Page 123 of Bad Men

“If?” Mom’s eyes bulged. “What do you mean if?”

“How cute would your babies be, though?” Liana cooed, fingers clasped under her chin. “They would be the sweetest little angels.”

“Agreed, but let’s go back to the if,” Mom prompted.

I opened my mouth to assure her that wasn’t what I meant when a familiar voice cut in from behind me.

“What if?”

“Apparently, to give me grandchildren,” Mom blurted, expression a mask of absolute horror.

“That isn’t what I meant,” I protested and turned to Davien. “I was saying that we were still enjoying each other, and we hadn’t discussed on having kids.”

“I’m ready,” he declared as if deciding he didn’t mind having another drink. His lack of forethought left me speechless.

“For what?”

I hadn’t heard Nero come up behind me until his arm was snaking around my middle and pulling me back against his chest.

“Babies,” Davien supplied with a definitive nod.

Nero’s chin rested on the top of my head where I felt his low hum vibrating along all the place we touched. “Babies,” he repeated slowly.

“We are not talking babies,” I cut in.

“Why not?” Dav goaded, tilting his head in feigned innocence.

That was the first time babies had ever come up for us. I’d hoped to discuss it eventually, but not in the middle of our anniversary party, surrounded by all our friends and family. I didn’t like it.

“I don’t think this is the time or place to talk about this,” I warned my husbands, especially Davien who I knew wouldn’t take that warning seriously.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t Davien I had to worry about pressing the issue. “But you will talk about it, yes?” Mom urged, looking to them for an answer.

“Oh, you can count on it,” Davien assured her, taking my hand and brushing a kiss over the knuckles. “In the meantime, I would like a dance.”

I let him lead me away from our little group, leaving my mom and Liana alone with Nero and talks of babies.

“What do you have against babies?” Davien asked as if reading my thoughts.

I blinked up at him. “Against? Nothing. I love babies.”

“Yet, you look ready to jump out the window to avoid talking about them.”

He had me there. I’d been edgy about the whole topic because, while we hadn’t discussed the idea of having any, I’d been thinking about it. A lot. But our relationship was already so complicated. We were just starting to find our footing and building a routine that worked for all three of us. A baby just seemed like a wrench being tossed into something so perfect.

“Babies are not tools,” Davien stated once I finished vomiting my fears all over him. “They make terrible wrenches.”

“Davien…” I whined, unamused by his teasing.

He grinned and brushed a kiss to the wrinkle on my brow. “We made this work. You don’t think we can make that work?”

I knew we would. They had been nothing but supportive in everything we did. They were my rocks.

“But a baby?” I whispered. “Whose? Do we make a list on who gets to be the first father and who gets the next one? Do we get a test done every time we have a new kid? What do they call you or Nero? Are you both Dad? Is one of you Dad and the other … uncle?”

To my annoyance, he burst out laughing.

“It’s not funny,” I complained, but feeling slightly amused, too.

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