"Colton let the poor woman get some air," Aiden boomed behind him.
Colton stepped back and turned to face his childhood friend standing in the open doorway. The look on his face must have been impressive because Aiden swallowed visibly. The rest of his unit stood next to Aiden in the foyer, smiling at him.
"She's your mate, isn't she?" Aiden asked.
Colton nodded. "Yes, she is." He turned to the woman. "This is Aiden McKenize, the Unit Commander. Aiden this is ..." He stopped. "What is your name anyway?"
Aiden burst out laughing and Colton flushed slightly. Growling, he frowned at his friend. "We hadn't gotten that far yet."
Aiden smirked at him, arms crossed over his chest. "What exactly did you get to?" he teased.
Colton thought about it for a moment. "We've pissed each other off, exchanged insults and she's damaged my car."
"So pretty much on par for the Alpha Unit," Sascha's voice said from their left. Colton looked over and the men from the other units stood grinning up at him from beyond the porch. "Har har guys. At least she didn't set my car on fire."
"Hey!" Aiden protested.
"His car was set on fire? Is it safe here?" his mate asked.
Colton felt his smile threaten to split his face. "Yeah. Meryn, his mate, blew his car up for being a dick, he totally deserved it. As for being safe, look around sweetheart, these men represent the best the paranormal world has to offer, there's no place safer." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Come on honey, let's head inside, you can tell me your name and why you're on the run."
"Wait! I have to..." She turned back towards the car.
Laughing he pulled her back. "We can get your bags later."
She pulled free and shook her head. "You don't understand." She jogged back to her car and opened the back door behind the passenger seat.
Frowning, Colton and most of the men gathered around the car. When his mate lifted a small bundle out of the car, his brain couldn't make sense of it. It looked like a tiny body pillow wearing a coat. His mate set the bundle down and reached down to grasp a small hand. Hand? Blinking, Colton gawked down.
"Colton, my name is Rheia Bradley and this is my daughter, Penelope Carmichael. She likes to be called Penny."
Colton stared until multi colored dots appeared before his eyes. A solid whack to his back brought him to the present and he inhaled sharply, choking on his own spit.
"Breathe, you damn fool!" Sascha chided.
Gasping for air, he bent over and put his hands on his knees. "I think. I'm dying!" he wheezed.
He looked up and saw his mate roll her eyes. "You're not dying, but I think you are having a panic attack. Just breathe, Penny won't bite, I promise."
Colton took deep breaths staring at the ground. When he saw two small purple shoes appear, he looked up. Bright green eyes surrounded by dark lashes peered at him. Rich brown ringlets spilled from outside the coat's hood. She had tiny, pink, bow shaped lips and wore a serious expression. She raised her hand and placed it on his cheek. She was warm, very warm, too warm to be a human. This tiny child was a shifter and she was now his daughter!
His legs gave out and he fell to his knees in front of Penny as he looked into her eyes. The universe screeched to a halt around him and shifted. He knew eventually he would fall in love with his mate, but the love he would have for Rheia would be different than what he already felt for this child. He had fallen instantly in love with his daughter and Gods help the ones that were after her, because there was nothing he wouldn't do to keep her safe.
Five minutes ago, he had been a bachelor now he had a mate and baby girl. His world was changed forever. He smiled at her and she titled her head. Slowly, giving her time to pull away, he reached for her and then scooped her up when she didn't protest. Standing he turned and faced the men.
"I'm a father!" he announced, forgetting that the men around him had been there the whole time.
Cheers went up from the men as they crowded around to meet Rheia and Penny.
"This is my mate Rheia and my daughter Penny. Aren't they beautiful?" he asked, beaming.
"Being a father is nothing to play at," Rheia chided, her hands on her hips frowning at him again.
"I'm not playing. You're my mate and she's your daughter, that makes her my daughter," he rebutted.
She blinked. "Just like that? Poof! Just like that, you're willing to sacrifice everything and become a parent?" she demanded.
Colton frowned, confused. "Of course. Isn't that how it works with humans?"
"Not exactly," she confessed.
"Well, that's how it is with me. She's already mine, aren't you, princess?" Colton asked Penny.
Yawning, the girl nodded, popped her thumb in her mouth and laid her head down on his shoulder.
Colton melted. "Let's head inside. My baby girl has to be getting cold. Darian, Keelan, can you bring in their suitcases?" he asked.
"Sure thing," Darian said. He and Keelan opened up the driver's side door and popped the trunk.
"Now wait a minute. You can't just expect me to let you walk off with my daughter. Hey! Get back here!" Rheia called as he walked towards the house.
"Is your Mommy always so grumpy?" he asked Penny. The little girl shook her head.
"Just with me?" Again, she nodded.
"Perfect," he sighed.