Fifteen

Lux

It'd been almost two months since I moved in with Archer and Gunner. I'd officially 'quit' my job as Archer's manny the day after our first date almost two weeks ago, and now I was simply Archer's live-in boyfriend.

The term still made me grin. It was such a human term, but I still loved it almost as much as I loved the term 'mate.'

I'd removed my application from the nanny agency as well, and for the next few years, I was simply going to take care of Gunner.

After talking with Archer, I'd given my notice at my apartment too, and while I was sad I wouldn't have Matilda as my neighbor anymore, I had her number, and she'd made me promise I'd visit.

Our current dynamic worked for Archer and me, and I was happy with my life at the moment. I had my mate and his adorably sweet kid, and I needed nothing else to feel fulfilled.

Archer had left for work an hour ago after giving Gunner his solid meal—we'd recently switched to two meals a day, and Archer took the morning feeding while I took the evening one —and the two of us had big plans today.

We were going to do the laundry, and then Gunner and I were heading to the park for a short walk. I'd been nervous about going after what happened last time, but Archer had convinced me it would be a good thing for both of us. Gunner needed some sunlight, and I needed to deal with and get past the accident. Now that Archer knew what I was, he was confident I wouldn't let anything happen to Gunner.

When I picked Gunner up to check if he needed a diaper change, I discovered a whole different problem. Gunner's skin was hot to the touch. Did he have a fever? Oh God, what if it was something bad?

He'd gotten a shot a couple days ago, and the doctor had told us Gunner was perfectly healthy. Could the fever be a side-effect of the shot? But what if it wasn't? What if something was wrong?

I'd used my magic to keep Gunner safe and healthy, but it was possible even my magic couldn't protect him from everything.

Settling him back in his crib, I raced into the bathroom and grabbed the thermometer, quickly taking his temperature.

101 degrees Fahrenheit. That wasn't good. I had half a mind to teleport him to the hospital and make a doctor look at him, but then I forced myself to do the logical thing. I called Archer.

"Hey, Lux." Just hearing his voice relieved some of the stress from my body, but I still tripped over my words as I spoke.

"Archer! Gunner has a fever and I don't know what to do. Should I take him to the hospital? Or should I just take care of him at home? Maybe I could try making the fever disappear with my magic?" I never used my magic directly on Gunner, because I didn't know if there could be any ill-effects in the long run, and I'd rather not risk it. But right then, I was willing to make an exception.

"Lux. Lux!" Archer's firm voice put a screeching stop to my spiraling thoughts, and I exhaled loudly.

"Yes?"

"Calm down, sweetheart. Gunner will be fine."

I blinked, then glanced down at Gunner, who was peering up at me with his baby blues, much calmer than I was.

"Yeah. Sorry. I should be dealing with this better, right? I'm supposed to be a professional, a manny."

"That's because you're not."

"What?"

Archer chuckled. "What I mean is—you're not a manny to Gunner anymore. Which is why you aren't reacting like one."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. You're reacting the way a parent would."

Oh! Did that mean...did Archer think of me...

"Anyway, you should try to get his fever down. It's probably a reaction to the shot he got, but if it doesn't go down in a few hours, call me and we'll take him to the hospital. Okay?"

I nodded mutely as the things I'd read in the parenting books suddenly flashed in my mind, then remembered he couldn't see me, and spoke. "Yeah, okay. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye, Lux."

Ending the call, I stared down at Gunner.

"Did your dad just call me your parent?"

Gunner made a soft, mewling sound, then rubbed his eyes, and I shook my head, focusing on the important thing right now. I had to get Gunner's fever down.

I ran over everything I'd read in my mind, then picked Gunner up and took him to the bathroom. Filling the large sink with warm water, I tested the temperature, then removed Gunner's clothes and laid him into the sink. We'd long since turned this sink into Gunner's private bathtub due to its perfect size, and I grinned when Gunner started splashing around.

I let him soak for a while, using my magic to keep the water temperature regulated, and played with him, loving the way he giggled when I splashed him. I had to admit, the affection I'd felt for Gunner when I first started taking care of him had grown by leaps and bounds in the short weeks since.

Before he'd been a precious little job, but now he was a huge part of my world. I couldn't imagine my life without Archer or Gunner. They were both now essential to my happiness.

I wasn't sure if Archer had been serious when he'd called me Gunner's parent, but I knew that I would like to be. I wanted to be by Archer's side and take care of Gunner until he didn't need me to anymore. I wanted to help raise him into a strong, independent person, someone kind and not afraid to follow their heart.

Before Gunner started pruning, I pulled him out of the water, wrapping him in a thick towel and carrying him to the nursery after cleaning up the bathroom with a snap of my fingers.

Dressing him in a fresh diaper and clean clothes, I carried him to the living room, then settled on the couch with one of his favorite books. It was one of those interactive things that played different music and had LED lights in it, and Gunner loved it when I flipped through it slowly, giving him time to enjoy all the lights and music.

When Gunner fell asleep halfway through the flip through, I held him to me, humming softly as I rocked him in my arms, half my focus on his temperature. I knew it wouldn't go down instantly, but I wanted to know if it started going up too.

Archer

Lux hadn't called me again, so I'd assumed Gunner was doing better.

As I drove home, I wondered at how much my faith in Lux had grown since I discovered what he was. I called in to check on Gunner less often these days—though Lux always made sure to video call at lunchtime so we could all have lunch together—and I was never worried about Gunner's safety. I knew how strong Lux was, and I knew he'd keep Gunner safe.

There was also the fact that my feelings for Lux had grown a lot stronger in the last couple of weeks. We'd had a few more dates—one for which Jerry and Kat babysat again—and I knew Lux much better now, in every possible way.

Lux was this beautiful mix of strong and shy, competent and utterly flustered, sweet and ridiculously dirty, and I adored it. I adored him .

If it was anyone else, I'd be worried about going too fast, especially when I had Gunner to think about. But it was different with Lux. Our connection was something bigger than us, something magical.

I didn't believe in God, but I'd be crazy if I didn't believe in the bond we shared, not after all the proof I'd seen.

It wasn't just about how quickly my feelings for Lux had grown. No, it was the instinctual trust that had been there between us from the get-go, and the way Gunner had accepted Lux so completely. It was like Lux was designed to fit perfectly in our lives, and if that wasn't Fate, then what was?

A smile tugged at my lips the moment I drove through the gates and then into the garage. I couldn't wait to see Lux and Gunner, to give them both a hug and make sure Gunner was okay.

Parking the car, I got out, then made my way through the garage door, smiling when I found them both in the living room.

Lux was spread out on the couch in his human form, and Gunner lay on top of him on his front. They were both asleep, and I paused, pulling out my phone and taking a quick picture.

The sound alerted Lux, and his eyes fluttered open, then latched onto mine as his hand came up to cradle Gunner to his chest.

He sat up, and I realized he'd used magic to bind Gunner to his chest so he wouldn't slip and fall while sleeping. Why wasn't I surprised?

"Hey. How's he doing?" I joined him on the couch, and reaching over, I placed my palm on Gunner's forehead, smiling when it wasn't warm to the touch. "Looks like his fever's gone."

"Yeah. I gave him a bath, then he took a nap, then I gave him a bottle, and then we had another nap."

"Gunner's lucky to have you. We both are." Leaning over, I pressed a kiss on Lux's cheek, making him smile.

Biting his lower lip, he glanced at me from the corner of his eyes. "Before, what you said..."

I knew exactly what he was referring to. It'd just slipped out, but after the call ended, I'd given it some serious thought, and I'd realized something.

"I meant it."

Lux sucked in a breath, his eyes snapping to mine. "You did? Really?"

"Lux, before you, I never believed in a higher power of any kind. I still don't think there's a God out there, but I know magic exists, and I know you and I belong together. If Gunner was a bit older, I might be more cautious about our pace, but he's a baby, and I think by the time he's old enough, the two of us will be solid enough for him to call us both dads. Or is that too much?" I added when I saw the stunned look on his face.

Lux shook his head quickly, and my eyes widened when I realized there were tears in his. He quickly wiped them off with his free hand, then pressed a kiss to the top of Gunner's head.

"I didn't think I'd ever get to have this." His voice was thick when he finally spoke, and I placed my hand on his back, rubbing softly. "A family, I mean."

"Well, you have one now. We've got your back, just like you have ours. Right, Gunner?" I asked when I realized he was awake and watching us with his big blues.

Lux glanced down at him, a smile quickly filling his face as he lifted him up into the air, making Gunner break into giggles.

"Oh, look at you! You love flying, don't you?"

I chuckled as I watched the two of them, and when Lux glanced over with a wide smile on his face, I felt my heart skip a beat.

It took me a few moments to find my words after that, and when I did, I remembered I'd forgotten the dinner I'd brought.

"Shit, I got us dinner. Let me go get—"

Lux snapped his fingers, and the bags of takeout appeared on the coffee table. With a laugh, I shook my head at him.

"You're going to turn me into a lazy couch potato if you keep doing things like that."

"As long as the potato is willing to give cuddles, I don't care," he shot back, eyes sparkling with mirth, and I rolled my eyes as I stood up.

"I'm gonna go shower real quick, and then we're having dinner right here while watching a movie, okay?"

Lux nodded, then glanced down at Gunner as he started fidgeting in his lap. "I'm going to change and feed this one while you do that."

As Lux stood up, I tugged him close and pressed a kiss to his lips, swallowing his gasp of surprise. I kept the kiss chaste, conscious of the little one between us, and then pulled back when Gunner started fidgeting again.

"See you in a bit." Shooting Lux a wink, I turned around and made my way to the bedroom we'd been sharing since the day we first slept together.

Most nights, we only had enough energy for a makeout session, but even those were enough to rock my world. Anything I did with Lux felt better than anything I'd done with any of my previous partners, and it wasn't because my previous partners were bad.

Everything with Lux just felt magnified, like all my feelings were suddenly running at 2x precision.

I'd never truly been in love with anyone before, but I thought I might be falling in love with Lux.