I woke up in what I could only assume was some time in the morning. Without finding a clock, I had no idea. The blinds consumed the entire window, blocking all the light. If I cared, I'd get up and pull back the blind, but I wasn't going to. I wanted to stay right here, curled up next to Dani and Roman, snuggled in our little cocoon of love. The world beyond this cabin didn't matter because everything I wanted was right here with me.

Dani was still asleep, but I'd felt her stir when I woke up. Roman was on the other side of her, sleeping on his side, which was unusual. Somewhere in my sleep, I'd moved in behind Dani, and now my hand was on her belly. It seemed as if Alexia was right when she said that Dani would do a lot of growing when she slept because there was a soft curve under my hand.

My eyes bolted open when something jolted against my hand. Cautiously, I rose, refusing to let go. Was it real? Maybe I was mistaken. I'd never felt a baby kick, so I had no idea. When it happened again, I let out a soft laugh, thoroughly amazed by it.

Roman opened his eyes, frowning at my crazy grin.

"What are you doing?"

"The baby kicked," I whispered.

His eyes lowered to my hand, then up at Dani, who was turning onto her back while giving me a sleepy look.

"What are you doing, Jas?" she groaned.

"The baby kicked."

Roman put his hand where mine had been and waited. It didn't take long for a smile to emerge.

"There he is."

"A boy, eh?" Dani said as she rubbed her eyes.

"Yep."

She hummed and looked at me, waiting for my offer. I shrugged.

"Happy for either."

And happy to see Roman smiling about the baby. I didn't think he'd get to this point, not after three decades of saying that relationships, marriage, and babies were never going to be a part of our future. I guess people change, situations alter what we want, and we either adapt to survive or fade away into nothing.

Dani's stomach growled, and Roman chuckled.

"It's not ours, she's banged a werewolf."

"Oh, ha ha," she muttered. "Get your lazy arse out of bed, be a good daddy and feed me."

With a smart arse smile on his face, Roman flicked away the sheets and shimmied his way to the end of the bed. I'd never been on a private train, but this cabin was pretty flash. The bed was tucked neatly into one side of the carriage, the mattress consuming all but a narrow gap on either side. We had a small lounge that faced a television. Beyond that was a bathroom that, while it was small, was incredibly decadent.

Dressing quickly, Roman left the cabin. I helped Dani to the end of the bed, then began rummaging through my bag that had been dumped on the lounge.

"So, what did you two get up to while I was asleep? How long was I out?"

"Quite a while, actually. We're out of the tunnel, and at some point, there was a stop, but Rus handled everything. There might have been a few because I have no idea where we are at the moment. As for us," I shrugged. "Roman got drunk with Loren, who went to bed like the flake he is."

Dani grinned as she stood. As she pulled the oversized shirt off, I saw the curve of her stomach. I was stunned, sitting on the lounge amongst the bags, staring like I'd never seen a pregnant woman before.

"And that's it?"

Turning, Dani looked at me. She tilted her head with a hint of bewilderment in her smile.

"Well, we did find a quiet place to talk about some things."

"Oh, I'm sure a whole lot of talking went on," Dani said.

I shrugged, more interested in waiting for the baby to kick again. I wanted to see if that little mound protruding from her belly would look the same now that she was standing.

"I didn't want to wake you because I know what he can get like when he's drinking that heavily. Roman is loud, and he stumbles everywhere. I can guarantee he would have woken you, which I didn't want. So, I gave him what was necessary. He needed a moment to forget about everything."

"Returning to the way things used to be, right? Tell me, sir-grumps-a-lot has finally said something."

I shrugged again. Dani pulled a new shirt on, letting it slide over that gorgeous swell. I'd be happy to laze around in here all day, but eating with Roman's family was a good idea.

"Not so much saying something. He did that when we were in that little town. It's a slow path for him to learn how to express himself and not be weighed down by everything that is going on. There were a lot of revelations that were unleashed upon us last night, so go easy on him. All those demons that we thought were laid to rest have been resurrected wearing new hats."

"New hats, huh?"

"Oh, you know, Alexia and Lewis aren't technically married. Roman doesn't actually have any full blooded siblings. Sadie is pregnant with Lewis's kid."

"Shut up," she groaned, stunned. "You cannot be serious."

"Sadly, I am. There were a lot of things said, a lot of wounds that, while not large, are enough to cause a flicker of pain."

"Enough to get drunk with Loren, I take it?"

"Yeah. They're stepbrothers because Florus and Alexia are together. Oh, and the twins are Rus's kids, not Lewis's."

Pulling her closer, I pressed my ear to her belly.

"Speaking of twins, what are the chances?"

"Jasper Madlock, you shut your damn mouth, right now."

I chuckled, pulling Dani down to me. She straddled my lap as I pushed the bags to the floor.

"One for each of us," I teased.

"No," she whispered against my lips.

I pouted but was ignored in favour of a tempting kiss. Reaching under Dani's shirt, I searched her stomach and found where the baby was still kicking.

"You know, I never thought this would be where you and I ended up."

"Even if it's Roman's kid?"

"You heard him, he's not going to check, and I'm not either. Somewhere along the way, we'll both have one, and I am happy with that. Maybe they'll all look like you and we'll never truly know."

"Maybe," she returned. "Are you sure he's okay with this? It's a little hard to accept a complete turnaround."

"I know Roman well enough to say that he's not bothered by it. If he were, it would be at the top of the list for things he would be complaining about when he's drunk. The filter on his mouth gets demolished when he's drinking, if you hadn't noticed."

"Oh, I noticed."

Dani smiled at me, and under the shirt, she took my hand and moved it to another part of her stomach. This wasn't a jabbing motion like the other side. This felt like the baby was turning over. It was almost like it was the spine that ran under my hand. I lifted her shirt and waited with hope. My eyes widened as I watched her skin ripple like a wave. Gently skating my fingers over her belly, I thought about the journey Dani and I had taken to get to this moment.

"A part of me wishes that I'd told you what Noah was up to rather than trying to lead you to it. Maybe we could have been here sooner."

I looked up at her and saw the sympathetic smile.

"That might have happened, but maybe we were always meant to walk this path and not the other. Your wish for this alternative path doesn't mean that it would have worked out as you imagine. I was angry that night. I was broken and desperate to forget that Noah existed. I wanted revenge, I wanted to drag him to the bottom of the Thames. If you'd told me about his antics in a casual conversation, I would have been angry, but not like the kind that comes from being dragged out of a river, seconds from death."

The door slid open, and Roman poked his head through the gap.

"You know, for someone who said she was hungry, you're not acting like it. You're not supposed to be smooching on the lounge. Get up, food is on the table."

Dani stood and pulled on a pair of jeans, then complained that she couldn't fasten them. I grabbed one of her hair ties, looped it through the hole, and around the button. With a hum of happiness and a sweet smile, she kissed my cheek and chased after Roman.

We were almost at complete perfection. All we had left was to convince Giovanni that everything was fine and that letting us stay in his province was the ideal thing to do. I didn't want to even think about what would happen if he refused us.