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Damn Littles.

This was one of many reasons why he preferred non-Little subs; Callie probably didn’t even realize what she’d just done.

A chuckle started deep in his chest, rising until it hummed in his throat, escalating into a laugh. Tamping it down so he didn’t wake Tamsyn, Merrick let it rumble through him as his head fell back against the couch.

He was still thoroughly amused ten minutes later when his cell bleated to life. Checking the screen, he didn’t know whether the scene between Elias and Evander had been close to ending, or if Callie had interrupted them on his behalf.

Warily, he answered the call. “Hello?”

“Merrick.” Evander was still slightly breathless. “Callie said you had an emergency?”

“Um… not life-threatening. If this is a bad time…”

“Not at all. Just… wrapping up a meeting.”

He couldn’t help it. A small snort of laughter escaped as he muttered, “Some meeting.”

There was a brief period of silence, then Evander’s voice bellowed away from the phone. “Callie! Did you remember to put Merrick’s call on mute before you came in?”

“Was I s’posed to, Daddy?”

“Christ on a crutch,” Evander muttered exasperatedly. “Yes, sweetness, we’ve told you this before. If you answer either of our phones and we’re busy,alwaysmute the damn call before you come to find us.”

“’Kay, Daddy. Sorry.”

It was the most unrepentant apology Merrick ever heard; it cracked him up again.

Evander returned to the conversation. “So, how much did you hear?”

“Far too much, and none of it my business. Next time, I’ll text first.”

“She is such a brat at the moment.” The slight growl in Evander’s tone warned of dire consequences for his wife. “Sorry about that, Merrick. What’s the emergency, and how can I help?”

Professionalism for the win, Merrick thought in approval. Better for all of them in the long run, though it wasn’t like none of them had ever seen the others in a scene. There was a distinct mental disparity between what happened in a public scene, to his mind, and what occurred in the privacy of the home.

Some things were simply that—private.

“It’s not an emergency as such, more a need to get things moving. Tamsyn and I want to get married.”

“Eli mentioned something about that. To be honest, I thought you were joking, trying to lighten the situation with Linnie.” Evander made a quiet, pleased noise in his throat. “That’s wonderful news, Merrick. I’m happy for you, both of you. Are you going for a long engagement?”

“Short, very short.” Merrick sighed. “Unfortunately, it might be longer than we want. Tamsyn’s circumstances… she’s undocumented, Van. There’s no record of her birth, her medical history, her severe lack of education. For all intents and purposes, she doesn’t exist.”

“Well, fuck. I never even gave that a thought.”

“Me either, until it came up last night. I hate to ask… you have connections, Van.”

“Hmm, I do indeed. Elias has a few strings he can pull if needed. Let me call in a few favors and see what I can do.” After a small hesitation, he cleared his throat. “Are you sure she’s the one for you, Merrick?”

He could have taken the question as an insult, but he knew Evander wasn’t that way inclined. It came from concern, not the desire to stir up doubts—not that Merrick had any doubts about his woman and how he felt about her. “How long did it take you to realize Callie was the one woman in this world meant for you, Van?”

“One game of roulette.”

“So you know how quickly we can fall.” Merrick rubbed his chin over Tamsyn’s hair when she stirred. “Don’t worry about me. I have everything I need in my arms, everything I’ve ever wanted right here. Even if she wasn’t my all, she’d still deserve the chance at a future. Without documents, she’s destined to lead the kind of life her father intended for her—stuck in the shadows, never allowed into the light, chained to assholes who’d use and abuse her simply to keep a roof over her head and food in her belly. If she got that much.”

“I wonder if she knows how lucky she is to have found you.”

When her head tilted under his, Merrick peered down into sleepy eyes and felt his heart beat harder when faced with all that adoration. “Safe to say she knows.”