“We both saw it.”
“Yeah, but tell it to me anyway.”
“We’ll get a two-story house near the state park behind the Wulf, Inc. mansion in Michigan. I’ll still work for Captain M, and you’ll—”
“I’ll be a medic for someone. Probably Wulf, Inc., but firefighters are needed everywhere.”
Wulf, Inc. really needed Bruce, but that wasn’t important right then. “I’ve got the steady nine-to-five, and I love to cook. I’ll be the one making lasagna for you when you come home.”
“And I’m going to love every bite when I make it in the door, even if I have to microwave it.”
Laddin mock shuddered. “You do not microwave lasagna.”
“I’m not going to eat it cold.”
Laddin smiled. “I’ll keep a plate warm for you in the oven.”
Bruce wrapped an arm around Laddin’s back. “That sounds like heaven.”
It did. Except that neither of them had mentioned Aaron, and Laddin couldn’t keep the boy out of their story. “You’re going to teach Aaron how to play ball, and I’m going to teach him how to blow up his toys.”
Bruce snorted. “You’re going to regret that, you know.”
“Probably.” Then he chuckled. “Definitely.”
“And someday maybe we’ll give Aaron a brother or a sister. We’ll take them to baseball games—”
“And go running as wolves in the park.”
Bruce waited a beat before asking, “What if Aaron isn’t a werewolf? Or his brother or sister?”
Laddin shrugged. “Then we’ll take turns running in the park. Or maybe they’ll be able to do something else.” He’d seen the files when he’d organized Captain M’s filing cabinet. “Adoption of magical babies doesn’t have the red tape normal adoption does. Magical orphans happen, and they need magical parents to raise them.” He looked at Bruce. “You okay with that?”
“We turned a demon into a son. If I wasn’t okay with that, I would have bailed back by the lake.”
Laddin smiled. “I love you,” he said, the words feeling like the most natural thing in the world.
“I love you too,” Bruce returned. “And in case you’re wondering, I’m in for the long haul. If you want. Even if things go south tomorrow morning—”
“They won’t.” Of course, that was a bold statement, given that neither of them had any idea how things were going to work out.
“But if they do, I want to try us anyway. You and me with a two-story house and lasagna. Kid or not, I want to give it a shot.”
“Me too.”
There it was—a commitment to each other, not just their son. And their kiss was, again, the most natural thing in the world. A kiss. Then another. And then Laddin whispered a question.
“So… you want to fool around before the 2:00 a.m. feeding?”
“Hell yes.”
The move to the bed took no time at all. There was no space in the room anyway, so they both fell over onto the mattress. They were nearly silent as they undressed each other, and barely spoke above a whisper afterward. Aaron slept through it all as they took comfort in each other’s caresses. And kisses. And hot, breathless orgasms.
And then they held each other and looked at the crib.
“That was weird,” Bruce whispered. “Doing that with a baby in the room.”
“Yeah,” Laddin agreed. “Let’s get separate rooms in the house.”
