Page 31 of The Single Father Upstairs

When we arrived in the courtyard, a banner that read “Welcome Summer” was flapping in the breeze and would probably escape if the wind picked up. The banner was the same one Jon put up at every event, no matter the season. I’d tried to convince him once that we didn’t need that sign for a July barbecue because summer had arrived a month before.

“Stellan.” Jon trotted over with an oven mitt on one hand and a clipboard in the other. “And Miles, you came. Well, of course you did because you live in the building.” He fumbled in his pocket, but the mitt made it difficult. “I have name tags somewhere.”

“It’s fine, Jon.” Miles smiled at our manager. “Most people know who I am, but thank you anyway.”

Jon leaned in and lowered his voice. “I feel terrible about the sniffing when you first arrived.” He glanced around as if he was worried he might be overheard. “It’s a reflex because you smell so human but in a nice way. Also, we didn’t understand why you were here.”

Indigo and I looked at one another. We were both trying not to giggle because it had to have been Jon’s mistake that Miles got an apartment in the building.

I gave Jon a hug which I’d never done before. If he hadn’t messed up, I’d have never met my mate.

“Thank you for being you, Jon.”

“That’s different.” He saluted me with the oven mitt hand and scuttled away.

Rudy waved us over to his lawn chair. As the oldest person in the building and Indigo’s honorary grandfather, he was allowed to summon us.

“Indigo told me you have a cat, but I’ve never seen it.” He glanced around. “Is she here this evening?”

“No, she’s at home watching her favorite TV program,” Miles answered.

Rudy’s brows shot up. The poor man. He didn’t understand human sarcasm.

“She’s here, Rudy.” Indigo leaned over and allowed the older man to pet Marmalade. The cat behaved as if she sensed any scratching or hissing would get her banned from the event.

Mrs. Munro cornered Miles by the drinks table and asked whether he was planning to get a car with better brakes than the last tenant and if it was true he'd fainted in the woods. Her sharp fox eyes were bright because gossip was like an elixir for her. He nodded to the first question and denied the second. He had experienced morning sickness but there’d been no fainting and especially not in the woods.

Mr. Girling greeted Miles briefly but dashed off to defend his claim on the grill from the tiger twins.That was a war that had been ongoing since before I moved in.

Emerald, the unicorn shifter, strolled over and took both of Miles's hands and gazed at him before saying, “You carry old water.”

“Blessings.” Miles bowed his head as if she was royalty or a deity, and even Marmalade was in awe and put her two paws together.

I kept catching myself looking at Miles and marveling at how lucky I was. When he moved into the building, everyone had been wary of him, and now he was charming them all. They weresmothering him with affection and I had to rescue him, so this was the perfect time for our announcement.

“Everyone.” I tapped my glass with a fork. “Miles and I have an announcement.”

“Is it that he’s your fated mate?” Mrs. Munro asked. “Because we know, and we’re very happy for you.”

I shouldn’t have been surprised they were aware, but it was hard to keep a secret here.

“Or that you’ve already marked one another?” Clover shrugged and said that was old news.

“Or is it that Miles is pregnant?” Rudy grinned. “We know everything in Moonridge Place. Besides, we scented that Miles had a little one inside him.”

“Yes to the first.” I put a hand on my mate’s back.

“Yes to the second.” Miles blew me a kiss.

“And yes to the third.” Indigo jumped up and down, holding and clapping Marmalade’s paws. “We’re going to have a little brother or sister.”

“Pay up.” Mrs. Munro turned to Jon and extended her hand. “You only got two out of three, so I win. You owe me ten dollars.”

“You bet on us?” I slapped a hand on my brow.

“Of course.” Mrs. Munro was looking very pleased with herself.

“I don’t have my wallet or phone on me.” Jon pulled out the crumpled name tags. “These will have to do for now.”