Brothersong (Green Creek #4) - T.J. Klune Page 0,89

lot of work.”

“Would you stop talking about dicks?” Chris hissed at him. He was crouched at my side, my hand in his. “Everyone can hear you!”

Tanner rolled his eyes. “Oh, like they don’t know.” He looked down at me again. “I’m being serious. Everyone knows.”

“Jesus Christ,” I muttered. I glared at Rico. “Would you get off me?”

“Nope,” he said easily. “You’re lucky I’m not tearing out your intestines.” He lifted his right hand, holding it above my stomach. Claws popped out from the tips of his fingers. “I’m pretty much the best werewolf that ever existed. I got that shit locked down like you wouldn’t believe.”

“Are you… threatening me?”

He squinted down at me. “Yeah. Is that not clear?” He looked at Tanner and Chris. “I thought that was pretty clear.”

Chris shrugged. “I got it. But Joe said that Carter was a little nuts, so maybe he forgot what it felt like to be threatened.” He looked down at me again. He leaned forward until his face was a few inches from my own. “He still looks like Carter. Too thin, but otherwise, yeah. Are you still a little nuts?”

Tanner shoved him. “Don’t joke about stuff like that. It’s mean.”

“I’m trying to see if he’s Omega Carter or Regular Carter.”

“Oh,” Tanner said. “Huh. Right. Well, then. Keep going. I want to know now too.”

I couldn’t help it. I laughed.

They looked down at me, startled.

I couldn’t stop. I clutched my stomach, the sound bellowing out of me.

“Uh-oh,” Rico said. “I think we broke him.” He stood up, his feet on either side of my legs. He held his hand out for me. Still laughing, I took it. He pulled me up with ease, stronger than he’d ever been as a human. He squawked when I hugged him. “Yeah, yeah,” he muttered into my throat as he patted my back. “Good to see you too. Pendejo.”

Chris and Tanner apparently didn’t want to be left out, and I wondered wildly what an outsider would think if they came into Green Creek at that moment. They’d see the streets filled with people who were watching four grown men clutching each other like it was the last thing they’d ever do.

“All right?” Chris asked as they pulled away.

I nodded, wiping my eyes. “I am now.”

Tanner looked over my shoulder. “I see you got your boy.”

“He’s not my—”

“Nope,” Rico said. “Not even going to listen to that. You want to tell that shit to yourself? Fine. Knock yourself out. But don’t you try and say that to us. Not after what you did to find him. I will fucking lay you out. Don’t think I won’t.”

“Oof,” Chris said. “That’s right. You haven’t met Daddy Rico yet.”

“Do it,” Tanner whispered to me. “Call him Daddy Rico. See what he does.”

“Daddy Rico,” I said promptly because I was helpless to do anything but.

And oh, how Rico smiled. He pulled his wallet from his back pocket. He flipped it open, and an entire sleeve of photographs in plastic fell out. There were at least ten of them, and in all of them was a baby with a shocking amount of dark hair. “He looks just like me,” Rico said proudly. “Well, that’s what I think. Bambi says he looks like her grandfather, which, I mean, don’t tell her I said this, but that’s just ridiculous. Why would my child—excuse me, our child—look like an old man?” He shook his head. “She doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Again, don’t tell her I said that.”

I reached out and touched the pictures. “Is he pack?”

Rico puffed out his chest. “Damn right he is. Future Team Human right here. I’m going to give him my guns when he’s old enough.”

Oh dear god. “How does Bambi feel about that?”

Rico shrugged. “It was her idea. She’s pretty much the best.”

“Joshua,” I said. “Joshua Thomas Espinoza.”

He nodded. “I didn’t know your dad, not well at least. Met him a couple of times. But it seemed like the right thing to do. Bambi thought so too. We asked your mom, and she said it was okay.” He looked nervous. “You’re okay with it too, right?”

I hugged him again. “Yeah.”

He laughed in my ear, patting my back. “Trust us,” he said quietly. “From here on out, okay? Just… don’t do anything like that again. You scared us, Carter.”

I pulled away. “I’ll do my best.”

He wasn’t pleased to hear that, but he didn’t argue. “Come on. Let’s get to the house. I know there are some people who want