Chapter 157: The Barbeque

Bri

I was finishing getting things ready for us to head over to the barbeque in just a little bit. I was busy thinking about things. Maximus had come back last night, and he’d brought some things for me when he had. He’d sat down with me on the couch and proceeded to show me lots of pictures. There were pictures of his parents, the grandparents I’d never have a chance to know. I also saw him growing up and smiled at some of the silly ones.

There were also some there with Mahirsha, both wedding photos, life after the wedding, and then the last are pictures that include me. Maybe I’m biased, but to me, any smile she has in them seems plastic and fake. I don’t see her beaming at me adoringly, and she truly never did see me that way. To her, I was tainted from the very first because I wasn’t pure Ilonian. I still have so much trouble wrapping my mind around someone having so much prejudice as to be okay with killing their own parents, husband, and child.

I found a picture of him holding me, and I burst into tears when I held it. My mates freaked out, and I had to explain what I was looking at. I could see from that picture the love my father had for me as he looked at me. I was smiling up at him, so I obviously loved my dad as well. I told him I wanted that picture for the nursery, and he readily agreed.

I had finally decided what I wanted to do with the nursery. Rather than having paintings done to hang the pictures on, I found large tree decorations that were, in fact, large collages that held quite a few photographs. They were really large, so the guys were helping me to hang them. I was busy sorting pictures I wanted to include in them.

I try to firmly plant my thoughts on good things. I want today to be an upbeat one. The pack and sect need to see us smiling and living life. Yes, things have been fucked up, incredibly so. However, we are all still here. We have kicked ass, and we deserve to be proud of that. Not to mention I have now found the dad I had no idea was still out there. My beautiful children are growing and thriving, and happy as well.

I hear a knock on the door, and as I know the enforcers are fiercely guarding the house, whoever is there has to be friendly. I go and look out the peephole and see Nicole smiling back at me. I open the door and hug her as she makes her way in. Bishop and Sean are following behind her, unsurprisingly. She has food in her hands, so I know they are on their way to the barbeque. This will actually be Nicole’s first one, and I know she’s a bit nervous.

Allan and Armond enter the room, having heard the door, and greet the guys. Nicole comes with me into the kitchen while I finish getting the food ready. I told her about the first barbeque I attended and the mean girl wannabe squad. She laughs herself silly at my telling her how I put them in their place.

Nicole has very much picked up quite a bit of the vampire I had sensed in her when she first discovered that Bishop and Sean were her mates. It’s not unusual to see her eyes flash to vampire red when she gets pissed off. As I’m one of the few people she feels comfortable discussing things with, she talks to me about all of the changes, and I can very much relate. I’m glad they are all happy and doing so well, though.

We all leave and go to the barbeque surrounded by the enforcers. They won’t be letting down their guard until we know Dekon is dead. Allan is pushing the three-seater stroller we got for the triplets. They are busy babbling and pointing at things. When we get to the barbeque, everyone is extremely excited to see them. They have been seen before, but any time the pack and sect get to interact with the triplets, they are ecstatic. They were all completely gobsmacked finding out I was pregnant already and with twins.

I introduce Maximus as my dad, and everyone is shocked. We tell a bit about us being separated but nothing more than very basic facts. I talk freely about the Ilonians and how horrible they are, and most of the people are furious on my behalf. I smile at the thought of them getting angry for me, as it’s still a very new concept for me to adjust to.

We finally got a chance to sit down. Allan and Armond's parents are totally hogging the babies, and I just have to grin at that. Then I look over at Nicole and smile, “So, when were you guys going to tell me you are pregnant?”

Nicole spewed her soda all over the ground in front of her, and I heard both Sean and Bishop coughing, so they must have swallowed wrong. I am looking at them as all three turn to me with huge eyes bugging out of their heads, and then it dawns on me.

“Oh, fuck, you didn’t know, did you?” All three shake their heads, but now Bishop and Sean are laser-focused on Nicole.

I hand Nicole a napkin to wipe her mouth off from the soda spewing incident, and she keeps looking down at her stomach. Then she looks back at me, smiles, and promptly bursts into tears. Both Sean and Bishop immediately rush over to soothe her, and I feel like shit. I had honestly expected them to know. So, now I get teary thinking I have messed up them finding out they are expecting a baby for the first time.

Nicole takes my hand and squeezes, “It’s not that. It’s just I didn’t expect to ever know that I was going to have a baby. I am happy, and these are happy tears, I swear.”

Both of us end up all hormonal and weepy with our men trying to soothe us and make us happy. My in-laws look on with big smiles, and just smother the triplets in hugs and kisses. I smile when I hear my babies laughing. The day ends up being a really good one, full of promise of good things for the future. Now we just need to finish taking care of the ugly shit of the past, and we’ll be good to go.