Chapter 6: My Healer: Chapter 5

Rheia watched as Colton and Penny played at the table.

‘See this teddy? This is Sascha; he is outflanking that group of teddies, which are the Beta Unit. He’s moving in.’ Colton set up a mock battle on their paper plate.

‘And we captured this one,’ he said handing the small snack to Penny. She popped it in her mouth.

‘We’re not taking prisoners, ehh? Good. Oh no! He tripped. Silly Sascha!’ Colton said making one teddy spin on the paper plate. Penny covered her mouth, her eyes laughing.

‘Okay, he’s back up. Look he’s tricked them all, he’s captured all of the Beta Unit. Hurray!’ Colton made the teddy dance. Penny bounced around in her seat.

Rheia was shocked at the dramatic difference between the solemn little girl she’d known living in Jefferson to this happy child.

‘Okay mom, all the teddies have been eaten,’ Colton announced.

Rheia smiled and picked up Penny’s learning backpack. ‘Okay, Penny, quiet time.’ Penny hopped down and took her hand. Rheia led her to the family room and sat down next to the coffee table. She laid out all of Penny’s favorite books along with her tracing paper and letter book.

‘Practice your letters until the big hand is pointed down,’ Rheia said pointing to the clock over the fireplace. ‘When you’re done with your letters you can watch Doctor Who until dinner time. Meryn’s set up the TV in here so that when you turn it on, it’s already on Netflix.’ Penny nodded. Rheia stood and watched as the little girl pulled out her favorite pencil and began to meticulously trace her letters.

‘I’ll be in the dining room if you need me baby, okay?’ Rheia asked, almost wishing she was needed.

Penny simply nodded, without even looking up.

Sighing, Rheia turned and walked back with Colton to the dining room. Colton shut the door.

‘Okay, what’s wrong?’ he asked wrapping his arms loosely around her waist. He wasn’t being pushy or trying for sex; if he had she could have easily shot him down. The look of concern on his face was genuine and his arms comforting.

‘A couple months ago Radek asked if I was still comfortable raising Penny. He knew how hard it was being a single mother. He offered to bring her here to Lycaonia to be adopted by shifter parents. I told him she was mine, and I didn’t want to give her up. But seeing her here, with you, in this environment, she’s getting better by the hour. I can’t help but think I was being selfish keeping her with me,’ Rheia said admitting her fear.

Colton pulled her close and she rested her head on his broad chest. It had been so long since she had felt like it was okay to let go, that if she fell apart, someone would be there to not only watch Penny, but to help pick up the pieces.

‘There’s no way to prove Penny getting better is linked to coming to Lycaonia. It’s probably all your months of working with her paying off and you just happen to be here. It could be that she feels safe. She knows she’s living with unit warriors. All shifters teach their children from a young age that unit warriors are to be trusted, and if they are ever in trouble to seek us out. She may not remember her parents teaching her this, but I bet they did. Wanting to keep her with you isn’t being selfish; it’s being a good mother. If it makes you feel any better, I have asked Aiden to be Penny’s , she has another layer of protection in our world,’ Colton said and pulled back to she could see the sincerity in his eyes.

‘What is ?’

Colton paused. ‘It’s sort of like an uncle, only more. If anything happens to us, he’ll be there to protect her and make sure nothing happens to her. Among paranormals, the child’s father chooses the , someone they trust above all others,’ he explained.

‘In the human world we call that a godfather. I wish you’d asked me about it first, she has uncles on my side, you know.’

‘You couldn’t ask for a better than Aiden. He hasn’t known her long and he would already tear the world apart for her, of course, he’s a huge marshmallow when it comes to the softer sex, but don’t tell him I said that.’

Rheia smiled. ‘Your secret is safe with me. So, what did you all do today?’ she asked.

Colton eyed her carefully. ‘I thought you didn’t want to know.’

‘I didn’t, not until I saw how relieved everyone was that I didn’t want to know. So now I want to know.’

‘I will tell you, I promise, but how about six months from now?’ he said trying to negotiate.

‘Why six months from now?’

‘Because by then you’ll be head over heels in love with me and you will be less apt to cut off pieces of me we both may need later.’

Rheia sighed; she knew it had been dangerous. ‘Did she have fun?’

Colton nodded his breaking out into a huge smile. ‘She is something else! She outsmarted three units! She’s like a tiny master ninja. She’s great at hiding and stealth.’

‘It’s how she survived, remember?’ she asked gently.

She watched as all the color drained from his face. ‘Oh, Gods! You don’t think we traumatized her, do you? I’m such an idiot!’ His voice grew more panicky.

‘She’s fine. She was happy, smiling and dancing around. Whatever you did helped.’ She rested both hands on his chest; she could feel his heart beating wildly. You couldn’t fake this. He was genuinely upset he might have hurt Penny.

‘Meryn said that when you find your mate, it’s like your defenses come down, but that it’s okay, because your mate’s defenses are down as well and it helps for your souls to meet. She said that’s why it’s so easy to fall in love so quickly, because there’s nothing left to hide.’

Colton nodded slowly. ‘Sounds about right.’

‘What do you think it’s like?’

‘I asked my dad the same thing when I was younger. I was obsessed with finding my mate. He would laugh and say I would find you when I was ready. But I still remember what he said. He said that finding your mate is like buying a new pair of shoes.’

Rheia wrinkled up her nose. ‘Shoes?’

Colton leaned in and kissed the tip of her nose. She blushed and he laughed. ‘Yes, now hush. He said it was like buying a new pair of shoes, you get the excitement of having something new, something you’ve always wanted. Normally when you buy a pair of shoes, it’s bittersweet. They’re new, but you have to break them in, and that can be painful. He said mating is like finding a pair of new shoes that go with everything and you never have to break them in. They’re the most comfortable things you have ever worn, fit perfectly and because they go with everything you never have to look for another pair of shoes again.’

‘Sounds lovely. I hate new shoes,’ Rheia admitted.

‘Me, too. That’s why paranormal males are so protective of their mates; we only get one perfect fit. It’s also why matings tend to develop rapidly. If you have the perfect pair of shoes, why waste time on another pair?’ He leaned down and ran the tip of his nose up and down the side of her neck.

‘Because sometimes change is scary. You want to keep wearing your old pair of shoes, because, even if they don’t fit quite right, you know what to expect. Because nothing is worse than building up your hopes and dreams thinking you found the perfect pair of shoes, only for them to give you a blister.’ Rheia fisted Colton’s shirt in both hands.

Colton stepped back and cupped her face with both of his hands. ‘I can’t promise you I’ll never cause you a blister, but if I rub you the wrong way, tell me and I’ll stop before I cause you any more pain. Then I’ll carry you until you’re better.’

Rheia felt tears running down her cheeks and realized it was because she was crying. Meryn was right, there were moments when your souls really did touch.

Colton wiped away her tears with his thumbs and slowly leaned forward. She knew he was giving her every opportunity to turn away, but she couldn’t. If he didn’t kiss her in the next couple of seconds, her lungs would forget how to breathe.

When his lips finally touched hers she expected him to devour her, but he didn’t. Ever so gently he nipped, nibbled and kissed her lower lip, from one side to the other. Then he started on her upper lip. Always teasing, never demanding, she soon found herself frustrated. She wanted more. Reaching up she buried both hands in his hair and pulled his face closer. She forced his mouth to open and she took what she wanted. She found his tongue and slid hers alongside it.

Groaning, he wrapped his arms around her, welding their bodies together. She could feel his arousal and her knees almost gave out. It had been so long since she could just give in, too long since she had been with someone she trusted completely. In that moment, she realized she did trust him. She may not know him completely, but she did trust him, with her daughter, with her body and even her heart.

She stepped away, breaking their kiss, both of them breathing hard. When she looked up, she was startled to see his normally green eyes were yellow. When he grinned, his canines peeked out from under his lip, giving him a devilish look.

‘You’re a danger to all women,’ she said trying to get her breathing under control. Her daughter was in the next room for goodness sakes!

‘No. Just you,’ he corrected. He closed his eyes and let his head drop back on his shoulders. When he opened them again, his eyes were back to green.

She shook her head. He would be the death of her.

‘Too bad you don’t like blonds, huh?’ he asked, wistfully.

Her mouth dropped. Whistling he threaded his fingers behind his head. ‘I wonder if Penny is done with her letters yet I could go for some Doctor Who.’ He walked out of the dining room leaving her a confused and aroused mess.

‘Damn blond wolf shoes!’ she rambled incoherently.

She heard him chuckle from the hallway. Smiling, she followed him so they could all watch the Doctor together.

*****

‘Ryuu, I’m so sorry. I forgot to mention how picky she is.’ Colton watched as Rheia apologized for the third time.

‘Don’t worry about it. I just wish I knew what she liked so I could prepare it for her,’ Ryuu assured her.

Rheia picked up a fork with a piece of baked chicken on it. ‘Come on, baby. Just one bite.’

Penny shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest.

Colton stood. ‘Hold on angel, be right back.’ He walked out of the dining room and into the kitchen. It didn’t take him long to assemble all the ingredients for his special sandwich. He made two, knowing how much running around Penny had done that afternoon, then one for himself. He put everything away, carried the plate out to the table and set it in front of Penny. She looked up at him questioningly before leaning in and sniffing the sandwich. Her eyes widened in surprise before she picked up the sandwich and took a huge bite.

Rheia turned to him disbelief on her face. ‘What on earth is that?’

‘My specialty; beef jerky, pickle, peanut butter, mayonnaise and cheese sandwich,’ Colton announced feeling proud.

Everyone stared at him, the silence uncomfortable.

‘Ahh, an oldie but a goldie. I love that sandwich,’ Aiden said, taking a bite of his chicken.

‘Everything a growing pup needs. It was my favorite when I was a kid,’ Colton said, picking up his fork.

Everything looked from him to Aiden and back again.

Darian shook his head. ‘When you were a kid? You just happened to have all the ingredients on hand and knew where they were?’ he teased.

‘Okay, okay you got me. I had one yesterday,’ Colton admitted.

Aiden looked up a hurt look on his face. ‘Without me?’

‘You like it?’ Meryn asked, swallowing hard.

‘Don’t knock it, till you try it, short stuff.’ Colton waved his fork at her.

Aiden shrugged. ‘One day when were were cubs, I was playing over at his house and his mom went to visit his grandmother. We got hungry, so Colton said he’d make us sandwiches. Since we liked all the ingredients separately, we figured we’d like them all mixed together. We were right.’

Penny picked up her second sandwich and dug in.

Rheia shook her head and turned to her own food. ‘I don’t care how crazy it is, if she likes it and is willing to eat it, she can have it.’

‘I will have to learn about ‘kid’ food,’ Ryuu admitted, watching Penny carefully.

Meryn sat back smiling. ‘My favorite was always mac and cheese with cut up hot dogs in it, covered with barbecue sauce.’

Beth licked her lips. ‘Mine was tuna fish, made with mayonnaise and spring vegetable sour cream mix, served with Andy’s Hot Fries.’

Meryn’s eyes widened. ‘That sounds amazing.’

Beth nodded, ‘I know, right.’

A tiny sigh of contentment had everyone looking at Penny. She sat back in her chair patting her belly like an old man. Everyone burst out laughing.

‘Glad you liked it, angel,’ Colton said, before ruffling her hair.

Yawning, she surprised the hell out of him when she climbed into his lap, popped her thumb in her mouth and snuggled up next to his chest. Colton stared down.

‘What do I do?’ he mouthed to Rheia.

Laughing, she pointed to his full plate. ‘Good luck and welcome to parenthood.’

Colton carefully maneuvered his fork, taking small bites so that nothing would drop on his daughter’s head.

Aiden chuckled at his discomfort. Colton flicked him off.

His friend took a huge bite of chicken and licked his lips, teasing him. Colton nearly woke Penny when Meryn elbowed her mate, causing Aiden to choke slightly on the huge bite he had taken. Meryn winked at him.

Aiden cleared his throat. ‘The contractors said they’ll be with done with the addition by tomorrow. Meryn, what did Jaxon and Noah say about moving out?’

‘They want to stay here, close to Command Central. Jaxon brought up a good point, too. He said that as I get further along with my pregnancy, it might be a good idea to have them close by. I may need their help walking and getting up, that sort of thing.’

Aiden frowned. ‘You’re kidding right?’

Meryn rubbed her belly. ‘Look at me, then look at you. I’ll be lucky if I’m not on bed rest the last months of my pregnancy. I’m already having problems with anemia.’

Colton frowned, feeling concerned for his friends. As much as Aiden was a brother to him, Meryn had become the bratty kid sister he never had; he didn’t want to see anything happen to her.

Aiden stared at his mate. ‘I thought humans have babies all the time?’

Rheia spoke up. ‘We do, Aiden. I have a feeling that after today, I will be Meryn’s attending physician and I can tell you that if your baby is as big as I think it will be, I will be classifying Meryn as a high risk pregnancy.’

Colton reached over and placed a supporting hand on Rheia’s shoulder. She smiled at him gratefully.

Aiden paled and pulled Meryn into his lap. ‘What does that mean exactly?’

‘It means I’ll have to have a C-section for sure. I’ll be cut from here,’ she pointed to one side then dragged her finger horizontally across her midsection, ‘to here.’

‘My poor mate,’ Aiden said sounding slightly ill.

‘That’s right buddy, I may not be able to have chocolate, but you owe me desserts and lots of them.’ Meryn said snuggling close.

Colton noticed that Rheia had to look away to hide her smile. Poor Aiden.

Colton frowned when suddenly something very warm spilled across his lap and down his legs. He looked down and Penny had a blissful expression on her face. Stirring, she opened her eyes and blinked. He knew the exact second she realized what she’d done. Her tiny face contorted into silent tears and she reached out for Rheia.

‘What happened?’ Rheia demanded.

Colton winced looking down. ‘I think we may have had an accident.’

Penny’s small frame shook with sobs as she hid her face in embarrassment.

‘Shh, baby, it’s okay. Look, Colton doesn’t mind, do you?’ she asked giving him a look.

Colton scooted over until he was in Penny’s old seat next to Rheia.

‘Of course I don’t mind. Look at it this way kiddo, you marked me, now you have to keep me,’ he said, rubbing her back.

When Penny looked up her bottom lip trembled. He took her tiny hand and kissed it. ‘Accidents happen; it’s nothing a little water won’t fix. I’m not mad at all and no one minds. Everyone’s had accidents before, right guys?’ Colton asked giving everyone a look identical to the one he’d just received from Rheia.

A chorus of agreements sounded off around the table. Penny sniffled, but didn’t hide her face again.

Rheia turned to Colton. ‘Can you do me a huge favor and run to the store to get her some pull-ups for nights? We’ve had a lot of excitement and scary things happen in the past couple days, plus she’s in an unfamiliar place, so I’d rather be safe than sorry. I think she’ll be back to normal after she adjusts.’

‘Sure I can get some, no problem,’ Colton said.

Relief filled his mate’s eyes. He could tell this was the first time she had someone around to ask for help. He couldn’t imagine the hardships she’d faced over the past year raising Penny alone.

Rheia stood. ‘Come on, doodlebug, let’s get you washed up and ready for bed.’

Penny turned and stared at Aiden. He nodded. ‘I didn’t forget. I’m going to the store with Colton and I’ll pick you up something special. Get ready for bed and if your mommy says you can, maybe you can have it for breakfast in the morning,’ he promised.

Penny nodded and rested her head on Rheia’s shoulder. Rheia turned to Aiden. ‘If you promised her sweets, she can have small powdered donuts for breakfast. How’s that pumpkin?’

Penny nodded and popped her thumb back in her mouth. Rheia went to walk past Colton then paused. She leaned down and kissed him on the lips. ‘Thank you,’ she whispered and left with Penny.

Aiden stood. ‘Come on men, this time Colton needs our help.’

‘Gods, I hope Bart is working tonight,’ Darian muttered.

Colton stood and followed the men out to the foyer.

‘Colton, I thought you may need these,’ Ryuu said, holding out a wet washcloth and clean pair of sweatpants.

‘You are a lifesaver!’ Colton dropped his pants right there in the foyer and quickly washed up with the washcloth.

‘See, I told you he had a great ass.’ Colton heard Meryn say.

He turned slowly and saw that Meryn and Beth were watching them with huge smiles on their faces. Grinning, he strutted a bit. He heard their growls only seconds before Aiden and Gavriel dragged him backwards out into the cold, barefoot and in his underwear. They threw him in the SUV and dropped his shoes and pants on his head before closing the door. Colton quickly got dressed and into his seat.

When everyone was inside, he spoke up. ‘Okay, I lied. I have no idea what in the hell pull-ups are.’

Aiden started the SUV. ‘Okay Keelan, look them up on the Google.’

Keelan swallowed hard. ‘Do I have to? Human stuff is scary. I’m still having nightmares about lambs stomachs exploding all over my…’ The men turned to look at him. ‘Never mind.’

‘Please, Keelan? It’s for baby girl,’ Colton said, pulling no punches.

Keelan sighed and pulled out his phone. About a minute later, he was smiling. ‘Guys, I think we’re safe this time, they look like they’re diapers for humans.’

Darian relaxed back in his seat. ‘Thank the Gods.’

Gavriel smiled. ‘Diapers don’t sound too bad.’

Colton grinned at his friends. ‘We’re buying diapers for my baby girl. I have a daughter.’

The men chuckled.

Keelan turned off his phone and looked around. ‘Who would have thought we’d be buying diapers a few months ago? It’s funny how finding mates has made everything more fun.’

Feeling confident, Colton joked with the men all the way to the Duck In. When they arrived, everyone climbed out. This time it was Aiden reaching for the gun.

He looked at Colton. ‘You had my back when I had to get those important items for Meryn; I could do no less for you.’

Colton nodded. ‘Thank you, my old friend.’

Aiden lifted the shotgun then the AR-15. ‘I’m leaning towards the AR-15, what do you think?’

The men nodded.

‘Good.’ Aiden slipped the gun on his back and locked the SUV.

‘Let’s go.’

When they walked through the door, they heard a familiar voice almost instantly.

‘Lord have mercy, you boys are back. I’m almost afraid to ask.’ Bart chuckled.

The men gather around the older man’s register.

‘Tonight we are after ,’ Colton said slowly.

Bart blinked. ‘Say again.’

‘Pull-ups,’ Colton repeated.

Bart frowned. ‘Yes, that’s what I thought you said. Boy, do you know what pull-ups are?’

Colton nodded. ‘I think so. They’re like diapers.’

Bart eyed him carefully. ‘Why do you boys need diapers?’

Colton puffed out his chest. ‘I have a baby girl now. I didn’t even have to use condoms to get one,’ he said, elbowing the older man in a conspiratorial way.

‘Well, if you didn’t use condoms, I guess you would end up with a baby. A girl you say?’ Bart’s face softened. ‘Baby girls are miracles from God boy; you better do right by her. How long have you been seeing her mama?’

Colton thought about it for a moment and looked around at the men. ‘About what, twelve hours, give or take?’ The men all nodded.

‘You sure that baby girl is yours?’ Bart asked in a serious tone.

Colton nodded. ‘Yeah, she’s mine. She even has my eyes.’

‘But you just met her mama?’ Bart asked.

‘Yes, sir.’ Colton nodded.

‘Son, I don’t think you understand how some things work.’ Bart frowned in concern.

‘I’m not sure how everything is decided either, but I’m the luckiest bastard alive to have those two angels in my life.’ Colton smiled.

Bart shook his head. ‘I guess that’s all that matters, though, I have to say, I worry about you boys.’

Aiden clapped the older man on the shoulder. ‘Thank you for your concern, but we have the everything under control.’ He patted the gun on his back. Colton thought it was touching that Bart was worried about their safety.

Bart’s eyes widened when he noticed the gun on Aiden’s broad back. ‘You boys are staying out of trouble, aren’t you?’

‘Yes, sir.’ Keelan nodded.

‘Right. Okay, well boys, pull-ups are near the aisle you found the feminine products on, time before last.’ Bart nodded to the center of the store.

‘Many thanks, friend,’ Colton said, and they made their way to the aisle.

‘Okay men, let’s grab a box and go,’ Aiden ordered.

They turned and looked at the huge wall of boxes in front of them.

‘Look! Tiny bottles and toys!’ Keelan pointed to the display that held what looked to be baby items. ‘This isn’t so scary.’

‘Aiden, which box?’ Colton asked looking from floor to ceiling.

‘Box? Which wall?’ Darian pointed out that the diaper selection extended almost the full length of the store.

‘The babies on this package look quite happy,’ Gavriel said pointing to a box on the left.

‘Yeah, but so do these ones.’ Darian pointed to the one on the right.

Colton frowned. ‘They all look happy.’

They all continued to stare.

‘Okay, this one has stars on it. Rheia did say they were for nighttime,’ Keelan said, pointing out a purple box.

‘Good job, Keelan!’ Colton said reaching for the box. He stopped when he saw something he didn’t understand. He read the box closely and put it back.

‘What was wrong with that one?’ Aiden asked.

‘It has something called ‘Cool Touch’. If the baby wets the diaper, there is this gel that turns cold, it’s to alert the child that they went to the bathroom. It sounds uncomfortable; I don’t want anything cold on Penny,’ Colton said shuddering.

‘I think it’s a miracle humans have survived this long,’ Darian whispered.

They all nodded.

‘Okay, how about this one?’ Darian said pointing to another purple box, but this one didn’t have the ‘Cool Touch’ feature.

‘Looks good.’ Colton went to pick up a box and noticed that some of them had different sizes.

He turned to the men. ‘These things come in sizes!’

‘How do we know which size Penny takes?’ Aiden asked.

Colton shrugged and looked at the size chart. The weights were useless because he didn’t know how much she weighed; to him she seemed as light as a feather.

‘Colton this one says for three and up. It should be okay right?’ Keelan asked.

Colton frowned. ‘What if it doesn’t fit? What if it’s too tight and it hurts her? This thing will be covering baby girl’s important parts; we can’t get this wrong gentlemen!’

The men paled and turned to study the boxes again. Suddenly, Colton had a brilliant idea. He took the box that Keelan found and opened it up. He held a pull-up out to Keelan. ‘Put it on.’

Keelan blinked. ‘Excuse me?’

‘You’re the smallest here; we can use your frame as a point of reference. Now put it on,’ Colton ordered.

‘Hell no!’ Keelan began to back away and bumped into Darian, who shrugged before securing the witch’s arms.

‘Sorry Kee, but this is for Penny.’

Keelan began to thrash around.

Colton knelt down and undid the sticky tabs. ‘Quit moving Keelan, you’re making this difficult.’

‘Damn right I am!’ Keelan said turning crimson.

Colton managed to get the diaper between Keelan’s legs and fastened. The pull-up actually stretched quite far.

‘Oh my goodness!’ they heard a female’s voice gasp. They turned to see one of the pretty female cashiers standing at the end of the aisle. ‘I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt, I don’t judge lifestyles, I … oh dear!’ she rambled. Blushing, she hurried away. The men looked at each other and realized what the scene she witnessed might look like to someone else.

‘Oh Gods! She thinks we’re into fetish play and Keelan is our baby,’ Darian whispered, horrified.

Keelan collapsed to his knees. ‘That was my mate,’ he groaned.

Colton dropped to the floor beside Keelan. ‘I’m so sorry, I’ll go explain.’

Keelan shook his head. ‘I’ll do it.’ He stood and looked down before removing the pull-up. ‘They’re quite comfortable, I’d go with the one that has princesses on it for Penny.’ He dropped the pull-up and sprinted to the front of the store.

Colton wished the floor would open up and swallow him whole. He had just humiliated his fellow unit brother in front of his mate! Aiden, Colton and Darian glanced at each other. Colton was about to follow Keelan when he heard a wheezing sound. They all turned to find Gavriel on the floor, his arms wrapped around his stomach, his entire body was trembling and shaking.

‘Has he been poisoned?’ Aiden demanded. He dropped to his knees and turned his second in command over to his side. The vampire that they now knew to be the Dark Prince was laughing so hard he had tears running down his face. His eyes were bulging slightly and he couldn’t seem to breathe. Aiden whacked him on the back a few times. Gavriel simply rolled onto his side and began to laugh out loud.

‘Oh Gods! Never in all my years!’ Gavriel laughed uproariously.

Aiden sat back on his heels and looked up at Colton. Colton looked at Darian. Then Darian’s mouth twitched. That was all it took. Colton wiped his eyes. ‘Can you imagine what we must have looked like?’ he asked. His question brought a round of fresh laughter.

Gavriel reached for Aiden and made cooing sounds. ‘Change me, daddy, I am wet,’ he joked.

‘Perverts!’

The men froze and looked down the aisle. Ethel the judgmental, older woman they had encountered on their previous trip to the Duck In, scowled at them, before shuffling to the front of the store, calling for Bart. It was another couple of minutes before any of them could breathe again.

Colton looked up at the fluorescent lights grinning. Before Rheia and Penny, before any of the mates, they had never laughed like this. They heard the sounds of footsteps before Bart appeared over them frowning.

‘Ok boys, get on up. I say this because, obviously, you have a baby in the house now. Drugs, like that wacky tobacco, don’t do a body good. Ya’ll need to stay away from it,’ he warned.

The men fought to hide their smiles as they stood and brushed each other off.

‘I can assure you, we do not indulge in that disgusting vice,’ Aiden said, walking alongside Bart.

Colton grabbed the opened box, then grabbed a second one for good measure. While Aiden convinced Bart they weren’t drug addicts, Colton went to the register where Keelan stood with a pretty brunette. She blushed when he approached.

‘I’m sorry for thinking y’all were up to no good.’ She smiled at him shyly.

‘And I’m sorry for embarrassing you. We’re normally not quite so exuberant. I was very lucky that Keelan was willing to help me. I’ve never shopped for my daughter before,’ Colton said, trying to place the blame for the entire episode on his shoulders.

The brunette raised an eyebrow. ‘He didn’t exactly look willing,’ she chided.

Colton looked at her nametag. Anne. ‘No, he didn’t, did he Anne? But he’s an amazing sport and didn’t get mad at me at all for humiliating him. I couldn’t ask for a better friend.’ Colton nodded to Keelan who nodded back.

Anne rang up his boxes. ‘How old is your daughter?’

Colton smiled. ‘She’s four. Her mother thinks that the recent excitement we had caused tonight’s little accident, so we’re getting these to be on the safe side.’

Anne nodded and told him the total. ‘Backsliding happens a lot with toddlers, especially after a stressful event. My little cousin almost got hit by a car; he wet the bed for a solid month after that.’

He handed Anne his money and turned to Keelan. They both knew his poor baby girl had had nothing but stress in the past twenty-four hours.

Keelan cleared his throat. ‘Anne is a nurse. She just graduated at the top of her class.’

‘Congratulations,’ Colton said.

She blushed again. ‘Thank you, here’s your change.’ She handed him his change and his receipt.

‘Maybe we’ll see you around,’ Colton said.

‘I’d like that,’ Keelan chimed in, making her blush again.

Keelan was still waving when they walked out of the store. When everyone had climbed into the SUV and the doors closed, the men sighed as one.

‘Is it just me, or do these store runs seem to be getting more and more complicated?’ Darian asked.

Aiden reached back and handed him a bag. ‘I couldn’t agree more.’

Colton eyed the bag. ‘What’s this?’

Aiden started the car. ‘Penny’s donuts. Bart seemed especially concerned when I told him I was getting them for your daughter because she had excelled in our training drills, he kept looking from my gun to your box of pull-ups. I wonder what he was thinking?’

Gavriel shook his head. ‘No telling, humans are odd creatures.’

Darian nodded. ‘You can say that again.’

Colton looked out the window. He couldn’t wait to get back to his own, confusing human.