Wilder had taken to declaring that baby Landry had his looks, and anytime we tried to explain that wasn’t how biology worked, he brushed us off.
“Let him have his delusions,” I whispered playfully.
Merrick considered for a moment, then shrugged with a laugh. Wilder’s wacky ideas were part of the reason we loved him.
Even though he was our goofier pack mate, he had been so attentive since I had given birth. Sometimes he was my mate Wilder, doting on me, and other times he was Nurse Wilder, checking over our son with shrewd eyes.
I was eternally thankful he had done several pediatric rotations. I knew a fair bit about emergency medicine, but tiny humans had me stumped more often than not.
“Hey, little man,” I cooed, rocking the freshly changed baby in my arms. He was still firmly in that scrunched-up newborn phase that I was loving.
“What do you want for dinner?” Merrick asked.
“Maybe pasta?”
“Sure, I can do that. Tomato and basil pasta with bacon bits and cheese.”
The sound that left my mouth was nearly inhuman. “That sounds amazing. Thank you, darling.”
“You know, Walker keeps blowing up my phone, asking when he can visit,” Preston said. “Apparently, he's got very important Landry business to discuss with our son.” He laughed.
Ever since Walker had found out we were naming the baby after him, he had been proud as Punch.
“You know he's probably going to cry when you ask him to be Landry’s godfather,” I pointed out.
“Should we ask someone else?”
I shook my head. “Not at all. I'm just saying, make sure you've got a phone camera on him, so we can record it.”
“Smart mate.” Wilder laughed, leaning forward for a quick kiss.
Despite the chaos that having a newborn brought to our lives, I had never felt so at peace. I wasn't even that sleep deprived because, between all of us, the night feeds had been easy. The guys took turns staying up for a few hours at a time, taking care of our fussy little prince.
Preston came and joined me in the nest, lying next to me and gazing down at the baby in my arms. Watching each of my alphas become dads had been a mind-blowing experience.
“I hope you know I fucking love you,” he said after a moment, looking down at me.
It was the first time he had said those words. We had both been dancing around it for a few weeks, but we had other priorities—namely, making sure that baby Landry got here safe and sound.
Looking up at him, I hoped my eyes conveyed just how sincere I was when I spoke. “And I fucking love you, too, Preston.”
A dazzling smile spread across his face. “Who would have thought an alley hookup would have resulted in this?” he chuckled.
“That sort of thing usually ends in a sexually transmitted disease, not a happy family with an adorable baby.”
“Really, I just defy the odds at all turns, don’t I?” he said.
“You really do. It’s like you play with fire and never get burned.”
“I suppose that’s a good thing, considering I’m a firefighter—or, at least, will be again soon.”
I let out a soft snort. “Are you going to put that on your résumé—that you’re naturally flame-retardant?”
Preston considered for a moment. “You know what? I think Walker might just take that seriously and put it to the test with all the stress I’ve given him.”
“Walker? I would happily do that to you with all the stress you’ve given me,” Nolan grumbled.
Preston smirked, his eyes never leaving our son as he spoke. Landry, oblivious to the world, gurgled and proceeded to spit up all over himself.
