It had only been a week since my baby boy, Ollie, had been brought into the world, and I was starting to wonder if the post-pregnancy joy was ever going to wear off. Not that I wanted it to, of course. The days since he’d come into the world had been nothing but a big, happy blur. A week of bliss, despite the lack of sleep.

Preston and Gabriel had built a crib that now stood in the corner of the room in the little nook they’d built, but of course Ollie spent his time sleeping with me and my mate. I wasn’t ready to put him in there on his own—not just yet. If he spent any time there at all, it was just for a quick nap while his father and I did things around the house. But for the most part, he was always with me. That’s how I wanted it, even if it was exhausting.

It was time for his evening feeding, and he was happily latched on like a good boy. Gabriel was sleeping in the corner of the room on a chair with his feet up, gently snoring after a hard day.

The August heat was rough in Texas, and I’d been reminding him to stay hydrated when he was outside, but work in that kind of weather was enough to tire out anybody. Besides, he’d been running around taking care of me all week. He deserved his rest.

Despite everything, I’d managed to actually start my cozy mystery. I still didn’t have a title yet, but it was about a girl coming back to the town she grew up in and taking over her parents’ little used bookstore, when the local lighthouse keeper is found dead, washed up on the shore.

Yup, I’d gotten started—a whole five pages in.

But, hey, something was better than nothing, right? At least that’s what my beautiful mate kept telling me.

“Here you go,” I heard Kenneth’s voice and turned to see him coming into the room with an entire tray of food for me. “One mint-chocolate-chip milkshake, two oatmeal cookies and beef jerky. The strangest ‘meal’ I’ve ever served.”

“Pregnancy cravings,” I laughed.

“But you aren’t pregnant anymore,” he countered as he set the tray down.

“Okay, post-pregnancy cravings, then!” I grabbed one of the oatmeal cookies and began stuffing my face. I don’t know what his amazing trick was, but they were the absolute perfect consistency. Not too soft, not too hard. “These are the best,” I told him.

“Hasn’t Gabriel taught you not to talk with your mouth full?” Kenneth teased me as he took my old dishes and put them on the tray to take back to the kitchen.

“Only when it’s full of a certain thing,” I smirked, throwing him a comical wink.

“You two are made for each other,” he smiled.

“Oh, sure,” I scoffed. “Act all innocent. Pretend Preston doesn’t tell us all about your wild habits!”

“Shush!” Kenneth laughed. “Or I won’t be bringing you any more food!”

I chuckled and tossed a balled-up napkin at him on his way out. The floor creaked as he stepped into the hall and Gabriel opened his eyes and looked over at me.

“Hey, baby. Did we wake you?”

“Yeah,” he smiled, stretching. “But that’s okay. I can’t sleep all day.” He got to his feet and came over to my side as I stuffed more cookie into my mouth. “How’s our baby boy?”

“Hungry!” I smiled, stroking his back. I couldn’t get enough of his tender skin. It was impossibly soft and a delight to run my fingers across. It was easy to see why mothers and fathers got so attached to their newborns. Everything about them was just designed to draw you in, from their smell, their tiny little size and the way they felt in your arms. Nature’s gift. That’s what it was.

Sounds like a granola bar company, I thought, smiling to myself.

“Can you believe it, baby?” I asked Gabriel as he slid my legs to the side and took a seat on the bed. His eyes had changed since Ollie had come. The way he looked at me and the way he looked at him were very different—two different types of love, both equal and great.

His baby was his to protect and raise, but also to marvel at. He was his creation—mine and his. I was his love, his fated mate, and although it was his job to protect me, it was also my job to support him. Our son was simply ours to love and hold and show the world to.

“I mean—I can and I can’t,” he replied, running the back of his hand across his son’s back. “I knew the instant I saw you that I had to have you. I knew you were my fated mate and I could picture our life together, but the reality of it is so much different.”

“Better?” I asked, but it wasn’t really a question.

“Of course better,” he frowned back, pinching me on the thigh.

Ollie loosened his lips and yawned. I made sure to burp him gently and smiled as he curled up on my chest, ready for a nap of his own.

“Tuckered out, eh?” Gabriel remarked, crawling across the bed and taking his place beside me. He fluffed his pillow as I slid down the bed and wriggled closer to him. His arm was strong around me, like a piece of warm, flexible metal specifically designed to keep me safe. I never felt safer than I did when I was with him.

“Well, he’s had a long day of feeding and sleeping,” I joked as I leaned my head against Gabriel’s chest.

“Kenneth brought you a feast,” he remarked, glancing over at my tray as I lifted the milkshake to my lips.

“Mmm-hmm,” I replied as I took a sip. It was perfect. Kenneth was an absolute wizard when it came to the kitchen. Frothy, thick, but smooth, with tiny chunks of chocolate that crunched easily between my teeth. “I’m going to get nice and fat.”

I glanced at Gabriel for his reaction, but he was just smiling. I’d been teasing him about that since the day Ollie had arrived, and he knew I just liked to mess with him.

“Hey, that’s just more Percy to love,” he replied, giving me his usual response. Part of me knew I was just messing with him, but the other part knew I was playing a little game to make sure he was still attracted to me.

My body had changed during the pregnancy, but he’d loved it, and now, I wasn’t in my best shape ever, and I was feeling slightly self-conscious when we made love. But he kept assuring me that he loved me no matter what, and nothing had changed when we got down to business, so I believed him. But still, it was nice to hear it from him.

“You’re the best, you know that?” I asked him, offering the glass of milkshake to him.

“I do know that,” he replied, raising his eyebrows as he took a big sip. He grinned, a milkshake mustache on his lips. I could have wiped it off with my hand, but what fun would that be? I leaned forward and kissed him, tasting the sweetness of the shake on his lips, as well as the sweetness I always tasted when I kissed him.

I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, taking his scent into my lungs. His scent and my baby’s scent mixed together to form an intoxicating blend of absolute bliss that caused me to close my eyes. My heartbeat slowed along with my breath and I felt myself starting to fall asleep.

Gabriel said nothing, just reached over me, set down my milkshake and gently began stroking my hair the way he always did. It wasn’t long before I felt myself drifting off, a smile on my lips, my baby boy in my arms and my fated mate by my side.

What a perfect ending to our stories, I thought as I slipped away. Perfect.

The End