Golden Glade Forgive and.... Raise My Babies?

Her smile made him feel much better about things: she wasn't bitter or hurt, it seemed, or at least it was fading. Aspen seemed to be her only worry for now. Alder laughed as he joked with her, swiping his tongue gently over the curve of her belly. 
                 "Oh, it'll suck, I'm sure, once they get mobile. Get all the sleep you can now!"
She layed her head on her paws for a moment, but something seemed to bother her: she looked back up at him and asked if everything would be okay. His heart faultered at her worry, and he reached forward to lick her face. They might not be mates, but she was still mother to his children. Even if he didn't want to admit low-laying feelings for her, there they were.
                             "Everything is okay, and everything will continue to be okay. I won't let anything happen to you, Heartha, or our babies. I'll be as good as a father to them as Aspen's children, and I'll be better to you than I've ever been. Do you trust me?"