Chapter 8

Hitting a baby boutique hadn’t been on Keiran’s to-do list for the day. Or the week. Or...ever. There had been times when his mother mentioned wanting grandchildren when he was a teen, before he was fully ‘out’. Then, when he was a bit older and she realized being gay didn’t mean the option was off the table. Sometimes when she visited, she’d loop her arm with Dallas’ and say ‘Wouldn’t mi hijo make beautiful babies?’.

The look in Dallas’ eyes, like he could see it, was almost tempting. Except the idea of raising children together had never come up—his mother’s nudges didn’t count. Between the restaurant, and missions, and the club, what would they even do with a baby? It’s not like an infant could be tucked away until things got less busy. And despite some rough spots since he’d come to Anniston Falls, Keiran loved his life.

A baby would change everything.

I’m not ready.

Blowing out a breath, Keiran eyed the different sleeping options in the furniture section. Reggie had taken over filling the cart with diapers and bottles and whatever else the baby might need in the hopefully short time before Jamie was convinced to contact the proper authorities. The food situation had been pretty simple, since tiny babies only needed formula, but Keiran had let the store clerk talk him into some organic baby food.

It was either that or tell her to start slipping bills in his boxers if she intended to keep feeling him up. Apparently, fatherhood was like an aphrodisiac for some.

Which might explain part of Jamie’s interest.

Lips slanting, Keiran dragged what looked like a mini-dome off a shelf. The thing claimed to be multi-purpose, safe, and portable, but reminded him a bit of the crate Danny’s Doms used for pup-play. “Do babies really need cages?”

“It’s not a cage.” Popping up beside him, a young clerk with red and black hair in pigtails flashed him a big grin. “Let me guess… Baby shower? Proud uncle-to-be?”

The woman kept a respectful distance and wasn’t stripping him down with her eyes, so Keiran relaxed and nodded. “Something like that. My friend needs a place for his baby to sleep that’s...convenient. Can be put together quickly and is comfortable.”

Nodding, the clerk led him a bit further down the aisle. “Most of the people who buy those domes use them for camping or stuff. If you’re looking for something that’ll make your friend’s life easier, you need this.” She pulled out a much bigger box. “Includes a really comfy little rocker, a changing table, and a playpen. It’s not cheap, but you get what you pay for, right?”

Every time Keiran returned from a mission, and he wasn’t over the stove, he liked pampering himself a little and wearing some of his more high-end outfits. Nothing too fancy, but since he was closer to Jacks’ height than the other subs, and enjoyed some of his flashier styles, he often got the brand-name clothes the Dom didn’t want to keep.

And right now, these two-thousand dollar jeans and this dove white cashmere shirt labelled him as someone with money to burn. He glanced at the price tag for the ‘portacot’ and winced.

Good thing we’ve got Jamie’s credit card.

Still, Keiran wasn’t a fan of throwing other people’s money around. He looked over as Reggie joined them with a full cart. “Should we call Jamie and double-check? This is costing more than I thought it would.”

Reggie huffed out a laugh. “No, he’ll be confused that you think it’s a lot, then feel guilty about making you worry, and start questioning why he doesn’t think it’s a lot. With some purchases, I use my own discretion to avoid undue stress. I’ve picked up a thing or two from Connor.” He examined the portacot and nodded. “This should do nicely. If you’ll bring the SUV around, I’ll handle charging all this and have someone load it up for us.”

Nodding, Keiran pulled his keys from his pocket and headed out as Reggie was drawn into a conversation with the clerk. The rain dampened air held a refreshing, unseasonable bite as he stepped onto the sidewalk, enjoying the brush of it teasing his hair. Not letting himself get too distracted, he did the standard safety checks on his way to the underground parking across the street. There was no one hanging around, clearly trying to blend in. No curtains in windows ruffling into place at a glance.

But the parking garage felt...wrong. He slowed a few steps in, surveying the area. Pulled out his gun, a Ruger Mark IV, keeping it to his side as he continued forward. The weapon was the first one he’d ever wanted for himself, though he’d been a bit embarrassed when Rhodey asked why he’d chosen it and all he could say was ‘it’s sexy’.