Senvaz Kells-Sanguine, 6lbs 9oz 17 and 3/4 inches.

I smile as I swipe through the pictures. Nyve couldn’t look more proud than he did in that moment as he held his baby son in his arms. Austin looks exhausted, like he ran a marathon, but if the text messages I was getting from Kuras were true, and I have no reason to believe he wasn’t telling the truth, it was normal and healthy to look like that.

In any event, the two proud parents display their newest addition to the family. They look perfect together.

My phone rings in my hand. Kuras’ ID comes on the display. “Hey. How is everyone?”

“Did you get the pictures?”

“I did. He has Austin’s face but Nyve’s thick black hair. I didn’t think babies had hair. Aren’t they all born bald?”

Kuras laughs softly. “Most, but not all. Charity had a lot of hair, too. I think it’s a Red Skull dragon thing to be born with a head full of it.” In the background, I hear the squeal of bus brakes. He must be at the bus stop.

“I guess we’ll find out when we start having them.”

“Unless my Runic genes decide that, no, our child will have no hair on his or her head for the first two years.”

The ding of the doors closing is faint. I do the math in my head. Kuras should be home in half an hour. “Killjoy. Are you coming straight here?”

“Yeah. Anything I should pick up before I get there?”

“Nothing comes to mind. When are Nyve and Austin able to take Senvaz home?”

“Since Austin’s delivery went without a hitch and the baby is healthy, they’re talking about letting Austin go this evening. Or they’ll come home first thing in the morning. Can we say thank you to the miracle of our mythical DNA?”

“Thank you, miracle mythical DNA.”

“Cheeky. I’ll be there soon.”

I head for the kitchen to make sure I did the dishes like Kuras asked before he left. Oops. “Be safe.”

I know he will but with everything that’s been going on, I will be uneasy until Kuras is in my arms.

But I better do the dishes.

It isn’t until the next day that Austin and Nyve are able to bring their baby home. Kuras says that it is normal procedure to keep a baby overnight in many shifter cases. His own prenatal appointment is in the same medical complex so Kuras says they will all take the same car and stop by before going home so I can see the baby.

Nyve knocks before he walks in my apartment. “’Naz, you here?”

“In the kitchen getting coffee ready.” I duck out long enough to see Kuras helping Austin bring the baby and all attendant baggage in the door. “Austin, Kuras says you don’t get coffee. Is apple juice good? Or water?”

“Water’s fine but it can wait. Come see your godson.”

My godson. When Nyve told me he wanted me to be his son’s godfather, I fought hard to blink back the tears which stung my eyes. I’m not new to children; my sister has three and I love all of my nieces like they were my own.

Nyve’s baby is different. Nyve is a brother to me unlike any family. All of the guys at the shop are. Nosko and Taran had tapped all of us as godfathers to Charity. It was humbling and a responsibility to make sure the little girl grows up safe, happy and healthy. A responsibility we all take very seriously.

And now we have another addition to the family. Nyve’s first baby.

I dry my hands and head to the living room where Austin and Senvaz are getting comfortable on the sofa.

Peeking over, I see a tuft of jet black hair poking from the bundle of blankets.

“I just got him to sleep. He bitched the entire ride over.” Austin pulls back some of the swaddling to reveal the most precious sleeping baby face I’ve seen in a long time.

“He’s beautiful, Austin.”

“Hey, I helped,” Nyve protests.

“Yeah, sure you did.” I elbow Nyve in the chest playfully. “Go get your husband some juice and get your coffee. You look like you need it.”

Nyve grins at me, rubbing his chest. “Just for that, you’ll get your own coffee.”

“Hm. Imagine that. Getting my own coffee in my own place.”

Kuras rolls his eyes at us and starts to dig through diaper bag. “Looks like you have enough formula to get you through the next few days. I’ll come by tomorrow with more.”

Austin lets his head drop back and his eyes close briefly. “Thanks. I feel like I’m about to drop where I sit. Nyve gets to play babysitter while I sleep the sleep of the just. Or the dead. Both. Either. I’ll take either at this point.”

“Call me or Nosko if you need a baby break. It’s natural to want to be there all the time for him but if you don’t get some downtime, you’ll be crazy inside a month.” Kuras fusses with the blanket to make sure baby Senvaz is covered.

“Just think, Kuras,” Nyve says as he hands Austin his glass of juice, “you get to go through this all over again in five months.”

Kuras takes the baby from Austin so he can drink his juice. “Let’s hope I’m ready for it.”

“I should hope you are.” I look at Kuras with fondness. When I found out he was pregnant, I was beside myself with joy. I’m going to be a father. Even so, Kuras was still going to be doing all the work. “You’ve gone through it enough times with other people.”

“Saying and doing are not the same.” Kuras isn’t looking anywhere but at the new baby. Soon, I’ll be seeing that very scene with my own baby in his arms.

That is something I don’t think will ever get old.

“Well, you’ll have a family to lean on,” Nyve says. He takes Austin’s empty glass and puts it on the coffee table. “You know we’ll be there.”

“I do know.”

I will always be grateful for it.

Even though the baby slept through the entire visit, once Austin and Nyve are gone, the apartment seems quiet again. Kuras is stretched out on the sofa with his hands folded over his stomach. His eyes are closed but I can tell by the way he’s breathing he’s not asleep. “Long day?” I perch on the edge of the sofa next to him.

“I love my job,” he says, scrubbing at his face, “but it can be draining sometimes.”

“You had a doctor visit today, too, right?”

“I did. I’m debating whether to hire my own doula or not. We talked a little about that.”

“Do you have anyone you can tap that understands shifter physiology like you do?”

Kuras nods. “Yeah. I haven’t decided yet but I will probably call them in a day or so to see if they any have openings. Are you okay with that?”

“If it helps you, I’m one hundred percent for it. You’re avoiding talking about the doctor visit specifically. Is everything okay?”

“Nothing gets by you.” Kuras sits up and twists so we could sit side by side on the sofa. He lifts my arm so he can squirm next to me. I wrap him close. He smells like a hospital. And baby. That baby smell. It’s kind of nice.

“Mind like a steel trap.”

“Except when you forget to do the dishes.”

“I’ll never live that down.”

“Probably not.”

“Can we negotiate?” I draw his face up to place a kiss on his lips. It starts out innocent enough but Kuras leans into me, his hand cupping at the back of my head. His mouth and tongue ask for more and my body is all ready to do just that.

I pull back for a breath. “And you’re still avoiding the question.”

“Sorry. I do have news but I’m not sure how to tell you.”

That has my attention now. “Is everything okay with the baby?” I’m getting alarmed now. “If your aim is to worry me, Kuras, you’re doing a great job.”

“Oh sure, they’re fine. I will need to watch my diet since my blood pressure was a little high but that could also be due to—”

“Hold on,” I say as Kuras’ words finally catch up. “They? Are we talking gender neutral they or are we talking plural they?”

Kuras tilts his head so he can see my face. There’s a huge smile stretching his lips. “How do you feel about twins?”