Page 120 of Packed in the Fire house

“Sunshine!” Blaze greeted in an exuberant whisper when he noticed the napping Luka, pulling me into a hug. “How did it go?”

“Was it good enough?” Rune asked intently. We were all nervous about Luka potentially starting daycare, it seemed.

“It's actually a really lovely place,” I admitted. “I think it will do him a world of good.”

Blaze nodded. “I know he needs to be socialized with children his age, but it's sad that he won't be at home all the time.”

Rune shook his head. “He's only going a few days a week, you'll hardly notice it. You'll be at the fire station most of the time, anyway,” he pointed out. “Are you happy with it, Cher?”

“I am. We are going to start him off with two days a week and maybe go up to three once he's used to it.”

Blaze held his hand out to Walker. “Gimme the keys.”

Walker cocked an eyebrow. “Why the hell would I give you the keys to my SUV?”

“Because I'm going to need the keys if I'm going to watch over the sleeping baby that’s in your car while you accompany Sunny through the market.”

Walker glared intently at his pack mate for a moment before sighing and handing over the keys. “If you take it for a joyride, I will make your life miserable.”

Blaze beamed at him. “Oh, I have no doubt about that,” he said, before opening the back door and sliding into the seat next to where Luka was dozing in his car seat.

A large hand grabbed mine. Rune. “Come on, let’s go get more sustenance for the berry monster,” he said, tugging me toward the food stalls.

I had intended to only get strawberries, as they were Luka’s favorite, but they had an incredible selection of various fruits, so I also ended up with raspberries, a watermelon, a pineapple, and even some pomegranates.

Rune had found several large, fresh bags of spring greens for the bunnies and had stocked up on them, now that we had two bunnies in the house to feed. The new addition was settling in. He kept to himself while he was getting used to the space, but slowly, he would come out of his shell. Luka was obsessed with him and Sooty. Every morning before breakfast, he would insist on feeding the bunnies first.

Walker had paid for the fruit before I even asked the sweet old man running the stall how much it would be. While part of me wanted to tell him off, I was starting to understand that a large part of what made Walker himself was that he always wanted to take care of people, and that included paying for things.

My earlier worries about him constantly paying for things had mostly ebbed. After all, we were a full pack now, not just accidentally bonded. Still, sometimes I had to resist the urge to be a brat and swipe my card before he got a chance.

Something told me that his reaction could potentially beveryfun for me.

“I’m not sure if he’ll like the mango,” I said as we wandered out of the market and back toward the cars.

“Blaze is a big mango fan. If Luka doesn’t like it, he’ll devour all three in one sitting,” Rune assured me. “Also, I was thinking about making a cheese and broccoli soup this week—how is he with broccoli?”

“He loves it,” I said. “I used to make it for him all the time. I don't know why I haven't recently.”

“The broccoli at our grocery store looks disgusting. You need to go to the organic grocery store or get it from the market,” Walker explained.

That must have been why. Whenever I went shopping, if any of the produce didn't look good enough, I simply skipped it until the next time.

“Don't worry, I've got the good broccoli,” Rune assured me. “I’ll do it for lunch tomorrow.”

“I can bake up some bread bowls,” I said, the idea already forming in my mind.

“Deal!” Rune grinned, pulling me in for a side hug as we reached the cars.

Blaze was sitting in the driver’s seat, a sleepy-looking Luka curled up in his arms, watching a dancing fruit video on his phone screen.

“Hey,” I greeted softly as I opened the door. “When did he wake up?”

Blaze looked away from his phone to smile softly at me. “Just a moment ago, he’s still not fully awake yet. Did you get everything you wanted?”

I snorted lightly. “And more.”

“That’s the curse of the farmers market. It’s a delicious curse, but a curse nonetheless.”

---