Page 20 of The Lab: Rigg

“Sorry, sweetie. I’ll try not to leave again for a long time.” I blew a raspberry on her neck, and she giggled.

“Did you bring us presents?” Connor was the more practical of the two. A little dude with an agenda.

Lily pulled my chin to face her. “Did you see a wolf?”

That seemed to spark Connor’s interest. “Did you bring us another wolf?”

“Presents later.” Niles pulled Lily out of my arms and stepped against my chest. “When you get back from Grandpa Joel’s.”

“He’s taking us for a sleepover.” Lily pushed her face next to Niles’s so she was included in our group hug. “We’re gonna eat candy and stay up all night!”

I lifted Connor and gave him a cuddle too. “Sounds like fun.” I glanced at Niles. “I hope you were well behaved for Daddy Niles.”

“They were angels.” Niles smiled, and I could see the exhaustion in his face. “Angels on speed with a need to cause chaos. But we had fun.”

I stared into his eyes and tried to convey all my love and adoration for him. “I missed you all so much.”

He smiled, knowing what I was saying. “Us too.”

“Five more minutes and then we’re outta here.” Grandpa Joel appeared from the kitchen with a bag in his hand. “We have lots of crafts to work on tonight.”

“Don’t worry, Gran’pa. We got all night!” Connor loved to stay up all night but never lasted beyond the first ten minutes of a movie. “We might need more candy, though.”

He came to my side and patted my shoulder. “Glad you’re back, son.” He walked past me to the front door. “I’ll get the car packed, and we’ll give you two some privacy to get caught up.”

“Don’t leave without us!” Connor smacked a kiss to my cheek and then launched into Niles’s arms and kissed his cheeks too. “Gotta go, Dads. See ya mañana.”

“Mañana?” I chuckled. “Was I gone long enough for them to learn Spanish?”

Niles shrugged and let Lily follow her brother. “Dora.”

As much as I missed those two, I was excited to have some alone time with Niles. There was something different about him that I needed to get to the bottom of. “You’re leaving me already? I was gone a whole day and I only get five minutes with you two? You better hug me tight so I don’t forget who you are.” I dropped to my knees and held my arms open.

Four tiny arms enveloped me and two soft heads rested against my chest. “Don’t be scared, Daddy Rigg. Daddy Niles will play with you and make sure you’re not sad.”

I grinned up at Niles and winked. “Yeah, I’m sure he will.”

A minute later, the three other most important people in my life were driving away, leaving me alone with my mate.

I pulled Niles against my chest and looked into his eyes. “Okay, what’s this really about? Joel wouldn’t usher them away if there wasn’t a very good or a very bad reason. Which is it?”

Niles took a deep breath and then kissed me, falling against my chest. “Definitely good.” His whispered words made my heart quicken to match his.

I led Niles to the couch and pulled him onto my lap, holding him tight. There were toys and clothes scattered everywhere, and the cabin felt perfect to me. I hadn’t realized how hard it had been to fully breathe until I saw everyone safe and sound and felt my mate’s warmth against me.

“Okay, enough with the suspense.” I kissed his forehead and sighed. “Your heart is pounding like it might burst outta your chest. Tell me what’s up before I start imagining the worst.”

Niles rested his head against my shoulder and took a deep breath. “We’re gonna have a baby.”

For a moment, my mind went blank as I processed his words. “Are you sure?”

Niles nodded. “Yep. Joel suggested it when I puked earlier, and then I took a test. The line was faint but definitely there.” He shifted his weight so he was straddling my thighs and could look me in the eyes.

“Wow.” I hadn’t allowed myself to hope for something like that. With my genetic makeup, I didn’t know if I would be fertile or not. I hadn’t dared to believe Niles and I could continue to grow our family.

Niles bit his lip, waiting for me to react.

All I could do was pull him closer and nuzzle into him. I buried my face into his neck and breathed in heavily. Then I caught it. The slight addition to his scent that was undeniably a part of me. Our growing child.

---