Page 123 of Bonding the Band

He looked so happy holding our baby, like he had a moment of peace in fighting his demons. I sniffled.

“Phin, are youcrying?”

“Shut up. You’re over here, cutting onions and making me think about your mortality. I’m allowed to cry.”

“Yeah, you are.” Hendrix gave me a beatific smile. “I love you guys. Thanks for not giving up on me.”

“You don’t give up on pack. We made a commitment to each other, and you’re fucking stuck with us.”

I twisted around on the couch, so I could watch Hendrix cuddling Forest after a successful burp. Peaceful moments like this had been few and far between in our last decade of chaos together, and I wanted to soak it in.

“You want a hot chocolate, since our little man has passed out on you?”

“Hot chocolate sounds great.”

I busied myself making it, Arlo sleepily joining us, so I made a cup for him too. “You’re letting Beckett have Meadow all to himself?”

“Splitting my time between Meadow and Nuggie. The room feels weird without a baby in it.”

“If it feels weird to you, then it’s gonna wake Meadow up too. Why don’t we all go up? I’ve got the drinks.”

We all slipped back into the nest, Hendrix sitting on a rocking chair nearby, and I took over Arlo’s vacant spot while he finished his hot chocolate. Meadow curled over in her sleep to face me, blinking sleepily and looking at me in the dim lighting.

“Hey there, sweets.” I kissed her forehead, smoothing her hair away from her face.

“Baby?” she mumbled.

“I fed him, and now he’s having a good cuddle with Daddy Hendrix.”

Meadow nodded before burying her face against my chest. My heart was so full, I was pretty sure it would burst if I felt a single additional ounce of love.

“I love you, sweets.”

She rooted higher, wedging her head beneath my chin and planting a soft kiss at the hollow of my throat. “I love you too, Phin.”

Beckett wiggled closer in his sleep, adjusting until he was pressed all along Meadow’s back, his arm draped over both of our waists. He had been running full tilt, making sure everything was good to go with the pack. Honestly, he was pretty fucking superhuman. Between dealing with most of the police and legal stuff, organizing a move, and getting our new home fully stocked in time to welcome our son, I didn’t know how he managed to drag himself into the waking world each morning. We’d all helped where we could, but Beck was a bit of a control freak, so we’d stuck to tasks he’d delegated.

Everything wasn’t perfect yet, but it was damn close.

Forest made a series of grunts, a language we had all very quickly learned.

I rolled over to look at Hendrix. “Contained or Chernobyl-level outbreaks?”

“Contained. I’ve got it.”

Arlo trotted after him into the nursery. Changing a baby wasn’t exactly a two-person job, but we were all so new at it that it was nice to have the emotional backup.

I turned back to Meadow, her purr quietly buzzing.

I pressed my lips to her hair, breathing in her floral scent with a hint of sweet milk. “I don’t know if we deserve you, but I know we’re going to do everything we can to feel like we do. Thank you for being ours.”

Epilogue — Meadow

March, Los Angeles

Hendrix was fast asleep in the nest. He’d been up with Forest all night to let the rest of us sleep, but I was too eager for this morning to wait any longer. I kissed his cheek and watched his eyes flutter open before plunking our son on his chest.

“You made it,” I said, already feeling tears forming.

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