by Cree Storm
“Oh my gods, Morgan,” Angelo whispered as tears ran down his cheeks.
Morgan pulled his arm from around Angelo and moved to the baby, then slid his hands beneath the sleeping child and lifted the baby into his arms, holding it close to his chest as he looked at their child with wonder.
Angelo immediately felt the loss of the connection he had instantly felt to their child and wanted to yell at Morgan to put the baby back, but Angelo knew his mate needed to feel that connection to their baby as well.
Angelo was transfixed by the duo as his gaze roamed over their baby. Their child had a head of gorgeous dark brown hair and beautiful, flawless coffee with cream colored skin. It was lighter than Morgan’s stunning Mocha and darker than his own olive. It was the perfect combination of both of them. More tears built in his eyes as he watched them together, noticing the pure love coming from Morgan’s eyes as he stared at their child.
Morgan leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on the top of the baby’s head, then turned toward him and moved closer. As their gazes met, Angelo smiled through his tears as he saw all the love, devotion, and happiness in his mate’s eyes. Morgan gently moved the baby away from his body, laying the baby on Angelo’s chest. Angelo immediately wrapped his arms around his child and closed his eyes, taking in the moment and burning it into his memory forever.
“A son, Angel. You gave us a son,” Morgan declared in a whisper, his voice choked with emotion.
Angelo’s eyes popped open and met Morgan’s watery gaze. “A son?”
Morgan kissed his brow, keeping his lips there as he whispered, “Yes, my love, a son. I love you so much, Angelo. I love you.”
“I love you too, Morgan. Thank you for giving us a child,” Angelo said as he cried, then looked back down at their baby and gasped.
Their son’s eyes were open, and he was looking right at Angelo with familiar eyes. Their son had Morgan’s beautiful purple eyes.
“What should we name the most perfect baby to have ever been born, Angel?” Morgan asked as he sat on the bed beside him, wrapping one arm around his shoulders, as he reached out with the other to gently caress their son’s back.
“Good question, Dad,” Manny said, and Angelo looked up to see Manny and Frankie standing nearby with Helio, Briar, and Rob close by.
“I’m not sure. Manny, come meet your little brother,” Angelo said as he smiled at their other son.
Manny moved closer and gave Morgan a hug and kiss before doing the same with him, then he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on the baby’s head. “He’s so beautiful. Hello little peanut, we’ve all been dying to meet you,” Manny whispered.
“I think Peanut is a great name,” Helio replied and everyone turned to look at him, their expressions showing their confusion.
Angelo laughed as he looked to the beautiful butterfly dragon. “I’m not sure if Peanut is fitting as a first name, but I really like it as a nickname. Thank you, Helio, Briar, for giving us this gift. I don’t know how to ever repay you.”
Briar smiled bright and waved him off. “There is nothing to repay, you’re family and Helio and I were thrilled to help you get what you most wanted.”
“Just be wonderful parents to my little Peanut and that will be thanks enough,” Helio said as he sat on the other side of Angelo and began to coo at the baby.
“Oh and remember you can have another child every two years. However, if you do not wish to reproduce at that time, you must add a touch of ginger to your diet on a daily basis,” Briar stated.
Manny snickered. “I guess I know what to get you for Christmas.”
“What?” Angelo asked in confusion.
A gingerbread house and ginger bread cookies and ginger….”
CHAPTER 4
Deja grabbed his MP3 player to get ready for what he needed to do. It always made the time cleaning less mundane and actually fun, and boy, did this house need cleaning. Suneth had insisted that he and his brothers move into his home to help care for Vano. Lon and Deja had argued at first, but Vano practically begged them to take Suneth up on his offer. He didn’t like being in the hospital and since Cas had mated Asbuth, Benji, and Robert, it would allow for Vano to get out of the hospital quicker because Rob was his doctor.
“Deja, what are you doing?” Vano asked as Qavex helped him down the stairs.
“What does it look like I’m doing? Suneth refuses to take any money for us to stay here so the least I can do is clean the place,” Deja insisted, placing his headphones into his ears and grabbing the feather duster.
“Do you really think that’s a good idea, Deja?” Vano asked.
Deja sighed. None of his brothers ever understood Deja’s need to sing and dance around the house. It wasn’t something he chose to do as much as he needed to do it.
Deja had discovered years ago that whenever he was upset, hurting, or feeling melancholy, all he had to do was pick a song and put everything he was feeling into it. Like a person on dialysis… once finished it was as if his mind and entire body was cleansed.
“We could talk about whatever is…”
Shaking his head, Deja replied, “I need this, Vano. Just relax and enjoy.”
Qavex helped Vano into a chair, saying, “I feel like I’m missing something. Deja, it isn’t necessary for you to do this. Your brother is mated to mine, and that makes you family.”
“Thanks, Q, but I don’t have a problem helping out. Besides, I’m about to get jiggy with it, so no worries,” Deja said with a bright smile hitting the play button.
“Get what with… huh?” Qavex asked in confusion.
Vano laughed. “Just sit back and watch. Hell, I used to make a mess just to watch him clean.”
Deja ignored them as soon as Bruno Mars, “Up town Funk” came on and Deja started moving.
“Holy shit!” Qavex gasped as Deja began wiggling his ass, singing and moving to the beat, feather duster in hand.
“Don’t believe me just watch…” Deja sang as he shimmied and shook.
He was so into his dancing and singing as he cleaned, he never heard anyone else walk in. He did a sweep, stepped with one leg, then the other, then did a soft chest pop, “Hey, hey wow!” he sang, going into a split just to quickly slide back up and step left then right, cleaning every surface he could see. Then he quickly gathered the vacuum, as he continued with Bruno, “Just the Way You Are.”
There was nothing like cleaning to Bruno Mars. His songs were always so upbeat. However, this song made Deja think of Shadow.
Asbuth had told Deja all that he knew about the man and Deja was so excited that Shadow actually lived at Suneth’s with his friends since coming to Crystal. He thought it would give them a great opportunity to get to know each other. However, Shadow refused to stay in a room with Deja for more than two minutes.
It seemed his sexy man used to be in the military and was a bad ass Black Ops soldier with Wade and his other friends. Deja knew the man must have seen a lot of painful and horrific things in life, and he wanted nothing more than to help him get past his heartache, but Shadow wouldn’t give Deja the time of day.
They had arrived about a month ago and Shadow had yet to say one word to him. It sucked, but Deja knew that things would work out in the end. They had to. He was Shadow’s mate… or at least he really believed he was. The thing was, the man’s rejection hurt. That was why he needed this cleansing.
Deja had always been a positive person, but lately he had started doubting he would ever capture Shadow’s attention… and that wouldn’t do. Deja had to stay optimistic for both himself and his mate.
Swiveling the vacuum, “Grenade” came on and Deja didn’t miss a beat as he moved to the deep bass drum using the vacuum as his dance partner, pretending it was him and Shadow on the dance floor. As usual the beat took over for Deja and he was soon moving and grooving to the song, ignoring the world around him as he thought of Shadow. He allowed the pain of his mate’s rejection to encompass him and did what he always did… let his hurt and d
evastation be released through song. “…I would go through all this pain, take a bullet straight through the brain…”
Peace started to flow back into Deja as he continued, “Yes I would die for you baby, but you won’t do the same…” Deja sang and turned to grab the vacuum once more. “Oh! Uh… hello.”
Deja could feel his face heating as he stared at the room that was now full. Suneth and all his men, as well as Wade and all of his, stood watching him. Embarrassed about having so many people standing there watching him,
Deja decided on the smallest of the group to focus on. He was clapping and smiling. “Yorkie, he sings prettier than a songbird. Can we keep him?”
“Nugget, this is Deja, Casius’s brother, not one of your babies,” York replied, with a small smile.
“I have to say, if that’s how you clean a house, feel free to stop up in my room any time,” Six said.
Wade cuffed the guy on the back of the head. “Knock it off, Six.”
“Shit I’m with Six. He can clean my room any day of the week. He is… Ouch damn it, Wade, that shit hurts.”
“Not as much as your balls will if Spike hears you say shit like that, Flyer,” Wade insisted.
Sighing, Sylux said, “I might have to dirty shit up just to see that again.”
A loud growl in the back caught Deja’s attention. Looking in the direction the sound came from, he noticed for the first time that Shadow was in the room. Realizing the gorgeous man had been there watching him had Deja feeling kind of tingly, until he saw the anger in the man’s eyes.
“What the hell, Shadow? Growl at me again and we are going to have a problem real quick,” Sylux snapped.
Looking away Deja whispered, “I’m sorry for interrupting whatever it was you were doing. I should really go and get ready for work.”
Grabbing the vacuum, Deja quickly made his way out of the room. He didn’t want to see anyone at the moment, so he took the stairs from the kitchen, making his way up to his room, then closed the door quickly.
After a fast shower, Deja finished getting ready for work and left, thankful no one saw him. As he walked up the long drive a truck pulled up beside him.
“Do you need a ride to work?”
Turning to the familiar voice, Deja was surprised to see Timmy holding the truck door open. Shaking his head, Deja replied, “I don’t want to be any trouble.”
“No trouble. My Yorkie was taking me to Twixie’s for a hamburger. Come on, you can come with us,” Timmy insisted.
There was something about the tiny man that made Deja feel bad to refuse the kind offer. “Thank you.”
Climbing into the truck, Deja looked out the passenger window, taking in the beauty of the land. Horses ran next to the truck and he could see what looked like an airfield further away. The fields were growing crops, but Deja had no idea what kind. It didn’t matter, it was all so beautiful.
“I like the way you sing,” Timmy said.
Turning to look at Timmy, Deja could see his little cheeks blush and Deja couldn’t help but smile. “Thank you.”
“I like the way you dance too. Do you think you could teach me how to dance?” Timmy asked, then quickly added, “Yorkie sometimes takes me to Jagger’s place in Maddox, but I don’t know how to dance, and I don’t want to embarrass Yorkie, so I sit and watch everyone else.”
“Nugget, you could never embarrass me. I’ve told you that many times,” York replied.
Deja saw the look of love and devotion the two men had for each other and a small ache formed in his chest. He wanted that. He wanted someone to look at him as if the sun rose and set on his shoulders, but at the rate things were going with Shadow, Deja doubted it would be something that happened to him any time soon.
“I would love to teach you to dance, Timmy,” Deja replied.
Timmy bounced up and down in his seat, smiling wide at York. “Did you hear that, Yorkie? Deja said he would teach me how to dance.”
Smiling once more, York replied, “I’m sitting right here, Nugget and that is very kind of Deja.”
“Can you teach me how to sing too? Jagger’s talking about having Karaoke night at his club and I want to sing a song for Yorkie, but… well I’m not really good at that either.”
Deja hated seeing the sad face on Timmy. It didn’t fit well with the man’s personality at all and to be quite frank, it hurt Deja’s heart. “Timmy, anyone can sing a song. I’m not saying anyone can hold a tune, but it’s how you sing it that matters.”
“I don’t understand,” Timmy said in confusion.
“A song comes from the heart, Timmy. A song is meant to make not just you, but those hearing it feel. Every song should mean something to you otherwise it’s just a song. I don’t know if I’m making any sense, but… well for me… when I’m down and I sing a song, I put all my hurt and anguish into the words. By the time I’m finished, I’ve shared my sorrow with so many and I no longer feel as if I’m carrying that burden alone. It takes the blackness away and introduces the light… does that make sense?”
Nodding, Timmy said, “So, whatever song I sing to Yorkie needs to be one from my heart?”
“Yes. If that’s what you want, but it can be a silly song because you want to make him laugh, or a happy song so he is sure to smile. It all depends on what it is you want to say to him,” Deja answered.
Deja was surprised when they stopped, and he noticed they were already at Twixie’s. York hadn’t even finished putting the truck in park when he grabbed Timmy whispering, “I will love whatever song you sing because you are the one singing it.” Then he brought his lips to Timmy’s rasping, “I love you, Nugget.”
“I love you too, Yorkie,” Timmy softly said, with a sniffle.
Deja got out saying his thank yous, but he doubted the two men heard him as they kissed, and Timmy practically crawled up York’s huge body.
Shaking his head, Deja walked into the diner, and as usual it was packed. He was surprised to see so many people on a Monday night. Yeah, the place was normally busy, but crap, there wasn’t a table empty. “It is seriously busy out there.”
“Tell me about it. I’ve been slammed since I walked in the door. Hell, I had to call Nash and tell him I couldn’t have dinner with him tonight. There’s no way I can take the time,” Toby said as he hustled to finish making a plate and smacked the bell for it to be served.
Twix walked in the back, smiling. “Hey, Deja, I’m so glad to see you here a bit early. Do you mind just clocking in and starting? I know you have fifteen more minutes but…”
“No, I’m good,” Deja quickly replied as he clocked in, then rushed out to the tables to gather the dirty dishes to be washed, smiling wide when he heard the overhead radio come on and one of his favorite Bette Midler songs began to play. Unable to control himself, Deja started his singing, “Oh, the sun beats down….”
Deja moved to the beat from one table to the next as the song grew more powerful. “Under the boardwalk, down by the sea….”
As always happened when he sang, Deja was oblivious to the world around him as he continued to sing and made his way to the back. Smiling as an image of him and Shadow on a beach making love under the stars as the water rolled in slowly… damn, now he was hard as hell.
“Deja, can I see you in my office for a minute?” Twixie asked.
Gasping, Deja turned to ask if there was something wrong, but the man was already walking into his office. Shit, had he done something wrong? Was he going to lose his job? Granted a bus boy and dishwasher weren’t his dream job, but at least it was a job. He had only been here a couple of weeks now, but he didn’t think he had done anything to get fired over… at least he didn’t think so.
“Deja,” Twix called out once more.
Turning to Toby, the man shrugged. “I have no clue.”
Quickly setting the time on the dishwasher, Deja then wiped his hands and slowly made his way into Twix’s office. He was surprised to see two other men in the room with Twix. The first guy was almo
st as large as Illan. His hair was dark brown with silver tips and the five o’clock shadow gave him a fierce and dangerous look. The other man was about a half foot smaller with dark black hair and the most amazing deep blue eyes that seemed to look right into Deja’s soul.
“Deja, come in and close the door please,” Twix ordered lightly.
Slowly Deja stepped into the office, then he closed the door as Twix requested, but didn’t move further into the room. “D… Did I do so-something wrong?”
Twix’s features softened as he said, “No, Deja. I’m sorry if I gave you that impression. Please, come and sit, I would like to introduce you to Nick and Jagger. Nick is not only a fire chief in Maddox, but he is also one of our council members. Jagger is his mate and runs “The Cage” in Maddox.”
“The Cage?” Deja asked with curiosity.
Jagger stepped forward, smiling. “It’s a club and the reason I’m here, Deja.”
“Oh that must be the club that Timmy talked about today. He said you were going to start a Karaoke night and wanted me to teach him to sing so he could… well it doesn’t matter. I’m sorry, Mr. Jagger, but I’ve never been to your club, so I don’t understand what it is I can do for you.”
Jagger sat and waited until Deja did the same. “A few nights ago, Rhys came to me and said I had to come here and check out the new dishwasher.”
“Okay,” Deja said in confusion.
“He told me that he had been here with his son and daughter along with his mates. Amelia can be a handful and apparently she was having a bit of a tantrum until this wonderful bus boy came in and started singing to her, and she not only stopped her tantrum, but her entire attitude changed,” Jagger explained.
Deja remembered that day. He had seen the fathers struggling with the little girl and the other patrons were starting to look upset, so he did what he often did when he was with his gypsy tribe and the children would be restless from all the travel. He went and sat with them, singing until they were all happy once more.