little house with us, where he was instantly enamored with Priscilla. She was no longer my princess. She had found her new favorite with Ingal. Spice, curious as ever, decided he quite liked the elf, too. It was a struggle to get Spice off him so the elf could go home.
