Page 47 of My Demon Manny

Lux

In the end, Archersaid yes to Gunner's mom, giving her permission to come visit. No matter his misgivings, I'd known Archer would say yes the moment he told me about the call. It was just the type of man he was, and one of the many, many reasons I admired him.

Now it was Sunday, and she was going to come over at any moment. Archer was clearly panicking, but he was trying his best to act brave.

Gunner babbled at me, and I smiled down at him, then tapped his nose, which made him go all wide-eyed and stunned, like I didn't do it at least ten times a day.

Picking him up, I held him close, meeting his big blue eyes. "Looks like your dad can use some cheering up, Gungun. You might just be the perfect guy for the job."

Walking across the room to where Archer was pacing from the entrance to the couch, I stepped into his path, stopping him in his tracks.

"Hold him. I want to change the sheets in his crib." I'd done that just yesterday, but right now any excuse would work as long as it got him to hold Gunner.

Archer took him from me, and I turned around with a smile, walking back to the crib as Gunner continued to babble, his focus now directed solely on his dad. Archer murmured something back to Gunner, and I smiled as I changed the sheets. I could hear Archer's heart beat slowing down from its panicked racing, and I sent a silent thank you to Gunner.

Just as I finished changing the sheets, the doorbell rang, and I used magic to send the dirty sheets to the laundry room as Archer froze in place, looking unsure about what to do.

"Sit. I'll bring her in," I told him, patting his arm as I walked past, and he nodded jerkily.

Walking down the short hallway to the front door, I took a deep breath before opening it and smiling at Gunner's mom.

Maya was a beautiful woman, with the same blue eyes as her son, and wavy blond hair that framed her round face. She was curvy, with a full figure draped in a pantsuit that complemented her perfectly. She was stunning, and I could see why Archer had found her attractive.

She blinked at me, a puzzled expression crossing her face. "Uh..."

"Archer's inside," I said before she could get any more confused, and she blinked, then smiled.

"Oh, good. I was worried I was at the wrong house."

"Not at all."

Stepping aside, I welcomed her into the house, then closed the door behind her.

"This way."

Leading her into the living room, I found Archer on the couch, Gunner in his lap. He shot to his feet when we came in, his arm tight around Gunner's hips, and he and Maya gazed at each other for a few moments while I tried not to let my jealousy and envy get the best of me. Even if they weren't together, the two of them shared something I'd never be able to share with Archer, not completely.

Gunner let out a soft sound, then hid his face in Gunner's neck, and Maya's eyes flicked to him. I didn't miss the way Archer's grip tightened reflexively on Gunner, as if he was afraid Maya was going to rip Gunner out of his arms. Walking over to him, I placed a hand on his back, and felt him relax just a touch.

"Please, sit. Can I get you something to drink?" Maya's eyes turned to me, the earlier confusion returning. "Oh, I should've introduced myself. I'm Calux. I'm..." I trailed off, not quite sure which label to use.

"My boyfriend," Archer chipped in, and I blinked rapidly, surprised. It wasn't that I'd thought he would keep our relationship a secret or anything, but I hadn't expected him to tell her about it so readily.

"Oh!" Maya glanced from me to Archer, then nodded slowly. "Um, can I have some water, please?"

"Of course."

Leaving them to it, I hurried into the kitchen, one ear on them as I quickly magicked everything up, too impatient to do it the human way.

Just as I returned to the living room, Gunner started crying, and if the stink was anything to go by, he needed a change of diaper.

"Here you go." I waited until Maya had picked up the glass before placing the tray on the coffee table and turning to Archer. "How about you two talk while I change him, hmm?"

Archer nodded, then smiled up at me. "Thanks." He held Gunner out, and I took him from him, patting his back as I carried him to his nursery.

"It's okay, little one. I'll change your icky diaper in just a minute, okay?"

Eavesdropping with Gunner crying so hard was practically impossible, so I focused on him, getting him out of the dirty diaper, cleaned up, and into the new one.

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