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Maybe I was whipped, but I didn’t give a single fuck.

Our home had a warmth about it that had been sorely lacking. It wasn’t just the joy of having our mate around, either. Our son was a joy. My son.

Yes, I had fallen into dad life as easily as I’d hoped. It felt so right to have him around, and of course Summer too. They were everything to me, and I didn’t mind saying it. So what if it was fast or something equally as unimportant? When you knew, you knew. That’s how it was with them.

And I was pretty damn sure my entire pack agreed.

“Knock knock,” a soft voice said from the doorway. Summer stood there with a smile, Milo on her hip, a deli bag in her hand.

“Summer! What are you doing here?” I asked, pushing back and getting up to walk over to her. I could feel the smile stretching my face, wide and unabashed.

Seeing her in my classroom was a pleasant surprise, but why?

“Well, you did forget lunch.” She giggled, holding up the deli bag. “I got you a turkey club; is that okay?”

Food and my mate? My day was looking significantly better. Hell, had I dozed off? Because this was a dream come true.

“You are an angel sent from above,” I said, taking the bag out of her hand with a thankful smile and leaning forward to kiss her quickly, ignoring the way her cheeks turned pink. I placed it on my desk, then turned back to her and held out my hands for Milo. “I demand a cuddle.”

Milo was more than happy at that prospect, his hands shooting out toward me as he grabbed eagerly.

“I swear you guys are spoiling him. He’s never going to want to be put down between all of you guys carrying him around.” Summer giggled, shaking her head.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing!” I gasped, moving around the room and bobbing up and down slightly to soothe Milo.

“He does need to eventually learn to entertain himself for a few minutes,” she pointed out.

“Don’t listen, Milo. Mama is being silly,” I told the baby playfully.

Summer shook her head, but she was smiling. “I dread to think what you guys will be like when we have a daughter.”

When we have a daughter.

The comment was made so casually and so definitively. Something about it caught me off guard.

I wanted to have a child with Summer more than anything. Technically, I already did. Milo was our son. But the idea of her being pregnant scratched this primal itch inside me. I wanted to see her belly grow, be there to rub her feet when her ankles swelled, and to get her every late-night craving she desired.

“Oh, our daughter will be spoiled rotten,” I declared.

Summer sighed wistfully. “I can see that. No ponies or sports cars, though! Marshall was talking about Milo’s first car the other day, and I almost cried thinking about my baby so grown-up.”

“I get that.” I looked down at Milo. He was our little guy. The idea of him driving and going to college, if he wanted to, well, it was all a bit wild. He was getting ready to walk, after all. I didn’t want to rush time and miss anything.

Knock, knock. This time someone actually rapped on the door, and I looked over to see Mr. Tanner at the door, looking down at a stack of papers in his hands.

“Hey, John. What can I do for you?”

He stepped in but faltered when he realized that I was with someone, holding a baby. “Oh, I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to…interrupt.”

“No biggie.” I smiled, angling Milo toward John. “This is Milo, my son. And Summer, his incredible mother and my mate.”

John stared, his jaw dropping as the papers nearly tumbled out of his grip. “Your…mate?”

I smiled and nodded. “Yup.”

Summer gestured at his hands. “I’d shake but…” she teased, smiling. “Nice to meet you, John.”

The guy was still a little surprised, so I moved to redirect the conversation. “So, what’s up?”