Laughing together was fun; the pang of pain to follow, not so much.
Pops stuck around long enough to help get Maverick and I out of the nest and the tarp in place before he said goodbye to us and wished us luck as we started slowly shoving at our clothes. It would be nice to be able to do simple things on my own again, like dress myself, wash myself, and put my own fucking shoes on.
Groaning, I let myself be lowered to the tarp, because holy shit, I was about to earn those little luxuries in a very big way if the pain I was starting to feel was any indication.
“I’m beginning to seriously reconsider the whole snip-snip plan for Briar,” Maverick muttered, prompting a round of chuckles from the assembly of dads.
“Anyone want to keep score on how many more times Briar is threatened tonight?” Maverick’s dad asked.
“I will,” Briar’s dad replied.
“Gee, thanks, Dad,” Briar grumbled.
“Look at it this way,” I said. “We can always add it to the baby book.”
Chapter 21
Maverick
“Look at those little toe beans,” I murmured, stretched out on my side with our two snow leopard cubs, Skyler and Ryder, pressed against my side.
“I could count them all day,” Leo said as he tickled a little paw.
It flexed beneath Leo’s touch, though our sweet little Skyler slept on.
“Here we go, all cleaned and tucked into their little onesies,” Briar said as he came in holding one of our girls, with Leo’s dad behind him carrying the other.
I pressed a finger to my lips, too sore and exhausted to do more than wiggle back to make space for him to lay the babies as Leo did the same across from me.”
“Sorry,” he whispered as he carefully stepped into the nest and laid Ember beside Leo before reaching back for Arden.
With the tarp gone and nothing but softness surrounding us, we marveled at the four lives we’d brought into the world.
“We’ll be downstairs if you need us,” Leo’s dad whispered. “But this is the perfect time for you three to start bonding with your cubs. Congratulations, guys; you did awesome. I’m proud to be known from here on out as Grand Papa.
"Gramps," "Grandpa," "Grampi," and "Grand "Papa"—that’s how the dads had chosen to be recognized. Their knowledge and steady encouragement had seen Leo and I through some difficult moments, especially when our second cub failed to descend and our second girl had presented feet first. Still no fainting on my end, but there had been a moment there when I’d considered sinking my teeth into Briar’s rear end and taking a chunk out of it.
Funny, but right now, as I watched him position himself where he could touch all four of our babies, all I could think about was how adorable he looked with his hair sticking up everywhere, looking frazzled and happy all at the same time. The look on his face, though, wow. It was a goofy mix of tender awe, pride, and admiration as he peered at his family.
“Just look at our little family,” Leo murmured. “I can’t wait until they are old enough to be tucked into their carriers for their first walk in the woods.”
“I can’t wait for their first romp in the snow,” Maverick whispered. “With those fluffy-adorable faux fur snowsuits Grandma Tilly made, our girls will be as cozy as if they were shifted.”
“I love that for them,” Leo said. “Do you think she can make an adult-sized one?”
“I’m absolutely certain she can make anything she gets in her head to make,” Maverick assured him.
“Good, because I want to get down in the snow and play too.”
Hearing him say that got me purring and reaching out to clasp hands with him around our brood.
“She’s downstairs,” Briar said. “I’ll tell her you’d very much like to have one when I go down to show everyone pictures of the babies.
“Thank you,” Leo said. “They are as soft as blankets. I can’t help but feel like surrounding myself with a layer of fur will help me form a bond with their snow leopard sides.
“I bet they’d enjoy that even when not shifted,” I said. “All babies like soft things.”
“As do those of us who have to push them out into the world,” he replied.
