"I ask Papa Bear what to do with little Marcus, but he say not to worry, help will come." She placed her hands over his breasts and smiled up at T-Rex. "I just his nanny. I would love to keep him, but am too old to care for such a little one."

T-Rex frowned. "I'm not sure I know what you're talking about."

Her dark-brown eyes widened. "You not know MJ?"

T-Rex shook his head, but Isaac could see understanding dawning in the man's eyes. Isaac had caught on to what she was saying but didn't fully understand the situation.

"MJ?" T-Rex asked.

She laughed, and the sound was soft and soothing. "Your brother has a son. MJ is six months old."

T-Rex stumbled backward. Isaac jumped up from the couch, afraid his mate would crash into the cabinet behind him. But T-Rex caught himself. "Marcus never mentioned a son."

The woman started speaking in Spanish, and it didn't sound like anything Isaac wanted to hear.

"Teresa is coo," Maria said and then blushed. "Sorry for my foul language."

"Teresa?" Isaac asked.

"S," Maria said. "She MJ mother, but her leave when baby born. She not want to be mother. She say Marcus can have baby. She-" Maria tapped her chin as if trying to find the right words. "She like to run streets too much for child." Her eyes lit up once more. "Would you like to see your nephew?"

T-Rex nodded, and Isaac saw the anticipation on the man's face. When Maria left the room, T-Rex glanced Isaac's way. "I haven't a clue what the hell is going on here."

Isaac shook his head. "I know your brother has a son, and the mother doesn't want to have anything to do with the baby. That's about as much as I gathered."

"Same here." T-Rex scratched at his chin. "I'm taking MJ to my parents."

"No," Maria said as she came into the room holding a small boy with olive-colored skin and dark black hair. "Marcus leave papers. He tell me that if anything happen to him, Tanner is to come and take MJ." She looked T-Rex over. "You say you his brother?"

"I am," T-Rex nodded but hadn't taken his eyes off of the small boy yet.

"He say he love his mother and father, but they too old to raise baby," she said. "He wanted brother he love most to raise his son." Tears gathered in her eyes, and she quickly handed MJ off to T-Rex. "I'm sorry, but I cry when I think that I will never see Marcus again. He was very good man and father. He take MJ to park and provide well for him. He always in the boy's life."

Isaac stood there mesmerized as he watched T-hold his nephew. The man was a natural, which only reminded Isaac of the one thing he could never give his mate.

"What papers?" T-Rex asked as he placed his large hand over MJ's small back.

"Oh!" Maria hurried from the room and then came back with folded papers in her hand. "Is from court saying Marcus has custody of MJ. Also there is paper to say that if something happen to Marcus that you are baby's guardian, his keeper."

Cradling MJ in his arms, T-Rex unfolded the papers and read them over. Isaac chewed his lower lip, waving at the small boy who kept glancing his way. "It seems when Marcus found out he was dying, he set everything in motion," T-Rex said. "He even included Marcus Junior's birth certificate and shot records." T-Rex glanced at Maria. "His mother is Hispanic?"

She nodded. "Is that problem?"

"No," T-Rex said right away. "But I want to know so I can teach him to be proud of his heritage."

Maria smiled widely as tears sprang to her eyes. "Marcus say you good man, and now I can rest because I know MJ will be taken care of."

T-Rex's blue eyes shot to Isaac. "You know what this means, right?"

"That you're going to raise your nephew," Isaac stated. That was a no-brainer, and Isaac was growing used to the idea already.

"We," T-Rex corrected Isaac. "We're mates. We're a family, no matter what."

Maria laughed. "Oh, mates. I know that. Which one is bear?"

Isaac frowned. "Uh, me."

He threw his arms out when she hugged him tightly. "Now I know MJ have good life. Papa Bear one too. He very kind and loving man."

Isaac looked to his mate for help as Maria continued to hug him, but all T-Rex did was shrug and smile. She finally released him, and Isaac felt as if he could breathe again.

"I call Papa Bear," Maria said. "Tell him you have come for boy."

T-Rex held the baby up and gazed at his face. "He looks just like Marcus."

"Can I hold him?" Isaac asked. T-Rex handed MJ to him, and Isaac instantly fell in love. A part of him still hurt that he couldn't have a child with his mate, but he was going to give MJ all the love the boy could handle.

"You look good with a baby," T-Rex said, and Isaac could hear the strain in his mate's voice.

Isaac sat and then looked up at his mate. "We can adopt more."

"We can," T-Rex agreed. "There's plenty of kids who need a home."

Isaac began to feel himself again. T-Rex was right. There were plenty of children out there who needed someone to love them. They didn't have to be babies. Isaac liked the idea of older children as well. He bounced MJ on his knee, and the infant giggled.

That one sound sealed it for him. It might not be the family he and T-Rex had planned, but Isaac knew that family was who you surrounded yourself with. He'd already considered the people at home his new kin, and they treated him as such.

He loved T-Rex with all his heart, and now he had MJ to share his love with.

Chapter Ten.

Maria had loaded them down with all of MJ's belongings. She even provided a car seat, saying that Marcus had purchased everything she had given them.

"Thank you," T-Rex said to Maria as he hugged her. "Thank you for caring for little Marcus."

"No problem," she said as tears gathered in her eyes. "No mean to cry. I going to miss both Marcus."

Digging into his wallet, T-Rex handed her a business card. "Anytime you want to check on him or come by for a visit, just call."

That only seemed to make her cry harder. T-Rex was not used to women in tears. He patted her back and kissed her on the temple before he said his goodbyes. Isaac was sitting in the backseat, MJ secured in his car seat.

T-Rex wasn't sure what to think. His emotions had been on a roller coaster ride for some time now, ever since he'd spotted Isaac outside the pharmacy. But the past couple of weeks had taken a toll on him. He was thankful that his parents were only a few hours away. He was exhausted.

T-Rex slipped behind the wheel and glanced into the backseat. "How are you doing?" He reached back and cupped Isaac's face, giving his mate a warm smile. Isaac said he was fine with this, but T-Rex needed to make sure.

Raising MJ was a huge responsibility and an emotional commitment. They had already suffered a loss, and both of them were still hurting. Although T-Rex had been devastated about the baby, he could tell that it had scarred Isaac emotionally.

"I'm getting there," Isaac admitted. "It just takes time."

After brushing his thumb over Isaac's cheek, T-Rex turned back around and headed out. Thankfully he had paid attention when Sofia and the others were born. But he wasn't alone in this. Not only did he have Isaac, but he also had his parents and his friends at home to help him with his nephew.

It really did take a village.

MJ slept for most of the ride. Once T-Rex had to pull over and showed Isaac how to make a quick bottle. They both sat there on the side of the road, in the car, feeding MJ and changing his diaper. It seemed Marcus had been a firm believer in cloth diapers. T-Rex wasn't so sure about that. He wrapped the dirty diaper in a freezer bag and into a plastic handle bag.

"I didn't know a baby could create such a stinky mess," Isaac said as he waved his hand in front of his nose. "I don't even want to know what he's gonna smell like when he starts eating solid foods."

T-Rex agreed. "He already smells like a grown man now," he said as he tried to air out the SUV. "Why don't I remember any of the other kids smelling like this?"

MJ squealed with laughter as he drooled down the front of his shirt. T-Rex couldn't help but smile. It still hadn't really hit home that he had a child to raise. Even though MJ was his nephew, he finally understood what pride felt like. He used to shake his head at the way Stripper crawled around on the floor and made a fool of himself. The other fathers were no different. Although T-Rex loved the children he lived with, he'd never fully understood.

He did now. He'd crawl over sharp glass to keep that smile on MJ's face and make sure his nephew grew up happy and healthy.

"Okay, let's head out." He and Isaac cleaned everything up before they hit the road again. Not twenty minutes later, Isaac was shouting for T-Rex to pull over.

"I think he soiled his diaper again," Isaac said as he shot to the side window, rolled it down, and stuck his head out. The man inhaled deeply. "It's your turn to change him."

That's it. T-Rex was about to find some Huggies. He was not going to drive with dirty diapers in the SUV. He drove until he found a gas station and then prayed they carried diapers.

Isaac was out of the SUV before T-Rex had a chance to park. "I'll go get them."

"Sure," T Rex said. "Leave me with the nuclear bomb."

Isaac chuckled, and T-Rex hadn't noticed how much he missed that sound until he heard it. His heart clenched, and he wanted to pull his mate into his arms. But fuck, that smell. He handed Isaac his credit card and then waved for his mate to hurry up.

After pulling MJ from the car, T-Rex rushed the infant to the bathroom. Baby wipes were not going to cut it. He shoved the door open and then laid MJ on the baby-changing table.

Isaac came in and set the diapers next to him.

"You're gonna help me."

Isaac pinched his nose with his fingers. "Not on your life."

"At least turn the faucet on so I can wash his bottom." T-Rex peeled the onesie off and gagged. He tossed it the trash. "Oh my god, it's everywhere."

"Put him in the sink," Isaac directed. "We'll pull the rest off from there."

T-Rex dunked MJ into the small sink. "It's not big enough."

Isaac's eyes slid sideways. T-Rex's eyes widened. "We are not washing him in the urinal."

Isaac shrugged. "It's big enough."

T-Rex groaned. "Just help me get this diaper off."

He pulled MJ from the sink and held the infant over the trashcan as Isaac released the safety pins. They both gagged when the soggy diaper dropped. T-Rex would rather face hostile enemies the change another diaper like this one.

"Get him to the sink!" Isaac jumped up and down as he dry heaved. "I can't take that smell."

Holding MJ tightly, T-Rex washed the infant off. He scrubbed every crease and crevice, ensuring that MJ was clean. "Give me your shirt."

"I'm not giving you my shirt," Isaac said before he slapped the metal button on the hand dryer. "Just tuck his bottom under here."

"Isn't it hot?" T-Rex asked.

Isaac reached low and patted his hand up and down as if patting a dog's head. "Just keep him down here where the air is warm."

Never in his life had T-Rex even come close to imagining that he would be in a gas station bathroom, on his knees, drying a naked baby's bottom under a hand dryer.

Isaac ripped the bag of diapers open and pulled one out. He turned it over in his hand and then scratched his head. "You'll have to show me how to put this thing on."

T-Rex couldn't resist. "I don't think I'm ready for that kind of kink."

Isaac gave him a low growl. "I'm going to go get his diaper bag."

T-Rex held MJ in his arms and prayed like hell that the infant didn't soil him. He'd seen the other men change diapers, and he knew that MJ needed talcum powder. He was gonna have to wait until Isaac brought him the bag.

MJ began to pull at his nose and poke him in the eye. The infant started babbling and then tried to dig inside T-Rex's mouth. T-Rex let him.

The door to the bathroom opened. "Does that mean he wants to be a dentist?" Isaac asked as he set the diaper bag on the changing table and rummaged through it. He pulled out the talcum powder and set it aside.

T-Rex moved his head until MJ's fingers slipped from his mouth. "Kids are curious at this age. We'll have to watch what he puts in his mouth...or in mine."

After laying MJ down, T-Rex grabbed the bottle and turned it over. He gave a hard squeeze and then coughed when white powder blew up toward him.

"Too much." Isaac waved his hand in front of his face and then began to cough. "Here, let me do it."

T-Rex showed his mate how to put on a diaper. When Isaac lifted MJ, the diaper slipped free. Isaac cocked an eyebrow. "I'll need more practice."

"You just have to make sure the tabs are on tight."

Isaac tried again. This time when he lifted MJ, the diaper stayed. "Well, look at that," Isaac said to MJ. "I'm becoming a master at diaper changing."

T-Rex stood there and watched Isaac with MJ. He brushed his hand over his mate's hair before he said, "Do you know how much I love you?"

"Never thought you would declare your love to me in a public bathroom." Isaac chuckled. "Yes, I know. And I love you too." Isaac slipped a pair of pajamas on MJ. "Now let's get out of here before I get sick. It stinks in here."

T-Rex grabbed the diapers and the diaper bag as Isaac carried MJ out of the bathroom. A man walked past them and hurried into the bathroom before T-Rex heard the guy shout, "Holy fucking shit!"

Isaac walked faster. "I think we need to get out of here before the clerk realizes that MJ left a bomb in there."