While Ryder stared at my pregnant belly, an unexplainable set of emotions sparkled across his gaze. Though I couldn't fully understand why he stared at my belly in such an effulgent way, as if the moonlight beamed through his eyes, I recalled his mother once mentioning that he had a fondness for infants. Perhaps that explained the exultant emotions he outwardly expressed.
"You should probably find your clan. An alpha shouldn't be alone," Bradley reminded him, being undeniably stern.
Somewhat startled by Bradley's strict voice, Ryder's gaze tore away from my bump, and he looked at Bradley's serious face.
Without arguing, Ryder nodded, "Yeah, you're probably right. I should be going."
After giving me one last glimpse, a faint smile appeared, and then Ryder walked down the sidewalk before disappearing somewhere behind the back of the building.
"You need to lighten up!" I admonished Bradley, and he knitted his brows in disapproval.
Bradley justified his stern logic by saying, "He's young and needs to be careful."
Out of wonderment, I inquired, "How old is he again?"
"A little over nine hundred."
I almost choked on my saliva after hearing that. "It's hard to believe that barely over nine hundred years old is considered young," I muttered, flabbergasted by how vampires viewed age and time so differently from humans.
"Trust me; vampires are still very young at that age. Their high intelligence can sometimes be their downfall against a far older and much wiser vampire like myself. Even Troy is susceptible to being fooled by an older and wiser vampire at his age. Young Alphas, like them, must always take extra precautions when it comes to safety. I'm just looking out for him," Bradley explained, and I nodded, understanding his point.
"Still, you could be less uptight," I scolded, strongly voicing out my opinion.
Sharlene had advised me not to let her older brother get to me. When it comes to following Chester's orders, Bradley takes his job way too seriously, and he isn't any fun to be around.
I sighed in relief when a car horn honked in the parking lot. Rose pulled into the parking space with Sharlene. They have finally rescued me from dealing with Bradley any longer.
After Bradley opened the back seat door for me to sit behind Sharlene's passenger seat, he lectured us, "Once I'm done hunting, I'll meet you at the mall. But if you're done before I reach you, you are to go straight home."
"Yes, Warden!" Sharlene teased with a playful salute.
"I mean it," Bradley snarled, glaring at his little sister through the frame of her rolled-down window.
"Got it, Fairy Godfather. Shop and get back home before midnight, or the car will turn back into a pumpkin," Rose teasingly chirped, purposely poking fun at him.
Instead of laughing with us, Bradley's expression crinkled in distaste at Rose's jesting. Annoyance was written all over his face as if being the subject of Rose's Cinderella joke was the last thing he intended. But teasing Bradley was just too tempting for Rose to resist.
"Lighten up!" Sharlene chided her grumpy brother. "Victoria isn't a prisoner."
Fair point established! Aside from the fact that the mall closed before then, we didn't necessarily have a midnight curfew like Cinderella. One phone call to Kai, and I can say wherever else I am heading, and he'd be just fine with that. Bradley was just being too uptight.
Bradley rolled his eyes at us as we giggled. "I'll be in touch," he gruffed before carefully shutting my back seat door with a huff.
Once Rose pulled out onto the main road, I dramatically whined, "You couldn't arrive soon enough!"
Before replying, Sharlene emitted out a brief chuckle. "Mom always said he takes his job too seriously. You just have to know how to handle him, and he'll chill out. Everyone is just being overprotective of you."
"Teach me your ways," I teased, receiving a coo from Rose's vamp-baby.
Buckled snugly into his infant car seat, baby Neil happily babbled while gnawing on the soft toy in his tiny hands from the seat next to me.
"Do I hear someone flirting back there?" Rose chimed in playfully as she steered the car down the road.
Happily responding to his mother's voice, Neil cooed louder and beamed a bright, toothless smile.
Sharlene giggled, sneaking a peek at him over her shoulder. "He's such a happy little vamp baby."
Minutes later, we arrived at the mall and shopped for baby supplies. Rose needed to buy new infant clothes for little Neil, while Sharlene and I were on the hunt to buy stuff for our soon-to-arrive bundles of joy. Sharlene already had some essentials ready for her daughter's arrival, but I had nothing prepared for the triplets. Kai insisted that we wait before buying any cribs, and I still couldn't understand his reasoning behind it. I mean, he could at least let me set up a nursery for the vamp babies. As stubborn as he is, he's crossed the limits of my pregnancy hormones. Whether he agrees with my decision to set up a nursery in our room or not, I'm doing it either way.
"This is cute." Sharlene grabbed my attention, holding up an adorably pink onesie for an infant girl.
"That is cute. I'm looking for something purple, but I can't decide if I should get preemies or go a size up," I mused aloud, skimming through the rack of baby clothes with her.
"Buy both," Sharlene quietly suggested while thoroughly shuffling through the rack of clothes. "Vamp babies are born small, and yours will be even smaller since they're triplets."
"Hm, good point," I nodded, pondering deeply over her advice.
Strolling up with her Gothic-laced bassinet stroller, Rose chimed in. "If you can't find anything here, there's more than one store we can browse through."
"Wherever you bought that antique stroller, order me one for my triplets," I giggled, eyeing at how relaxed Neil looked inside it.
"I've already got you covered," Rose chuckled. "It should be delivered soon."
"Ugh, I pity your poor babies," Sharlene groaned, shaking her head. "A splash of color isn't evil. Babies need color."
"Shhh, don't corrupt Neil with your rainbow personality," Rose playfully covered Neil's ears, teasing Sharlene.
Sharlene bit her lip, trying not to laugh. "You're helpless, Rose. At least Victoria is trying to find something purple."
"Well, that's mostly because they don't make black baby clothes... unless it's Halloween," I added with a giggle.
With a dramatic sigh, Sharlene gently face-palmed her forehead. "Forget it!" She shook her head. "You two are impossible!"
"We can't all dress like sprinkles on a cupcake like you, Sharlene," Rose teased, casually strolling away with Neil as Sharlene's jaw dropped.
"It's better than looking like a scarecrow," Sharlene muttered under her breath next to me.
"What was that?" Rose called mischievously near the baby boys' section.
"Nothing! You know I love you! You're beautiful... even for a scarecrow," Sharlene giggled, pretending she didn't just mumble that last part.
"I thought so, Sprinkles," Rose laughed, clearly overhearing Sharlene's jab about her resembling a scarecrow.
Amid all the endless back-and-forth teasing, I couldn't stop laughing. There's never a day that Sharlene isn't trying to splash some color on Rose and me. While we both love black, Sharlene is obsessed with bright green and hot pink.