Merissa cooed at the baby, who was now awake. He grinned at her though it seemed more like relief from gas than an actual smile. Adley was right beside her, talking to the baby and trying to teach him his first words.

"He's only a baby. Give the poor kid a break."

Eloise named her son Samuel, then gifted him with a middle name that was her mother's maiden name. Lyla wondered how the child was registered in Isaac's surname rather than Nironsa's, given that they were supposedly married.

Samuel Pierce Hayes was a well behaved little man. So much so that Merissa was enjoying a cuddle that had spanned ten minutes. She thought it was a great record, considering the last baby she held screamed instantly.

Lyla leaned turned from the view of Merissa and Adley getting clucky over Sammy and returned to the kitchen. Isaac gave her a grim smile.

"I don't know what you expect of me, Lyla. He's a vampire. I can share the load if you want, but you know how well it's worked in the past. Tom's schedule is demanding."

Her eyes swung to the other nightmare in this mini meeting. Gamichee offered a shrug.

"I can send one of the nurses from Fielding Hall if you like. All of it will come from my pocket. There is something that I have been mulling over the past few weeks since Nironsa's death. He had quite a lot of money stored in his house and the bank. As his only living relative, I was named the beneficiary by the government. Now that there is a child, it will go to Samuel. He will want for nothing, Lyla. I promise you that I will make amends for my brother's mistakes. Would you like me to oversee the transfer of funds to a trust account for Samuel?"

Lyla nodded, giving Gamichee a hopeful smile. Perhaps out of the darkness, goodness would arise.

"I'd like that."

He'd done well with Lennon's money, and the man knew his way around the financial side of this life. She'd seen the great stacks of money in his safe. She knew that he'd created an affluent life for himself. He'd done that for Lennon, taking something solid but small and created something that was going to do him well for many years. Lyla knew that he'd do the same for his nephew. After all, Sammy was the only blood relative Gamichee had left now.

"Now what?" Isaac cautiously asked.

"We move on," Lyla responded, defeated in her tone.

She didn't think that anything more could come from the horrible situation, but it had. He was a bundle of cuteness, but Lyla didn't want a child to care for. She couldn't take the pain of watching him grow only to lose him to a monster. It hurt too much to say goodbye, even though Lyla never got that chance with Eloise.

In her hands was the picture of Eloise and Nironsa. Lyla hated it but she had to move on, as she'd said. After seeing Sammy, she decided that she wasn't going to burn this picture. Instead, she found a frame that fitted and put the picture into it. She'd create a loving memory for Sammy, even if she hated his father.

"We will all agree that he will never know the truth about what his father did to his mother. He will be given a false view so that he can have happiness in his life."

"Is that wise?" Gamichee asked.

"Would you prefer that Sammy learns that his father was a pervert that bedded his sixteen year old mother, impregnating her then murdering her? I will tell him the truth if that is what you want, and I will own what I did, but I think that we owe it to him to give him a better past than that. He was robbed of his parents. It wasn't fair, and he'll always wallow in sadness if he knows the truth. Or anger," she murmured.

Gamichee was stunned for a few seconds, glancing at Lennon.

He shrugged ever so slightly, offering little to Gamichee. The ex-husband was no better. He despondently shook his head.

"As you wish, Lyla."

"He will grow up in this town. Make sure the vampires out there keep their mouths shut."

"I will send the word out and ensure that they understand that non-compliance will be met with punishment."

"Thank you."

He nodded, then turned out of the room. It was time to have another meeting with his new nephew. Gamichee took the child from Merissa, sitting on the lounge next to her.

"It pains me to think that you will never know how wonderful your father was when his mind was healthy. I know that your grandmother will have you toting a gun before you hit double digits, and when you are old enough, you are more than welcome to come and work for your dear old uncle. He will always be available to you."

Merissa leaned her head on his shoulder, looking at the child with happiness and pain in their hearts. It would be a difficult road, but they would always walk forward with their heads held high.

"When were you going to tell me?"

The question was met with silence. Gamichee looked at his adoptive daughter as she sat up.

"Tell you what?"

"Merissa, I am not a fool, and I know when things have changed. Am I a monster? Do you think that you cannot tell me when goodness enters your life?"

"Well, Len said that you threatened to take Adley to the vet, so I didn't think that you'd want to hear it."

"I jest, you know that. I am not blind either, my dear. I know when a werewolf is sniffing around and why I never see the back of him."

Gamichee leaned over, kissing Merissa on the top of her head.

"Congratulations, my dear. I do look forward to meeting my grandchild."

"Yeah," she hummed softly. "So, about that,"

"What, you're not pregnant?"

"Oh, I am." she muttered, a little terse.

Gamichee smiled, softly laughing.

"Oh, the bane of a werewolf lover. How many?"

Merissa held up three fingers. Gamichee laughed harder, then leaned closer.

"Are you certain you don't want me to take him to the vet for neutering?"

Adley narrowed his eyes, his lips pressed tight with a subdued smile. He couldn't help it if he was blessed with awesomeness in his pants.