Page 367 of Wicked Brutal

I cup Tobias’s face. “Tobias. You are staying with me when the baby comes.”

“And Ryan?”

“Yes.”

Ryan nods. “Can’t get rid of me, Frog King.”

Tobias looks back at me. “And the baby?”

“Yes, we generally have to keep that one.” Ryan chokes on a laugh. Walter actually snorts behind us. I grin. “Actually — I’m going to need you.”

His eyebrows pull together. “For what?”

“The baby. Babies are a lot of work.”

His eyes widen. “They are?”

“Oh, they’re terrible.”

“Ally,” Ryan says.

“They cry. They poop. They don’t even know how to hold their own heads up.”

Tobias looks horrified. Ryan crouches beside us. “She’s making babies sound defective.”

“They kind of are.”

“Our child is going to hear about this.”

“Good. Maybe it’ll try harder.” Tobias giggles. I poke his stomach. “Our baby is going to need Uncle Tobias.”

His smile fades into something smaller. “Me? To help?”

“So much help.”

He thinks about it. “I can teach it frogs.”

“Obviously.”

“And fishing. And how to make wands.”

I glance at the cardboard stick lying in the grass. “We may workshop that one.”

His little face turns serious again. He looks at Ryan. Then at me. Then Ryan again.

“Ally?”

“Yeah?”

“If you’re like my mom now…” My chest tightens. Behind us, Cassandra inhales sharply. He frowns, hunting for the words. “Is Ryan gonna be like…” Ryan goes completely still. Tobias looks up at him. “Like my sort-of dad?”

Oh.

Ryan breaks. I watch it happen. So do his parents. His face crumples before he can stop it. He looks down, one hand coming over his mouth. Behind him, Walter’s eyes fill instantly. Cassandra doesn’t even try to hide her tears.

“Ryan?” Tobias asks, sounding worried.

Ryan shakes his head fast. “No, buddy. I’m okay.”