Page 228 of Broken Bonds
I nod. “I think it works as a girl’s name.”
Mom, not realizing the significance, smiles and strokes the baby’s tiny hand. “I think that’s a beautiful name.”
Iris wipes away tears and leans in, kissing the top of my head, lingering. “I love it, sweetie. He’d love that.”
Todd interprets Mom’s confusion. “It was my dad’s name,” he softly says.
Mom hugs Iris. They’re both widows, although only one of them is happy about that fact.
“Did Dad make it in yet?” I ask, quickly clarifying, “Caleb, I mean.” Because I now have two men I call “dad”—Caleb and Pavin.
My “dad” is “the dead asshole” when I refer to him now.
Although let’s be honest, he never was a “dad.”
“I think so,” Alizée says. “Want me to call him in if he is?”
“Yes, please.”
She steps out. Todd leans in, nuzzling the top of my head. “Still want me to have the next one, baby?”
I snort. “No, I guess if I have to do allll the work…”
He chokes back laughter so he doesn’t disturb the baby. “Love you.”
I tip my head back for a kiss. “Love you, too.”
Alizée returns with Caleb, and now I can reveal our baby’s whole name. I’m pretty confident Todd will completely agree.
Caleb walks over, smiling, playing with her hand. “She’s gorgeous, son. What name did you decide on?”
Everyone looks at me. “Kylen River Reynolds Shilling.”
Caleb stares at me for a moment. “River?”
I worry maybe I guessed wrong, but then he leans in and hugs me. “Thank you,” he chokes out, stepping back and taking a tissue Mom hands him.
Todd’s blinking back tears, too. “It’s perfect, Mal.”
I stare into our daughter’s face. “I figure that way we can honor them both.”
Caleb honks as he blows his nose. “He’d be happily howling his dang human head off right now,” he tearfully says. “He would’ve been a fantastic granddad.”
I think Caleb and Iris’ love story, while tragic in the beginning, turned out to be a reverse Uno card—they ended up happy despite the circumstances. Caleb never thought he’d ever love again after his human husband River died. And Iris, well, suddenly widowed and in fear for her life and her son’s life…
It shouldn’t have happened, but it did. Close proximity and the Goddess took over, and now they’re crazy in love, almost fifty years together, with two sons besides Todd.
Turns out Caleb is bi, and he’s one of the few pack members Mike and now Jax know can be reliably called upon when a new female member goes through initiation.
Although… I’m kind of hoping that if Mom decides to go through initiation, that Caleb won’t…
I mean…
If he does, I do not want to know about it.
Period.
Frankly, if she does, I’ll ask Todd if we can go on vacation in Australia or something. I don’t want to be anywhere near here.
