bare arms.
Kaye Grimm and her deceased husband, David, kicked Tennyson out of their house on his eighteenth birthday. Deeply religious, they didn’t want their gay son living under their roof. After David died a few years back, it was Ten and Ronan who had brought Kaye back from the brink of destruction. Jude had a feeling that if they hadn’t intervened when they had, Ten’s mother would have very quickly followed her husband into an early grave.
“Babies have a way of leveling the playing field. Kaye was in love with that little girl from the moment they met, besides, she’d had a bit of time to get used to the idea of gay fathers with babies. After she met Carson’s kids, the velociraptors stuck to her like cling wrap.” Jude snorted. Truman’s kids hadn’t given Kaye the option of saying no. She was theirs from the moment they met her.
“I’m going to be okay.” Cope’s declaration sounded a bit half-hearted.
“I know you are. We’ll go through some pending cases in the morning and pick one that really piques your interest. Before you know it, you’ll be back in the saddle again.” Jude could tell Cope’s spirits still weren’t as high as they could be. “If you feel like you’re struggling we can always swing by Tennyson’s house for a break. That’s what I used to do, remember?”
“I remember the ridiculous excuses you used to make up to stop by and see Ronan under the guise of wanting to see Everly.” Cope’s smile lit up the room.
“I also used to do the same thing with Wolf. Work a couple of hours and then come home to check in on the two of you.” Jude hadn’t been checking in so much as he’d been missing his son and husband. For him, that was part of the joy in working in the same town where he lived.
Cope shot his husband a stunned look. “What are you saying? Are you saying that it’s okay for me to have a moment of weakness and stop by to see Wolf tomorrow?”
“First and foremost, you are a father. It’s not showing weakness to miss your child and want to be there for him. Do you know how many parents walk out the door in the morning and never give their children another thought all day? To me, that’s weakness, putting something or someone else above your child.”
Nodding, Cope rested his face against Jude’s bare chest. “How did I manage to get so lucky? I got the perfect husband and the perfect son. I never imagined a life like this was possible.”
“If you ask me, I’m the one who got lucky. I always thought I would spend my life alone. A drifter and lifetime man-whore. Look at me now, husband, father, Employee of the Month.”
Cope burst out laughing. “You’re not Employee of the Month!”
“Oh yes, I am! With you home and off the field of battle, winning was a cinch.” Jude had accomplished his number one mission, making his husband laugh again. “With a little bit of hard work, you might be able to steal the crown back from me.”
“They’re handing out crowns now?” Cope rolled his eyes.
“Have you met me? Nothing less than a crown would do.” Jude held his husband tight. He knew how hard it would be for him to drop the baby off with Kaye in the morning and walk away from him. Jude would do whatever it took to make it as easy on him as possible.
“I’ll go brush my teeth. When I come back, you’d better be ready for some hardcore cuddling.” Cope raised an eyebrow as he walked away.
Jude grabbed the throw pillows and started stacking them on the chair near the bed. In the old days, his horn dog days, he would have been pouting about not getting any. Tonight was all about Cope, and if his husband wanted to lay in bed cuddling before they fell asleep, that was just fine with Jude.
As he settled himself into bed, Jude whispered a quiet prayer that everything would go smoothly tomorrow. He prayed Wolf would be happy to see Kaye and the other babies, and that the day would go off without a hitch.
3
Copeland
Cope’s heart felt like it was shattered into a million pieces. Not only had Wolf gone to Kaye willingly, but the baby hadn’t noticed when Cope left. All that was left to do was pout as Jude drove them to the Magick shop.
“We couldn’t have asked for a