Mag-log in** Paige’s POV **Parker helps me undress slowly, like each button popped, and zipper undone is an act that should be treasured. When I step into the bath, I’m still trembling from the almost overwhelming anticipation thrumming through me. The hot water laps against my skin, and I sink into it with a sigh, petals clinging to my shoulders, my chest.Parker sinks in behind me. He doesn’t rush. He dips a cloth into the water, wrings it out, then runs it across my skin with a tenderness that makes my heart ache. Over my shoulders, down my arms, across my collarbone. His fingers shake slightly as he works, betraying the control he’s fighting to hold on to.“Parker…” My voice cracks, but I reach for his hand, tangling our fingers together. “You don’t have to be so careful.”“I want to be. I’ve wanted this for so long, and I don’t ever want you to doubt how much you mean to me.”The sincerity in his tone steals my breath. I turn slightly and reach up, cupping his cheek with wet fingers. “I d
** Paige’s POV **The card looks so small compared to Ryder’s big hand, but the way he holds it like it’s as fragile and priceless as glass makes my chest ache. His whole world is right here, wrapped in the arms of a six-year-old who has no idea how much power he holds over us both.Ryder tucks the card into his pocket where I’d put the birth certificate earlier before Jaxon’s squeals of laughter echo through the cabin as Ryder swings him up into his arms. I watch the way Ryder presses his cheek into our son’s hair, the way his whole body softens when Jax tightens his grip. My throat tightens, because I’ve waited so long to see this, Jax being loved the way he always deserved, and Ryder not as the boy who left me, or even the Alpha I’ve had to learn to trust again, but as a father, and he’s perfect at it.I force myself to blink away the tears stinging my eyes before Jax can notice them and start worrying. He’s too young to understand how precious this moment is, too young to know ho
** Ryder’s POV **The certificate rests in my lap, the edges crinkled where my fingers have been gripping it too tightly. I can’t stop staring at the damn thing, as if I blink it’ll vanish, and I’ll wake up back in those years when I longed for Paige and had no idea our son existed.Jaxon Madden. My son. With my name.I trace my name under his, hardly able to breathe. It doesn’t matter that my DNA proved it; it doesn’t matter that I’ve known in my bones since the first time I saw him, that we have the same smile and eyes, that my wolf recognised him instantly. Seeing it written here makes it real in a way nothing else could.Beside me, Paige leans against the seat, watching me with that small, gentle smile that always manages to break through my walls.“You’re going to crease it,” she teases softly.“I don’t care if it creases. I’m never letting it out of my sight.”Her hand finds mine, prying my grip loose, and she folds the paper carefully before tucking it into the inside pocket of
** Paige’s POV **I wake up tucked between Ryder and Parker, both of their bodies warm against me. Ryder has his arm draped over my waist, but I can tell by his breathing that he’s already awake. He doesn’t open his eyes when I shift, just pulls me closer, his lips pressing against my temple.No one will say it out loud, but we all know this morning is different.By the time we make it into the kitchen, Callen already has coffee ready. He passes me a cup with a soft smile, but his eyes flick towards Ryder immediately. Both of them have a look that tells me they’re having a silent conversation. Remy joins us last, his hair still damp from his shower.Jaxon, of course, is the only one blissfully unaware of the gravity of today. He’s perched on a chair at the kitchen island, swinging his legs as he shovels scrambled eggs into his mouth like he hasn’t eaten in days. “Mummy, guess what? Miss Regina said I read faster than everyone in class. Faster than her, even,” he beams.I smooth his ha
** Paige’s POV **“Ryder?” I ask, my stomach dropping as a thousand scenarios run through my head.He doesn’t answer right away. His thumb moves quickly over the screen, his eyes scanning something. Then he lets out a breath and looks up at me, his eyes shining.“It’s the DNA results,” he says, his voice low.My heart stutters. I already know without a shadow of a doubt that he’s Jaxon’s father, but since they took the test, I’ve had this strange anxiety that the results will get messed up somehow. Greg might bribe the lab, even though he doesn’t know we were doing this, and I’m sure he doesn’t even know anyone who works in a DNA analysis lab.“Well?” Callen says, his tone impatient.“It’s confirmed, we have solid proof,” he grins, pushing the phone across the table toward me, his hand trembling.The email is open. The words are formal, but I skip over them, getting right to the important part... Probability of paternity: 99.9999%.Relief floods through me, not just mine, but Ryde
** Paige’s POV **Remy carries me into the bathroom, which is already filled with steam. Ryder was right. I am in fact unable to walk. When I had tried to stand, my legs were like jelly. Parker had caught me, steadying me, before Remy had scooped me into his arms. I had protested that I’d be fine to walk if they just gave me a few minutes, but Remy ignored me, carrying me down the stairs with a grunt.The bathroom mirror is already fogged over, which is probably a good thing; I can imagine how terrible I look right now. Remy lets me stand, but he holds me close while Callen moves around the bathroom, pours the salts in the water and tests the temperature. My legs still feel shaky just standing here; my body is heavy but sated. Ryder brings fresh towels in and places them next to the tub before leaving again without a word. When Callen is finally happy, he looks over his shoulder and holds out a hand to me. I don’t hesitate.“Come on, baby girl,” he says softly. “Let me take care o







