“Feeling’s mutual. He’s the best doctor’s assistant I’ve ever met.” I met Red’s gaze. “Except for you, of course.”
Was it just my imagination or was there a splash of colour across Red’s cheeks?
I couldn’t think about it too long because a tiny hand slapped my face. Zak thought this was hilarious. He laughed uproariously as his mortified dad tried to pry him away from slapping his patient again.
“I am so sorry,” Remington said. “Hang on, let me go hand him back to his other dad so I can do this in peace.”
“No, no,” I said quickly. “He doesn’t have to leave. He’s making my mood better just by being here. You know what they say, laughter is the best medicine.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Red beaming. He clearly agreed with me.
“You like kids too, Red?” I asked.
Remington snorted. “You’re definitely new around here.”
“What you mean by that?”
As Remington handed his wiggling son into Red’s eager grip, he said, “Red is the go-to babysitter around here. He’s basically been caring for every single kid in this pack since they were born. I have no idea what we’d do without him.”
Red rolled his eyes. “Ugh, enough with the sappy crap.” He quickly amused Zak by bouncing him on his leg. Zak was instantly amused. It was obviously something Red was skilled at and had done many times before. To watch him sooth the rowdy baby with such grace was heartwarming.
“I’m just saying,” Remington mumbled as he finished up the poultice. “Red is amazing with kids and has saved me many a sleepless night. Now sit still for a second while I put this on. Don’t be alarmed if it’s cold.”
But I barely felt the chill of the poultice as Remington applied it because all my focus was on Red. With his bright smile, he was mesmerizing and I couldn’t tear my gaze away from him.
* * *
When Remington and Zak left,the little den in the alcove seemed a lot quieter.
“Kids always liven things up, don’t they?” I asked.
Red’s eyes were warm. “Sure do. I’m glad to hear that. We are a kid-loving bunch in this pack.”
“How many?”
“Five, with one pair of twins,” he said with a laugh. “Some are older than others, but that doesn’t make them any less of troublemakers.”
“Wow. So that makes four couples?”
Red looked a little distracted for a moment, picking at a piece of dirt on the ground. “Yep.”
Should I take the chance to probe him a little deeper? I decided to seize it while trying to sound as casual as possible. “And do you compose one half of any of those couples?”
Red let out a snarky yet genuine laugh. “Smooth. Very smooth. But the answer is no. None of the kids are mine.” His smile faded a little at the edges. “And now I’m the only one without a mate.”
I bit my lip. I’d intended to use this time to talk to Red about my intentions, about how I wanted—no, needed—to leave as soon as my wings would let me. But how could I bring that up now when he looked so sad? I hated seeing an expression like that on his gorgeous face.
“Hey, don’t worry about it too much,” I said softly. “Having a mate’s not all it’s cracked up to be.”
Red looked at me in shock. “You have one?”
Man, I was really screwing up this conversation. All I wanted was for him to smile again but here I was making him frown. “No,” I said firmly. “Not anymore. I’m extremely single, if that’s what you’re asking.”
A visible wave of relief crossed over his face.
“But all I’m saying is, sometimes a mate is more trouble than they’re worth,” I said.
Red let out a small, noncommittal sound like he didn’t quite believe me. “In this pack, every single person has their fated mate.”
