The sound of a vehicle drew me to the window again. I clutched at the windowsill as I tried remembering how to breathe. He was here. His son was here. They were here.
God, I was going to pass out.
I swallowed tightly when the door opened and Joseph stepped out of the vehicle. It had only been a couple of days since I'd seen him last, but he looked just as gorgeous as he had on the day I met him. Reddish hair, emerald-green eyes, a smattering of freckles across his face.
He was beautiful.
Maybe the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.
A smile flitted across my face when Joseph reached back into the car and pulled out a small redheaded child. So, this was my new family. I couldn't say I was disappointed. Tommy had the same sweet face as my mate, the same deep emerald eyes. He would break many hearts when he was older. I just hoped his father wasn't about to break mine.
I walked over to stand in the middle of the living room when the front door opened. I wasn't sure my heart beat at all until Joseph and his son appeared in the entry.
"Joseph."
Green eyes widened. "You're here. You're really here."
I was a bit confused. "Did you think I wouldn't be?"
"I had hoped, but…"
Hope was good.
“I'm here, Joseph."
"Jojo."
I lifted an eyebrow.
A flush filled those delicate cheeks. "My father calls me Joseph, and I hate it. I prefer Jojo."
"Jojo it is." I never wanted to be compared to his father.
My eyes flickered to the child standing at Jojo's side, staring up at me. "Is this your son?"
I knew it was. The resemblance was remarkable. But I still had to ask.
"Yeah." Pure pride echoed in that word. "This is Tommy."
"May I meet him?"
"Oh, yes, of course." Jojo squatted down next to his son. "Tommy, this is Stalker. He's…uh…he's a friend of Daddy's."
I ignored the little stab of pain in my chest at Jojo's words. Even if he wasn't sure of our relationship, he was here and he was talking to me. I could work with that.
"Hello, Tommy," I said in what I hoped was a gentle voice. "It's nice to finally meet you."
Tommy turned toward his father and hid his face in Jojo's neck.
"I'm sorry," Jojo whispered. "He's shy around strangers."
"No, no, it's okay. He'll talk to me when he's ready." I hoped. It was going to make things really interesting if Tommy refused to have anything to do with me. "Are you guys hungry? Henry, our cook, has been cooking up a storm since he learned you were coming."
"Oh, I don't want to put anyone out," Jojo said quickly.
"Believe me, you're not." I didn't think it was possible for any of us to be put out by Jojo and his son. Yes, there was a learning curve, especially since we were dealing with a child instead of a cat, but we'd get there. We had to because I refused to contemplate the alternative.
"I'll have your bags taken up to your room while we go eat." I started for the door, but paused when Jojo just stood there. "Is something wrong?"
