Page 69 of Sobek’s Joy

Because Sobek was the other father, it had been decided by… whoever decided those things…that the lovely lady from their wedding, Bastet, would be helping Rudy give birth. She had apparently been the one who assisted Luka when he gave birth to his twins, although she hadn’t gone into details.

But Sobek knew that when she was called, he had to be outside with the kids. When Rudy heard that, he thought that the gods sometimes made things unnecessarily difficult for themselves, but he accepted that no non-pregnant father was allowed to see the birth of their child.

Timothy, who’d been quietly eating his third helping of pasta, tilted his head. “Will they come out knowing how to shift?”

“Probably not right away.” Sobek returned to his seat, and with a subtle wave, manifested a bowl of mashed potatoes that appeared directly in front of Rudy. “Shifter children usually don’t shift until they’re older. But since this baby is also part god, we’ll have to wait and see.”

“What if they’re a crocodile like Papa and Timothy?” Rose asked.

“Then we’ll love them,” Rudy said automatically, spooning mashed potatoes into his mouth, wanting to moan as the perfect butter-to-potato ratio goodness hit his taste buds. Sometimes having a godly mate was incredibly convenient.

“What if they’re a panther like me?”

“We’ll love them.”

“What if they’re a wolf like me?” Jack asked.

“We’ll love them.”

“What if they’re human like Daddy?” Timothy’s quiet voice cut through the rapid-fire questions.

Rudy met his youngest son’s serious gaze. “Then we’ll love them exactly the same. No matter what they are, they’re ours. Just like you three are mine, and nothing will ever change that.”

Timothy’s face relaxed into one of his rare smiles, the kind that still made Rudy’s chest tight with the memory of finding a silent, traumatized four-year-old sitting alone by a pond.

A flash of gold light interrupted the moment, and Horus materialized in the dining room wearing what appeared to be a gold velour tracksuit with matching gold sneakers.

“Seriously?” Rudy stared at the king of Egypt. “Where do you get your clothes?”

“This is fashionable.” Horus smoothed down the front of his jacket with obvious pride.

“In what decade?”

“The current one. I researched modern athletic wear.”

“You’re looking at the wrong websites.” Rudy took another bite of potatoes. “Also, you could knock. We have a door.”

“I’m a god.”

“You’re a pain in my ass, is what you are.”

Sobek made a choking sound that might have been a laugh, while Rose abandoned her spaghetti to run over and hug Horus’s legs. The ancient god immediately softened, reaching down to pat her head.

“Hello, little panther.”

“Did you bring me something?” Rose asked with the shameless confidence of a five-year-old who knew she was spoiled.

“Rose,” Rudy warned, but Horus was already conjuring a golden jewelry box that opened to reveal a delicate bracelet with tiny gemstone charms.

“For you.” Horus crouched down to fasten it around her wrist. “Real diamonds, rubies, and emeralds, not the fake ones.”

“You can’t keep giving her actual precious gems,” Rudy protested. “She’s five.”

“She’s family.” Horus stood and produced two more boxes, handing them to Jack and Timothy. Jack’s contained a golden pocket watch engraved with a wolf, while Timothy’s held a small crocodile figurine made from what looked like solid gold and jade.

“I hate you,” Rudy muttered without heat. “You’re going to make them impossible to live with.”

“They’re already impossible.” Horus conjured a chair and sat down at the table, eyeing Rudy’s belly with obvious envy. “You’re massive.”