While I highly doubt Doc would actually let one of his patients suffer…I’m also not willing to test him. The most important part is that Carter is finally leaving this room, which hopefully means he’ll move in with us.
I’m nervous about whether he’ll accept it, but both Keegan and I have discussed it. We want him with us…well, it's more that we need him with us. It feels odd to not have him in our bed, even though he’s never been in it before. He’s become such an intrinsic part of us that I can’t imagine being apart from him. And I know Cole will be thrilled to have Carter around. We made sure of that first.
I don’t hear Keegan’s reply as I slip into the room where Carter is waiting, my worry automatically easing at the sight of him. His tired smile has me rushing over to help him up. I sneak under his arm, to give him leverage to stand, and hug him to me gently. I want to give him my strength to lean on, always. I don’t think he’s had enough of that in his life, but Keegan and I will make sure he does from now on.
“Are you ready to get out of here?” I ask, leading him forward.
“Yes, so very much.” He gives a weary chuckle.
As we make it out of the room, Keegan pulls away from Doc and guides us out of the medical wing. As soon as we step out of it, Carter draws in a deep breath, and I hum in acknowledgment. There’s no words for it from my end, just the bone deep knowledge that after everything we’ve been through…we’re ready for the next step. Hopefully.
I frown at the stairs when we get there, but I shouldn’t have been concerned. Keegan swoops in and picks Carter up. I mourn not having my arms around him, but the fucking giggle thatcomes out of Carter…damn. I’ve never heard that before. My heart sings that we’re able to give him that freedom, and I waste no time following my loves up to our suite.
Keegan gently sets Carter down on our bed. When Carter tilts his head in an unspoken question, Keegan grasps his hand and kneels in front of him. I lounge against the doorway, watching it all unfold.
“Love, we want you with us. Always. We want this to be our bed, our rooms. We want to share everything with you…the good in life, and the bad. The joys and the sorrows. And when you’re tired, we want to be here for you to lean on.” He takes a deep breath and his voice drops lower. “I know you still need to talk to Roman. But, in the meantime, will you share yourself with us?”
Carter doesn’t pull away, but he blinks rapidly, tears gathering in his eyes. His mouth opens and closes, but no sound passes his lips. Finally, he manages a nod, and I breathe out, life settling into exactly what it should be. The other part of us clicking into place, even though we never knew it was missing.
I cross the room in a rush, gently hugging Carter to me as Keegan stands up. With a cluck of his tongue, Keegan shifts into what I like to call his caretaker Dom side. A little softer, but no less strict, which means, I likely can’t skirt the rules on sex—dammit.
Pursing my lips, I glance hopefully at him as I pull away from Carter. At his strict warning glare, I deflate.Fucking hell. Doms. Taking the fun out of everything… Although, I wonder where Carter is on the scale…I shiver as those delicious thoughts cross my mind, only to be interrupted by a swat to my ass.
Sighing, I back up from Carter, who is still smiling as if we’ve given him something he never dreamed he could have—and perhaps we did. But it’s the same for us. I hope we can get him to understand that.
“Alright, under the covers. You heard Doc, you need rest.” Keegan raises an eyebrow when Carter looks like he’s going to protest, and that’s all it takes for him to subside. I obviously need to have a side talk with Carter about the joys of misbehaving.
“Fuck!” I jump as another swat, this one harder, lands on my ass. I turn to stare at my Sir, scowling at him. “What was that for?”
“You know exactly why. I don’t need you causing trouble right now.”
How does he always know?Shaking my head, I help Carter to stand and undress. Keegan comes back with some comfortable pajama pants. Once Carter is dressed, I pull back the covers for him to slide into the bed. As much as I wish he was wearing nothing, this is a better option, especially since I know we have a surprise for him.
The knock at the door is perfectly timed, and I rush over to open it. I’m almost run over when Cole notices Carter in the bed. Anyone who believes toddlers are not dangerous has not spent enough time around them. My heart clenches at the sight of Keegan lifting up our son and placing him on the bed.
Carter opens his arms wide, and he has an armful of happy child within seconds, Cole wiggling as if trying to get closer. I walk toward the bed again and sit down next to him, as Keegan heads to the other side, so we can have Carter and Cole between us.
A happy sigh escapes Carter, and I exchange a smile with Keegan. There’s something so perfect about this moment. It feels like everything has been leading up to this. This one defining juncture in time. I can’t hear what Carter murmurs to Cole, but when Cole pulls back, he’s grinning.
“Papa!” he exclaims, and I rest a hand over my chest, unable to say anything as I watch my son fall deeper in love with the man I’d give the world, and in some ways, Keegan and I alreadyhave. After all, we’re sharing our son with him, and the joy on Carter’s face makes it clear he understands what this means.
I’m thankful that Cole managed to speak. I’ve been worried about how quiet he has been lately. His voice comes and goes, but if I had to pick a time for him to say something, now is perfect. It settles both Keegan and I, this complete acceptance of our choice, because we wouldn’t have taken the risk on anyone less than a perfect father to Cole. We see it with Roman, the love and care Carter provides. It’s a comfort knowing he’ll give that to Cole as well.
Carter catches my eye and mouths a silent ‘thank you’ as Cole dives closer again. I snort at his “oomph” from the impact. I think the smile that lingers on my face may be permanent.
I know we still have things to fix. We need to find the Senator, I need to fix things with Antonio—maybe—and I still worry about our household. But this right here is exactly what we’re fighting for, and proves why it’s important.
Love. Hard won, but worth it. Always. And now that we have him, we’ll never let Carter go…
Ididn’t expect to stand on the dais alone. The whole point of having children was to mold them into what I needed them to be. The perfect weapons, and bearers of my legacy. If only it were that easy. Too many factors outside of my control meant I was fighting a losing battle—I simply didn’t want to see it.
No matter, I still have my end goal, and the news will break soon about the deaths of many of my adversaries.
Whatever is left of their pathetic Council won’t survive the deaths of two-thirds of their leadership and one of their old Bosses. They’re one final blow away from being nothing but ash.
In any other scenario, the vacuum of power would be worrisome. Wars have been waged for territory and power whenever an old regime has fallen. Good thing they have me, and I’m more than ready to build my empire…
The knock on the door has me scowling. I asked not to be disturbed. Unless it was Lachlan, finally coming out of whatever hole he sequestered himself in, no one who values their life should be bothering me.
