27. Lucas
27
LUCAS
S ilver enters his moms’ house without knocking. I linger behind with my bowl of potato salad, a little nervous of what Ruby and Shae will say when they find out Silver put his paws on me. Technically, we aren’t bonded yet. After a raccoon shifter puts their paws on their intended mate, it often takes a month or two for the connection to solidify. If Ruby or Shae disapprove, maybe our bond will never form.
If they disapprove, I don’t think Silver would ever get over that.
“C’mon,” Silver says, gesturing me forward.
The living room is exactly how I remember it. A large chandelier hangs from the ceiling, and the walls are covered in shiny picture frames. I glance around for the pictures I was included in, not daring to hope that they’re still hanging on the walls. But there they are: our trip to the Grand Tetons, a photo of us doing homework at the table, Link doing a goofy face while Silver and I laugh. When I was in high school, I counted six photos where I was visible in some way, and all six are still displayed proudly.
Chime runs into the living room. “Silver!”
He lifts her off her feet and spins her around. She lets out a high-pitched giggle.
“Lucas, you’re here!” Quin says, coming at me for a hug. “We’re making oreos. Come on.”
Silver smiles at me. “Go on. You love making oreos.”
I follow Quin through the hallway and into my favorite place in the whole world. It’s exactly as I remember it: dark scuffed cabinets, stained laminate countertops, and an old white fridge with duct tape on the handle. Coin is rolling balls of deep brown dough and lining them up on a cookie sheet in the corner. Ruby is in front of the open oven, pulling out a pan of cookies. She has dozens of bangles hanging from each wrist, just as many earrings dangling from each ear, and her hair swept up into a messy bun. There are more smile lines on her face, but other than that, she looks the same too.
Her face lights up when she sees me. “Lucas!” She glances down at my belly, and her smile only grows. “Hold on, let me set this down.” She puts the cookies on the stovetop, holding her arms out to me while the oven mitt is still on her right hand. I take a hesitant step toward her, clutching my potato salad in front of me like armor.
She hugs me from the side. “Welcome home. It’s so good to see you.” The scent of her lotion and her gentle touch are a reminder of all the hours we spent in this kitchen together. This was the one place where I always felt safe.
“It looks like you’re about to give me grandpups,” she says.
“Oh, um, yeah,” I stammer. “A litter of three.”
She smiles wide. “A litter? Congratulations. That’s so exciting. When are you due?”
Silver trails into the kitchen and slides his arm around my waist. Ruby watches his hand, then locks eyes with him. The silent question between them is obvious.
“I put my paws on Lucas two days ago,” he says.
Quin claps his hands with excitement and Coin smiles at Silver from the corner of the room. Ruby’s gaze darts between Silver and me, her expression unreadable.
“I discussed it with Lucas’s previous mate. He won’t be coming after us,” Silver says.
Ruby looks down at my belly. “The pups…”
“I’ll be their legal alpha father. Daryll is letting me adopt them.”
She reaches her arms out to Silver and gives him a big hug. “I knew you’d do the right thing.” She pulls away from Silver and hugs me again. “I am so happy for the two of you.”
“Then you approve?” Silver asks, his voice uncertain.
She puts her hands on her hips and raises her eyebrows. “You gave me Lucas as a son-in-law. How could I disapprove?”
“Mom, please?—”
“Sweetie, I’m thrilled. Lucas is a good choice. He’s kind, and I think he’ll be a wonderful father. You have my enthusiastic approval, okay?”
Her praise fills my chest with warmth.
“Thank you,” I say.
“You are very welcome, Lucas. I meant every word. Is that potato salad you brought with you?” she asks.
“Yes. Your recipe.”
She smiles and takes the bowl from me. “Thank you. That was very considerate. Do you want to help Coin roll oreos?”
Shae wanders into the kitchen with a vacuum in hand. “It’s officially broken. I tried to fix it.” She stops when she sees me. She looks at my belly, then to Silver, who now has his hand on the small of my back.
“Silver put his paws on Lucas a few days ago,” Ruby says.
Shae’s face brightens. “Oh. Then those are our grandkits?”
“Our grandpups. They’ll be wolf shifters, but Silver is still their alpha dad.”
Shae drops the vacuum on the floor and pulls me in for a hug. I forgot how intense her hugs are. I can barely breathe.
“Sorry. I should be gentle with the kits, I mean, pups. How many?” she asks.
“Three,” I say.
She rushes toward Ruby and hugs her so hard, Ruby’s feet lift off the ground. “We’re going to be grandmas again!”
I can’t help but laugh. The relief is overwhelming. They don’t just approve, they’re excited about the pups.
“Have you two picked names yet?” Shae asks.
“Oh, um, not exactly,” I admit.
“What were you thinking? We can help you brainstorm, if you like. Quin never let us help with Chime’s name.” Shae glares at Quin playfully.
Quin laughs. “I didn’t need help. Windchime was perfect for her.”
“I’ve always liked Galaxy,” Coin says.
“Oh. They’ll be wolf pups, so… we wouldn’t name them after something shiny, right?” I ask.
Coin shrugs. “They’ll be born into a raccoon shifter family. That makes them our treasures, right? Isn’t that why we name our kids after something shiny?”
My heart is so big, I think I’m going to cry.
“I like Galaxy,” Silver says.
“What about Star?” Quin suggests. “Or Moonbeam?”
Ruby smiles. “I love Moonbeam.”
Galaxy, Star, and Moonbeam. I could name them after the night sky. I think Silver put his paws on my wolf form for the first time under the night sky.
“Thank you,” I say. “For accepting them.”
“Oh, sweetie. We won’t just accept them. We plan to spoil them shamelessly,” Ruby tells me.
Quin laughs. “Isn’t that the truth? There are no ‘accepted’ children in this family. Just loved ones. Does this mean we can introduce ourselves to the pups? We have to get them used to our voices before they’re born, so they can know we’re family.”
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.