Page 138 of Donovan's Men

And Tyson stood just behind the other side.

You can do this.

I could. I was a grown man. A man in a relationship with two amazing other men. A relationship we’d quietly announced to the world almost a year ago. To little fanfare because, out of a sense of self-preservation—and a deep, abiding love for my best friend—we let Cole, Caressa, and Michael come out first.

Okay, I’d been a chickenshit. I could’ve gone first and eased the way for them. But no, I’d waited for them to come out on Hollywood’s biggest night, and then a month later, Geneva Alvarez had interviewed Hamish, Tyson, and me. In the context of Meggibeth Smythe’s guilty plea. But also, a way to quietly come out. Naturally, the entertainment correspondent for the national Canadian broadcaster was only too happy for the scoop.

Hamish pushed me toward the door. “They won’t bite.”

“They might,” I protested.

“They don’t have teeth.” Tyson, with his dry wit.

Before I could knock, ring the bell, or use my key, Cole’s front door flung open. I barely caught Caressa as she launched herself into my arms. I held her close as she kissed my cheek. “You came.” She kissed me again. “I told Cole you’d come—if only for him.”

When she pulled back, Hamish pulled her into his arms. “How’s the new mom doing?”

“Overwrought, exhausted, and wondering how single parents manage this. We have a three-to-two situation, and we’re completely run off our feet.”

Hamish smiled as he passed her to Tyson. “Yes, a triad who had twins. Impressive.”

She glared as she clung to our third.

Michael appeared at the door with a squalling infant in his arms. He spotted me, grinned, and thrust the screaming infant into my arms. He? She? It glanced up at me and stopped immediately.

“See, I knew you’d be a perfect uncle.” Caressa ushered us in. “Cole’s changing Beau.”

Ah.I gazed down at Becca with her bright-blue eyes and shock of black hair.Does she take after Cole or Caressa?And Michael, although blond, had some Indigenous heritage from several generations back.

Cole had informed me, after I got over the shock of hearing Caressa was pregnant with twins, that they didn’t know the parentage of either child—and they didn’t care. The timing meant either man could be the father, although, Cole had hinted, more likely Michael as Cole had still been recovering from his injury.

Right, like his swimmers might not be up to the job? I had my doubts.

Still, unless the need arose, they’d decided they didn’t want to know.

I’d asked about when the kids turned eighteen and wanted to sign up for the ancestry websites.

Cole’d paled a little.We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Well, he had eighteen years.

We entered the house.

I toed off my shoes, as did Tyson and Hamish. Hamish held the nonalcoholic champagne while I carried a gift bag with assorted little things I was certain the family didn’t need. But Hamish had insisted on picking up littlecuteoutfits he found. Why he was shopping in baby stores, I wasn’t certain. When wefound out about Caressa’s pregnancy, we three had sat down and reaffirmed that we didn’t want kids. Honorary uncle was a moniker each was happy to wear, but that was as far as any of us was willing to go.

Cole greeted us in the living room.

As Michael grabbed the bottle of champagne, Cole dropped Beau into Hamish’s arms.

That made more sense. Hamish was an uncle many, many, many times over. Neither Tyson nor I had siblings, living, anyway, and neither did we have other close friends who’d reproduced.

Now thatVigilante Justicewas in the middle of filming the final season, I wondered about Julie. She was seeing someone. Well, I was ninety-nine percent certain she was, but she wasn’t sharing. Would she reveal the relationship when the show ended? Did she see herself having kids? She was only in her late twenties, so she had time to make such monumental decisions.

Elouise’s pregnancy had been written into the script, and fans would be buzzing about whether Justice, Cole’s character, was the father. Others would argue obviously not because Lyric and Justice were going to wind up together.

We knew the ending but were all sworn to secrecy.

“Sit.” Cole pointed to the couch only to grab several items off of it before we could follow his instructions.

As we sat, he took a long breath.