Julian leaned back in his chair, smiling as he rubbed his stomach. The bump was visible now, and he expected the baby to start kicking any day. He was still hungry, but this pregnancy had brought heartburn, so he knew better than to stuff himself full.
“I’m going to explode,” Kari whined. “And not because I ate too much. I want to eat more. There’s just no space in my body, because this baby is taking all of it”
Julian laughed. “How long do you still have again?”
Kari glared at him. “You know how long I still have.”
“The last month is always the longest one. You’re ready to meet your baby, but he’s not quite ready to come out. He will, though.” Julian paused. “Eventually.”
Kari glared at him, but he stayed in his seat. He was finding it hard to move now that he was eight months pregnant, and Julian enjoyed teasing him. As long as Kari knew that it was just teasing, things were okay.
Things were going well for them, so much better than Julian had expected. When he thought about how he’d arrived here in cete territory less than a year ago, with his son dragging him away from the only home he’d known for the past twenty-some years, and what he had now, he could hardly believe it.
He and Kaspar had moved into their new home a few weeks ago. Calum had come with them. After getting to know him, Julian had found that he quite liked him. Now that they didn’t have so many people around, Calum had revealed himself to be a nice person. He was more talkative, and he didn’t hide in his bedroom anymore. He still had his moments of loneliness, but Julian let him be. He had no idea what Calum’s life before coming to the Bishop House had been like, and he hoped that eventually, Calum would tell him.
Julian couldn’t help it. He was starting to think of Calum as another son, and he didn’t mind. It might seem weird since he was pregnant, but he was forty-two after all. Well, almost forty-three by now. Calum was only twenty, younger than Kari, so he definitely could have been Julian’s son, and since Julian hadn’t heard anything about Calum’s actual parents, he didn’t mind taking on that role. He loved it, actually.
“Wait until you’re as big as me,” Kari said.
Julian put both his hands on his stomach. “I’ve already been through this. I lived to tell the tale, and so will you.”
“I’m never having another baby,” Kari said. He sounded convinced.
“If you don’t want one, then don’t have one.” He might change his mind. Julian wouldn’t care either way, and he knew Calder wouldn’t either. Whatever Kari wanted, he would get. Calder thought Kari deserved the world, or at the very least, everything he’d always wanted.
“Where’s Calum?” Calder asked.
Calum usually ate with them when they came for dinner, but not tonight. “In his bedroom. He said something about having to make a phone call and wanting to give us some family time.”
Calder frowned. “Doesn’t he realize he’s part of the family?”
Julian shook his head. “I don’t think he does. I don’t know what happened to him when he was with the bats, but it doesn’t seem to me like he even knows what a family’s like, or that he had anything like it. It’s going to take him a while to get used to it.”
“Like it took a while for Kari to get used to me.”
“That’s only because you’re a dick,” Kari said. “My dad and Kaspar are angels. Calum will get used to them and me in no time.”
Calder pressed a hand over his chest. “I love it when you say sweet things to me.”
Kari grinned at him. “I said you’re a dick. You’re a lovely dick, but still a dick.”
Julian relaxed. This was his life now, and he couldn’t have been happier. There was still a hint of uncertainty and wariness, mostly because so far, Jacqueline hadn’t done anything. No one even knew where she was. She’d left coyote territory, and after she’d talked to Randy and had convinced him to come to cete territory, no one had seen her. Julian didn’t know what she was planning, but he was convinced they hadn’t seen the end of her. And when she struck, things would end badly. He could only pray his family would be okay.
At least they wouldn’t be alone. The council was finally working like a well-oiled machine, and to Julian’s surprise, the human team had integrated well. They spent their time traveling from territory to territory, talking to people and trying to understand how the forest worked. It was more work than they’d expected. It gave them something to do, for which Julian was grateful. He might be okay with Luther, but the others still made him nervous, especially now that he was visibly pregnant. He’d caught several of them staring at him, and it made him uncomfortable. He understood they found it curious, but that didn’t mean he enjoyed feeling like he was on display.
But all in all, things were peaceful. Julian knew that wouldn’t last forever. He was already shielding himself for what would happen next, even though he didn’t know what it was. It was hard to live that way, but he had to. He needed to focus on what he had—his family and his job. The people he loved. That was all he could do, and he was more than happy to do it.
He leaned against Kaspar, and Kaspar wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Julian laughed when both he and Kaspar reached for the other’s stomach at the same time. He snuggled closer and rubbed Kaspar’s bump, smiling at the thought that his baby was growing inside it.
“Tired?” Kaspar asked.
“I could do with a nap.”
“So could I. Growing a kid is more work than I expected.”
“You’re doing well,” Julian told him, tilting his head to kiss his jaw.
“Thank God. You’re doing well, too. Not that you need me to tell you that.”
“Everything will be okay, right?” Julian asked, suddenly unsure.
Kaspar couldn’t know what he was talking about, and if he was honest with himself, he didn’t know himself. But Kaspar nodded anyway. “Everything will be all right. Whatever happens, we’ll find a way, and we’ll make it through. We’ve made it this far, in spite of everything. Nothing can stop us now.”