Doc swallowed. “I’ll... keep that in mind.”
He headed to the kitchen and returned with drinks—juice for Ottis, red wine for himself. Ottis let Marcie latch onto his chest, blushing when Doc watched him intently.
Doc didn’t comment on any of it, but his attention settled on Ottis, warm and steadfast. He watched as Ottis wiped Marcie’s mouth when she was done; he accompanied them to the bathroom, watching as Ottis cleaned Marcie’s teeth.
He even stuck around when Ottis changed Marcie’s diapers.
“You don’t mind the smell?” Ottis asked.
Doc shrugged. “Again, I’m a doctor. I’ve smelled worse.”
“Are there wolf shifter doctors? Feels like they’d have the short end of the stick.”
“Some of my coworkers are wolves,” Doc admitted. “They have much stronger stomachs, for sure.”
Ottis shuddered. “All those years of med school, and they still have to suffer the smells.”
“It’s really not so bad.”
Ottis studied him. “Did you always want to be a doctor? Even when you were a child?”
Doc laughed. “As a child, I wanted to be a farmer. Then I fell into a pile of manure one day, and it took a whole week for the smell to wash off. After that, I reconsidered my options.”
Ottis snickered.
“What didyouwant to be when you were growing up?” Doc asked.
Ottis bit his lip. “A tailor, at first. The earliest that I remember. Then I wanted to be a firefighter, an artist, and a professional bricklayer, all at the same time.”
Doc laughed. “What about now?”
Ottis opened his mouth, then closed it. “I... don’t know. After Sevrian fucked with my life, I was adrift for a long time. It felt like I was running from one alpha to another, trying to find somewhere to belong, except I didn’t find it. There wasn’t much time for me to think about my future.”
Doc drew a slow breath, his pulse picking up. “Okay,” he said. “How about this? If there’s something you think you might like to do, like trade school or some online classes, tell me, and I’ll make it happen.”
“That’s a lot of commitment,” Ottis blurted. “Are you sure?”
Doc touched Ottis’ belly. “This is a lot of commitment. Areyousure?”
“Yes,” Ottis said. Then he realized what Doc was getting at, and huffed. “It’s still too generous of an offer.”
“Well, I kidnapped you, so you don’t get a say in how much money I spend on your behalf.”
“That’s such a strange way to provide for me,” Ottis muttered. He didn’t have the heart to protest, though. Online classes probably cost a drop next to the ocean of Doc’s wealth. “But thank you.”
“Of course.” Doc wrapped an arm around Ottis’ shoulder, pulling him close and nuzzling his hair. He felt so comfortable that Ottis sagged into him, inhaling his scent.
Eventually, Doc pulled away. “I’m going to shower off my day before we get ready for bed. Want to join me after you tuck Marcie in?”
“Yeah.” Marcie was asleep. Ottis’ heart skipped as he followed Doc up the stairs, leaning into Doc’s side just because he could.
At the nursery, Ottis tucked Marcie into her crib, making sure she was comfortable.
When he turned, he found Doc leaning against the doorway, watching him.
His heart skipped. “I thought you were going to shower.”
“Saw something I wanted more.”
