Page 25 of Jacked-up Mate
I was sure if we mentioned to Gretchen, our mayor, that full moons were an issue for us, things would be swapped around. They were pretty great like that in this town. They’d at least have events start earlier in the day so we could get more out of them if they couldn’t happen the day before or after the moon.
But honestly, we liked life the way it was. Having Grayson with us now on what had once been our “date nights” and were now “family nights” was far better than any town-wide event. He loved spending time with my wolf and with Jack when he had his pumpkin head. It was fascinating how easily he adjusted, recognizing us in both forms as his fathers.
Kids were awesome.
Jack came into the room with the backpack slung over his shoulder. We’d learned quickly that a backpack was the easiest kind of diaper bag to carry, and since we were going to bewalking around town, it was perfect. We weren’t using a stroller, baby-wearing far better to navigate through the crowds.
“If we hurry now, we’ll be there when the singing starts,” he said, taking Grayson from my arms. “Hey, little man,” he cooed. “You ready?”
Downtown was decorated to the hilt. Tonight’s festival was one I didn’t understand fully. It had something to do with the siren song but not in the sexy-siren kind of way. It was a family friendly event, and every singing group in town had a performance. Usually, I understood the histories behind our festivals, but in this case, I had a feeling one of the sirens in town probably just said, “Hey, I want a festival—it’s not fair!” and it grew from there.
I didn’t have any facts to back that up.
I carried the backpack while Grayson was snug in the baby carrier strapped to my mate’s chest as we walked hand in hand toward the center of town. The first group was made up of the local librarian and some of the kids from Story Time, performing a song about different kinds of fruit, each child wearing a hat shaped like their fruit of choice. It was absolutely adorable.
“This could be you one day, Grayson.” I rubbed his back.
They sang a few more songs, and then there was a break in the entertainment.
“Shall we grab some snacks?” Jack offered.
If you asked people in town what the best part of our festivals were, you’d get a dozen answers. Some said it was the community spirit. Others said it was about remembering our roots and traditions. Still others claimed it was the decorations. Me? I’d pick the food any day.
Not only did all the local businesses have booths set up, but so did many families. There were foods from different cultures, themed desserts depending on the festival, and, of course,a fresh lemonade stand because what was an outdoor event without fresh lemonade?
We ended up at the booth of the bakery, my favorite place in town. I got one of their meat rolls, and my mate grabbed a cake pop, probably the easiest thing to eat while wearing the baby carrier. I offered to hold Grayson, so he could eat something else, but he loved carrying him. Being an active alpha father meant a lot to him. It was something he didn’t have growing up.
“Hey, Stan!” I called when I saw the owner of the secondhand store standing near the stage. “Having fun?”
“Lots of. I probably should’ve kept the store open. I get a lot of people wandering through on nights like this, but I always do love the singing.” His eyes flicked to my mate’s hand.
“You did well.” I loved seeing my mate wearing the ring.
Jack looked down then seemed to realize he was talking about the ring and smiled wide.
“Sometimes my gut just knows what to do,” Stan said.
From what I’d heard around town, that wasn’t uncommon. Whenever anyone really needed something out of the ordinary, Stan just happened to have “picked it up recently.”
It was the way of this town…odd, magical, and deeply kind.
We watched a few more performances as evening approached and the sun began to set. We wouldn’t stay too late, not with the baby, but I’d never hear the end of it if we didn’t stop by the diner to say hello.
“It’s about time!” Chris practically ran to the door as we walked in, his grabby hands outstretched. “Come to Uncle Chris.”
Jack handed Grayson over, and Chris immediately started talking a mile a minute about everything that had happened at the diner that day.
“Looks like we’re going to be here awhile,” I murmured, sliding into our old booth, the same one I’d sat in my very first day in town. “Do you want something to eat?”
He gave me an are-you-kidding-me look.
“How about something to drink? Maybe just some water.”
That, he agreed to. When I came back with a couple of glasses, Chris was sitting beside Jack, still holding on to Grayson, and across from them was Mayor Gretchen. I slid in beside her, and we all chatted about the festival, the performances, and how big Grayson was getting.
As time went on, the diner grew more crowded, filled with familiar faces and laughter. Once upon a time, I thought I didn’t want or need a pack, and, in the most literal sense, I didn’t. But looking around the diner now, I did have one.
The town of Whisper Grove was my pack.
And I couldn’t think of a better place for Jack, Grayson, and me to raise our family.
The townspeople tended to fuss and hover, but that was just how they showed love and that was one thing undeniably true: I was loved. By the town. By the diner. By my mate.
Life couldn’t get much better than this.