“I should hope you are.” I look at Kuras with fondness. When I found out he was pregnant, I was beside myself with joy. I’m going to be a father. Even so, Kuras was still going to be doing all the work. “You’ve gone through it enough times with other people.”
“Saying and doing are not the same.” Kuras isn’t looking anywhere but at the new baby. Soon, I’ll be seeing that very scene with my own baby in his arms.
That is something I don’t think will ever get old.
“Well, you’ll have a family to lean on,” Nyve says. He takes Austin’s empty glass and puts it on the coffee table. “You know we’ll be there.”
“I do know.”
I will always be grateful for it.
Even though the baby slept through the entire visit, once Austin and Nyve are gone, the apartment seems quiet again. Kuras is stretched out on the sofa with his hands folded over his stomach. His eyes are closed but I can tell by the way he’s breathing he’s not asleep. “Long day?” I perch on the edge of the sofa next to him.
“I love my job,” he says, scrubbing at his face, “but it can be draining sometimes.”
“You had a doctor visit today, too, right?”
“Do you have anyone you can tap that understands shifter physiology like you do?”
Kuras nods. “Yeah. I haven’t decided yet but I will probably call them in a day or so to see if they any have openings. Are you okay with that?”
“If it helps you, I’m one hundred percent for it. You’re avoiding talking about the doctor visit specifically. Is everything okay?”
“Nothing gets by you.” Kuras sits up and twists so we could sit side by side on the sofa. He lifts my arm so he can squirm next to me. I wrap him close. He smells like a hospital. And baby. That baby smell. It’s kind of nice.
“Mind like a steel trap.”
“Except when you forget to do the dishes.”
“I’ll never live that down.”
“Probably not.”
I pull back for a breath. “And you’re still avoiding the question.”
“Sorry. I do have news but I’m not sure how to tell you.”
That has my attention now. “Is everything okay with the baby?” I’m getting alarmed now. “If your aim is to worry me, Kuras, you’re doing a great job.”
“Oh sure, they’re fine. I will need to watch my diet since my blood pressure was a little high but that could also be due to—”
“Hold on,” I say as Kuras’ words finally catch up. “They? Are we talking gender neutral they or are we talking plural they?”
Kuras tilts his head so he can see my face. There’s a huge smile stretching his lips. “How do you feel about twins?”
About the Author
Kellan Larkin has been writing fiction since he was a kid and studied English in college so he could be a writer. Now, he enjoys crafting stories about men falling in love. He has a special fondness for shifters and likes leaving his readers feeling good. In his free time, he enjoys mountain biking, hiking, and trying new restaurants.
Keep in touch:
crew.kazcrowley.com/newsletter
kellan@kellanlarkin.com