“I knew you’d get it, doc,” Jax teased. He touched his stomach. “I guess once was all we needed.” He chuckled, and Ryder moved in for a kiss, holding onto him as they shared their joy at the news.
Tabby cooed and Ronin squatted and held her out to him. Ryder took his daughter because she would always be their first child.
“I’ve missed you, little one,” Ryder said and kissed her cheek. He placed her in Jax’s arms, and her tiny hand went to his cheek. “Da.”
“I missed you too, baby girl,” Jax said.
He watched as Ryder looked Tabby over, and when he was done, he smiled at Jax and told him through their bond,“She’s perfect.”Their daughter appeared to still be their happy little girl, and Jax felt such relief to see that Bo wasn’t a complete monster. Jax also found himself thanking the Goddess that she was probably too young to remember any of this later.
He kissed the top of her head. She let out the most adorable little sigh and burrowed into his chest.
Ryder helped him to his feet, supporting both him and Tabby. He tucked them both into his side, and Jax had a feeling his mate would be hovering a lot moving forward.
Jax wanted to ask what had happened to Bo, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. He must have shared it across their bond though, because Ryder said, “He will no longer be a problem for you. I swear.”
Jax didn’t know what that meant.
“His pack will deal with him,” Ryder replied.
Jax was skeptical and his mate must have sensed it.
“He was trying to overthrow his cousin who’s next in line for Pack Alpha. He figured if he had a son, an heir, it would be easier somehow. Either way, his pack will deal with him for treason. He’ll never hurt you again.” Jax knew that was a vow from his mate.
“I want to go home.” Jax sighed, leaning against his mate. He knew it was over, but it would take his brain a moment to really process what that meant.
“Let’s go home. There’s a lot of anxious people waiting on your return,” Ryder said.
“And I’m anxious to see them, but … tonight I just want it to be us. You, me, and Tabby.” He needed to have this time alone with his mate and daughter because they had lost too much time already. It would feel good to be back at Ryder’s place. It would feel good to be home.
Ryder grinned. “Actually, that is a much better idea.” He turned to Ronin, Zander, Maddox, and Dax. “No offense to you guys.”
“I’ll keep the family at bay, don’t worry, bro. I got your back,” Ronin said.
“Alright, let’s get out of here.” Maddox clapped.
Jax kissed his daughter again, and she smiled and cooed. He then looked up and caught Ryder watching him. He leaned up, and they shared a sweet kiss. The start of their future might have been interrupted, but that was all it had been.
They were going to have the perfect family, the three of them and the new baby on the way. Jax was going to be happy. He felt truly blessed by the Goddess because he knew how badly it could have gone. But he refused to think about that.
He grabbed Ryder’s hand, and they all headed towards the vehicles.
When they got there, Ryder turned to Ronin. “Thanks for everything, bro.”
“But let me guess, you want to drive your family home. You want time alone with them,” Ronin said.
His mate chuckled but nodded. “Do you think you can grab a ride home with the guys?”
Ro laughed. “Of course.” He then turned to Maddox, Zander, and Dax. “You guys got space for one more?”
Maddox shook his head. “All full up. Looks like you got a long walk ahead of you.”
Ro snorted and walked over to his teammate, punching him in the arm.
While the guys de-geared, Ryder secured Tabby into her car seat, then got Jax into his seat and made sure he was belted in, too. When he got in the car, he leaned in for another kiss before they got going. Jax held his mate’s hand the whole way home.
Chapter Fourteen
Ryder
