breasts she’d somehow developed to go along with her expanding belly. “If you want the truth, Doc, I want my body back, and I want to get laid. Not necessarily in that order.”
Logan burst out laughing as he turned away from the sink to dry his hands on a paper towel. “It’ll all happen. Not necessarily in that order. You’re smart to abstain for now. You want those two little girls to have all the time they need before they make their appearance.”
He wadded up the damp towel and made a perfect shot into the trash, but there was a rueful expression on his face. “Definitely smart to abstain. If you’ll recall,” he said drily, “I spent last night with your husband. He topped, and I can honestly say from my own sexually satisfying, yet rather painful experience, the way that man’s hung, I doubt your girls have left any room for him right now.”
They were both laughing when they walked out of the perfectly appointed clinic. Luc met them outside the door. Tia glanced at Logan, once again he raised an eyebrow and that set them both off again. Luc’s head swiveled from Tia to Logan, back to Tia, and he shrugged.
Tia grabbed both his hands, stretched up on her toes and kissed him. Her gravid belly rubbed against his hard, flat one, and she felt their babies move. Luc obviously felt them as well, and he smiled against her lips. “I love you,” he whispered, nibbling at her full lower lip. “You are so beautiful this way, your body ripe with my babies…Tia, you take my breath away.”
A powerful sense of peace settled over her.
She’d been so afraid when she insisted they come to Montana. Had she made the right decision? Was this really where she wanted to have her babies, in a tiny little clinic stuck back in the woods on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains?
Yes. Most definitely yes. Her father and Millie were on their way. Shannon, Jake, Manda, and Bay should be rolling in some time tomorrow. Mik, AJ, Tala, Tinker, and Eve were here, along with the entire Montana pack. Everyone she loved would be with her to offer support.
She had a doctor who understood the ways of Chanku, who could actually communicate with her babies. She had Adam Wolf, a man who fixed things, in case anything, Goddess forbid, went wrong.
She had the most important man in her life—she had Luc.
What better than her husband and a real doctor here at Anton Cheval’s perfect little clinic? Add to that, an entire pack of people who loved her.
Tia’s fears drained away. The sense of peace grew even more profound. It was all good.
The four from Maine had arrived a couple of hours earlier and were taking a well-needed rest when Millie and Ulrich slowly pulled into the driveway between the main house and Oliver and Mei’s cottage. Anton waited alone on the deck to greet them. Though he’d known they were drawing close long before their vehicle actually turned off the main road onto the long private drive to the house, he’d not said anything to the others.
The evening was cool and everyone had either taken off on a run or gone inside to get out of the chill air. He loved it when his house was filled to the brim with those he considered family. After so many years alone or with only Oliver as company, he’d had more than his fill of solitude.
There were times though, like this moment, when he took the opportunity to stand alone in the darkness, to give thanks for the good things that had come to him. To thank the Goddess for such an amazing life.
In the background, he heard adult voices and the squeals of both Lily and Alex, their childish jabbering and bright laughter a joy he’d never expected at this stage in his life. Both babies had just started walking in the past few days and suddenly everything in his home had been rearranged to accommodate the mobile monsters, as Stefan had dubbed the two.
He and Stefan still occasionally got together for a morning glass of cognac, a chance to laugh and lament that their lives would never be the same.
As if either of them truly wanted those lives back again. He still ached when he remembered how alone he’d felt, how bleak his future had looked before Xandi and Stefan, and then his greatest blessing, Keisha, had come into his life.
Children were their future, not merely for the Chanku, but for each of them. They offered the promise of forever.
A promise Ulrich Mason was about to receive. Only a dozen years older than himself, Ric was going to be a grandfather. Anton chuckled softly. And to think he was still hoping for more babies, Goddess—and Keisha—willing.
Age was such a nebulous thing for Chanku. So far, none of them appeared to have aged since their first shift, which made Anton question their potential longevity. Did Chanku grow old? He didn’t know, but now that he had his clinic and the lab, and his very own, highly trained doctor in Logan Pierce, Anton was determined to find out.
He raised his hand in greeting as Millie and Ric climbed stiffly out of the car. “Hey, Grandpa. How was the trip?”
Ric’s head shot up. “She hasn’t had the baby yet, has she?”
Anton was already trotting down the stairs. “No. Not yet, though she’s having those weird contractions…Braxton-Hicks? Whatever they’re called, her belly gets hard as a rock. A very large rock. Make that a boulder.” He laughed. “She’s reached the point where she looks misrable, but she’s not complaining. To any of us, anyway. Luc may have a different take on the matter. I tell you, though, the females are definitely the tougher sex.”
Millie threw her arms around him and hugged. “I heard that. It’s good when a man actually admits the truth.”
“Millie, it’s great to see you.” He gave her a quick kiss, and grabbed the filled tote bag she held. Millie turned around and showed him a great looking rear end as she dug in the backseat for more of the colorful cloth bags.
“Here.” She looped the handles from a half dozen totes over his wrist. “You can take some of these, too.” She rolled her eyes in Ric’s direction. “Grampa went shopping.”
“Dad! You’re here!” Tia waddled down the steps with Luc at her side.
Ric’s eyes went wide. He looked at Millie and grinned. “What did I say?” Then he held out his arms and drew Tia into a tight hug. “Ah, baby…looks like your mama got her way. Again. I knew you were carrying twins.”
“Dad! No one knows!” She shot a furtive glance at Anton. When he burst into laughter, she frowned. “What?”
It took him a minute to get things under control. “Dear, dear Tianna, this is not meant as an insult because you are absolutely gorgeous, but you are huge. It’s quite obvious there’s more than one baby in there. Don’t you think everyone’s guessed by now?”
Tia glared at him. “I have no pride left. None. Luc? Take me inside, please.” Then she got the giggles and totally blew the imperious façade.
Millie slipped an arm around Tia’s waist. “Sweetie, I had twins and you have my sympathy. You will get your figure back. I promise.”
Everyone glanced at Millie’s slim figure. She struck a pose, stuck out her tongue and grabbed Tia’s hand. “The serfs can bring the luggage. We’ve got catching up to do.”
Anton watched the two women walk slowly up the stairs. He turned to Ric and caught his friend smiling at his mate and his only child with tears
