Page 32 of Tentacles for Christmas

If they were out of presents, I’d make sure he got something.

Cam watched them go but I was watching their face. Cam was great with the boy, and I couldn’t help imagining adopting a child with them. Did they like children as much as I did? Did Cam even want to raise children or were they happy being child-free for life?

If they didn’t want children, I would have to adjust my expectations. I didn’t have the answers yet, but I knew that I could see us together long term. When it came to Cameron Bass, I was planning to make them happy in whatever way they needed.

Chapter twenty-one

Cam

Seeingbigstrongbikersclad in leather coming to the rescue of a child in need had a mix of emotions running through me. For one, I found it adorable. King swooping in to pick the boy up, Channing covering him in her jacket, and then Rowen getting down to the boy’s level to calm him down had me swooning.

Watching a man I liked being sweet to a kid had never made me wonder if my proverbial ovaries were exploding. I could suddenly imagine him with a redheaded child on his shoulders, teaching them how to drive a boat. The idea was so vivid, I started analyzing why I wanted to be the other parent in the picture.

The truth was, I’d never considered if I wanted children. My own parents were distant, and not just geographically. They weren’t the type to beg me for grandchildren, and I’d been too focused on my career to consider it. Plus, I had never been in a serious relationship before. No one had ever made me see a future with them.

This was Rowen, though.

Somehow, he’d wormed his way into my heart where no one had been before. I liked everything about the shy man, from his dry humor to his kind smile behind that sexy beard. Rowen was also kind, considerate, and loyal.

How could I not be falling for him?

Rowen and I rejoined the others by the tree, where Connor was tearing into a small rectangular present. I hoped it was good, after all the boy had been through. The box inside was red with a familiar logo of a handheld video gaming console I owned as well.

The gaming console I’d donated and marked for any gender. What were the odds?

There was some type of kismet that the little boy we’d saved got the last present, and it wasn’t a cheap one. I met Val’s eyes beside Sarai, who was gushing about how generous the gift was, and she winked.

The social worker had received my donation pre-wrapped, but maybe she knew exactly what it was? That seemed unlikely.

“What is it?” Rowen asked, noticing how stiffly I’d been standing as I wondered what the chances were. “Everything okay?”

“Yes,” I nodded, turning in Rowen’s arms to grin up at him. “Just feeling proud of my new community.”

Rowen’s cheeks reddened, though from his smile I thought it was more in humble pride than embarrassment. “Blue Lake is a pretty cool place. We all try to do our part to keep everyone safe.”

“The Pack seems to be a big part of that support,” I pointed out, tucking my gloved hands under Rowen’s shirt where his heat seeped through the fabric. “Not just me, but a random child.”

“Pack protects our own,” Rowen nodded, then frowned. “And we’d be as bad as the McTaryns if wedidn’t help a child in need.”

“I didn’t have a community in the city. I needed it, but I worked too much,” I admitted. Casual friends there had strong bonds, some from the kink community, others through mutual hobbies. I’d never made time for any of that.

“We stand up for everyone in Blue Lake. You’re part of Blue Lake now.”

Biting my lip, I considered my next words carefully, needing to know the answer. “I hope I’m not only important to you as a citizen of this small town?”

“No,” Rowen shook his head emphatically and squeezed me tighter so we were lined up from chest to toe. “You’re important to me because…Because you’re you.”

Rowen didn’t elaborate, so I stepped back and offered my hand, which he took. “How about we head out and you tell me more about the pack?”

“I can do that.”

We said our goodbyes and hopped onto Rowen’s bike after he made sure my helmet was secure. If he thought I didn’t know the helmet and matching gloves were presents right along with the motorcycle jacket, he had a lot to learn about how perceptive I was.

Rowen stopped at the marina where we’d started our drama-filled evening, “Your place?”

“Sure.”

Walking hand-in-hand down the pier, I let Rowen into my place before telling him to sit while I made tea. I had a caffeine addiction, but I felt like cranberry tea was more suited to the conversation than coffee. Plus, I didn’t have a fancy coffee machine like at Perk.