“Maybe I should find out about the adoption agency so I can present a solid argument. No sense in getting him to agree if we can’t adopt a child.”
Anthony shrugged. “Maybe.” He didn’t know the best way to approach this. He never had to have this conversation with Silver. He had one involving him trying to convince his mate he hadn’t slept around and hadn’t that been fun.
Trin appeared out of thin air, landing on Anthony’s lap.
“Hi, Daddy. Hi, Dare.” He waved a cheery hand.
“Trin, what did I say about showing up when I’m out of the house?” Anthony’s heart steadied after trying to pound out of his chest.
Trin dipped his head and played with the buttons on Anthony’s shirt.
Dare grinned.
“What did I say?” he prompted after Trin didn’t speak.
“Not to,” Trin whispered.
“And do you remember why?” Anthony pressed.
“Because regular humans might get upset.” Trin parroted back the words Anthony had told him many times before.
“So why did you do it now?”
“Because I thought you would be in your office. You’re always in your office at two.”
Anthony checked his watch and bit back a word he definitely didn’t want Trin to learn and repeat. “You’re right, but I could’ve been in a meeting. Next time, have someone call me to make sure it’s safe to teleport, all right?” He squeezed Trin to show him he was more cautious than upset.
“Okay, Dad. Can I go see Santa?”
Anthony glared at Dare who had the audacity to laugh at him.
“I’m not an expert on Santa, but I believe he has appointed times for visits due to his busy Christmas season schedule. Dare, here, was just telling me what good friends he is with Santa and how he would try to get him to come to the hotel.” Anthony scratched at the back of his neck, wishing there was a way to get out of this conversation. “How do you feel about ice cream?”
“Don’t you like Santa?” Trin asked, tilting his head to peek at Anthony.
“I wasn’t raised to believe knowing about Santa, Trin.” There that was a neutral response. Anthony mentally patted himself on the back.
“What were you raised to believe in?”
“The power of the natural world around us and the magic of gods,” Anthony answered promptly.
“So you don’t believe Santa is a god?”
Anthony barely resisted the urge to bash his head in.
“Santa is for children.” Dare rescued him. “He doesn’t need adults to believe. His Christmas magic is reserved for kids.”
“Then who will bring you guys presents?” Trin’s eyes watered.
Anthony kissed his son on the head. “Your dad will give me a few and I’ll exchange with some of the pack. Don’t worry about gifts. Just enjoy being a kid.” As much as a young god-created child could.
Trin was growing at an alarming rate, much faster than most children. Anthony had no idea how big Trin would be in the next year, but there was more than one reason he wasn’t introduced to non-pack or supernatural people. There would be too many questions, and not everyone would believe the Zeus baby-cocktail story.
“Can I have ice cream now?”
Dare snickered. “Why don’t I take you. I’ll call the pack house and let them know you escaped so your dad can get back to work.” Dare scooped up Trin and accepted Anthony’s thanks with a nod before heading down to the ice cream store.
“Steven is a lucky wolf.” Anthony didn’t know anyone kinder than Dare. The big tiger shifter was everyone’s favorite.
Anthony returned to his office, wondering what they could do to keep Trin’s Christmas dreams alive. It would be hard to keep Trin believing in Santa if they couldn’t produce someone. If Dare didn’t find someone soon, maybe they could borrow someone from a neighboring pack that Trin had yet to meet.
After taking a last sip of his soda, Anthony went back to the office. He could worry about Santa another day.
Chapter Three
Dare eyed the Santa perched on the red-and-gold throne. Whatever misgivings Anthony had about Santa Dare had hired, he certainly had come through when he designed Santaland. Dare had never seen such a beautiful setup in his life. A mini gingerbread castle dominated the lobby of Anthony’s hotel. Large lollipops and other assorted sweets covered the outside and gumdrops hung in strings like a sugary bower framing Santa, sitting on a rich, golden throne. Lights twinkled from every surface and a small gingerbread play area covered a third of the lobby, close enough for them to hear their parents when called. Christmas music played in the background, a smooth symphony to accompany the sound of children laughing. If nothing else, Anthony had captured his own brand of Christmas magic whether he cared about Santa Claus or not.
The reminder of St. Nick had Dare returning his attention to the cheerful man playing the part with great, convincing cheer. Good thing Anthony had been able to find someone at the last minute. Dare had panicked when the wolf shifter he’d hired called him this morning crying over how he couldn’t come play Santa due to food poisoning. Who ate food someone was selling out of the back of their car, anyway? Idiot.
However, when he came down to Santaland to tell Anthony in person, when Dare couldn’t reach him on the phone, he had found it a completely unnecessary trip. Wherever Anthony had gotten this Santa, he had done well. The wolf shifter hadn’t been half as convincing. Everything from his fluffy white beard to his velvet suit had a ring of authenticity. His name was probably Frank or Gus.
Santa gave a big belly laugh suitable for audio Christmas cards.
He’s perfect.
Silver stood beside Trin as he sat on the man’s lap, jabbering away about what he wanted for Christmas. The Alpha nodded along as if he were making a mental Christmas list.
Trin’s cuteness more than deserved the dozens of pictures he’d taken discreetly with his phone. The photographer clicked like mad until Santa set Trin back on his feet and reluctantly allowed Silver to take him away.
After receiving his candy cane, Trin handed it to Silver, then ran off to join the other kids in the small playland set up for the event. Anthony had the idea to give the parents numbers and let their kids play while they waited so there wasn’t a line. The children might be a little rumpled from running around, but the results were much happier children and better photos.
Silver joined Dare. “That guy is great. Wherever you found him, try to get him again next year. Trin loved him. I didn’t really think we could pull this off, but it worked really well.” Silver waved a hand to all the people in the lobby, then patted Dare’s shoulder and walked off before he could say it wasn’t his guy on the throne.
Half an hour later, the hours for Santaland ended and Dare went home.
He would put off the children talk with his mate until this event faded from Steven’s memory a bit more. Steven had visited for only a few minutes before the noise got to him and he made his excuses.
“I’m back!” he shouted as he entered the apartment he shared with Steven.
“How did the rest of it go?”
“Perfect. The guy Anthony found did an amazing job. I tried to call him today to talk to him about the guy, but I wasn’t able to get through. It was nuts today. I need to find out if my guy will be able to work tomorrow. He’s retired and I know he needs the money.”