Three.

Three.
"Love, I can't believe you pulled this off. I mean, are you sure they really don't expect anything?" Calum asked Colt, as the uber dropped them off outside of a large blue house in Helena.

The neighboorhood was quiet, and backed up against a wooded hilly area on the outskirts of the city. The house they were outside of had a large landscaped yard, which seemed to sweep up and around the house, elevated away from the driveway and sidewalk that Colt and Calum were standing on. It looked like a modern American family home and Calum smiled at the fact that it was so different to what he was used to, yet still had a welcoming wholesome aura about the place.


He quickly gave himself a small shake; of course it looked like a modern family home, it was a modern family home, and with as much of the family as possible inside, Calum found himself nervous about walking into the lion's den. Or in this case the wolf's.


The couple had managed to arrange their move within the month, telling only Iona and Alasdair their reasons why, and offering them the tenure on the croft for their own fledgling family. Both of their friends understood completely, being in the same predicament themselves, and were beyond grateful that they had a home which would not allow either of their own clans any room for interference. Though, they did have one reservation, yet despite that reservation about Calum's Mother being kept in the dark until the day before they left, they agreed to keep the news to themselves.


When that time came, Maria hadn't taken the news of her son's departure well at all. But, with promises or regular paid for flights out to visit her son in the U.S. she somewhat calmed under the realisation it wasn't goodbye.


Calum however, insisted they didn't mention the baby until they were on the soil of Colt's homeland. He did not trust his Mother in the slightest, or the lengths she would have went to to try and keep the child on Scottish soil.


When he broke the news two days ago, he was more than releaved that there was a actual ocean between them. His mother had almost burst his ear drum, yelling profanities at him down the phone. He could have only imagined the damage she would have done in person.


But now they had the joy of breaking the news to everyone else inside that big blue house, in front of them. Colt found herself smiling at her husband, trying to allow her own excitement to quell his nerves. She knew how over the moon her Mom would be, plus she was ecstatic at the thought of seeing them all surprised by their sudden drop by appearance.


"I'm sure they expect it's something. Just not this," she smirked triumphantly, pulling out her cell.


-----

Mark made his way into the kitchen, and placed his son's empty water cup in the sink with a sigh. It had taken him an extra forty minutes to get the boys in bed tonight, and he felt beyond frazzled by it. Thankfully he wasn't at the sink for long before Paul's hands wrapped around his husband's waist as he held him close.


"It's always harder to get them down when everyone is here," Mark sighed, enjoying leaning back into his mate's touch.


"It is, but you're uptight about why Colt wants you all together for this news. Not, because the boys are refusing to go to bed properly." Paul responded, giving Mark's neck a quick affectionate peck.


"You know me too well, Mr. Merrier-Cartright," Mark smiled in response, as he turned in his arms.


"I do, and it's because...." Paul replied, as Mark's cell began to ring. "Answer it then." He demanded excitedly, instantly forgetting the words he had planned to flirt with his husband.


With a deep breath Mark nodded and gestured for Paul to lead the way into the lounge where his parents, and the rest of his brothers saving Scott, who couldn't get leave at such short notice, were waiting for this very moment.


Colt had called him two days ago, asking if he could arrange for everyone to come around. She said she needed to speak to everyone at once. Mark had been anxious about it ever since, worrying about what was wrong, it didn't help that her lack of information, had also set off his brothers, who began pestering him for information he just did not have, them also wanting to quell their worry for their only sister.


"Hello," he answered the call, entering the room and sitting on the only free chair in the room.


Everyone's heads turned to Mark expectantly as the phone line connected through, and Colt's voice was heard on the other side.


"Hey there Stranger," came Colt's sing song voice. "Is everyone here?"

Mark quickly shifted the phone onto loudspeaker, and a chorus of slightly agitated "Hellos," met Colt's ears.

They all heard her in take of breath, and joyful laughter that followed, "Great, Oh hold on..." Colt said before the line went dead.


Everyone froze, confusion and worry slowly transforming their features.


"Well, call her back!" Kalvin and Asher growled simultaneously.


Mark jumped to do just that, when another voice was heard.


"Now that really would be a waste of time," Colt spoke from the lounge door.


"A key under a flower pot? Really Mark. I mean I know you're a wolf and all ferocious and what not, but I genuinely thought better of you," Calum smirked from beside his wife. "Any old riff raff could just walk in here."


The room took a about thirty seconds to recover, before the sleeping children were forgotten and the family erupted to have their daughter and her husband there.


Isla was the quickest to make it over to her daughter, actually leaping across the back of Mark and Paul's couch as if she were an Olympic hurdler; which made Kalvin stop and laugh at her, over her frantic need to get to their child. However, Isla froze before she could wrap up Colt in her arms. Scared that if she moved to quickly what she was seeing wouldn't be real.


"Colt Breagha Merrier, is that..." Isla trailed off, unable to complete her questions, as the rest of the room fell silent, eyes now upon Colt's now proudly protruding stomach.


Colt smiled fully, her eyes welling up with the happiest of tears, as she started nodding.


"Told you they wouldn't believe she was a bee sting." Calum quirked, wrapping his arm about his wife.


"She?" Kalvin whispered.


Colt swallowed, looking affectionately at her father, "Yes, she."


The room was filled with congratulations from Colt and Calum's family, as they were pulled further into the room. But it was Isla, who caught on to the full story quicker than everyone else.


"When does that beautiful horse of yours get out of quarantine then?" She asked, with a knowing smirk.


The wolves around them all frowned, with confusion, looking between Colt and her mother at this question. While Calum simply stood shaking his head.


"Really you're obsessed with that donkey too, Isla?" He asked, receiving a small slap to the shoulder from his wife for the not so affectionate nickname he had given her baby.


"He arrived this morning, Becs sorted it with the girls at the resort, they will collect him for me on Tuesday." Colt smiled, leaning into Calum for support.


"Wait, does this mean you're staying?" Kalvin asked, scared to smile in case he had gotten it wrong somehow.


Colt's face lit up as she looked at her father, but it was Calum who chose to answer.



"Of course we are. No way in hell am I allowing those vultures near my daughter." He hissed out.


Kalvin was nodding with approval, already calculating a time he could set aside to chat with Calum about what he would need from his firm. While, Isla had begun to cry with so many overwhelming emotions as she pulled Colt towards the couch.


"Lewis, move your backside out of the way," she hissed out at her youngest, who had taken up residence lounging across said couch.


Lewis huffed but moved out of the way all the same to let his sister sit down.


"Sweetheart, how far along are you?" Isla asked, "Mark get your sister something to drink, or are you hungry."


Colt laughed.


"I'm fine, Mom," she began, before Calum interupted.


"I'll have a drink though please, these pregnancy cravings are playing havoc on my hormones, I swear I've put on at least half a stone." Calum toyed with them all.


"You have?" Harris asked skeptically.


"Aye, it's all the comfort eating I'm doing when I have to hide from this one's mood swings," he winked back, earning a chorus of muffled snorts.


"Boys, leave off your sister," Isla threatened, ensuring they all rolled their eyes.


Isla had been the same with bot Harris and Asher's wives when they had been pregnant; a complete fuss pot. No one was allowed to upset a pregnant female on her watch. Mark was silently thanking the heavens he was gay and that he and Paul had adopted. Though, to be fair his mother did go into a whole new variant of mother hen when the boys came home. So much so, he had to put his foot down, and ask his Dad to remove her.


"Casanova, behave and stop trying to make mischief," Colt smiled lovingly at her husband's poor sense of humour, just as the man himself sat down behind her, pulling her body against his own. "I'm just over twenty-two weeks, Mom."


"And, everything is alright? How was the morning sickness?" Isla asked, renewing her fussing.

"Wait, a minute." Lewis piped up. "That math doesn't add up, you would have been pregnant when we were in Scotland."


Colt sighed, leaning against her husband and looking around the room at her family's confused expressions.


"I thought I was late due to stress, I believed I couldn't get pregnant. It didn't even register as a possibility to be honest." She shrugged, pulling Calum's arm around herself to get comfy.

Colt's action made Isla smile, she was acting like a pregnant wildcat, constantly using her mate as a portable den. She found herself looking across at Kalvin as she remembered doing the same for their own brood, and the warm smile she got in return, told her he recognised the exact same behaviour in their daughter as she had.


Meanwhile, Colt was looking about the room at her own family.


"Anyway, everyhing is perfect now, Mom." Colt smiled contentedly with the world. "I'm so glad we came home."