The last thing I expected to see was Hunter sitting at the kitchen table, eating cereal with Chance. I blinked, then rubbed the sleep from my eyes to make sure I was seeing things right. Yep. He was here. Emotions fluttered to life inside of me. “Hunter?”

A broad grin split Hunter’s face. He shoved his chair back and stood, then crossed the kitchen in three great strides. He threw his arms around me and hugged me like it was the last thing he’d ever do.

I squeaked softly. “What are you doing here?”

“Eating breakfast with my future brother-in-law,” he replied cheekily, but his smile was nervous. Apprehensive. My heart jangled at his words. What? I gaped at him for a moment. He cupped my cheeks in both hands, cradling my face as he kissed me. “Move in with me, Soren. Let’s make a family together. You and me and these babies.” His hands touched my stomach, his thumbs skirting over my skin.

“Hunter—”

“You can say it—I’m an idiot and a fool, and I almost let you walk away, but I can’t. I won’t, not without a fight. You’re mine. You came into my life for a reason, and maybe that reason was to save me from myself.” His laugh was sharp. “I don’t know. I don’t care. All I know is that I love you and if you’ll have me, I wanna keep on loving you and our twins and any future kids we might have. Move in with me. Let’s make this work.”

I couldn’t breathe. Hunter gazed at me with a brand new light in his eyes that matched the hopeful smile on his face…and like the hormonal idiot that I was, I began to cry. “Oh, Hunter.” I threw my arms around his neck, laugh-sobbing as I hugged him. “I love you.”

“I’m glad. Stop crying.” He wiped the dampness from my eyes with his knuckles. “My cereal is getting soggy,” he said. I smacked him lightly on the shoulder. He laughed and flopped back down in his chair. I joined him with a bowl of oatmeal and I didn’t stop smiling the whole time we ate breakfast.

“Spend the day with me,” I said, tapping my spoon over my plumped-out lower lip.

Hunter slurped the last of his milk from his bowl, then set it down on the table. “Here?”

I grinned. “Yes. I mean, they’re family now, right?”

“We’re more than family,” Huxley said. “We’re pack and pack sticks together. And if you think Chance and I aren’t gonna help you raise those little girls, you’ve got another thing coming.” His grin was wide and lazy, though, and I knew the threat was mostly in jest. Mostly.

Hunter stayed. He didn’t stray far from my side, at least not until Dresden worked his charm and convinced him to come play trucks. He looked at me questioningly, but I waved him off. The two of them meandered into the living room, Dresden chattering up a storm. The kid didn’t know a stranger.

Dresden lined his toy cars up in a row and pointed to each one, rattling off their names and what their favorite foods and colors were. He paused and puckered his lips, then asked, “What’s your favorite color?”

“Gold,” said Hunter without a moment’s hesitation.

“Cool. Mine is blue and Uncle Soren’s is green. He says that green reminds him of the woods.” Dresden nodded sagely. “Uncle Soren makes me mac and cheese sometimes.”

“Is that so? Is it good?”

“It’s really good! So cheesy. Uncle Soren is a good cook.” Then, in the same breath, he looked right at Hunter and asked, “Are you gonna marry Uncle Soren? I saw you kiss him. My daddies kiss ‘cause they are married and in love.”

Hunter went quiet but Dresden wasn’t discouraged. “If you married Uncle Soren, that means you’d be my uncle, too. That’s what Daddy said. He said you’d be Uncle Hunter.”

“I… Would you be okay with that?” Hunter finally asked.

The boy cocked his head to one side, then gave him a look over. “I dunno. Can you make mac and cheese?”

Hunter laughed. “I can. You want me to make you mac and cheese sometime, kiddo?”

Dresden’s smile was damn near angelic as he said, with utter conviction, “Only if you’re my uncle.”

“Well, we’ll have to see about that,” Hunter said. He turned around in his chair and looked right at me, and I could feel the heat creeping up my neck. He winked and turned back to Dresden, who was now rambling about his toys once more.

My breath hitched and I pressed both hands to my chest. Marriage seemed like such a long shot at this point. I knew Hunter wasn’t ready for a mate, but a husband? That was a little different. Feeling high on hope, I waddled into the living room and joined Hunter on the couch, cuddling up next to him. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and kissed my forehead.

I melted.

“So you never answered my question,” he murmured when we were finally alone. I glanced up at him. “Will you move in with me?”

“Are you sure?” I asked.

He tipped my chin up with two fingers and kissed me, so sweetly. “Yeah, I’m sure. I won’t lie, I’m still a little scared, but I want you in my life. I want you in my bed…and in my heart. I don’t want to lose you, Soren. Not now, not ever. I almost fucked everything up.”

“It doesn’t matter,” I told him. “What matters is that you’re here. You really meant it? When you said you loved me?”

Hunter bumped his forehead against mine, our eyes locking. “I meant every damn word. You’re mine. My mate…even if it takes me a little while to make that official. But I want to, because you deserve it. You deserve the moon and the stars in the sky, if only I could give them to you.” His breath whispered across my lips and I closed my eyes.

“When?”

“When?”

“When do you want me to move in?” I whispered.

His smile set my heart afire. “Soon. The house has been so empty without you. I haven’t really slept since you walked away. I’ve missed you so much. It made me realize how much you make me happy. Yes, I love you. What do you say? Will you move in?”

A giddy laugh burst from me. I climbed into his lap and kissed him. “Yes.”