“Do you think this tree should match this tree? Or should it be orange and brown for fall?” Rin asked as he scratched his chin, tilting his head as if wondering about life’s mysteries instead of simply questioning the color of trees.

“Well, my favorite color is brown, so fall?” I offered thoughtfully. A smile crossed my face at how concentrated Rin was.

It had been a few days since my last interaction with Rowan. That was the day he agreed to let Rin make a “picture wall” and since then, Rin had been diligently adding to the collection of drawings he made specifically for that purpose.

I’d been helping Rin on and off with his little project, but I somehow managed to avoid running into Rowan at the same time.

I would see him occasionally at the end of the day, but Mrs. Madden always came home first so it was easy to just turn in for the night since I was no longer on the clock.

We didn’t talk past the pleasantries and while that was the main goal, my chest still squeezed uncomfortably at how little I was interacting with my fated mate.

A deep longing for getting to know Rowan more was festering inside of me and I had no idea how to ease it.

“That’s Daddy’s favorite color, too!” Rin chirped up, grabbing the brown crayon and coloring in the leaves of his tree.

Sometimes, when Rin would give me little pieces of information about Rowan, I had the slightest urge to sigh in relief. It felt like a tiny little piece of the puzzle finally clicked into place and eased some of that longing, if only slightly. I had to fight with myself to keep from asking Rin questions about his father.

“Is it? Does he like fall, too?” Most of the time I lost that fight. I made sure to keep my questions simple and noninvasive, at least.

“Yep! It’s his favorite season, just like mine! What's your favorite season, Alex?” Rin looked up at me with questioning hazel eyes and I reached a hand over and ruffled his messy hair.

The day was getting close to turning in and Rin and I had a good time spent at the park earlier, so his hair was still pretty messy from all the fun we had playing in the leaves.

“I think I like spring the most. That’s when all the flowers start to bloom.” I smiled warmly at Rin, watching as he gave a firm nod and went back to coloring his picture. After a long and fulfilling day, he always made his way back to his favorite spot; on the floor in front of the coffee table. And I joined him there every time.

“I like Spring, too! I should draw a flower next for my wall!”

“That’s a great idea, bud.”

After living at the Maddens’ residence for the past few days, I could already tell what my favorite part about the place was. Aside from being surrounded by Rowan’s cedar wood and vanilla scent every day and night, the warm atmosphere of the home was soothing in more ways than one. As a kid growing up, my house always felt cold and became a sort of front for my parents to put on when we had guests over. It only got worse after Evelyn left for college. Lyn and I used to be close when it was just us against our parents, but once she left, our connection grew apart, just like the distance between us.

I was thrilled that Lyn had finally gotten out of there, but it still hurt to be left behind. Even though I lived with my parents, it felt like I lived in that house alone. I hated being alone more than anything, and living in a house with a family that was actually present, in more than just the physical sense, soothed an ache in my heart I didn’t even realize was there until the pain started to ease.

It surprised me, to be honest. I didn’t believe this family would be as “present” as they were with their demanding careers, but even though they were gone a lot, they always made time for their son.

On top of all of that, the house had a positive effect on me as well.

I could remember living with my parents and how perfect everything had to be all the time. No crayons on the coffee table, no cluttered bedrooms, no spilled drinks, the list goes on. It felt like one wrong move would land me in a screaming match against my parents, except I never screamed back. I just stood there, because that felt like the safer option.

My parents never hit me, but that didn't mean they never hurt me.

The Maddens’ house always looked nice and well kept and of course they hired an interior decorator for the place, yet it still felt lived in. Although the furniture was expensive and always kept in tip top shape, just the other day Rin spilled a bit of his juice on the sofa after Carly had gotten home, and a part of me had freaked out, unsure of what to expect. I was pretty sure Carly healed part of my inner child when all she said was, “Oh Rin, that’s alright. What’s the point of cleaning things if they never get dirty?” And that was that. No tears, no screaming, I wasn’t even sure what to say. I don’t think I said anything, actually. Carly probably thought I disappeared into thin air because I made the mature decision to hide in my room, doing everything in my power to calm my racing heart.

The coffee table always had crayons on it, Rin’s room had toys scattered on the floor, and—of course—when Rin spilled something, it was just another day in the neighborhood and Carly cleaned it right up with no fuss.

I hated that I was starting to feel more and more at home here. I was terrified that any second I would be kicked from the residence. Either from Carly finding out about her husband having me as a fated mate, or from Rowan deciding he didn’t want his poor excuse of a mate to hang around anymore. I felt like I was looking over my shoulder every second of every day.

I could only hope I was just being anxious.

It wasn’t much longer after that Rin and I started on dinner when we heard keys in the doorknob. It was getting close to 6:30 when Carly Madden finally walked through the front door.

I thought I still had time before Rowan came home, but I was sorely mistaken when—

“Mommy! Daddy! Alek and I are making spaghetti!” Rin squealed from somewhere behind me, having run toward his parents in the hall outside the kitchen.

“Hi, baby! How’s my little chef doing today, hm?” Carly’s voice carried effortlessly through the house and I smiled as she crouched down to be eye level with Rin while I slowly made my way into the hall with them.

“Alek took me to the park and pushed me on the swings, and then we jumped in the leaf piles! And after that, he got me ice cream on the way home and sat with me when I colored new pictures for my picture wall! Mommy, we need more frames for my wall!” As much as I dreaded seeing Rowan—if I was still out in the main part of the house, that is—when he came home from work, I adored watching Rin regale both of his parents with the day he spent at home. It always made them smile and their eyes warmed just by watching little Rin run his mouth a mile a minute. It also made my heart melt to see Rin speak so positively about his time spent with me.

“Did he now? We’ll get more frames for you, Sweetheart, I promise.” Carly replied in stride, swiping Rin’s auburn hair out of his eyes with a gentle hand.

“Yep! And now he's showing me how to make meatballs! Can we all eat together? Please?!” Ah, the time had finally come for Rin to ask me to join in on their family meal. I had done pretty good at avoiding this topic entirely. Yes, I lived there and yes, I watched Rin almost every day, but this still wasn't my house or my family. I never wanted to impose on them or interrupt the only time they got with their son.

But Rin looked between the three adults in the room with pleading eyes. I was leaning against the doorway of the kitchen as Carly slowly stood up from her crouched position in front of Rin. Rowan was standing behind his wife and hadn't yet spoken up, but his smile didn't falter at Rin’s question.

“I don’t know, bud. Your parents have been working all day, how about you and I finish making dinner for them and then you three can eat together?” I could see Rin’s eyes dim slightly at my words, but I didn't know what else to say.

“Nonsense, you’re the one making us dinner, which isn't part of your job description, might I add. The least we can do is make sure you eat some of it yourself.” Carly immediately piped up and my eyes flicked to Rowan, unsure of his thoughts on this arrangement. Dinner would be the most time spent with Rowan since he helped move my boxes into the house.

I was surprised to find Rowan’s eyes already on me, warmth flooding his hazel stare and my stomach fluttered at the small smile on his face.

“Alek, we would love it if you ate with us.”

And how could I say no to my fated mate?

A/N~ What are we thinking? Also, I can't believe it took me six months to update the last chapter. I had to dust off this story and read through all my notes because I forgot all about poor little Alek:( 

QOTD: What do you think Rowan's deal is?

Answer: I'm not telling you;)

PSA: Over on my Patreon, if you just give my account a follow (it's completely free to follow!) you'll gain access to a free phone wallpaper I made of our very own Aleksander Atwood! Also, if you become a paid member of my Patreon for just $2/month or Ream for $3/month, you'll be one chapter ahead of everyone else! I'm uploading chapter seven here today, but chapter 8 is already up on Patreon and Ream! Ream membership is $3/month with the same benefits as Patreon, but you're able to comment on chapters there by paragraph just like you can on Wattpad.<3 Ream and Patreon are linked below!