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River’s face drained of color which I suspected had nothing to do with his nausea.

“Absolutely. I can love you, your dad, and the new baby at the same time.”

My daughters flung their arms around River, and he beckoned me over. My vision blurred with unshed tears, and I took the four people I loved most in the world in my arms.

“Is the baby a girl?” Ivy lifted her head. “I want a little sister.”

I explained that we wouldn’t know until the baby was born.

They asked if the little one would be a dragon shifter, and I said probably.

Poppy wanted to know if they could name the baby. River gave me a look, but I wasn’t savvy enough to dodge Poppy’s question. “You can make suggestions, but River and I will make the final decision.”

“Meatball because River will have to eat a lot of meat.” Poppy had a self-satisfied smile on her face. I pitied all the beef, chicken, and pork River would have to eat during his pregnancy.

“Fang because the baby’s dragon will have them,” Wren announced.

“Or maybe Heartie because the baby will heartie us.” That was Ivy’s suggestion.

River told the girls those were very good names but babies were tiny and those names were rather grand.

The girls insisted they’d help look after the baby.

“The baby wants to watch TV.” Poppy clicked the remote and a kids’ show appeared on the screen.

“And eat hamburgers with lots of ketchup.” Ivy looked from me to River, as if she expected one of us to produce a hamburger. “Your dragon can cook it quickly, Daddy.”

Suggestions were lobbed at us. The baby needed to learn how to ride a bike, we needed to make over the basement into a playroom, buy more snacks, and have a later bedtime, all because the baby wanted, needed, or was demanding all of those things.

River explained the baby was so small they couldn’t enjoy any of that yet. “They need to rest so they grow big and strong.”

The girls asked when the baby would be here and would they love their sisters. River and I answered them as best we could, and when the girls were tired of all things baby, they watched TV and my mind wandered.

We had been a family of four for six years, and now we were becoming five counting River and six with the new baby. I snuggled onto the sofa between Ivy and Wren and caught sight of River watching me. I didn’t have a paragraph, sentence, or even a word to describe how much I loved him and the girls. But love didn’t have to be written. You had to feel it.

“You love our daddy and us. So are you our new daddy?” Poppy was ignoring the TV. Her question got her sisters’ attention, and they muted the sound.

“A dad is someone who loves their children, and I love you. But I’ll always be your River. Dad is just a name, like River.”

The girls said okay and went back to their TV program.

I hoped he wasn’t upset that they didn’t immediately call him dad or papa.

“I was serious when I said it was a name.” River blew me a kiss. “Anyone can call themselves a dad, but a father shows who he is by his actions.”

We spent the day on the couch as a family, eating takeout, watching TV, cuddling, and answering questions, and when it was time for bed, the girls wanted to sleep together.

“Good night, Daddy. Good night, baby. Good night, River.”

“Daddy.” Ivy sat upright. “If River is our dad, you have to mark him.” She plopped down on the mattress and snuggled with her sisters.

“River and I will discuss it.”

River raised a brow as I closed the girls’ door. “Marking? How have I not heard of this until now?”

I steered him into the room that was now ours.

“There were so many changes for you to get used to. I left that one until you were ready.” I winced because I’d made a decision that affected us both without consulting him.