Then we had everything in place. I nodded Casey’s way and he left. Before I could send the kids on their way, though, there was the sound of wind and the world seemed to twist around a single spot in the living room.
“It’s Gray,” Fen said when I started to get into a defensive stance.
Suddenly my hot demon hubby was standing in the middle of the living room wearing a beautifully fitting suit and carrying a bouquet of gorgeous flowers in one hand. There was a big box at his feet.
Trent chuckled as he walked in from the bedroom. He was grinning as he crossed to me while his eyes were on Gray. “You do not usually look this good when you come home.”
Gray’s lips tugged up slightly. “You don’t usually care how I look. I was hoping she would.”
“I do care,” Trent corrected. “I care when you look tired and heartsick, neither of which you look today. I meant what I said. You look good.”
Now Gray smiled in a way I rarely saw. Bright. Open. Happy. “I took some time to get ready. How long have I been gone?”
“Two days,” I said, and yes there was accusation in those words because I wasn’t ready to forgive him simply because he looked like sex in a suit.
Gray sighed, a relieved sound. “Excellent. I was worried it had been longer. I brought presents.”
Now his eyes were on me, and I felt the pressure of everyone in my family staring my way. But I was still mad at him, and some flowers weren’t going to fix it. “And I had a delightful conversation with your butler yesterday. Do you know how he found me? He tracked our unborn child. He’s assured me he’ll always be able to find our son.”
“Yeah, she was pissed about that, Pops,” Fenrir said, but he was sniffing the air. “Is that what I think it is?”
Gray’s happy expression went right back to grim. “I’ll order him to not ever contact you again, and I can assure you I can get him to stay away from our son.”
“But he’ll always have a connection,” I pointed out.
“He’s bound to the House of Sloane.”
“I bet I could unbind him really fucking fast,” I countered.
Trent sighed. “Tix is immortal, and if you somehow found a way to off him, Hell would simply grow a new one. There’s always a keeper of the house as there is always a head of the house. And before you accuse Gray, if he steps down, he opens up the head of household spot for one of his relatives, and none of it will sever the connection to our son. It simply means Gray doesn’t have any control.”
I didn’t care in that moment. “Which he should have told me before he decided to knock me up.”
“I didn’t really understand how it worked because I never thought to ask. I knew any child of ours couldn’t be forced into Hell. I didn’t grow up in the house and didn’t go there as an adult, so I didn’t understand that the keeper of the house could track me.” Gray held out the flowers. “I got them for you. I thought you would like them.”
I took them. They were beautiful. Black and purple and midnight blue blooms that seemed to shimmer. “They’re lovely.”
“They’re grown in the gardens surrounding the palace,” he admitted quietly. “I know you’re mad, but I’m trying, Kelsey mine. Can we talk?”
“I need to work.”
Fenrir groaned. “Come on, Pops. I can smell it. Do you know how long it’s been since I had some?”
“I have to admit, I missed it, too,” Trent said.
Gray leaned over and brushed his lips across my forehead. “Wolves.” He stepped back and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a bag and what looked like a small piece of beef jerky. “Here you go, buddy. I told the kitchens to make sure they have a steady supply.”
Gray tossed it into the air and Fenrir easily caught it. In his mouth. Like it was a frisbee except he ate it.
Thankfully Gray simply handed Trent the bag.
“Damn that smells good.” Trent downed one, too, before offering me the bag. “You want to try one, baby?”
Evan cleared her throat and looked at me with wide eyes that told me I should ask questions.
“What is that made of, Gray?”
“Meat,” came the reply. “Like all jerky. It’s a snack the kitchens came up with.”