Page 68 of The Fated Mate Bandit

“Lucas! It’s us!” Quin calls out from the living room.

He enters the kitchen with Ruby and Aunt Emerald trailing behind them.

Aunt Emerald beams and me and gives me a warm hug. “Congratulations. I’m so pleased you’re going to be part of the family.”

Ruby hugs me too. So does Aunt Crystal, who I’ve only met a handful of times. Last, but not least, comes Uncle Dagger.

“Thought this woulda happened sooner, to be honest,” he says.

“What happened? Did Ruby tell you Silver I… what’s going on?” I ask.

Quin grins. “Should we tell him?”

“No, let Silver tell him,” Ruby says.

“Tell me what?”

A low rumble comes from the garage. Silver is already home. I was planning to change out of my cleaning clothes before he got here.

“That should be Silver now,” Quin says. “Just in time.”

“Just in time for what?” I ask.

Quin waves away my question, like it isn’t important.

After a long pause, the door to the garage opens, and Silver steps inside. He’s wearing his camo uniform and work boots with a matching cap. My heart skips a beat. He’s even more handsome in uniform. The rest of the people in the room fade away, and I go to him, standing on tiptoe for a kiss.

“Hey, baby,” he whispers, smiling against my lips. “Damn, it’s good to come home to you.”

“See? They’re perfect for each other,” Quin says from the other end of the room.

“I know,” Uncle Dagger agrees. “I thought they’d bond years ago. Silver had stars in his eyes for that one all through high school.”

“His name is Lucas,” Aunt Emerald reminds him.

Silver pulls away from our kiss. “This is a surprise. What are ya’ll doing here? I mean, it’s good to see you, but…”

“We’re here to take you shopping,” Quin says.

“Shopping for what?” Silver asks.

“For your collection. Quin said you started buyin’ shiny stuff for your nursery. That means it’s time.”

I turn to Silver. “You bought stuff for a nursery?”

He winces. “About that… There’s this cute little shop by the military base. It sells shifter baby stuff. I just picked up a few essentials. Chew toys, blankets, board books. We can go shopping later together. I’m sorry?—”

I kiss him again. He boughtshinystuff for our nursery. That means our bond is taking—that I get to be with him forever. I hold him down for a deep, toe-curling kiss. Quin whoops in the background.

“Go buy whatever you want,” I say.

“But it’s our nursery. Don’t you care?—”

“Buy. Whatever. You. Want. Anything. If it means that our bond is solid now, I don’t care if you decorate the nursery with clown decals.”

Quin shakes his head rapidly and mouths a “no.”

Silver gives me a quick peck on the cheek. “Okay. I was thinking a star-themed nursery? To go with their names?”

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