Page 39 of Claim Me

Grinning, I remember how Bear often sulked around the clubhouse after Natasha ran off. He knew he had gotten so close to claiming a great woman. Once he fucked up, there was no going back.Except he was wrong.Just like I was after I fucked up my first time with Siobhan.

“Be honest,” I say and lower my voice as I scan the room for eavesdroppers. “Do you think a man like me, with my hangups and past and shit, do you think I can be a good husband and father? Is that just a pipedream I’m nursing?”

“I don’t like kids,” Bear says, staring me in the eye. “I don’t hate them, but I didn’t want them. With Natasha, though, I want everything. I think that’s the key. Not who you are or where you’ve been. It comes down to how much you’re willing to change for the right person.”

“I’d give up everything for Siobhan,” I say without shame. “Today, when we were hanging out and shopping, was the most fun I’ve had since I was a little kid.”

Bear grins. “I know you’re fucked up in here,” he says and taps my head. “But I don’t think you’re as fucked up as I am. I’m bitchy about my personal space. But you like being around people. Even when we were asshole teenagers, you were always good about helping out Aunt Fred. It’s your nature to get close to people. You loved your mom, even though she was nuts. You loved your brother, even after he went away. You have a good heart. There’s no reason you can’t be a good dad and husband.”

“Wait, are we talking marriage already?” Tack asks from the doorway.

Hunter smiles at me and says, “I assume the girls are holed up somewhere talking about Siobhan’s vagina.”

Bear and Tack chuckle while I fall into my habit of feeling weird about Siobhan and sex.

Hunter heads toward the back of the house where Siobhan and Natasha are talking. Bear guides Tack and me into the kitchen and offers tea.

“It’s a Czech thing,” he explains. “The nanny made it for us. I hated it the first time I tried it, but the flavor grew on me.”

“Why did you try it a second time if you didn’t like it the first time?” Tack asks him.

“I saw Natasha and the kids drinking it and felt left out.”

Tack nods. “I didn’t want to live in the gothic mansion, but Hunter fell in love with the damn place. Now it feels like home. No harm in trying new shit.”

The men nod at his words before they look at me. I stare right back at them. No one wants to look away. After an extended staring contest, we’re interrupted by Hector wandering over and wanting up.

Bear lifts the boy into his arms. “Are you tired?”

“I don’t want a nap,” he says and yawns before patting Bear’s face. “You need a nap.”

“What are their names?” Bear asks and points at Tack and me. After Hector mangles both attempts, Bear laughs and asks, “Why do you make their names sound so weird?”

Throwing his little arms in the air, he cries, “I don’t know!”

Hector laughs at Bear’s amusement before yawning and resting his head on his new dad’s shoulder. “I don’t want a nap.”

“If you take one, you’ll be ready to play later.”

As Hector looks at Tack and me, I try to imagine myself holding a four-year-old. I’ve been around kids all my life, but I haven’t cuddled with any of them since Bubby.

Watching Hector doze in Bear’s arms makes me anxious to see my kid. All my fears feel less important than having the baby in my arms.

Tack smiles at Bear before chuckling. “Months ago, Indigo asked me what would happen if your baby with Natasha wasn’t as good as this one and his sister.”

As Bear focuses his frown on me, I explain, “Hector and Jacinda are fun kids. They’re pretty, too. What if this new one is born with your giant Bear head instead of a cute Natasha head?”

Tack howls with laughter, making Hector smile.

Bear touches his head as if sizing it. “There’s nothing wrong with my head.”

“It’ll look weird on a baby.”

“Well, yeah, but so would Natasha’s head. We’re adults,” he grumbles before getting pissed and pointing at me. “My daughter’s head looked fine in the ultrasounds.”

“The baby is a giant,” Hector mumbles as he hides his sleepy eyes against Bear’s neck.

Tack decides to keep poking at our friend by stating, “Because the baby inherited her head size from Natasha. Thank God, too.”

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