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She bristled. “I would never. If you think that, I shouldn’t even be here.”
Dang.
Before I could try to save myself, she stood up and came to kneel beside Koby. “Why don’t you want to tell your daddies about our day?”
He hung his head and muttered so low I barely heard. “Daddies say no.”
“Koby, even if your daddies say no to something, and it happens, we have to tell them. They love you and like to know everything, and they won’t be upset.” The look she gave me did not imply she held full confidence in us. I fought down the sting in that. She’d only known us a day. Plus…we might be upset.
But I couldn’t react as I might want to if what I thought happened indeed had. Not right now. In fact, not ever. Koby was who he was, and part of that was being a panda and an early bloomer; another part of him was three.
And at three, he couldn’t possibly understand the complexity we faced in rearing him in a world that, for the largest part, didn’t even know shifters existed. Some did…but odds were great that if he shifted in public, most of those who saw him would freak out.
Had he shifted in public? Did Livvy take him for a walk through the neighborhood?
Livvy stood up and took his hand. “Koby, you can tell your daddies all about our day. Every bit and always.”
He looked up at her with such a serious expression, I fought the urge to laugh. If I did, I might break something new and fragile. I decided at that moment that no matter what happened, I would not admonish either of them, and Justice and I would get it figured out so everything was okay.
“Koby?” Justice’s voice held that seriousness that caught our cub’s attention every time. “What did you and Livvy do today?”
“I went rawr at the park.”
He spoke in such a low voice, as if he didn’t want us to hear. He’d picked up more about our trying to keep him from shifting in public than we’d realized. How much else had we missed in the past months, trying to balance everything?
Livvy gave his hand a squeeze and bestowed a big smile on him. “And you were a very cute rawr and listened when I asked you to go back to boy so we could come home.” She kissed his forehead and released his hand. “I have to start dinner. Why don’t you tell your daddies all about the fun we had at the park.” She marched into the house without looking at either of us. We were in trouble…but I wasn’t sure exactly for what.
Chapter Twelve
Livvy
Koby let out a yawn while in his high chair. It was time for the little one to get to bed. “You ready to take your bath, big guy?” I asked him. Justice frowned and glanced at the clock.
“’Night, ’night,” Koby said and put his arms out. When a toddler is eager to get to bed, you know he’s had a big day.
It was a big day for all of us, and it hadn’t even gotten started.
We needed to talk, the three adults in the house.
“It’s not quite time for his nighttime routine. We need to discuss some things.” Justice. Gods, for someone so drop-dead gorgeous, he was an ass when he wanted to be. No, that wasn’t true. I was on defense after what happened earlier. I wasn’t angry. I felt…betrayed? Set up for failure? Lied to?
Anger didn’t come easily to me but the frustration could’ve easily evolved into it.
“He’s had an…eventful day. And clearly he is tired. We’re gonna get started on his routine now. Sleep is when they grow and get strong.” I didn’t mean to speak to them harshly but I suspected, it had dawned on me in that moment, that they were sticking to Koby’s mother’s way of doing things as a way to hold onto her. It was admirable and sweet, but this was the first child for all three of them.
My mom always claimed she had no idea what she was doing until my third brother was born.
Both males nodded, and I took Koby upstairs for his bath. Halfway through, his eyes began to droop. His body swayed with overwhelming exhaustion.
“He was more tired than I thought.” Justice’s voice startled me as I wrapped Koby up in a duckie towel/robe.
“He plays hard, don’t you?” I asked.
Koby nodded but was limp in my arms. Justice followed me to the bedroom while I dressed Koby in his pajamas and put on socks. Justice opened his mouth but closed it before saying anything. Maybe socks were against the rules.
Lying to me about the child I was to be in charge of was also against the rules.
We were even.
