Page 63 of Sobek’s Joy

“Exactly like us.” Rudy smiled, stroking her curls. “Well, our family is about to get a little bigger. I’m going to have a baby. You’re going to be big siblings.”

There was silence for a moment although Rose’s eyes went huge. Jack’s mouth dropped open, and Timothy’s head swiveled between Rudy and Sobek, as if he were processing words he didn’t fully understand. And then…pandemonium.

“A BABY,” Rose shrieked, bouncing in Rudy’s lap with enough enthusiasm to nearly knock him over. “We’re getting a baby. When? Where is it? Can I see?”

“It’s inside Dad’s tummy,” Jack said, with the confident authority of someone who’d apparently absorbed the information from somewhere in his earlier life. “It has to grow first.”

“How long?” Rose demanded.

“About nine months,” Sobek answered. “Give or take.”

“That’s FOREVER.” Rose deflated slightly, then brightened again. “But then we’ll have a baby. Jack, we’re going to be big siblings.”

Jack’s expression had shifted from shock to something approaching wonder. “Really? We’re really getting a brother or sister?”

“Really,” Rudy confirmed. “What do you think?”

Jack launched himself forward, wrapping his arms around Rudy’s neck in a fierce hug. “I think it’s the best thing ever,” he whispered. “I promise I’ll be the best big brother.”

Rudy’s eyes burned. “You already are, pup. You already are.”

Rose had started bouncing again, this time with purpose. “Can it be a panther baby? Please? Panthers are the best.”

“Or a wolf.” Jack pulled back, eyes bright with competitive spirit. “Wolves are way better than panthers.”

“Are not.”

“Are too.”

Timothy, still nestled against Sobek, spoke so quietly that Rudy almost missed it. “Maybe a crocodile like Papa Sobek and me.”

The competitive argument stopped immediately. Rose and Jack both looked at Timothy, then at each other, then at Rudy with matching expressions of concern.

“That would be okay too,” Jack said carefully. “Crocodiles are... cool.”

“Very cool,” Rose agreed. “Even if they’re not as cool as panthers.”

Rudy bit back a laugh. “Or,” he said gently, pulling all three children close, “it might be a regular baby. Human, like me. And we’ll love them no matter what they are.”

“But they’ll still be family,” Rose said. It wasn’t a question.

“Always family,” Sobek confirmed, his deep voice certain. “Just as you three are family. Just as we are all family. Nothing will ever change that.”

Timothy leaned further into Sobek, a small hand clutching his Papa’s shirt. “The baby will need protecting.”

“Yes.” Sobek pressed a kiss to the top of Timothy’s head. “And they’ll have the best protectors. Three fierce siblings and two parents who love them already.”

Rose looked down at Rudy’s stomach, which showed no signs of change yet. “Can I talk to the baby?”

“Of course.” Rudy shifted so Rose could press her ear to his abdomen. “Though they probably can’t hear you yet. They’re very tiny.”

“How tiny?” Jack asked, moving closer.

“About the size of a blueberry right now,” Sobek said. “But they’ll grow.”

“That’s really small.” Jack looked concerned. “How do we know they’re okay in there?”

“My magic,” Sobek assured him. “I can check anytime, and I promise, the baby is healthy and strong.”