The doctor had arrived ten minutes ago. The man sat there idly, strumming his fingers on his medical bag, his eyes continuously darting toward the door. They were all waiting for Sparrow to get there.

If he didn't hurry, Josh would have no choice but to deliver the baby without the sheriff.

Renee had taken the children out back to play, trying to keep them occupied. But it seemed one of them was determined to be there.

"Josh?" Markey said as he walked into the living room. "You belly hurt?"

Harland and Jed were in the living room, along with Bryson who stood at the bottom of the staircase. Bryson looked as if he were ready to jump into action at any second.

"Come on, kiddo," Harland said as he tried to gather Markey into his arms, but the toddler raced around the couch.

"Josh hurt," he said. "Get him some tea."

Clayton smiled. Renee felt tea was the cure for everything and it seemed Markey had been paying close attention to her. He grabbed his stuffed alligator from the floor and handed it to Josh. "Ralph makes belly aches go away."

As much pain as Josh appeared to be in, he smiled and accepted the toy. "Thanks, buddy."

Markey looked pleased that he'd helped. Once Josh took the toy, Markey allowed Harland to take him back outside.

The sound of tires screeching in the driveway drew everyone's attention. Clayton moved over to the window to see Sparrow jumping from his truck, a harried expression on his face as he raced toward the front door.

"About time," Clayton mumbled to himself before he turned toward Josh. "Sparrow is here. I'm taking you upstairs."

Clayton slid his hands under Josh and was pulling his mate into his arms when Sparrow burst through the front door. "I'm here!"

"Oh my god!" Josh shouted. "You're bleeding."

"Just a graze," Sparrow said. "I'll live." He turned toward the doctor. "Shouldn't you be pulling the baby out or something?"

The doctor chuckled. "Soon. Why don't you get a shower before you join us?"

"Make it quick!" Josh shouted before his head fell into Clayton's chest as he groaned. Clayton didn't waste any time. He hurried upstairs and took Josh into their bedroom.

Renee had prepped the bed. The thick birthing blanket was spread out-something they used for the mess of the birth. It was lined at the bottom with absorbent material so the fluids wouldn't ruin the bed. There were stacks of pillows situated at the headboard, and a small table set up for the doctor to set his bag on.

She was a gem.

Sparrow hurried past them, dropping a kiss on Josh's head before he rushed into the bathroom. The shower turned on as Clayton laid Josh on the mattress.

"Is there anything you need?" he asked Josh.

"No," Josh panted. "You and Sparrow are here. That was all I wanted."

"It seems the men in this house are full of surprises," the doctor said. "First triplets and now a three-way mating."

Although the doctor had been checking on Josh throughout his pregnancy, this was the first time he'd made a comment about the three men being in a menage relationship.

"Guess so," Clayton answered as he stripped his mate and placed a thin sheet over his waist. Sparrow was out of the bathroom in less than five minutes.

"How's the leg?" Clayton asked, his eyes wandering over Sparrow's thigh. He didn't see any blood. That was a relief. But he was still pissed. Ever since Sparrow had gone back to work, Clayton had worried.

And rightfully so, judging by the blood that had been on the man's pants. He'd wait until things settled down before he had a talk with his sheriff.

"Fine," Sparrow replied as he moved closer to the bed. "Told you, just a graze."

Josh cried out and Clayton forgot his anger...for now.

It took two hours of labor and a lot of cursing and sweating. Clayton was feeling the weariness in his bones by the time Josh gave birth. But nothing had prepared him for the sight of the child as the doctor handed the newborn over to Renee.

Clayton instantly fell in love.

"A healthy little boy." The doctor smiled.

When Renee cleaned him up and brought him over, trying to hand the bundle to Clayton, he felt dizzy, ready to pass out. "I can't hold him. He's too damn small."

She turned to Sparrow.

The man's hands were shaking as he took the bundle from her. Clayton moved closer, standing right by Sparrow. The baby had a head full of blond hair and the darkest, bluest eyes he'd ever seen. Renee adjusted the baby, showing Sparrow how to support the head before she began to clean up the mess she'd made cleaning the baby.

Clayton wanted to help her, but couldn't pull his eyes away from his son.

"Have you thought of a name?" she asked.

Both Clayton and Sparrow turned toward Josh, but the man was fast asleep. Over the course of Josh's pregnancy, they'd tossed around names.

Josh had tried to incorporate both Sparrow's and Clayton's names. He'd even teased that if it was a boy, his name would be Clarrow or Spayton. All three men wholeheartedly agreed that those names were not going to work.

They'd decided on Sparrow's father's name, with Clayton's father's name for the middle.

"His name is Kaneonushkatew," Sparrow said and Clayton could hear the pride in the man's voice. "It means 'one that walks on four claws.' But we'll call him Kane for short."

Clayton chuckled. "He's going to hate us for that."

"Nah," Sparrow said. "My father would have loved it and we'll make sure Kane is proud of his name."

"His middle name is Adriano," Clayton said. Renee stood there staring at the two as if she'd never seen them before and then she smiled.

"Your father is going to get a kick out of this." She crossed the room and hugged Clayton. He couldn't wait to call his mother. Too bad she couldn't get any time off of work to fly out here, but Clayton understood. His parents had promised to visit in a few weeks.

"Now, Mr. Calabria," Sparrow said. "Hold your son."

Clayton's gut clenched as he extended his arms, terrified he'd drop the small bundle. He remembered how Renee had shown Sparrow, careful to support the head. As he gazed down into Kane's eyes, Clayton felt a protective urge course through him.

They'd created this child and Kane was perfect.

Clayton turned toward Sparrow. "I love you."

Sparrow's eyes widened slightly. None of them had said the L word yet and Clayton hated that Josh wasn't awake for this. But the overwhelming emotions had him raw, exposed, and he wanted his sheriff to know exactly how he felt.

Sparrow wrapped his hand around the nape of Clayton's neck, kissing him on the cheek. "I love you, too."

A week after Kane was born, Clayton and Sparrow drove into town to shop for some more baby items. Sparrow had some strange notion that Kane needed his nursery filled to the brim.

"I'm telling you, he doesn't need a damn race car," Clayton argued. "He can't even sit up. How's he going to drive a battery-operated car?"

"But I want him to have it," Sparrow said. "Besides, the other kids can ride it until Kane's old enough."

Clayton groaned. The man was impossible. "The other kids aren't old enough either," he pointed out.

"Fine." Sparrow didn't look too happy. Clayton chuckled, kissing his mate's cheek. "Stop pouting."

"I'm not pouting," Sparrow defended as they walked from the clothing store, arms filled with shopping bags. They both paused when three patrol cars raced past them, sirens blaring.

"What was that about?" Clayton asked.

"Don't know." Sparrow set the bags in the back of his truck and pulled his cell phone out, dialing someone. "Hey, Harold. What's going on?"

Clayton growled as he, too, tossed his bags inside. "It's your day off, Sparrow. Find out tomorrow."

Sparrow held up a finger, his features darkening as he talked with Harold. Clayton grew curious. He'd never seen Sparrow look this angry before, not even when the man had ordered him out of his office. His features were lethal, reminding Clayton of a predator.

Sparrow shoved the phone into his pocket, walking to the driver's side of the truck. "You need to find a ride home."

Clayton shook his head as he gave Sparrow a wary look. "What's going on?"

He got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Those patrol cars had torn out of here like they were chasing the devil. If it was that bad, Clayton didn't want his mate going anywhere near whatever was going on.

Sparrow seemed to consider things for a moment and then waved to the truck. "Get in. I'll explain on the way."

Clayton still didn't want his mate to go, but at least now he would be there to ensure the man didn't get hurt. He slipped in, buckling his seat belt before Sparrow took off.

His anger flared and his stomach sank when Sparrow pulled into the trailer park. He should have known that if it was something this bad, it would happen in this hell hole.

What Clayton hadn't expected to see were FBI cars parked at odd angles and a large black box truck. Men in handcuffs were being hauled into the truck. He spotted Buck climbing into the back and felt a sense of relief. That guy had been a nuisance for years.

"What the hell is going on?" Sparrow shouted at the closest FBI agent after getting out of his truck. "Who is in charge around here?"

A big, beefy man in his late forties, maybe early fifties turned, eyeing Sparrow before walking over. "I am."

Clayton stood close-by, listening to Sparrow and the agent go back and forth. His mate was livid, shouting. He eventually calmed down, but he still looked pissed.

"We've been working this case for close to a year and a half," the agent said. "It was on a need-to-know basis."

"You couldn't have given me the courtesy of telling me there was a sting going down in my jurisdiction?" Sparrow asked.

"We didn't know who all was involved," the agent said. "Someone was supplying the known dealers around here and we had to work this until we could figure things out."

Clayton thought about how Devil had broken into their home and tried to kill Noah for witnessing the dealer shoving someone into his trunk. If he'd had to bet, he would have sworn it was Devil supplying the drugs.

But Devil had been dead a long time and the drugs were still being sold. So, who had been supplying them?

"You." Sparrow narrowed his eyes as a wiry man approached them. He turned toward the agent. "Why isn't he in custody?"

"That's the thanks I get for helping you take down those robbers in the diner?"

This had to be Barry Sliman. Clayton had heard the man's name mentioned in conversations about the robbery, how Barry had helped Sparrow. But he had no clue who the man was.

"You're a damn drug dealer," Sparrow spat. "You should be in the back of that truck with everyone else."

Deputy Dunham walked over, a cocky grin on his face as he approached. He eyed Sparrow critically as he shoved his thumbs into his utility belt. "I was here when it went down. Collared a few of the men myself."

Clayton knew how Sparrow felt about Dunham. The man was gunning for Sparrow's job. He even spoke of running against the sheriff at reelection time. Clayton had taken an instant dislike to the man when he'd found out how manipulative the deputy was.

He could see the expression on Sparrow's face. The man wasn't happy with Dunham's news.

"So who was the guy supplying the drugs?" Sparrow asked the agent.

Clayton jerked in shock when three FBI agents walked up behind Dunham and cuffed the man. Dunham didn't go quietly. He wrestled with the agents, taking one down before he grabbed another's gun from his hand.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sparrow asked as he stepped in front of Clayton. "Have you lost your mind?"

"He's the big dog around here," Barry said. "The guy bringing the heroin and cocaine into the park."

Dunham had one of the agents in a choke hold as he began to back away. "I'm not going to prison," he said. "Just back off!"

Clayton tried to shove Sparrow behind him, but the sheriff wasn't having it. He was a hell of a lot bigger than Clayton, but Clayton had shifter strength. Even so, trying to move the sheriff out of his way was like trying to move a parked train. The man was solid, unyielding.

"I won't have you shot again," Clayton said between gritted teeth.

Sparrow didn't answer him. His eyes were locked on Dunham.

Clayton leapt sideways when he heard a gun going off. He crashed into Sparrow's hard frame when Dunham jerked and then fell to the ground. He wasn't sure what was going on until he looked over at the deputy and saw a bullet hole in the man's temple.

He was going to have nightmares for weeks. Dunham's empty eyes seemed to be staring right at him. Clayton closed his own eyes, glancing away before Sparrow helped him to his feet.

"Damn it," Barry cursed at the agent who was holstering his gun. "He didn't deserve to take the easy way out."

"Who the hell are you?" Sparrow asked.

"Agent Anthony Armstrong," Barry said.

"You're a fucking agent?" Sparrow gaped at Armstrong. "I knew there was something off about you. I felt it in my gut."

"You're a smart man," Armstrong said. "There were a few times I thought you'd figured me out."

Clayton took a seat on the tailgate of Sparrow's truck as his mate talked for a while with the agents. He couldn't understand why Sparrow put himself in harm's way all the time. He constantly worried about the man. What if it had been Sparrow that Dunham had grabbed instead of an agent? It made his stomach queasy just thinking about it.