Page 65 of The Fated Mate Bandit

Tears well in my eyes. “Okay. Yeah.”

“Ya’ll can roll oreos while you do that,” Ruby says, pointing to the corner where Coin is still at work. “I need to get chicken on the grill, or we won’t be eating until past Chime’s bedtime.”

Quin and I line up at the sink to wash our hands. When Silver was driving into the trailer park, it didn’t quite feel like coming home, but this does.

Once our hands are dried off Quin crouches in front of me. “Hello in there. My name is Sequin. I’m one of your uncles. You have a lot of uncles.”

Silver and I smile at one another.

“I’m the small uncle,” Quin chatters on to my belly. “My mate is Slade, and he’s the big uncle. With tattoos. Those are little drawings that people get done on their skin. Your grandma Ruby has a lot of them.”

Ruby playfully swats him with a dish towel. “I don’t have that many.”

Coin kneels down next to Quin. “Hey, there. Welcome to the family. I’m Coin, the uncle who will make sure you have good taste in music.”

We all laugh.

They take turns talking to the pups. Ruby and Shae too. Even Silver crouches down after they’re all done and places his hand on my belly. “Hello, again. This is your alpha dad. All those nice people are my family. Your family. We’re so excited to meet you.”

I hear the truth of his words. It’s undeniable. The tears that have been threatening to spill out finally escape down my cheeks. I love that our pups were welcomed by his family in this kitchen. It’s where I felt welcomed into this family too.

“So excited,” I repeat Silver’s words, rubbing my belly. “You are loved, little ones. You are wanted.” My voice chokes up before I can say anymore. Silver stands up and holds me in his arms. In that moment, I feel wanted too. Not just by him, but by everyone in the room.

I am truly home.

28

SILVER

Ishould not be doing this. I know that. It’s a betrayal to Lucas and possibly Quin, who would probably want to be here too.

But there’s a baby store close to the military base, and I have a full hour for my lunch break. I couldn’t help myself.

“Do you have any silver cribs?” I ask the clerk, who is currently ringing up my admittedly full cart of items.

She scans the third box of silver star decals. “Do you mean gray?”

“No. Silver, like those.”

“So not real silver. Just a shiny surface?” she clarifies.

“Yes. Something shiny. The shinier, the better. If you have anything with rhinestones, that would be amazing.”

She pauses. “You want a crib with rhinestones?”

“Yeah. Or glitter. But not the kind of glitter that comes off when you touch it. That would be a mess. Just a surface that looks like glitter. You know?”

She picks up the phone next to her register. “Uh, sure. Let me call my manager.” She turns away from me. “Melanie, I’ve got a guy here who wants a crib covered in rhinestones and glitter. Can we special order something like that?”

I shouldn’t buy the crib without Lucas here. A crib is a big deal. It’s basically the biggest piece of furniture in the nursery. But I already ordered a rocking chair covered in glitzy fabric, three matching car seats with a shiny silver head cushions, and three wooden high chairs painted a metallic gold. So, he’s already going to be mad.

I might as well go big or go home.

A middle-aged woman with an impressive number of bangles on her arms and a wide array of facial piercings approaches the front desk. I know a raccoon shifter when I see one.

“Is this the guy?” she asks.

The cashier nods.

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