He smiled, a tired but content smile, his eyes drifting closed as he held our son close. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”
I wrapped my arms around both of them. “And I wouldn’t want to do any of this without you.”
As the minutes passed, I watched them both sleep, the baby nestled safely against his chest. I knew our lives were about to change forever, but in that moment, everything felt exactly as it should be. We were a family, and nothing could ever be more perfect than that.
Chapter 39
Hot and spicy!
Heston
“This is nice.”
Devyn and I were on the terrace, relaxing on the recliners while Dad took Maverick to the park. Not only was it miraculous that we had time alone, but my dad, who had been at death’s door, was pushing our son in a stroller.
Dad would never run a marathon or climb on a roof or hike through the mountains but he was doing all the activities that had been denied him for so long. And he was happy.
We were happy.
“I adore our little Mav, but thirty minutes to ourselves is pure bliss.” I closed my eyes, allowing the sun to warm my lids.
Our little man wasn’t a great sleeper but at six months old he was better than he had been. As tired as I was come morning, I was luckier than single parents or parents who had to go to work. I didn’t have to bust my ass to get out the door each morning and either sit in traffic or stand on a crowded bus or train.
And my mate was his own boss who could work when he wanted. Dad was on hand to babysit for an hour so I could go to the store or take a walk, and we didn’t have to worry about earning enough to pay rent or buy food.
Devyn had received a couple of large commissions and he spent most afternoons at his studio, while I was enrolled in fall classes at the college I’d attended after I left high school. My mate would look after our son initially when classes started, but Mav might have to go to daycare a few days a week.
The distinctive purr of my mate’s ringtone roused me from my almost sleep.
“Father’s downstairs.”
That was unusual. He normally called or texted when he was on his way. My father-in-law had become a frequent visitor since becoming a grandfather. Mav’s nursery was full of large teddy bears that were as big as me and in the store room was an enormous motorized car.
Devyn told his father Mav didn’t need any more toys but my father-in-law only agreed to bring smaller ones in future. I half expected him to hand our baby the keys to his own apartment.
There were no greetings when the man himself strode in our front door and he didn’t bring anything other than his phone. Not a good sign.
“It’s about Roy.” He stood in the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee, gulping half of it before facing us.
Fear prickled over my skin and the warmth from the sun faded even though it was still shining. I picked up my phone and called Dad, wanting him home immediately. But he was downstairsin the lobby and I raced into the hallway and waited until the elevator dinged and Mav was safe in my arms.
Dad asked what was wrong but I just pointed into our apartment before following him and closing the door. I locked it and checked it twice.
“He’s been arrested,” my father-in-law announced.
Instead of dismay or horror, I experienced relief that Roy was finally paying for his mistakes. Much as I resented Sebastian, it seemed as though Roy had gotten off lightly. But as a human, I could only imagine how much pain it caused having his wolf be in hibernation.
“What happened?”
“He was working as a realtor and he had skills. He could have started his own business and been a huge success.” Devyn’s father finished the coffee and put the cup in the sink.
“So what’d he do?” my mate asked.
Mav yawned and Dad took him into the nursery, saying they were both going to have a nap.
“What didn’t he do? He scammed the buyers and the company he worked for.”
Devyn’s father related how his son accepted cash payments from clients without disclosing those details and under-reported the sale price, all to put more money in his own pocket. Plus he had shady deals with mortgage brokers who offered him kickbacks.
