Chapter 216

"Oh, it's my handsome groom." Maggie bundles her grandson into her arms.

"Hi, Grammy." Hayden smiles, face getting squished against her.

He's barely out of the hug before he's swivelling his head around looking for his Aunt, the recieving room hasn't changed much, he's already used to the seasonal change in decor.

It's late Spring so it's done in gentle shades of a water Lily, from deep purples to the palest of pinks.

"Where's Aunt Candy?" He finally asks.

Like she was summoned, Candy waddles out from a connecting room, her hands cradling her big tummy.

"Looking for me?" She asks with a bright smile, a healthy glow to her face.

He refrains from hugging her altogether and just takes her hands carefully, leading her over to the sofa.

"I'm pregnant, not injured." She complains but still lets him do as he wishes, not when he has that look of pinched concern on his face like he expects the baby to pop out any moment.

"I thought you said you would grow any bigger." Hayden complains with a light terror, like he wants to lean over and tell the baby to stop growing until they come out so they wouldn't hurt he's precious Aunt.

"They barely did and no, we're not letting the baby take over the newest news… oh." Her face falls when she takes his hand to study. "Y-you're married?" She looks up at him with plaintive eyes.

"Without you, that would be backstabbing, Virgil didn't get engagement rings because he didn't want to have to take off his promise ring and so here we are." He explains quickly, smiling at the way the light bounces back into her eyes.

"That's so sweet, come on, to the dining room with you two, I was making sure it was all set before I'd come out, next we have a wedding to plan." Candy bustles up to her feet.

Hayden just watches her with awe, he couldn't comprehend how she managed to have so much energy when she was carrying another life inside of her.

"The wedding is after the little pup comes out." He reminds her.

"Ever since you've gotten pregnant, Andy you feed everyone like we're also pregnant." Renee complains, walking arm in arm with her mother.

"Is that criminal?" She sasses her sibling, settling her nephew on his chair so that she can tuck his napkin in.

"Yes." Renee says with a straight face, earning a smack to the arm from Maggie. "Mom?"

"Let Candy do what she wants, if eating with her helps her eat more for the baby then that's what we're all doing."

"I miss your cookies." Candy complains when they were all settled to eat. "And Ren keeps eating them before coming here because she knows I can smell them on her."

Hayden turns his face to the side to hide his laughter, he used to bake them for her but she liked them way too much and gorged on them, making herself sick so she couldn't have them anymore.

They spend the rest of the day cataloging baby's clothes that somehow keep piling up, which is a really ridiculous amount considering they didn't even know the sex of the baby.

Candy had wanted it to be a surprise and no one was disputing it, instead Maggie and Renee turned it into a mini competition to see who could find the most unisex clothes.

"We should visit more often." Hayden smiles in the car.

"You mean, you should visit more often."

"Yes, that." Hayden acquiesces, thoughts full of nothing but babies, he's never thought about before but maybe they could adopt.

•~•

"Tell me they're back again so soon because there's good news and not because they argued so much they drove the car into a tree." Dale strides in, going straight for his favorite chair.

Virgil just stares blankly at him. "Let's hope not."

"I mean, I don't think I've ever seen someone that dense." He sighs, referring to Ian who couldn't see how Erin liked him.

"You mean like Jax kind of dense."

Dale winces. "Like your kind of dense."

Virgil levels him a cold stare. "We're done with this conversation."

"We might have some good news." Jaxon floats in, holding his signature stack of files.

"They're really back?" Dale repeats again. "I for real thought you just wanted company."

"I think we should have a talking pen, if you're not holding the pen, you shut the fuck up." Virgil half growls.

"There'll be no need for a 'talking pen'" Jaxon makes a face. "You're both weirder than Leo and Darian." He mutters under his breath, settling on his chair, I'm his usual cross legged fashion.

"Old man Mason is dead." He immediately starts to say.

"How is that good news?" Dale flinches. "The woods would have been turned over to the government."

"Not if he had relatives, luckily they could still be holding onto it while sorting out his assets, Erin tracked them down, they're high profile so I'm still wondering how she managed to do it and on the way back too."

"Who are the relatives?"

"The Nolans, they're not even in the continent so it's going to be a bit of a hassle..."

"I'm sorry, what?" Virgil interrupts him. "Did you say Nolan?"

"Yes? You should know them..."

"Damn right I do, they're friends with the LeBarons." He muses.

"Yanis?"

"How does that have anything to do with us?" Jaxon asks, genuinely confused.

The two Alphas swivel their heads to him. "You know that Renee and Hayden are LeBarons, right?" Dale finally asks.

"What?" Jaxon's mouth falls open.

Virgil gives Dale a knowing look.

"Fine, he's definitely denser." Dale finally admits.

"Hayden went to the city with his mom to visit Aunt Candy, I'll talk to him when he gets back, knowing Yanis he'll probably just gift it to him or something." Virgil concludes. 

Jaxon still looks stunned but he gets up anyway. "I think that's solved, I'll just go restructure my entire viewpoint on Hayden, anything else you need?"

"No." Virgil hums, returning back to work, after a while of Dale just staring at his head he glances up. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Maybe." Dale leans back. "But if I have to go on another blind date, I'll put a bullet hole through my head."

"I don't know man, just tell your mom that you're not interested at the moment or something." Virgil says absently.

"I did, she's selectively deaf." He mutters darkly.

"So, hiding out in my office is your next best option?" 

"No, you're horrible company but she thinks I'm working so it's a win-win." 

"Then go keep Jax company, I'm pretty sure he's better company." Virgil waves him away. "Your ugly mug is distracting me."

Dale glares at him but makes no move to budge. "They'll only leave after I'm mated." He says in a quiet tone of voice. "There's a higher chance of the moon moving to the parking lot than that happening so I'm going to be miserable for a long time."

"Sure, as long as you don't make camping out in my office a habit, I can live with that." Virgil shrugs, his phone ringing.

He picks immediately. "Hello, love."

"Hi, V."

"How are you... oof." Dale slams into him.

"Is that Doll?" He asks with barely constrained excitement.

Virgil pushes him away by his face. "Fuck off, idiot, call him yourself, I'm sorry about...

"Hi, Doll!" Dale calls happily into the phone, Hayden laughing on the other side.

"I will throw your ass out the window." Virgil threatens darkly.

"I just wanted to let you know I'm on my way back, I'm driving so I have to hang up now." Hayden explains.

"Bye baby." Virgil says, hanging up before Dale can say a word. "That's it, my hospitality has run out, get out."

"Fine, meanie." Dale pouts, rising to his feet lazily. "Do you think she'd notice if I got someone else to dress up like to to attend the date instead?"

"Why are you still here?"

"I'm going, I'm going." Dale raises his hands up in surrender, hurrying out.

He trudges across the hallway, hands in his pocket, carrying his phone around was like carrying an alarm that rang all the fucking time, he's had gotten tired of changing his phone number, it might have been effective if his mom didn't keep getting his new numbers.

"Dale, my love, I've been looking for you everywhere." His mom panics when he turns a corner and bumps into her.

"I was at Virgil's office, having a meeting." He told her seriously.

"I know, I know but Kayla has been waiting at the restaurant for half an hour now why aren't you picking up your phone?" She scolds him already pulling him to his room.

"As I said and you so obviously ignored, I was at a meeting, does this not mean anything to you?"

"Of course it does." She agrees. "But getting a mate is also important."

"I can't do this anymore, tell Kayla I'm not coming, I've got emails piled up." He says coldly.

Luna Alana flinches back like she's been slapped. "I'm sorry what?" She says on a whisper, her voice shaky.

Dale rubs a hand over his face, this was the part he hated. 

"Did I do something wrong?" She whispers.

"No, no, mom, you didn't, look I'll go okay, just go do your nails or something." He acquiesces immediately, cursing under his breath when she struts away, her eyes alight with happiness.