Shifting Boundaries

Chapter 26

Everett

Felix left and once I picked up Griffin, he quieted. I was left with the time and quiet to think for the first time since this morning when Penny approached me about adopting Griffin.

I looked down at the little boy in my arms and felt a rush of love for him. My son.

"Felix and I, we're your daddies now," I told him. It didn't matter if he didn't understand. We would show him what it was to be a family, and he would grow into his role within ours. Tears flooded my eyes and I reeled, trying to process such a monumentally life-changing day and utterly failing.

Tomorrow I would take Griffin to the daycare and I would sign him in as his father. His name was officially changed, too. It had been important to me that Felix had a tangible connection to him since Griffin and I already had an emotional connection, so Griffin was now Griffin Holt. It would take a while to get the change legalized on his human documentation, but as far as werewolves were concerned, the change was finalized already. I supposed I would take on Felix's last name at some point, too, so I could match the rest of my little family.

I took Griffin into the kitchen to look for something to feed him when I realized I had no place to set him down. With one hand, I texted Felix to make sure he picked up a high chair. Then I opened the refrigerator and pulled out applesauce. It would hold Griffin over for now, then he could eat some of whatever Felix and I made for dinner later. I set Griffin up on the floor since I didn't want to get applesauce all over our furniture and was spooning a bit into his mouth (after texting Felix to make sure he picked up plastic toddler spoons) when someone pounded on the front door.

No one knocked that hard other than Meleri or Magnus unless there was an emergency.

I froze, remembering for the first time that we were supposed to have dinner with Felix's siblings tonight. After the whirlwind day we'd had, it had been the last thing on my mind. And now, Meleri was here and Magnus would arrive soon, and they had no idea Felix and I had adopted Griffin. This was something they should really hear from their brother. The loud knocking scared Griffin into crying and he scrambled into my arms, tripping over the bowl of applesauce and spilling it onto the kitchen floor in his haste.

"Um, Felix isn't home yet!" I called. But of course, that didn't deter her. Why would it? And what was I supposed to do, make her stand outside waiting for him?

I heard the front door open as Mel entered and answered, "No worries." She came into the kitchen and stopped abruptly when she saw me holding a sticky Griffin. "Everett?" she said, eyes wide. She didn't voice a real question, but then again, she didn't need to.

I sighed. Nothing for it but to tell her. "Meleri, this is Griffin. Felix and I adopted him today."

She continued to stare at us, and I had spilled applesauce to deal with. I set Griffin down and made quick work of the mess. I had just finished cleaning up the floor and turned around to throw away the paper towels. Before I could turn back, Griffin was wailing.

I dropped the paper towels on the ground and whirled to see Meleri with a sobbing Griffin in her arms. I reached out for him and she passed him over without complaint.

"Ssh, ssh, I've got you. It's okay, Griffin," I said in the most soothing voice I could muster. I didn't know if Griffin could even hear it over his crying, but it didn't take more than a couple of minutes for the tears to stop. He leaned against me, exhausted, and I turned to Mel.

"Griffin doesn't like when strangers touch him," I said. My tone came out brusque. "We'll work up to getting him to let you hold him, but it might take a while."