And even though he’s just rolled out of bed, Leo breathes deeply and lets the scents of his mates and daughters soothe him into a summer-scented doze.
***
The water in the bathtub in the nest room is warm but not too hot, and Leo cradles Mari against his chest as Jay runs a soapy hand over her back and under her tiny bum. She loves water, just like her Daddy. Over the past four weeks, they’d discovered she had a bit of a milk sensitivity, and it was Beth, Rowan’s mother, who suggested using warm water to ease her digestive troubles.
Much to Rowan’s mortification, Beth had regaled them with tales of how he had pooped in the bathtub every time he was submerged as a baby. Any warm water would trigger it until he was nearly five years old. Turns out, their guess that Rowan had been a little shit even then wasn’t far off.
The newest batch of formula isn’t working either, and Mari’s weight has been slipping, little by little. While Rosie has finally outgrown her preemie sleepers and surpassed her sister, Mari is still so small. It’s been a massive source of stress for Nix, to the point where they had to convince the new dad to let Jay take over for a few hours so he could get out of the house with Grayson.
Mari sighs softly against Leo’s chest as Jay pours clean water down her back and over her tiny head, her red hair gleaminglike a sunrise.
“We should get a diaper on her soon, Leo,” Jay says.
“Yeah, yeah. I hate that she’s hungry and hurting. The new formula’s supposed to arrive tonight.”
“Mmm. From Japan, right?”
“Yeah. All I want for my birthday is for her to keep her food in and not out.”
“Me too, poor mouse.”
Jay takes Mari from him, bundling her snugly in a towel and rubbing her hair until it sticks up in every direction. She squints at him, letting out a tiny cry—just as a low, ominous gurgle echoes from her tiny body, a clear warning of what’s coming.
“Oh shit.”
Literally.
“It’s like the fire-swamp inThe Princess Bride,yeah?” Jay whispers.
With wide eyes, Leo scrambles out of the tub, grateful to have dodged that particular poopy bullet.
***
They finally settle Mari’s stomach with the innovative formula from Japan, and she starts gaining weight more quickly. She’s happier now, though just as noisy. She and Rosie are like yin and yang: loud and quiet, chaotic and peaceful, active and calm. By the time Leo’s birthday rolls around, their personalities and preferences have already started to shine through.
Mari adores Lauren or Finn, and somehow, Leo’s mother even stops her endless picking on Gideon whenever she has her granddaughter in her arms. Rosie, on the other hand, clearly prefers Leo, and he couldn’t be more thrilled about it. Rosie is easygoing and content to settle in her bouncer chair or anyone’s lap as long as they’re still and quiet. But when she’s tired or fussy, it’s Leo she wants, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
That’s how he finds himself lying on a blanket under the big maple tree in their backyard with Rosie, while their extended family laughs and eats BBQ on the patio, celebrating his birthday. He had always loved the excitement of outdoor parties—swimming in the pool, eating too much red meat, andsoaking up the sun.
But his daughters had been passed from grandparent to grandparent and father to father all afternoon, and shy little Rosie had reached her limit about an hour in. So Leo spread out a blanket from the family nest and whisked her away into the dappled shade for a quiet nap. It might be his party, but she could cry if she wanted to. He knew it was better for both of them to steal a little peace away from the crowd.
“It’s just you and me for a bit. Shhh-shhh.” She’s ashhh-shhh-babyrather than anmmmm-hmmm-babylike Mari. Don’t judge. It’s really a thing, and it works for Leo 100% of the time. She prefers it when Leo lies her on her tummy and rubs her back exactly three times, before lying beside her where she can see him but not be touching.
She stops crying almost immediately, as if Leo has dialed the correct combination for her peace. And maybe he has. “That’s it. They’re all so loud, I can’t blame you.”
There’s a snort as Grayson appears suddenly on the blanket beside them. He’d recently buzzed his hair off, and Leo still can’t get the hang of it. He will always be hot like fire, but the change is still a surprise.
He told them it was because he kept getting baby vomit in it, but Luca had joked that the alpha liked it when they rubbed his head. Finn had called him a kiwi and then complained when Grayson had used Air to throw him in the pool.
Grayson sticks his tongue out so as not to startle his daughter, before rubbing a fingertip along her ear. “Then why is she here withyou?”
Burn.
“She knows quality company when she sees it.”
“Yeah, she does,” Grayson agrees. He gently rolls their daughter over so they can both see her tiny face, eyes looking from Grayson to Leo while she lies still and calm. She smiles then, her rosebud lips shaped into the smallest grin. It wrinkles her nose, and in this moment, she looks just like Nix. Right down to the tiniest heart-shaped freckle on her cheek.
Rosie’s soft breaths and coos mingle with the hum of crickets in thewarm summer air.
