His eyes strayed to Bryson, wondering if the man was going to find his other half. Bryson's smile was genuine as he teased one of the cubs with a biscuit. But Clayton had also seen the man staring off into the distance, a look of longing in his deep-grey eyes. The bear shifter wanted what the rest of the men had found.

A mate.

But he showed no outward sign that something was missing in his life. Bryson wouldn't do that. He wouldn't be jealous of everyone else's happiness. Still, there had to be some resentment that he was still single. The man was just good at keeping it bottled up.

The conversation didn't lull, didn't skip a beat until everyone's plate was clear. The clattering of dishes being gathered filled the air. Clayton pushed back from the table, his stomach full, his heart light.

His brows drew together in mild confusion when he saw Josh dip his spoon into his baked beans before dipping it into his dessert cup filled with caramelized apples. Josh ate the combination and then his eyes rolled, like he was tasting heaven on earth.

Come to think of it, the man had been eating strange combinations for the past week.

Just yesterday Clayton had caught Josh dipping celery into a jelly jar.

When Harland turned his head, he saw Sparrow staring strangely at Josh. The man's dark eyes focused intently on Josh before he lifted them to gaze at Clayton.

Clayton shrugged. He wasn't sure why Josh craved odd mixtures of food.

When the table was cleared, Dresden and Harland took their two boys and headed into the living room. Jed and Noah grabbed their triplets and walked outside, no doubt going for their ritual after-dinner walk.

Jack and Renee were talking, laughing, and the smile on Jack's face was like a beam of bright light. Bryson gazed at the couple for a moment before he left the dining room.

"Does anyone else have a yen for some cherry pie?" Josh asked as he licked his spoon clean before plunging it back down into his beans and then dipping it into the apple bowl. "How long is the Piggly Wiggly open?"

Clayton felt a flip in his chest as his heart began to pulse in his throat. Something clicked inside his head so fast that he felt breathless. He knew why Josh was eating the weirdest food.

His mate was with child.

It was just an educated guess based on the evidence he'd witnessed. Clayton's eyes dropped to Josh's stomach and he noticed the small distention. It could be from the way Josh had devoured his dinner. A food baby, as Bryson sometimes called it when the man ate four helpings.

He also noticed a rosiness to Josh's cheeks that hadn't been there before. The man seemed to...glow, radiate.

Josh polished off the rest of his food and then sat back, burped, and slapped a hand over his mouth before he chuckled.

Clayton grazed his fingertips over Josh's jaw and smiled. Sparrow tapped Clayton with the back of his hand, his gaze still a bit off-thunderstruck. "Is he?"

"I think so," Clayton replied. "Sure as hell eats like it."

"Eats like what?" Josh asked as he stood, stretched, yawned, and then turned. "I'm going to bed. Maybe I'll get a cherry pie tomorrow."

Clayton watched Josh head upstairs before he turned to Sparrow. "I think I'll call the doctor to examine him."

Sparrow's eyes were on the steps Josh had just ascended. There was a strange expression on the guy's face. The man's voice was low, smooth, and disconcertingly calm. "I'm going to head to my sister's. I'll be back."

Clayton's heart beat faster as he watched Sparrow walk out the front door. What had that look been about? Was Sparrow disappointed that Josh might be pregnant? Was the man inwardly panicking? Was the baby something that he even wanted?

With Sparrow's quiet departure, Clayton was left with a dozen questions and no answers. Fear prickled inside of him, in his chest, his head, and his hands.

What if Sparrow had changed his mind and was working up the nerve to tell Clayton that this wasn't going to work out, that he wanted out of this relationship? The man hadn't declared his love or even said that this was what he wanted.

But neither had Clayton or Josh. They had yet to explicitly say that they wanted to be mates and that this was the life they were choosing.

Unsure of what to do, Clayton pushed from the table and headed toward the stable. He was going to take a ride and hopefully come up with a solution. Because if Sparrow started running again, Clayton might not get the man back.

Josh sat there with his lungs burning, his breath trapped inside of him at the doctor's news. He was going to have a baby. Why he was so terrified was a mystery. Family was the most important thing to bear shifters. That's what his mother had taught him. To find one's mate and start a family was the biggest blessing one could have in life.

So why wasn't he overjoyed?

But even though Josh's mother had taught him the high value of family, his hadn't been present much of his life. The disconnect between his parents expressed value and their action was part of the reason for Josh's fear.

He stared straight ahead, focusing on the intricate lace pattern of his curtains, the wind blowing through the leaves just outside his window, and the sun chasing shadows along the forest that sat to the right of the house.

"Josh?" Clayton said his name before snapping his fingers, but Josh couldn't seem to focus. There was a teeny tiny cub growing inside of him. Deep in his belly. It didn't feel real to him. He took a deep breath and held it in an attempt to relieve some of the pressure that was building in his chest.

"The news just needs to sink in," the doctor explained. "Give him a moment to absorb things."

Josh needed more than a moment.

The doctor left the room. Sparrow and Clayton sat on the bed beside him, both men frowning. Josh clasped his hands in his lap, watching as a blue bird flew from one branch to another outside. He breathed the pressure out and then nodded. He could do this.

Hopefully.

He didn't have a choice. The deed was already done and he was going to carry this cub until he gave birth to it.

His throat grew dry.

"Do you want me to get Noah and Dresden?" Clayton asked. "Maybe they can help you through this."

Josh knew he had to pull himself together. He shook his head and patted Clayton's and Sparrow's knees. "I'm fine. It was just a bit of a shocker." Part of him did feel fine, but there was also a part of him that was twisted into hard knots.

Two weeks pregnant.

Wow.

"We're all going to be fine." Sparrow's voice was thick with emotion and Josh was surprised it was the sheriff who seemed to be on the verge of tears. He'd always viewed the man as strong. Not even a bullet taking him down had changed that. But it seemed that a baby had the man shaking in his damn boots. Clayton had told Josh about Sparrow taking off after dinner last night.

When Sparrow had come back, he hadn't said a word, just went to bed and fell asleep.

"Are you going to be okay?" Josh asked. Even if Sparrow wasn't all right, Josh knew the man wouldn't admit to such weakness. Sparrow was too much of an alpha male to tell Josh that he was scared. But Josh could see the worry in the sheriff's eyes and knew the man wasn't ready for this.

None of them appeared to be.

"Let's get some fresh air." Clayton pulled Josh to his feet and guided him toward the bedroom door. "It will do us all some good."

Josh had known the risks when he had unprotected sex with Sparrow and Clayton. But the reality was more daunting. He placed his splayed hand on his stomach, wondering...just wondering.

Sparrow placed his warm hand on Josh's back. Whether to help guide him or steady himself, Josh wasn't sure. They walked down the steps and out the back door in silence. Not even Markey's smiling face as he passed them lifted the stupor Josh was in.

The three walked for a long time before Josh said, "What are we going to do?"

Sparrow, who was lagging a bit, pursed his lips as he gazed up at the trees. There was a light breeze and the sun was hiding behind some clouds, but it was warm enough that Josh wished he'd worn shorts.

"Have a child," Sparrow answered. "I think it's a little too late to think about condoms."

"Are you mad?" Josh asked.

"No." Sparrow shook his head, but Josh could see something was bothering the man. He looked introspective, as if contemplating the world. "This might not have been planned, but I think we can get through this."

"Get through this?" Josh asked as he halted his footsteps. "You sound like this is some ferocious storm that will pass. This is a lifelong commitment, Sparrow."

"We both know that," Clayton said. "And no, neither of us is mad."

"Oh, I'm glad you know what Sparrow is feeling because he sure as shit hasn't told me." Josh walked a few paces ahead, wishing he'd come out here alone. He reached up and rubbed his temples, telling himself to calm down.

"Josh." Sparrow grabbed his arms, pulling him to a stop. "You know I'm not good with words. I just..." Sparrow paused. "Wow, it's a mind blower, you know?"

Sparrow breathed deeply and Josh watched his chest rise. As he exhaled, he cupped the side of Josh's face.

"Okay, so we're going to be parents." Clayton walked up beside the two. "We do have help, you know. Harland and Jed seem to be doing a damn good job with their cubs."

"Cubs," Sparrow groaned and then his eyes darted to Josh. "Will the baby be born human?"

For some reason, this made Josh laugh. He bent at the waist and grabbed his knees, tears streaking down his face. The pressure in his chest once again faded as he stood, using the palms of his hands to wipe at his eyes. "You are too damn funny."

"I was serious," Sparrow said.

"Yes, the baby is born in human form," Clayton answered with a short laugh. "What did you think, he'd spit out an actual cub?"

"How would I know?" Sparrow groused. "You don't have to poke fun at me."

Josh stared at both men and love surged through his chest, a warm feeling not unlike an ache. They were going to be fine. The shock had thrown them for a loop, but the three of them would fumble through this.

Chapter Nine.

It had been almost three months since Sparrow had been shot and he finally felt like things were getting back to normal. He could move with ease now without being in pain.

"Have I ever told you how good you look in your uniform?" Josh asked as he attempted to sit up in bed. When the man had first started showing, the sight of Josh's distended stomach had been strange to look at, and Sparrow had found himself stealing quick glances every chance he could get.

It was amazing what someone could get used to over time.

"If I wasn't running late, I'd thank you for that compliments." He winked at Josh in the mirror before strapping on his duty belt.

"Are you sure you don't have five minutes to spare?"

The man was teasing him and Sparrow was tempted.

"Babe, the day it only takes only five minutes for me to appreciate that sexy body of yours is the day I need to be put out to pasture."

Josh laughed.

"Now stop distracting me."

From the mirror, Sparrow watched Josh roll from left to right and then left again. He pushed to his hands and knees and then inched backward on the bed until he reached the edge and then Josh slid until his feet touched the floor.

When Josh stood, Sparrow's eyes were drawn to Josh's rounded abdomen. It still left him in awe that the man could be carrying his child.

Did it matter that the babe might be Clayton's? It had at first. But then Sparrow came to the conclusion that no matter whose baby it was, he wasn't going anywhere. He couldn't imagine his life without Clayton and Josh. They had become the two most important people to him.

And Sparrow planned on knocking Josh up again. So the odds would sooner or later be in his favor-if they weren't already.

"What?" Josh stood there staring at Sparrow before he looked down at his stomach. "Do I look that bad?"

Sparrow turned from the mirror and pulled Josh close, placing a kiss on the man's forehead. "How can you look bad when you radiate such beauty?"

"Brownie points for you." Josh smacked his arm. "Now let me use the bathroom. This baby must be lying on my bladder."

Sparrow released Josh before grabbing his hat from the dresser. He took one last look at his mate before heading to work.

Clayton was downstairs, waiting on the porch.

Sparrow smiled. "How nice, a sendoff."

The side of Clayton's mouth twisted into a smile that quickly disappeared. "I hear there's a lot of trouble at the trailer park."

"Worried about me?" Sparrow placed his Stetson on his head.

"Well, yeah." Clayton settled his backside on the railing, crossing his hands over his thighs. "What if you get caught up in some crazy shit and get hurt again?"

Sparrow sighed. "We've talked about this, Clayton. It's my job to help others and put away the bad guys."

Clayton chewed his lower lip and Sparrow could tell the man was trying to think of something to say that would stop him from going into work.

He appreciated the man's concern. He really did. But this was Sparrow's life, his career, and he wasn't going to give it up because some yahoos were acting like asses.

After his former career, Sparrow knew settling down in a small town was what he wanted. He'd had enough of the fast life, of traveling across the globe. He'd traded in his mercenary status for a job where he didn't have to watch his back every second of every day. "I'll be careful."

Clayton nodded, but Sparrow could see the man wasn't happy.

"Just stay away from that park," Clayton said.