“Everything went great.” I found Harper again across the room. She was leaning against the kitchen counter, giving me space to reunite with my people. Patient. Understanding.
It was so fucking sweet and thoughtful.
Ryker rubbed the back of his neck, his tone growing serious. “Before I leave tonight, we need to talk.”
“About?”
Something in his tone made the hairs on my neck stand up.
But before Ryker could answer, Jace stepped forward. “Can’t tell you how excited we are.”
“Seriously.” Blake clapped my shoulder, then immediately turned to check on Tessa, who was lowering herself into a chair. Her hand rested on her slightly swollen belly, and Blake was at her side in two seconds flat, asking if she needed water, a pillow, a foot rub, the moon.
Some things had changed while I was gone. That was one of the good ones.
“You good, Tessa?” I asked.
She waved me off with a smile. “I’m great. This one just thinks I’m made of glass.” She shot Blake a look that was equal parts exasperation and adoration.
“You’re growing a human,” Blake said. “I’m allowed to be concerned.”
“You asked if I needed a blanket. It’s seventy-two degrees in here.”
“Temperature regulation is important for fetal development.”
Jace snorted. “He’s been reading pregnancy books.”
“All of them,” Scarlett added, tucking herself against Jace’s side. “He’s highlighted passages.”
I made a mental note to give him endless shit about it later.
A strange sound pulled my attention toward the corner of the room. A snuffling, waddling, vaguely concerning sound.
I squinted. “What is that?”
“That’s Rainbow, my little queen,” Faith cooed, scooping up the creature in question.
I stared.
It was a dog. Probably. The kind of dog that looked like it had been assembled from spare parts in a dimly lit workshop. One ear stood straight up. The other flopped sideways. Its eyes pointed in two different directions, and there was some kind of growth on its side that bobbled when it breathed.
“She’s …” I searched for words, reaching out to pet her wiry fur. “Got personality.”
Axel threw his head back and laughed. “She looks like abstract art. You can say it.”
“I was going to say resilient.”
“You were going to say haunted,” Axel shot back.
Rainbow’s head swiveled toward Axel. Both eyes, somehow, locked on to him. Her stubby tail started wagging so hard, her entire back half wiggled as Faith set her down.
“No,” Axel said, backing up. “No, no, no. Faith, control your gremlin.”
“She just loves you,” Faith said sweetly.
“She’sobsessedwith me. It’s unhealthy. For both of us.”
Rainbow waddled toward him with a distinctive gait, three normal steps and then a little hop, like she was doing a cha-cha only she knew the rhythm to.
