38. Sunny
Chapter 38
Sunny
T he house had looked big in photos, but in person, it was gigantic.
“Walker, this is far too much!” I said as I padded down the hallway to the large open-plan kitchen.
The day had come for us to start the move into the new house, and a few days ago, Walker had educated me about a little firehouse tradition. Whenever a member of the firehouse moved, the station would all chip in to help for the low cost of a few beers and some food.
So, given the beautiful weather, the guys had decided that a move-in-day cookout was the way to go. We had gone to the grocery store and bought an obscene amount of food—we were going to be feeding over twenty firefighters.
It wasn’t just the guys from Station Sixteen who had come; men from Station Seventeen, including Elliot, the arson investigator, and his pack mates, as well as a few guys from one of the inner-city stations they worked with occasionally had come to lend a hand.
Everywhere I looked, there was someone offering to help with moving furniture, cooking, cleaning, and a whole host of other jobs. Storm and his pack were even coming by for a few hours, and I was looking forward to a little time with my sister-in-law. She had joined my brother’s pack when her daughter was a little younger than Luka, so she would understand what I was going through.
Then again, her baby had been my brother’s. Luka wasn’t related to any member of Pack Landry.
While people started milling around, building and sorting, Walker showed me around the house.
There were several family rooms downstairs, and each of them was decorated beautifully. The house had come with a lot of basic furniture, so moving in was proving pretty easy.
Sooty the bunny’s enclosure had received quite the upgrade. Now in one of the family rooms, she had a large enclosure with plenty of hides and places for her to jump and explore, as well as a litter tray. We were going to bring her to the house as soon as everything was ready because all the moving and loud noises would stress her out.
“This is the bare minimum, sunshine,” Blaze said as he walked past me, carrying a large box of random trinkets. “Do you want to go see Luka's bedroom? I ordered a bed specifically for him that I saw in a store and couldn't resist!”
I sighed, putting down the bag I was carrying. Since I could feel Walker’s and Rune’s excitement through the bond, I didn't want to be a complete downer. They all loved the house, so I didn’t want to be a grump about it. I needed to learn how to let go and accept the help they wanted to give me.
“Sure,” I said, following Blaze.
He had bought Luka a bed that was shaped like a fire truck.
“I couldn’t resist!” he said excitedly as he made his way into the room. “They showed me at the store that you can put railings on it, and it is very safe for a child of his age. This bed can grow with him until he's about eight years old, I think they said.”
It was beautiful, hand painted and clearly high-quality. It was the kind of thing I'd always wanted to get my child.
“I'm seeing a theme in this room.” I chuckled, looking around. There were several firefighter-themed knick knacks and toys dotted around the room.
Blaze nodded. “We picked those out. Luka is from a firefighting family—he’s got to show off the family pride!”
I cocked my head to the side. “What if he decides he wants to be a police officer instead?”
Blaze pouted. “I'll be sad, but I'll accept it. I will then buy him every police-themed decor we can find, and I won’t even make any donut jokes. Now, let’s look around the rest of this place and stop talking about our son being a traitor!”
I spent the next twenty minutes walking through the beautiful monstrosity of a property. The kitchen was large, with a butcher-block island and farmhouse-style cabinets. There was even one of those porcelain sinks that sank into the counter.
“Why is there no oven?” I asked as I noticed the suspicious gap between the counters.
Rune, who was unpacking some plates, smiled at me. “Oh, the oven that came with the house wasn't that nice, so I bought the same one that we have at the firehouse. The guys are all for it, because they love the cookies that you make there, and we know you like that one.”
I bit my lip. That was a very expensive oven, but I didn't want to complain. After all, I was going to enjoy it greatly.
Rune frowned, pausing. “What’s wrong, Cher? Your scent has gone a little sour.”
Running my hand through my hair, I sighed. “It's a little overwhelming, but I'll be okay,” I assured him with a smile.
Rune stood, walking over to me. “Are you sure?”
I nodded. “Yeah, it’s just…”
“A lot,” Rune agreed. “How about we do something to take your mind off it?”
“Like what?”
“Is Luka still with Walker?”
I nodded. “Yeah, they’re checking out the pond nearby for ducks.”
A dazzling smile broke out on his face. “In that case, I think we need to go break in one of the new beds and thoroughly get your mind off the situation with several orgasms.”
“There’s people here!” I whispered in shock.
“Not on the third floor… can you be quiet?” he asked with a grin.
It felt wrong, naughty.
I wanted it.
As soon as I nodded, he picked me up in a fireman's hold and dashed off toward the stairs.
Well, I wasn’t going to say no to that.
The party was in full swing, and Luka was having the time of his life with Charlotte.
“They’re so cute together, aren’t they?” Kennedy mused, watching them play. She held Samuel in her arms, the baby taking his fourth nap of the day.
I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss the newborn stage. I didn’t miss the lack of sleep, or the constant stream of dirty diapers, but the newborn snuggles were something special.
“How have you found having a toddler and a newborn?” I asked, doing my best to keep my voice casual.
Kennedy wasn’t an idiot; she could see right through me. “It's been amazing. With a pack to support me, it's been so simple. I get to take my time enjoying all the newborn cuddles I want, and they are there to help me with everything else.”
“Sounds lovely,” I admitted.
“It is. You know you have a very good pack there. I'm sure it would be the same for you if you decide to have more babies.”
I sighed. “I'm not against the idea.”
“Do they want babies?” Kennedy asked.
“They've admitted that they do, but they've also said they’re happy if all we ever have is Luka. It's completely down to me and what I want.”
Kennedy nodded with a chuckle. “They are damn good, in that case. Got this big, lovely house, plenty of space for babies.”
I hummed in agreement. I wasn't going to admit it out loud, but I had already considered how the layout of the house would work if we had a few more babies.
When Luka was a newborn, despite it being one of the hardest times of my life, it was also one of my favorites. Those nights when I would just cuddle in bed, my baby in my arms, the world seemed so peaceful.
Well, at least until Luka woke up, screaming.
I was about to open my mouth and ask Kennedy another question when Blaze and Rune came running out into the backyard, holding a large tarp. They were both wearing swimming trunks and T-shirts.
“Time to slide!” Blaze shouted excitedly before rolling out the long, blue tarp down the small hill at the side of the property.
“Slide?” I asked curiously, looking at Walker, who was watching with crossed arms, a beer in his hand and a smirk on his face.
“Slip ’N Slide, something we used to do a lot as kids in Louisiana. They are going to cover that top in water and soap and spend the next three hours sliding around.”
A giggle escaped my chest. “That actually sounds fun.”
“They’re going to try and drag you on there at some point.”
I shrugged. “I’m not against a little fun,” I said as I watched Blaze and Rune drag a few of the Station Seventeen firefighters to help spread out the giant tarp.
When they brought up the hose and several bottles of dish soap, I did pause for a moment. “This looks like a potential health hazard,” I said, cocking my head to the side.
Walker beamed at me. “Don't worry, I will test it out for you.”
“We are bonded. If you crack your skull open, it's going to hurt me as well,” I pointed out.
“Well, I guess it’s a good thing we’ve done this pretty much every summer since we were kids.”
Rune started running the hose, and Blaze stood at the top of the slide, diving onto the tarp with the confidence only a man could possess. I winced as he made impact, but his laughter never ceased as he glided down the length of the tarp before getting up at the end, giving us all a thumbs-up.
Walker laughed. “This is going to keep them entertained for hours.”
“Do you think I can take Char on there?” Micha, one of my brother’s pack mates, asked.
Walker nodded. “It's totally safe. One of you just take her down on your lap. It's basically a slide.”
Micha whooped, looking to Kennedy for approval. My friend merely laughed and nodded. “If you hurt our baby, I hurt you,” she said simply.
“Totally understandable!” Micha said as he scooped up Charlotte, who was on Eli’s lap, and made his way toward the slide.
Even from a distance, I could tell how Rune’s eyes lit up at the sight of the little toddler coming toward the makeshift Slip ’N Slide. He greeted Charlotte before instructing Micha on the best way to slide. With his daughter on his lap, Micha glided along, the toddler giggling the entire way down.
As soon as I saw her glee, I knew that the guys were going to have Luka on the slide before the night was out.