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“They’re all wishing to know who the Third is,” Brynn said with a smirk as she eased herself down on the couch to sit beside Harry. She rubbed the decently-sized baby bump as the brunet curled around her and the pair shared a secret smile.
“There’s still several months left,” Harry said. “If we grant that particular wish, are you ready for the never-ending complaining?”
Brynn made a face. “Probably not,” she said. “And really, it’s a lot of fun to watch them guess.”
“I’ve noticed the cinnamon ‘cravings,’" Harry drawled.
Brynn giggled. “It’s funny to watch Alec twitch and grumble at the idea,” she said. “And I have actually been craving it a few times.”
As if on cue, Quinn’s head popped into the living area. His teal eyes immediately honed in on the pair.
Alec is insisting that you need snacks, he said, a tone of amusement in his voice. Even from a distance, Alec knew how to hover.
Harry and Brynn traded mischievous looks. “Cinnamon,” they chorused together.
“Applesauce,” Brynn added. “Cinnamon applesauce.”
Harry licked his lips as that particular craving finally passed over to him and he nodded eagerly. Quinn made the best applesauce, using apples fresh from their orchard. He would miss having access to the orchard once the baby was born in a few months, but it would be a small price to pay for keeping his Circle together. And really, living on the island wasn’t a hardship. It brought back many fond memories.
A Merrow baby—even a half Merrow—needed to be raised around water. Normally, the Merrow and the other Bonded involved in the pregnancy would go beneath the surface for a decade or longer to raise the child, but that wouldn’t be possible with Harry’s Empathy. So, he and Brynn had made contingency plans, including who the Third would be, to ensure that wouldn’t be necessary.
“Who does know?” Brynn asked when Quinn disappeared into the kitchen.
“Quinn, for obvious reasons,” Harry said. “Theo, most likely. I think WIkhn and Hadrian suspect and it wouldn’t surprise me if Devrim knows, given his nose.”
“So basically all of the Gheyos know then and Brishen is going along with things because he wants to mess with Alec,” Brynn said knowingly.
“It is one of his favorite things to do,” Harry conceded with a small sigh.
“So when are we going to grant the others’ wishes and let them know?” Brynn asked.
“Christmas-time?” Harry suggested. “It’ll make for a good present and even Alec can’t sulk for too long during the holidays.”
“He won’t sulk for too long anyways,” Brynn said, waving a small hand. “Because he’ll quickly realize that it could be worse.”
“Oh?”
“It’s Charlie,” Brynn said with a small smirk. “Not Fred.”