Page 44 of Tomlin

“I love you,” he murmured as he kissed her.

“I love you too.” She sniffed, then smiled up at him. “You said ‘him.’ Do you really know it’s a boy?”

“I believe so, although it is still early. Does it matter?”

“Not in the slightest. What matters is that we are having a child together.”

“A child who will never suffer the same loneliness we felt,” he vowed, and she sniffed again. “A child who will always be loved. That is far more important than any legacy.”

“Yes,” she agreed, then gave him a sultry smile. “You know, we’ve never made love in a cider mill.”

“No, we haven’t,” he said solemnly, even though his body was already responding to the teasing note in her voice.

“I think we should try it. Purely for scientific reasons, of course.”

“Of course,” he echoed, as he lifted her into his arms and carried her across the room to the apple barrel he’d already decided was the perfect height. “Will this suit you, madam scientist?”

“I believe so,” she said breathlessly. “But I think we should experiment to be sure.”

It proved to be a very successful experiment.

EPILOGUE

Three years later…

Tomlin saton the porch of their house watching his son Grethin play with T’kar, S’kal’s son. Like Tomlin, Grethin appeared human enough but he was as fast and strong as the larger T’kar. The two boys were inseparable, but they still had their squabbles, and they were currently wrestling over a ball. T’kar managed to snatch it away from his son, accidentally sending Grethin sprawling in the process, and he saw his son’s eyes begin to glow blue.

Firmly resisting the urge to intervene, he remained on the porch and watched as Grethin closed his eyes for a moment, his lips moving silently. By the time T’kar reached down to help him up, his eyes had returned to their usual brown and he responded with his usual good humor.

Good boy.

Grethin looked over at him for a moment, smiling as he felt Tomlin’s approval, and then the two boys raced for the trees, dispute forgotten.

“His control is impressive for one so young,” S’kal said quietly.

“I wish it were not necessary but it’s the way things must be.”

Grethin’s Krythian side had revealed itself when he was less than a year old. He’d hoped it wouldn’t be as strong in his son but he’d begun teaching him to control it, just as his mother had taught him, and Grethin had adapted easily to the routine. Aside from those occasional flashes, his son had inherited his mate’s even temperament.

And speaking of his mate…

“Will you watch the boys for a while? I need to take Etta something to eat. She is in the middle of a new experiment.”

“Of course.” S’kal gave him a thoughtful look. “Although if it takes you as long as it did last time, I will expect you to return the favor when Evie gets back.”

His friend cast a somewhat disconsolate glance in the direction of Naffon’s house, invisible through the trees. Evie and Naffon’s mate Dora were having a “girl’s day” and he knew S’kal didn’t like having her out of his sight for that long. He was grateful that Etta was content to remain in the lab attached to their house.

“Of course. And yes, T’kar can spend the night. I know you wish to have sufficient time to show Evie why she shouldn’t leave you alone for so long.”

S’kal grinned at him.

“You are right, as always.”

He smiled back, the smile that came so easily these days, and went to find his mate.

Etta reached absentlyfor her mug of tea and discovered it was empty. Never mind. She would just have to wait -

Tomlin appeared at her side, replacing the empty mug with a fresh cup, and she smiled up at him. Even after all this time, his anticipation of her needs still surprised and delighted her. In fact…

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