I saw Hawke’s eyes darken with emotion and he clutched his son to him. I used their intimate moment to crouch down next to Jamie and Leo.
“Are you doing okay, Jamie?” I asked.
He nodded.
“Matty and I are watching out for him,” Leo declared. I was glad to see the little boy was still wearing his pants, but from the way he was scratching at the waistband, I had to wonder how long it would last.
“You are?” I asked.
Leo nodded enthusiastically. “He’s gonna sit with me while Matty helps his daddies get married.”
I smiled at that and couldn’t stop myself from running my hand over Jamie’s hair. The little boy hadn’t been talking to me as much as he did Seth, but I knew it was just a matter of time. The fact that he didn’t pull away from me was progress as far as I was concerned.
“Thank you for taking care of him, Leo,” I said and I dropped my hand on the beaming boy’s shoulder.
I heard a knock on the door and saw Magnus waiting in the entry way. The older man looked distinguished in his dark suit.
“Just came to see how things are going in here,” he said as he walked into the room.
“Good, Pop-pop,” Matty said. He gave Hawke a quick kiss on the cheek and whispered, “See you soon, Papa.”
“Yeah, buddy,” Hawke said, his voice sounding gravelly.
Matty ran up to his grandfather to give him a hug and then went back to Jamie and Leo and grabbed Jamie’s hand.
“Matty,” Hawke called and Matty turned around. When Hawke motioned him over, Matty eagerly ran to him and I watched as Hawke leaned down to whisper something in his ear. Matty listened attentively and then nodded.
“I’ll tell him, Papa,” he said softly and then he hugged Hawke again before he collected Jamie and Leo and left the room.
“I was hoping I could have a word with you,” Magnus said to Hawke.
“Of course,” Hawke replied.
“I’m going to take Storm to the study,” I said as I straightened as best I could while still maintaining my hold on the dog’s collar.
“Thanks, Ronan,” Hawke said softly.
I left the room, closing the door behind me, and led the puppy down the stairs. Bullet was already in the office lying on the couch so as soon as I lifted the child safety gate, Storm bolted into the room to join the German Shepherd. But that lasted all of ten seconds because the young dog then noticed that Memphis’s cat, Tink, was lounging on one of the arm chairs. Tink ignored the puppy’s antics as she tried to get the cat’s attention, but wasn’t quite brave enough to actually risk irritating her.
I chuckled as I put the safety gate back in place and then headed towards the living room where the guests who’d already arrived had started to congregate. The weather had ended up cooperating and while it wasn’t warm enough to have the ceremony outside, it was a sunny and surprisingly dry day so we’d left the front door open so people could come in on their own if the young woman we’d hired to take coats and direct guests was busy.
My guess was that more than half the guests had arrived, but my focus was on the two girls sitting in the far corner of the room near the fireplace. My plan had been to go check on Willow and Nicole, but I hesitated when I saw Cade and Rafe’s eleven-year-old daughter, Rebecca Barretti and thirteen-year-old Hannah Devereaux talking to both girls. I stood back to watch and smiled when I saw Willow showing both girls how to sign something to Nicole.
“Ronan,” I heard someone say and saw Dom Barretti headingtowards me, his husband right behind him. They were holding hands and Dom released Logan’s hand only long enough to shake mine.
“Glad you could make it,” I said.
“How are the grooms holding up?” Logan asked.
I chuckled and said, “I’ve only seen Hawke but let’s just say he’s very, very ready to do this.”
Dom chuckled and glanced at his husband. “Been there, done that.”
Logan smiled and leaned in to brush a kiss over Dom’s lips. “You practically dragged me down the aisle.”
Dom’s look turned heated as he growled, “Can you blame me?”
I laughed and shook my head because I knew exactly what they were talking about.
