Page 256 of As The Shifter World Turns

“Silly me. I cry when I'm happy and when I’m sad. Also when I’m excited.”

“And what are you today?”

“Happy of course.” I ruffled his hair and went to pick up Charlie but he tore himself out of my grasp and toddled toward the door. It’d take us ages to get downstairs if Charlie was walking rather than me carrying him.

Toby bent over so his face was almost level with his little brother’s. “Wanna see Dad and Patch, Charlie?” Charlie’s eyes lit up. “Let’s go.”

Charlie held his arms up and we were on our way. “Oh, the baby bag.”

“Got it,” Toby told me.

My older son was growing up into a fine young man. “Are you going to shift later with your dad?”

He shrugged. “We’ll see. I hope so.”

Archer told us not to bring a house-warming gift and I was grateful he said that. I was sure he had enough vases, candles and wine glasses. But I had a box of cupcakes from a local bakery where Archer, Ivor and I used to go before we had kids. We still went occasionally but it was harder to organize now.

“Need a hand,” Daire asked as we came down the stairs. Charlie dropped the toy he was holding and my grizzly shifter friend picked it up. And then he took Charlie.

“We’re going to my parents’ place this evening to shift. Want to come too, Toby?”

Toby hesitated and Nate must have picked up on why. “I know your dad’s probably busy so we thought you might like to come with us?”

“Thanks. Can I let you know later?”

Nate nodded.

When we reached Archer and Micah’s porch, Patch barreled out and I grabbed the box of cupcakes from Toby’s hand. “You’d think he hadn’t seen you in ages,” Daire noted. I wished my relationship with Martin was as easy as the one between our son and Archer’s dog.

“Come in,” Micah said. I scanned the room. Ivor, Ryder and Dyani were there, along with Elune and Archer. Jasper must have been asleep. Anthony was pouring champagne and he gave Toby a soda, but there was no sign of Martin. Ryder had juice, as did Elune and Dyani.

Ryder had lost weight—but not an enormous amount—and he was paler than normal but from what Ivor said, he was responding to the treatment. He took frequent naps but that was to be expected.

“Cupcakes,” Archer gushed as he owned the box and then gave me a hug.

“We were just reminiscing and talking about our first impressions of one another,” Micah explained. “Before I met Archer, I was thinking he’d leave stuff on the landing and have loud parties.”

“And I didn’t do either,” Archer observed.

“We met when I waved at you from the window,” I told Archer.

“That’s right. I remember. And you, Daire, you forgot I was arriving,” Archer said.

“True,” Daire agreed. “I was still at college.”

Ivor piped up. “That was a lifetime ago. I remember the day I was waiting for the bus and you were driving Archer to work, Micah. I suspected then that you two had a thing for one another.”

“I did,” Micah admitted. “Not sure about Archer.”

Archer’s face flushed an adorable shade of pink. “Of course, I did. How could I not?” He hugged his mate and everyone took another sip of their drinks.

Ryder had a squirrelly look on his face. “I know what you’re all thinking.” He squeezed Ivor’s hand. “It’s okay. You can say it. Archer arrived as Kellan was moving out and we were arguing.”

“Let’s move on, please,” Daire suggested.

While it wasn’t healthy to deny the past, none of us wanted to dwell on the Kellan incident.

“We’re just glad you’re here with your loved ones and your treatment is going well, Ryder.” Micah spoke for us all. “Raise your glasses to the extended Sunshine Manor family.”

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