Caden, Cain’s other brother, placed a hand on Carter’s arm, keeping the younger man in his seat. “The important thing is that you are here now.”
“Why didn’t you bring Robin and Suzie?” Cain asked, fighting a pout. “I specifically asked you to bring them.”
“Suzie and Yeo are sleeping, and Robin is with his other grandparents. You will have to wait for cuddle time. I will put you on the schedule.” Caden sighed. “Linc, will you please hug your uncle? He has cuddle withdraws.”
Caden’s eldest, Lincoln, was the only child there today. The young boy sat at the end of the dock with a fishing pole, swinging his feet.
“Sure.” Linc set his pole down and ran to Cain. “I’ll hug you, Uncle Cain.”
Cain pulled the boy in for a tight hug, then stood and spun him in circles, enjoying his giggles. “That is exactly what I needed.”
After Linc was back to fishing, Susan gave Cain a hard look. “Maybe we could not have been there for you, Cain, but we could have been there for your omega.”
Cain winced. “It is more complicated than you know. Teddy is our adopted son. His mother is a young teen named Bianca. Mal loves her like a daughter and is taking care of her right now as she recovers from some traumatic events.”
“We could have been there for them both,” Susan said sadly. “You should not shut family out, Cain. We all learned that with Carter. Remember?”
Guilt shot through Cain, making his stomach gurgle. “I’m sorry, Mom. You are right.”
Carter sighed. “Cain’s been alone in Atlanta for a while now. Once you get used to relying on yourself, it’s hard to bring other people back in. Like Caden said. The important thing is that Cain is here now. While your house is impressive, it doesn’t have a nursery. I think you’ll need help with that, right?”
Cain nodded, thankful for the distraction Carter had just given him. “Yes. Mom, can you help me with the nursery? Mal and the kids will be coming home in a couple of weeks. Dad, Mal loves to fish, and I need to learn more about it. For some reason he thinks You and I are going to open a bait shop? I do not like bugs, but if it will make him happy, then I will at least consider it.”
Carter and Caden both laughed.
“You? Open a bait shop?” Carter asked, snickering.
“You wouldn’t even swat a spider when you were a kid. You always made Mom come and do it.” Caden grinned.
Susan sighed. “Why does your omega want you to open a bait shop?”
“I saidDad and I,” he corrected, waving to his dad. “He says ‘Old Shakey’ needs to retire, and Dad and I should spend more time together. How that leads to a bait shop, I am not sure. It is not my place to question.”
John rubbed his chin. “Old Shakey is having problems with his arthritis. His shop is the best around too. Has a good reputation and a quality supply chain.”
“According to Mal, the only other option is to open our own law firm,” Cain said, shrugging. “Or I can come up with my own ideas of what to do with my time.”
“That’s too much work.” John grinned. “I need to talk to Old Shakey. I think I’m going to like your omega, Cain. Good job.”
Cain wrinkled his nose. “Why can’t we open a small law office?”
“Did that already.” John waved his concern away. “I want something new, and I like the idea of a running a bait shop with my son.”
Carter and Caden gave him sympathetic looks.
Cain sighed. It appeared that he would need to grow accustomed to the idea of bugs.
Chapter 14
“The oatcakes I make are sweetened and are more like cookies or biscuits than cake. They use oats and eggs, all good stuff for a recuperating new parent.” Mal kissed the top of Teddy’s head and checked the oatcakes in the oven. The newborn stayed with Mal as much as possible. At the moment, he slept in the newborn sling Mal wore, his curly brown hair the only thing in view of the cameras.
“Postnatal care is just as important as prenatal care. It speeds your recovery and helps your overall wellbeing. Plus, if you are breastfeeding, then it even helps nourish your newborn.” Noting the nice brown color, Mal took the pan out of the oven and quickly moved each oatcake to the cooling rack.
“I’m going to let these cool, then add some fresh berries and diced mango and banana to half of them. Bianca likes sweet oatcakes, but you can also make them a little more savory by adding scrambled eggs and avocado slices. You can also just eat them as is or with jam. These are Canadian oatcakes rather than Scottish, so they’re already sweet. That means savory for me, so I’m going to add egg, avocado, and a bit of parsley to mine.”
Mal took his time gathering the ingredients to top the oatcakes, explaining the good and bad qualities of each for the camera. Then he topped each oatcake a little differently, making sure the camera caught as much footage as possible. It always took him forever to film an episode and edit it. He discovered early on that getting as much footage as possible was the best way to avoid having to refilm anything. He had videos as short as thirty seconds and as long as an hour, but they all needed footage.
By the time he had finished filming and set the small bar table, Bianca was stirring. It had only been a month since she had given birth to Teddy, but it felt like ages had passed. She seemed happier and more at peace with herself.
