Page 53 of Targeted By Fate

“Well, that’s where we are right now. So we’re not going to talk about Papa’s wolf or Daddy’s cat or anything related to that, okay?” Boaz repeated a conversation we’d had often in his young life.

“Okay, Papa.”

He was really good about knowing what to say and when, but it was still nerve-racking going places with lots of humans at this age. It wasn’t too big of a deal if he did slip up. Humans had a tendency to brush it off as imagination. But I preferred to err on the side of caution.

We got him out of the car and went into the shop, where the woodworker, Doug, was already there, smiling brightly. I loved watching the way he lit up when he was showing off his work.

“I’m Doug. Are you here to see your present?”

“I’m Felix,” he said, grabbing my hand, slightly unsure. “Are you Papa’s friend?”

The man squished his nose like he was thinking hard. “I don’t know if we’re friends, but I make special presents for your Papa to give to the people he loves. And I made one for you.”

“You made something for me?”

“I sure did. Your daddy and papa came over and helped pick it out. Then I made it. Do you want to see?”

Felix dropped my hand so fast and ran to the man, who led him out back to where his finished “big boy bed” was. It had carvings of cats and wolves on it—not overly fancy, but definitely beautiful.

“It’s perfect! Except… where’s the bed of the bed?” Felix walked around the frame.

“Do you mean the mattress?” Boaz ruffled his hair.

Felix nodded.

“That we have to get from a different store. This is just what we call the frame. What do you think?”

He ran to Doug and hugged him, telling him how much he loved it.

“Now you get to pick what color it—” Doug was cut off by Felix’s excitement.

“Blue!” Felix shouted.

“Well then.” Doug smiled. “Let’s go look at the different kinds of blue.”

Felix was already there, flipping through swatches like a designer on a deadline. He picked his favorite, and Doug promised that the bed would be ready next week.

Felix skipped back to the car, thrilled to pieces. He was getting his big boy bed—completely unaware that the reason why was because he was going to have a new sibling, and his current bed would be converted back into a crib.

Our next stop wasn’t far. It was on friendly pack lands, the pack Alpha someone Boaz knew through his position. The land was available for any shifters traveling through who needed to let their fur out—or scales, or feathers. They weren’t picky.

“What are we doing here, Daddy?” Felix asked.

“We’re going to have a picnic.” I’d packed sandwiches and drinks, along with some cut-up fruits and vegetables. It wasn’t too fancy, but it didn’t need to be. At his age, having food he would eat was good enough.

“A picnic with Papa’s wolf?”

“If you want.” Boaz picked him up and tickled his side, the field filling with giggles.

We went into the field, laid down the blanket, and ate our food. Then it was time to tell him the good news.

I pulled out a book Boaz and I had made for the occasion. It was just pieces of paper stapled together, but that didn’t matter. Felix loved books, especially the ones we created as a family. Every occasion needed one in his mind, and we were happy to oblige.

He’d been making his own for a while now, all pictures, and he would read them to us over and over again. It was the most adorable thing ever. Eventually, we planned to turn them into something more polished. But for now, stapled paper it was.

“Is the book my surprise?” He looked thrilled to pieces.

“No, sweet one. But the book has your surprise in it.” Boaz started reading the story of a Papa and a Daddy who loved each other so much, they had a little baby named Felix. It told how they loved eating together and playing games, and how that would never change.

---