Page 172 of As The Shifter World Turns

“We’d better tip well,” I told my friend.

“How are your feet?” I asked Neil.

“Like walking on air.”

“My hand’s sore where you dug your nails in,” Toby grumbled.

Neil kissed the youngster’s forehead. “Sorry, sweetheart.”

“Go upstairs, while we have our foot massage,” Archer told us. “I've just laid out snacks on the table.

I wriggled Ryder’s big toe. “Hey, Sleeping Beauty, wake up.”

As Neil and I nibbled on satay, deviled eggs, and spring rolls upstairs, the yelps from the basement apartment told us my mate, along with Archer and Micah, had chosen not to do a soft foot massage. Toby kept running down andpeeking and when he returned he took great delight in telling us how much pain they were in.

But when the three appeared, they agreed with Neil. “It hurt like crazy but I feel like I’m floating,” Ryder told me before taking a bite of a spring roll.

“Knock, knock.” That was Daire and Martin was with him.

Martin gave both Neil and Toby a kiss. “How was it?”

“Amazing,” Toby gushed, “But Micah and Ryder cried.”

“Did not,” Ryder insisted.

Archer clapped his hands. “Crafts time.”

“That’s not really my thing,” Ryder mumbled.

“Too bad. Everyone can do this,” Archer told him. He produced white onesies and fabric paints. “I’ve put an old table and chairs in the garden so we can all make something special for Ivor and Ryder’s baby.”

While most of us complained at first, we got enthusiastic as we put brush to cloth. Toby painted himself, Elune, and Patch. “We’re your baby’s unofficial cousins,” he told me, which had my eyes flooding with tears.

Daire painted Sunshine Manor while Martin did the local park saying our baby would spend a lot of time there. Micah’s painting was of two unicorns and a wolf. Ryder’s effort was stag horns and they were magnificent set against the white background and I did an impression of my wolf’s face, though I’d never really ‘seen’ him but knew what he looked like.

There was a football on Neil’s onesie while Archer painted a bicycle, like the one he used to ride to work.

“They’re so cute,” Ryder and I agreed as he looked at the onesies. “Our daughter will look adorable in these. Thank you.”

Archer herded us back inside. “Guess what I’ve got in here?” He held up a bag. Not bothering to wait for an answer, he continued, “These are the baby pics you gave me.”

We all groaned.

“Are we going to throw darts at them?” Daire asked.

“No! You’re going to match the baby pics to each person here.” He held up a photo. It was a baby holding a soccer ball.

“That’s so easy,” Micah said. “It’s obviously Neil.”

“Wrong,” Archer yelled. “Anyone else want to guess?”

Daire peered at the pic. “It’s not Toby, is it?”

“No,” Toby giggled.

“I ask this person to stand,” Archer announced.

We looked around. “Who is it?” I asked as no one made a move to get up.

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