My Cheating Mate (Emma and Jeremy) novel Chapter 188

Chapter 188

Grace was explaining her art project in detail, Nate was explaining his birthday vision with equal enthusiasm. Emma was quietly managing both conversations while ensuring everyone actually ate. I was watching all, this impossible thing we’d built.

Ten years ago, I’d made a desperate phone call to a vampire lord, begging for military assistance against mercenaries who were threatening everything. That call had changed everything. Had brought Cas into our lives. Had started the integration model that was now being observed by the Council.

Had led to this–dinner table conversations about Impressionism and velociraptors, two children who thought having a vampire uncle was completely normal, a mate who stress–cooked pot roast while preparing for Council votes that would determine our future.

“Jeremy?” Emma’s voice pulled me back. “Where’d you go?”

“Just thinking.” I squeezed her hand. “About how we got here.”

“Long journey,” Cas said quietly.

“Worth it though.” I looked around the table. “Every impossible choice. Every difficult conversation. Every battle fought and alliance built. Worth it for this.”

Grace looked up from her vegetables. “Daddy’s being philosophical again.”

“Your father gets philosophical when he’s happy,” Emma explained.

“Oh.” Grace processed this. “Then he must be very happy because he’s been philosophical all week.”

“I am very happy.” I looked at each of them–Emma, Grace, Nate, Cas. My family. Complete and imperfect and exactly right. ” Very, very happy.”

“Good.” Nate returned to his pot roast. “Happy Daddies make better birthday parties.”

“That’s sound logic,” Cas said seriously.

“I learned it from you,” Nate announced. “You taught me that happy people do better at everything.”

“I don’t think I phrased it quite that way.”

“You said something like that when we talked about the vampire guard who was grumpy. You said he was good at his job but would be better if he was happier.”

“I did say that.” Cas looked surprised. “You were three. I didn’t realize you were listening that carefully.‘|✔

“I always listen to Uncle Cas stories.” Nate said it like it was obvious. “They’re the best stories.”

After dinner, after baths and bedtime routines, after Grace’s lengthy explanation of why she needed fifteen more minutes to finish her sketch and Nate’s three requests for water that were obviously bedtime delays, Emma and I finally had the house to ourselves.

Cas had left for the evening–something about coalition coordination that I suspected was actually giving us privacy.

“Aldric is coming,” Emma said, settling onto the couch. “Cas just texted me. Aldric is actually coming to Nate’s birthday party.”

“He is?”

“His exact message was: ‘I find I cannot decline an invitation from a four–year–old who believes everyone is interested in dinosaurs. I will attend. Please inform me of appropriate gift parameters.“” She laughed. “Jeremy, an eleven–hundred–year–old Council member is asking us about age–appropriate gift parameters for a dinosaur party.”

“Grace was right. He is our friend.”

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“tale is always right about people.” She leaned against me. “Eight months until the Council votes. Until we find out if this ceasefire becomes something permanent or if we’re back to fighting.”

“I know.”

“Are you scared?”

“Terrified. But also I pulled her closer. “Also hopeful. Emma, we have an elever–hundred–year–old vampire coming to our son’s birthday party because he corresponds with our daughter about horses and couldn’t decline a four–year–old’s invitation. That’s not the action of someone who’s going to vote against integration.”

“It’s the action of someone who’s been changed by knowing our family.”

“Exactly.” I kissed the top of her head. “We’re going to be okay. All of us. Whatever the Council decides. Because we have this. This family that shouldn’t exist but does anyway.”

“Because of a desperate phone call at 2 AM.”

“Because of you forgiving me when you had every reason not to. Because of choosing to build something instead of walking away.” I held her close. “Because of Grace asking Uncle Cas about Impressionism and Nate inviting ancient vampires to dinosaur parties. Because of every impossible choice we made together.”

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