I scoop him up, one arm tucked beneath his chubby legs. He snuggles in like he belongs there, head resting briefly on my shoulder, before peering around the room with wide eyes.
Carina’s on the couch, Ivy asleep against her chest. She catches my eye over Theo’s head and gives me that look—sharp and amused. A callback to the last conversation we had about Theo and Ivy.
I ignore her and carry Theo over slowly, crouching beside the couch.
“You wanna meet Ivy?” I murmur.
He peers over my shoulder at the bundle in Carina’s arms. His expression doesn’t change.
“Baby,” he declares.
“Correct.”
Then he wriggles. “Down.”
“You did your part,” Carina sighs, giving me a shrewd little smile as Theo promptly makes a beeline for Gremlin, who hisses and darts under the armchair.
But I’m not watching the chaos, I’m watching Jake. The way his arm slips around Charlie’s waist, and his eyes linger on Ivy. There’s something wistful in them.
“Shit, I think I want another one,” he murmurs, just loud enough for me to hear.
Charlie arches a brow. “Let’s get the glitter out of our carpet first.”
Jake chuckles, but I can see it—he means it.
And yeah, I get it. Because the weight in my chest right now isn’t pressure, it’s a whole lot of love.
Logan and Lulu arrive next, framed in the doorway like total opposites—her in a flowy cardigan and pink sunglasses, him in a battered Storm hoodie and expression of mild dread.
“I come bearing aesthetics,” Lulu says, sweeping past me with a kiss to my cheek. “He comes because I made him.”
“Mm, you do make me, babe. Every time.”
Lulu and I both turn to him with horrified disgust in our eyes.
“Logan,” she chastises. “Don’t say that in front of achild!”
“And definitely not in front of her brother,” I add under my breath.
Logan shrugs, then drops a boutique bag onto the kitchen island. “Lulu chose it.”
“It’s tasteful,” she insists, removing her sunglasses and smiling at Carina. “And astrologically aligned.”
I raise a brow and open the bag. The first onesie is soft cream, patterned with delicate stars and tiny moons.Virgo Risingis stitched in gold across the chest.
Carina smiles from the couch. “Oh my god, that’s so cute.”
“I had her chart done,” Lulu says proudly. “Sagittarius sun, Scorpio moon, Virgo rising. Fire, water, earth. She’s going to be curious, intensely loyal, and ruinously hot.”
Logan snorts. “So… Hutch.”
“Iamloyal,” I say mildly.
“And ruinous,” Carina adds, lips twitching.
There’s a second onesie folded underneath. This one is navy blue, with white block text:Tiny Puck, Big Energy.
Logan shrugs. “Balance.”
