Belinda, on the other hand, was perfectly fine with the fact that this sometimes happened, and as a consequence, so much more excited that Stupid appeared to be a good mother.
“Oh, they’re going to be potluck in colors,” she said. “We’ve got a black one and an orange one, and Stupid is that unusual dark gray. I can’t wait until they’re a little older—we’ll be up here all the time to watch them grow!” She gave Spencer a sly look. “It’s a good thing Theo was here to make it look nice. It’s like a real home and everything.”
“Theo’s good that way,” Spencer admitted. “I didn’t really spend a lot of time here in those first months.”
She smiled prettily. “Well, this thing has forced you to slow down a little—that’s not always bad.” She set the baby down on the ground, where he proceeded to grab the couch cushions and pull himself up. And then sit down. And pull himself up. And then sit down. And then laugh because apparently this was the best frickin’ game he’d ever played.
“See?” Belinda said, looking fondly at the chubby brown-haired angel of her dreams. “You’re just like him. You were probably on the move from the time you could crawl. Having to sit still makes you see the whole world and not just the parts you’re avoiding so you don’t crash.”
“That’s really wise,” he said, admiring her a lot. Belinda would never yell at her child for being sick and lazy. She wouldn’t let anybody else lay a finger on him because he didn’t finish his chores fast enough. And this woman—this smiling, adorable woman who was perfectly content to spend her life taking care of dogs with her husband and raising her child, or children, in a place where they could run and be happy and learn kindness—would never teach a child that it was okay to hate someone because of the color of their skin, or who they were hardwired to kiss, or what they wanted to wear.
The charming creature currently eating his couch was going to grow up knowing he was loved.
Spencer swallowed, remembering Theo’s request (ha! His demand!) that Spencer tell him what made him afraid of intimacy and thought that maybe—just maybe—Theo had a point. If he put a voice to the things that scared him, then maybe he could leave them behind.
He certainly did like where he was now, Theo’s smell still lingering on his skin, people he cared about running into his house to see what even he had to admit was a miracle. Friends he loved to work with, doing something they all enjoyed. A best friend who would always have his back. And children. Whether they were Elsie and Josh’s or Oscar and Belinda’s, and whether he eventually came around to one for Theo and himself, there would be children in their lives to love.
Watching Caden continue to eat his couch and yell about how tasty it apparently was, he remembered when he was a kid and had been lying in bed sniveling with a bruised ass and a burning anger, and how he’d made all sorts of vows about what sort of parent he’d be when he was grown.
And it was a lot like the kind of parents Belinda and Oscar were, and Imake happen.
Spencer smiled at Belinda, thinking she and her family were wonderful, and asked if he could get her something to eat—it was getting toward dinner time, and he’d put away groceries. He knew they had some to spare.
Belinda smiled at him and patted his knee. “No worries. In fact, I’ve got a casserole at home I was going to bring you. Theo said you might not be up to going to the big house tonight.”
Spencer sighed. “We’ve got a golf cart, honey. Don’t put yourself out.”
Belinda gave him a distinctly female look, the kind that made her eyes go like a cat’s and her mouth turn up wickedly. “I think he was talking about a romantic night in, Spencer. The kind of night where the cat had to jump up between you when you were in bed at five in the afternoon.”
Suddenly Spencer could look everywhere but at her. “Well, yeah, but now the cat’s squirting out babies, and I think Preston needs to be here to make sure they come out. Not hardly romance.”
“True, but I’m still going to go get the casserole, and we can eat it here while we’re waiting for the miracle of birth.” She eyed Caden, who had decided to sit down and gnaw on the end table instead, his eyes at a distinct half-mast. She plucked his chubby baby body up off Spencer’s carpet and put him in Spencer’s arms, along with a bottle of juice that she’d pulled from some sort of brightly colored purse thing over her shoulder. She set the purse thing on the floor by the end table while Spencer tried to understand the sleepy creature in the crook of his arm.
“Here. Hold this. It wiggles sometimes but will probably doze off right now, so don’t panic. Theo’s in the next room, and he can do the chasing if it comes down to that. I’ll be back in a sec with your casserole and salad fixings, and we can all eat before Preston and I get out of your hair.” She bent down and kissed his cheek. “I know you’re anxious to get back on your feet, Spencer, but think about it this way. You have this sort of rare opportunity to get to know a really great person better. And if things go right, he may be the love of your life. So enjoy yourself.”
And then she turned around and practically bunny-hopped out of the house.
Spencer started to call after her and then remembered the thing that might wiggle, who was currently stashed in the crook of his arm. “Heya, kid,” he muttered, offering the bottle of juice. The baby grabbed the bottle and stuck it in his mouth, no help needed. Sucking contentedly, he turned his sunshine face up to Spencer as Theo came out of the bedroom.
“What’s the damage?” Spencer asked, gazing down at the kid with the same sort of adoration he’d seen on everyone else’s face.
“We’ve got five so far, and she’s still working. I’ll have to tell Thelma—she’ll be excited to hear about Stupid’s rockin’ sex life. Apparently she got very busy, with a variety of daddies, because damn. No two kittens the same.” Theo had gotten emails from the woman and children he’d been stranded on the porch with that fateful day. It made Spencer happy to think that Theo hadn’t left all the people he’d grown up with behind.
But now Spencer chuckled. “All that and it turns out her true love is my idiot dog. Go figure.”
“He’s got good taste,” Theo said gently and put his hand on Spencer’s knee. “Where’s Belinda?”
Spencer covered the hand with his own, and watched as Caden’s eyes started to flutter shut. “Said something about having made us a casserole and took off in the golf cart to go get it.” He looked up to see Preston as he came out and down the small hallway. “You’re welcome to eat here with us,” he said, since he knew Damien would be gone until the next day.
Preston shook his head. “I still have work to do. I’ll eat leftovers with Oscar later.” He gazed affectionately at the baby. “But I can go do that now so she can keep the golf cart. We have a car seat for it.”
Spencer grinned at him. “Handy little device,” he agreed. “What do you think about our kittens?”
“I think she’s lucky. Lots of new mothers have a really big one first, and it gets stuck and things go to hell. This birth went off without a hitch. And you have six now, Theo. I think she’s got one or two more.” He sighed, and then looked at Spencer and Theo like a patient parent. “And what are we going to do as soon as the kittens are weaned?”