Chris stayed very still, like if he didn't move, the idea would lose interest and walk back out the door on its own.
Dax, unfortunately, had never met an idea he didn't want to adopt, crown, and parade through the palace with drums.
"No," Chris said again, flat and immediate.
Dax's expression remained calm in that infuriating way it did when he'd already decided the outcome and was now just being polite about the illusion of choice. "Yes."
Nero made a tiny sound against Chris's chest, a sleepy little sigh that felt like commentary. His pale lashes fluttered once, then settled again, and his mouth relaxed as if he'd found the exact angle of comfort he'd been searching for his whole six-week-old life.
Chris's hand tightened slightly on the blanket. "He's sleeping."
