"Two tiny hands, a pair of eyes. An unsung melody is mine for safekeeping."
~Waitress, 'Everything Changes'
~~~
*Type's POV*
"Tharn, no."
"Please~"
"No."
"Why not?" Tharn questions, baffling me that he's actually serious.
"Because it's crazy!"
"I don't see why it's so crazy that I want to keep him."
"We can't keep him, Tharn!" I scoff, exasperated. "It's not the same as finding a dog on the street and taking him home! It's a child."
"I know he's a child," Tharn rolls his eyes. "But he doesn't have a family. He's a pup without anyone to care for him. If we don't take him, he'll end up being sent to a different family, one that may not even be in our pack."
"Then that's what will happen," I nod my head, and Tharn's eyes widen. "Tharn, we don't know anything about raising a kid."
"You did a good job at getting him to stop crying."
"That was once. It doesn't mean I'm capable of taking care of a child."
"So we'll learn as we go," Tharn says softly, taking my hands in his. "I really want this for us. I think... I think we could be really good for him."
My face softens at the desperation of my mate. But, still... I can't get comfortable with the idea of us being parents. I know we talked about adopting in the future, but I didn't think it would be so soon.
"Please?" He pleads with his irresistible puppy eyes. "At least say you'll think about it."
I sigh, knowing I won't be able to change his mind right now. I'll have to give him time to change his mind on his own. "Okay. I'll think about it."
Tharn beams happily before kissing my forehead. "Thank you. That's all I can ask for. Besides, it doesn't look like he's going to leave you alone any time soon."
I look down with a sigh at the small boy clinging to my leg, staring at me with round, dark eyes. He hasn't left my side since I gave him the bottle that calmed him down.
"Yeah," I murmur, reaching down to tousle his black hair. The boy giggles, burying his face in my pant leg. "I suppose he's not."
The kid follows me around for the next few days, refusing to leave my side for even a second. Going to the bathroom proves to be a challenge, but fortunately he's warms up to Tharn enough to let Tharn hold him as I relieve my bladder. He goes as far as to sit on the bathroom floor while I'm taking a shower, only seeming to be comforted when I'm in the same room as him. Of course, Tharn finds it all super adorable... except for the fact that the little boy doesn't like to sleep anywhere except for our bed.
The boy tugs on my pant leg, looking up at me with wide eyes. He has yet to make any sounds besides crying and giggling, and he really ought to be old enough to know how to speak even just a few words.
"What?" I ask flatly. "What do you need?"
He reaches up with little grabby hands, and I sigh before scooping him up and balancing him on my hip.
"What?" I repeat. "Are you hungry?"
He nods his head, clearing understanding what I'm saying but not making any effort to communicate with me. I swallow my frustrations, reminding myself that he's still just a baby, in a new environment, and that's probably scary for him.
We wound up getting a high chair and keeping it in our kitchen for him. Even though we're not keeping him. We're not. No.
He sees that we're headed towards the kitchen — knowing that's where he gets food — and starts giggling like crazy. He looks up at me with a big goofy smile and shining round eyes.
He's so cute.
Dammit.
Setting him in his high chair, I grab a bottle of milk and pour some dry Cheerios out for him to snack on. He gobbles everything up pretty quickly, although I'm not surprised as I've learned that he can eat a lot, despite how small he is.
The door swings open, and in walks Tharn, Team, Champ and Techno. My smile widens when I see Techno, as I haven't gotten to spend much time with him since he moved to Jade's pack last week. I clear my throat, not wanting it to be too obvious that I've missed him.
"Hey, guys," I say casually. "What are you all doing here?"
"I invited them over for lunch," Tharn answers. "Have you eaten yet?"
I shake my head. "I've been pretty busy taking care of the kid. You know, by myself," I remind him pointedly, making him wince apologetically for leaving me with the kid he wanted to let stay in our home.
"'The kid'?" Team repeats with a smirk. "What, he doesn't have a name?"
"There wasn't a birth certificate for him in his former home," I explain. "We have no idea what his name is."
"And you didn't think to make one up for him?"
I frown at that. "He's not ours."
Techno scoffs. "Doesn't matter. He needs a name. You can't keep referring to him as 'the kid'. Everyone deserves to have a name."
I sigh and scratch the back of my head, realizing he's right. "Well shit, I don't know. I haven't even thought about it."
Champ shakes his head to scold me before turning to Tharn. "What about you, Tharn? Do you have a name in mind?"
Tharn is silent for a moment before a smile slowly spreads across his face. "Cantaloupe."
"Cantaloupe?" Champ laughs. "Like the fruit?"
"Exactly," Tharn grins, moving to sit next to the small boy. "Don't you think it fits him? Both are round and sweet. I think it's the perfect name."
"I'm not calling him Cantaloupe," I scoff, shaking my head. "But I'll call him Can for short."
Tharn smiles, seeming satisfied with that. He ruffles Can's hair as the boy shoves a handful of Cheerios in his mouth. "You're Can now, okay?"
Can blinks before giggling and latching onto Tharn's hand. Tharn melts at the precious show of affection; the two smiling at each other with mirrored puppy eyes that clearly convey their attachment to the other.
Ah, shit. We're keeping him, aren't we?
***
"Okay, Can. Are you ready?" Tharn asks the child in his arms. Can just looks at him blankly before being set on the ground. Tharn turns the handle and opens the door.
What was formerly my 'office' — not that I ever really used it — has been completely transformed into a child's room. The walls have been painted sky blue, and a light grey shag rug rolled out on the ground. Can waddles into the room, shuffling his little feet on the rug and giggling as the shag tickles him.
A grey-framed crib is centered along the back wall; dark blue sheets covering the mattress. Bins of the multitude of toys Tharn couldn't resist buying catches Can's attention, and we waddles over to one before tipping it over and dumping out the toys.
I grimace at the mess, but I don't do anything about it as Can is excitedly sifting through all his new presents.
As soon as the adoption paperwork was approved, Tharn decided that Can needed his own room instead of letting him crawl into bed with us. Of course, I agreed, missing the feeling of falling asleep in my mate's arms without a child shoving his feet in my face while he slept.
Tharn sits on the ground and pats his lap. "Can, come here." Can immediately drops his toy and waddles over to Tharn, climbing into his lap. Tharn points up at the ceiling. "Look up."
I flick off the lights and watch as Can's eyes widen with amazement. The stars we stuck to the ceiling glow in the darkness, captivating the young boy.
"Wow!" He exclaims, pointing at the ceiling. My brows raise in surprise; Can just said an actual word! Looking over at Tharn, his wide smile tells me he's elated that we were able to make Can happy enough to speak.
I look down at my mate sitting on the floor, and my heart suddenly begins to feel so full that I'm afraid it might burst. Tharn's arms are wrapped around our son, keeping Can from falling out of his lap as he gapes in wonder at the lights on the ceiling.
I sit on the ground next to Tharn, opening my arms to let Can crawl into my lap. He wraps his tiny arms around my neck, hugging himself to me.
Despite my initial resistance, I'm beyond glad that we adopted Can. Looking at the three of us, I know he was always meant to complete our little family.
A warm smile spreads across my face at that thought.
Our family.
~~~
Aaaahhhhh this chapter made my heart so happy
Question: I've gotten some requests for a Techno/Jade extra. Would a lot of people be interested in reading that? I wasn't planning on writing any hetero smut in this book, but if enough people want it then I might
Comment and vote!
See you in the final chapter!
-Gumbie