Page 91 of How to Rescue Your Surprise Baby

Mav wet his own lips, trying to think of something to say. Telos’ gaze dropped to his mouth.

“Baby pictures!” Hilly-Billy cried, skidding into the kitchen.

Telos broke their gaze and leaped at his butler with a snarl. Mav grabbed the album from Hilly-Billy’s other side, and ran.

It was a few moments before Telos realized what had happened. Mav raced to the only door with a heartbeat behind it, slipping into the nursery as quietly as he could.

Estie was already awake in her crib, grabbing the bars and trying to pull herself to her feet. Mav dropped to a crouch next to her. “Hey, Estie. Want to see your dad’s baby pictures?”

“Gods damn it!Mav,” Telos growled, stopping in the doorway.

Mav grinned. “I bet you want to show her your baby pictures. Don’t you want to see how similar you look?”

“Fuck,” Telos muttered. “I do.”

He stalked over and scooped Estie out of the crib, bringing her to the couch on one side of the nursery. Mav sat down next to him and opened the album—the first picture was a baby with his face covered in strawberry cake.

Estie made a happy sound, reaching for the photo.

“Now, we can’t have you ripping it into pieces,” Telos warned, holding her away from it. “I bet you want to get your little hands all over those photos.”

“Wa wa wa!” she cried, wriggling in his arms.

Mav remembered holding her, his heart swelling. Having Estie in his life, along with Telos and their baby... There wasn’t much else he wanted, really.

“Do you think we look alike?” Telos asked, glancing at Mav sidelong.

Mav turned the page, studying the baby tangled up in some blankets, then Estie. “Yeah,” he said, looking back and forth between the babies. “She really does look like you.”

He wondered who the child in Telos’ belly would resemble more.

When he looked up, he found Telos watching him, a soft smile playing on his lips. “You got shot because you tried to protect me.”

The wound had scabbed over. Mav couldn’t use that arm too much while it healed, but at least it was still functional. “I didn’t want you to get hurt.”

“Awww. I think you wouldn’t have done that much to save me, two weeks ago.”

Mav growled. “I would have, you know. You’ve always been important. You got under my skin, sure, but you’re a good person. With a strange penchant for finding the best restaurant in any town.”

Telos snorted. “It’s called ‘Looking at reviews’.”

“You keep showing up at random to annoy me,” Mav added. Except Telos hadn’t done it to annoy him, had he? Over the centuries, Telos had pretended to stop by Mav’s lair to watch him wash his car; he’d trailed after Mav at their friends’ parties, throwing tiny appetizers at the back of Mav’s head. All so Mav would turn around and notice him. “Telos—”

Telos’ smile turned affectionate. He leaned in and bumped their shoulders, and Mav was vaguely aware of Estie with a photo in her hands.

“I think you’ve earned it, you know,” Telos murmured.

“Earned what?”

“Have you forgotten it already? Doyouhave pregnancy brain?”

Mav bared his teeth.

And Telos leaned in, pressing their mouths together.

22

STRANGE BODILY CHANGES (PART 2)

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