He sat, heart pounding double-time. Then a small, wrapped bundle grew closer and closer. Lucky assumed the familiar pose he remembered from long ago, and suddenly he held a bundled Alejandro Schollenberger.
For the very first time. Cables led from beneath the blanket to the nearby heart monitor, and the beeps and blips he’d once taken for granted as hospital background noise assumed whole new meaning.
Alejandro’s heart, weak as it might be, still thrummed to a steady beat.
Unfocused eyes stared up, and a tiny hand peeked above the blanket. Lucky extended a finger. Any remaining pain in his injured hand faded to nothing as tiny little digits encircled his index finger.
The baby focused on him. Was that a smile?
The miniscule face screwed up, revealing toothless gums, and a wail far too large to come from such a small boy split the quiet.
“Here,” Bo said, handing Lucky a bottle and resting his now empty hand on Lucky’s shoulder.
Once presented with the nipple, Andro got with the program, letting out a slight whimper as he latched on.
Andro. Bo’s child. Walter’s powerful friends pulled all the right strings to make things official. One day, Lucky would legally become the child’s other father.
Legal meant nothing. Heart aching with fullness, he rocked slowly back and forth while the baby fed. Would Bo hear him if he hummed softly?
“You’re doing fine,” a female voice said from the background. Oh, right, the nurse.
In that moment, nothing mattered but the child in his arms and the man at his back. The family he and Bo built.
“Isn’t he beautiful?” Bo bent down and murmured into Lucky’s ear, stroking a finger across Andro’s cheek.
Round cheeks, snub nose, fine dark hair peeking out from beneath his knit hat. Lucky glanced up at dark hair and freckles, a slightly crooked nose, and the most loving smile he’d ever scene.
The heart he thought already full made more room. Yes, he was beautiful. They both were.
Lucky’s guys.
God, was he ever blessed.
***
Lucky pulled into the driveway after work. Two days. Two more days until they brought little Andro home.
Home. The concept had definitely changed in the last few years, from Lucky living alone, to living with a cat, to adding Bo and Moose into the mix.
Then Charlotte and Ty.
Now his and Bo’s son.
But wait! Something wasn’t right. His sister’s car sat in the usual spot, Bo’s new truck right behind. No sounds came from the house. Ty must not be home. He approached the door slowly, senses on high alert. He’d learned to trust his instincts over the years, and something wasn’t right.
He pulled out his phone and checked the living room camera. Ty lay sprawled on the couch with an arm flung over his face. Okay, napping explained the TV/stereo/gaming systems being quiet. No Bo, no Charlotte. Of course, at this time of day they might be in the kitchen fixing supper.
No sign of Moose, though Cat Lucky snoozed on Ty’s chest.
Okay, chalk up his paranoia to his job. He opened the door. “I’m home.”
“Oh, Lucky. Just in time!” Charlotte swept out of the kitchen. “We’re about to set the table.”
“Need help?”
“Nah. We got it. You wash up.” She stopped by the couch to nudge her offspring. “Ty, get up. It’s about time to eat.”
Lucky headed to the kitchen.
