“It’s past their bedtime,” August reminded him. “They need their rest.”
They had hoped for fraternal twins. They’d never imagined they’d have identical twins. It was so rare in IVF. Cricket didn’t have twins in her family.
August had assured Lucas that Adelyn and Ara were just the start of their family, not the end, as if Lucas had somehow been disappointed to have two babies who so closely resembled the man he loved above all else. It was the opposite. They owned his whole heart and he’d kill or die to protect them.
Lucas had never imagined himself capable of the level of aggressive protectiveness that swept over him each time he looked at them. “Her cheeks are flushed. I think she has a fever,” he persisted.
August gave him an indulgent look and a kiss on the cheek. “Her mother has already checked her temperature. She’s not sick. She doesn’t have a fever. What she has is a devious nature.”
Ara giggled as August tickled her belly.
“She gets that from me,” Cricket said proudly, scooping a sleeping Adelyn from her cradle.
Lucas rolled his eyes. He supposed, on some level, it was true. Cricket had proven herself time and again to be more than capable at many things, including seamlessly blending into a family of deviant psychopaths. The three of them collided at exactly the right time. The worst moment of Lucas’s life had somehow led to him getting everything he ever wanted. A husband. Children. A friend.
Although, that wasn’t really the right word for Cricket. She was more than their friend. She worked with them at the university. She helped Calliope set up alibis. She ate dinner withAugust and Lucas almost every night, lived in the apartment across the hall from them, raised children with them. She was family. Their family.
She gave Lucas a friendly but firm stare. “These little monsters have already had their bath and their feedings. They need sleep. You could keep them in the nursery here, but it’s your night off and they’re perfectly fine. They’re just across the hall.”
She was smart, capable, and fiercely loyal. She had Thomas and the rest of August’s brothers wrapped around her little finger, just like Calliope. And, best of all, she was the perfect mother to their children, something Lucas couldn’t believe she’d been willing to do for them. Not just willing, but eager.
He hadn’t imagined someone Cricket’s age would be so willing to put her life on hold for them. But she said it was just the opposite. That her life had started when she met them. That she’d been in and out of one messy relationship after another when, really, she didn’t even want to be in a relationship at all. Not sexual ones. Not romantic ones.
She said all she’d ever wanted was a family and she had that with the Mulvaneys. She had that with August and Lucas. The three of them were one cohesive family unit with the girls. They’d bought her the apartment across the hall when it had become available, ensuring they were always close by, and she knew she was welcome to come and go as she pleased from their house. They’d installed nurseries in both apartments so they could alternate nights without disturbing them too much.
Even though the girls were barely six months old, Lucas couldn’t wait to have more children in the future. The very near future. He loved the idea of a big family, something he’d never even considered before August. Something he wasn’t sure he’d be able to consider after August either.
The thought of raising children with a psychopath had worried him initially, until he saw the way August fawned over them, doted on them, was fascinated by them. August had the perfect temperament for children. He never yelled or grew frustrated. Even when the girls were inexplicably fussy, August would simply put in his headphones while he soothed them. It was fascinating, really.
“I really should get them to bed,” Cricket said, emphasizingreallyto drive home the point that she’d already said it once.
When she attempted to scoop Ara from Lucas’s arms, he tightened his grip. “They should stay here. Or maybe we should call Atticus and just have him swing by and look at them?”
August sighed, a smile twitching at his lips. “You’ve already FaceTimed Atticus twice today, and both times, he told you they’re perfectly healthy babies. I am starting to think the only doctor we need is a therapist for you, love.”
Lucas frowned but handed the baby over to August. Cricket gave him a look. “You can just keep the cameras open in the nursery, you know. You have a key to the apartment, too. You promised August a night of no three a.m. feedings. It’s my turn.”
“I know. I know. I do.”
They walked Cricket back to her apartment, helping her get the girls settled, before returning to their apartment where Lucas stared longingly at the door.
August stepped in front of him, wrapping his arms around him before cupping his ass. Lucas gave a soft sigh, winding his arms around August’s neck, letting his cheek rest on his shoulder. “I’m sorry I’m still crazy.”
“I’m not,” August murmured, dropping a kiss on Lucas’s head. “Do you want to go to bed?” Lucas said nothing. “Do you want to go to bed and stare at the nursery cams for a while?”
Lucas nodded. “Yes, please.”
August pressed a kiss in the center of Lucas’s bare chest, then moved to lick over one hardened nipple. “Put the camera down. They’re sound asleep. The owlet will let you know if anything is wrong.”
Lucas set the monitor down on the table but didn’t turn the screen off. “What if it malfunctions?”
“What if it doesn’t?” August countered, moving to kneel between Lucas’s knees before gently pulling him until he was flat on his back.
Lucas’s legs fell open, his invitation obvious, even though he was still clearly unraveling about the girls. “It could, though.”
August rested his cheek on Lucas’s inner thigh, his semi-hard cock within reach. But it was clear he was going to have to address this before any sexy times would ensue. “In all the time they’ve been alive, it’s never malfunctioned. If you keep this up, you’re going to have to double up on your sessions with your therapist. Maybe that’s a good idea? Or maybe a temporary anxiety medication?”
Lucas once more stared at the monitor before turning it face down, his expression miserable. “Maybe. They’re just so little and helpless. Anything could happen to them.”
