Page 57 of From the Edge

Norecayet said, “She did the same for Mellwyn. She’s already in touch with her extended family and getting me to put a glamour on the baby.” He smiled. “The ears are really obvious.”

“And he’s blue.” Rowan pointed out.

“Green-blue,” he murmured.

She giggled. “That is what everyone was saying about you when you appeared. So how and why do you split?”

“Oh, your wards are effective against orcs. Goblins can go under the earth, and I did.”

Rowan blinked. “Oh, that explains so much. I thought I had a big gopher.”

He grinned. “Very big. Mell wanted to know if she could invite people for lunch. Some of the ladies were interested in helping to plan the shower.”

“Oh, sure. I have now fine-tuned the wards for intent. Nothing scarier than me has gotten through in the last two and a half years.”

Norecayet looked around. “Can anyone use the gym?”

“As long as the blue weirdo doesn’t go through the floor. That would be a repair charge.” Rowan looked at him.

He smiled and inclined his head. “Excellent. Thank you.”

“Of course, if you are on baby duty, you bring him down here in a car seat or bassinet and show him how to lift properly.”

The man sobered and nodded. “I will.”

“Oh. Norecayet, this is my Auntie Aspen. Aspen, this is Mell’s fella. Little Rowan’s father.”

Aspen walked up to him. “You named the baby after Rowan?”

“It seemed appropriate to both of us.”

Ren said, “I thought you said you let him through your wards. He said he dug under.”

“I did. He still has a head, right? It couldn’t be too easy, or he would think something was suspicious. He wasn’t really thinking clearly at the time.” She realized she was still being cradled on a mat by the healer. “Right. You have a speculum to polish or something like that. Off you go.”

She tried to get out of his grip, but he felt like a warm mattress. Her heart wasn’t in it.

“Okay, Ren, I have to order enough food for one hundred and twenty people for Friday.”

He blinked. “One hundred and twenty?”

“Yeah. There are ten folks just living here right now, plus the royals, plus the mages, the djinn, spare elves, and some friends and family from outside the property. Oh, and Grandma and Grandpa will be there as well.”

She looked at the surprised expressions and shrugged. “A good party snowballs, and I throw a very good party.”

Rowan smiled and grabbed her phone, sitting up using Ren as a climbing frame. He grunted and laughed as she straightened, using his forehead as a final block to boost herself up.

She smiled and said, “I have to go make lists, and I probably have to invite some coworkers to the party.”

She walked out of the basement and headed to the kitchen to take inventory and write a menu.

She had to do math and nodded when she had come up with a staggering shopping list. It was a good thing that her favourite shops all had delivery. She set up shopping lists and sent the butcher shop the list first and followed up with a call.

“Hey, Soratho, this is Rowan at the big house.”

“Yes, Rowan, I could tell by the fact that my computer started screaming.”

“How likely is it that you have everything on my list?”