Harry

Sitting by the fire with Graham had become my favorite activity. We were well into fall and the cool winds were here. Pulling a chair up by the hearth with my little bundle of joy and a cup of Kyle’s homemade apple cider chai, and I was the happiest guy alive.

The second happiest, of course, would be my mate, the love of my life, Seth, who was asleep after a hard day of bringing more wood to the mill. It had become pretty profitable for the pack to sell some of the plentiful pine behind the house on the slope of the hill. He and Carlos had been out there all day hauling logs, loading up the truck and delivering their load. He’d come back, showered and collapsed at my feet.

It was uncharacteristic of him to lie there like that, almost submissively, but I saw it as a sign of unbreakable trust between us that he’d allow himself to do that with me. He was breathing heavily, his head on one of the couch cushions and the warm orange glow of the fire flickered across his skin.

Graham was almost certainly going to look like Seth. He had his hair, a messy mop of waves, dark and thick that I’d given up on trying to style. He was getting bigger and trying to crawl but hadn’t quite gotten the hang of it, which was fine by me. Nothing felt better as a parent than holding your child in your arms, looking down at him as he looked up at you with all the trust in the world.

He was a beauty, untouched by the world, not scarred in any way. One day he’d grow up to be a big strong alpha like his dad, but for right now, he was still my little boy and I was going to savor every moment.

“Hey, little guy!” It was Bryce’s voice over my shoulder. He and Clarence had returned with their baby boy Bruce who would be two in a few months. Both of them simply adored Graham.

“Oh, he’s just so cute,” Clarence cooed as he peered down into the bundle of blankets where my boy was sleeping. “There’s nothing quite like it, is there? Holding your firstborn?”

“I couldn’t describe it if I had memorized the dictionary,” I said with a smile.

“You don’t even mind missing all that sleep, do you?” Bryce chuckled as he slumped down on the couch, put his feet up and cracked open a beer. “I know I didn’t.”

“That’s because you weren’t doing the feeding,” Clarence joked, sliding onto the couch beside him.

“Where’s Bruce?” I asked.

“We put him down,” Clarence replied. “He had a long nap this afternoon and didn’t want to go. But I read his favorite book to him, the one about the nice robin and the worm, and it put him right to sleep.”

“The nice robin and the worm?”

“It’s about a worm and a robin who become friends,” Bryce clarified, taking another sip. “You know, totally unrealistic and happy? Kids love that stuff.”

Clarence chuckled and curled up on Bryce’s lap as Martin and Chrissie strolled in from out back. The lodge was absolutely jam-packed with people coming and going now that everyone was back.

“How’s he doing?” Chrissie asked quietly as she took a peek at my son.

“He’s sleeping,” I told her as she grinned. It made me happy – that my child brought everyone so much joy. We were this little family that was part of a bigger family, and my happiness was shared by everyone.

“He’s gonna look just like his old man,” Martin said, chuckling at Seth passed out at my feet. “He have a long day?”

“Another trip to the mill,” I told him. “Lugging logs out of the woods before that.”

“He looks sweet like that,” Clarence laughed. It wasn’t at all like Seth to do this, so I knew he must have had a harder day than he was letting on. I was looking forward to giving him a nice massage later, followed by a very happy ending.

“Well, I just heard from Matias,” Tate said as he strode into the room, Kyle behind him with two cups of his specialty chai.

“How’s he doing?” I asked as they made themselves comfortable.

“Things sound like they’re going well,” Tate replied. “They’ve ditched the trucks, for the most part, and found themselves an old camp by the New Hampshire border.”

“That’s great!” I replied, wanting to wake Seth to give him the good news, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. He’d be thrilled, of course. Matias had been hesitant at first to take over the pack after Kade died, but everyone knew he was right for it.

“Yeah, he’s a good guy,” Tate said with a grin.

“We’ll have to have him and the rest of the pack for a cookout!” Kyle suggested, looking thrilled at the idea. I’d never met a guy so into cooking as Kyle. Together with Chrissie, we must have been the best fed pack in New England. I always joked with him that he should open up a fine dining restaurant and end up on one of those reality TV cooking shows.

“A big cookout,” Bryce chuckled.

The cool autumn air blew in through the a cracked window, and my nose was filled with all the familiar smells: the scent of pine outside and the cool crisp fall air, the burning logs in the fire and my cider chai, and of course the scent of my fated mate that took over my heart every time.

A far cry from the truck stop, I thought as Seth stirred at my feet. This is the life.