“If you say so,” Ben said. “Anyway, I’m happy to be mated…and married…to both of you. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
We each shared a kiss, and then our friends threw confetti at us. A table had been set up along the wall with a beautiful cake and lots of finger foods. We all loaded our plates while thesoundtrack of love songs someone—I’m willing to bet David—had picked out played in the background.
Colt, Ben, and I had posed for pictures before the ceremony, which was a good thing, since we all smashed cake in each other’s face when it came time to cut it.
“Never thought I’d see the day you’d stand up and say vows again,” Bertram said, patting me heartily on the back. “I hope you’ll be very happy, Angus.”
“I already am,” I told him. “And now,” I said, turning to the others and clapping my hands to get their attention, “Colt, Ben and I would like to announce something important.” I paused dramatically even though, at this point, more people in attendance knew our news than didn’t.
“Colt, Ben, and I are having a baby.”
Applause erupted in the room. Laura, who hadn’t known, hugged each of us.
Later, after everyone left and the food was cleared away, we all sat in the living room, David nursing Ollie while the rest of us vegged out after a long day. Laura came out of the kitchen carrying a bottle of champagne and six plastic wine glasses. Pouring us each one, she made a toast to the three of us.
“Cheers!” We all said and drank our champagne. Ben had cuddled up between me and Colt on the big couch. I made myself a bet he’d be asleep in less than five minutes. His eyelids were already drooping.
“Tomorrow, we’re taking Ben to a tattoo artist in Rock Creek,” I said.
I had a tattoo of a bear claw on my upper arm that I’d gotten when I was a teen. Maddox had a ton of tattoos, and he’d had his initials tattooed above David’s groin area when they mated. Colt, however, didn’t have any, and I was kind of itching to mark him.
“You want to get one, too?” I asked him.
I could tell he was thinking about saying no, but one look at Ben peering up at him so hopefully, he said, “Maybe.”
“I want both of your initials on me,” Ben mumbled groggily. In a whisper, he added, “One on each side of…you know.”
That right there made me want to throw him over my shoulder and take him to our bedroom, but Laura leaned forward and said, “Ben, before I leave, I’ll examine you to make sure everything’s as it should be. Congratulations on the baby.”
“Thank you.” Ben fought a yawn. “You have anything that’ll keep me awake more?”
She smiled. “You need your rest. Take as many naps are you want. Have you been sick?”
Ben nodded. “Yeah, but…” He flushed.
“We learned what to do to make that better,” Colt said for him.
“Excellent,” Laura said. “If you do that every morning before getting out of bed, you should be fine.”
I choked on my sip of champagne. That would make a fun beginning to the day.
“How long will you be here?” Ben asked her.
“A couple of days.” She patted his hand. “Poor thing, you’re trying so hard to stay awake. Go ahead to bed.”
“If you don’t mind, Laura, will you examine him first? It won’t take long, will it?”
“No, not at all. I’ll get my bag.”
When Laura knocked on our bedroom door a few minutes later, Ben was in his pajamas and tucked in. She checked his vital signs and asked a lot of questions, then did a short physical exam of his belly and the pouch inside his anus. As soon as she announced everything seemed fine, Ben fell asleep. The three of us stepped into our small living area, shutting the bedroom door behind us.
“I’m glad you’re marking him,” she told us. “It will do wonders to make him feel secure, and that’s what he needs now that he’s pregnant.”
“I wish you lived around here,” Colt said. “It would makemefeel more secure. I’m already worried about him.”
Laura smiled. “He’ll be fine, but, funny you should say that. I’m actually planning to move out here in the near future. I was going to tell you all in the morning.”
“Ahh,” I said. “A little romance is in the air, huh?”