"Of course we're parents," Marcus said, tears softly falling down his face as well. "We have a giant family with five kids. And we'll just keep adding more."
I blinked in confusion. "Five?"
"Sally, Princess, Blubby, Mr. Jenkins and Whisper."
Uh-oh. My face fell.
"You didn't... forget Whisper?"
My face fell further.
"Not Blubby, too? Killian, my kids are not illegitimate. You love me, you love us all."
"I do love you." I stood, pulling Marcus's ass tighter to my body, forcing him to wrap his legs around me as I carried him to his bedroom. "I love you and all of our kids... even Whisper."
I lay him down on his bed and smothered his body with mine.
"Killian?"
"Mmhmm?"
"There's one last thing I need to tell you... In case it matters... In case it's a big enough deal we need to break things off. And I won't blame you. I get it—"
I pulled back so that we could see each other’s face. "I think you better tell me what it is so I can decide before you decide for me."
He took a deep breath. "Okay. I learned from the doctor this morning that... that I might not be able to have kids soon. That all those baby bits are drying up a bit early for me. So if you need someone who can give you kids, you need to tell me, I need to know, I need—"
Now it was me who was silencing him with a kiss, and I understood how he had probably felt earlier. His fears were just so ridiculous to me. I couldn't fathom letting go of what we had just because he might not be able to have kids. "I'm not letting you go," I told him when I broke away.
"Thank fuck," he said, pulling me down for a kiss. I let my hands roam over his chest and arms, taking my time, enjoying the moment. We removed our clothing slowly, piece by piece, my hands lingering on the ever present satin glory of his panties. And then we were naked, raw in a way I had never been with anyone else before.
"Please tell me you have a condom," I whispered into his hair as he stroked our lengths together.
"Um..."
"Shit." I let my forehead fall to the bed and I rolled onto my back. Marcus curled into my side and snuggled. "How am I supposed to take your virginity?"
"Only my butt virginity!"
I loved the easy way we could switch between laughter and sensuality.
"I take it you don't have any either? I guess I should be glad you're not presumptuous. Or pushy."
"I'm feeling pretty damn pushy right now, Blondie."
His hand danced over my nipples. "What if... would you be okay... if we did without? I know it's still kind of risky. My heat is, like three weeks away, if it even comes, and there's still a chance I can get pregnant, but I trust you, and more than that, I need you, and I'm surprisingly not terrified of being bound to you forevermore."
As Marcus spoke, an exhilarating, terrifying idea seized me. "Since this seems to be the night of crazy ideas..." I sat up and pulled Marcus with me, grabbing both of his hands. "And like everything we've said tonight, it's okay if you say no, but Marcus, would you do me the honor of being my mate?"
Marcus burst into tears and lunged into my arms, which hadn't been exactly the reaction I'd expected, but he swiftly pulled back and peppered me with kisses. And then I pushed Marcus down and slowly stretched his hole until he was practically gushing slick, begging me to knot him, to make him mine. And when I entered him, his smooth, pale back before me, his ass so tight, and smooth and warm, it felt like he was sucking me in, bringing me to a home I'd only just found. And with my knot locked deep inside him, filling him with my seed, I bit deep into his shoulder, marking him forever as mine, binding us together forever.
32
Marcus
“Your plane leaves in two hours. How soon do you want me to call a car?”
Our mating had turning into sleeping had turned into rushing around getting ready for his trip. He tried to convince his brother to come, but finals didn’t give a shit about family emergencies and, honestly, I think Killian was a little relieved.
I couldn’t believe I was mated. It still felt almost dream like. I was mated to Killian.
“Probably in another fifteen minutes in case of traffic. How much was the ticket? I can write you a check so you can pay it off right away.”
I was hoping this would wait until he got back. There was no way I could or would want to hide the money from him now that we were mates, but that conversation would be longer than the time we had.
“Don’t worry about it. Just worry about being with your mama while she gets well.”
“I don’t think she is getting well.”
I hugged him, willing away all of his hurt and fear.
“You saw the way the doctors looked at me, the pity.”
I wanted to comfort him; he wasn’t imagining things. It wasn’t looking good for his mom, and if it weren’t for the pets, I’d be there with him, but I knew the stress of worrying about them would have dwarfed the comfort I could give him. They were our babies.
“Killian Daye,” I scolded, wagging my finger at him. “You will not think that way. Your mama is a strong alpha and she will get through this.” He gave a subtle nod. “Let me hear you say it.”
“My mama will get through this.” It was barely a rumble.
“Like you mean it.”
“My mama will get through this.” At least this time his voice was solid. Not strong, but better.
“That’s better.”
“How much?” He was pulling out his wallet, making my heart beat loudly in my chest. “I don’t want you getting low.”
He really was going to force the issue, wasn’t he? “About that…” I swallowed. Not now, not when he was about to leave the state, not when we had only been mated a nano second. I loved him and he me and I knew we would move past it, but I wanted to do it when we both had our heads on straight.
“About what?”
“About money. See, I have an inheritance. We are flush.” Billionaires. Close enough.
“Flush?”
“Yeah, we have money.”
“But you live in a shithole.” He wasn’t even trying to insult me. I got it; my apartment, while filled with little luxuries, had old appliances, a leaky bathroom sink, and a crack in the window, none of which shouted money. “Let me write a check.”
I hemmed and hawed, almost agreeing to the check, but it felt too much like a lie. I never once told him I was working for the money, or my boss didn’t pay enough or any of the other things that would lead him to think I had none. I just didn’t share that I did have money. I was splitting hairs, I knew that. But at the time, before I knew where this relationship was going, it had seemed important. Now? Now I wanted him to know all things.
“I live in a shithole because I don’t want people judging me based on my money.” It came out faster than I intended, but lightning didn’t strike, so I called it a win.
Killian eyed me for a moment, gauging how serious I was. “You really have money?”
“No. We have money. And before you get freaky weird, this is a good thing. It means your mama will get the best medical care available.” I was going to make sure of it.
“That explains the manties.” His head was tilted slightly, a perplexed glaze masking his face. He was piecing everything together and he came up with manties? God, I loved that man.
“What, do only rich people wear manties?”
“No.” His face snapped out of the glazed look and in its place was raw lust. If only we had more than five minutes. “Only sexy omegas do, but only rich sexy omegas wear shit that soft. It’s so soft I almost want a pair.”
“Done.” Please make that not a joke. I wanted to whip my phone out then and there and buy all the manties. I could so picture Killian with a tiny lacy accent. Yum.
“Almost,” he scoffed. Not that it was going to deter me. Operation Get My Mate in Panties had officially begun.
“Are you mad?”
“Mad?”
&n
bsp; “For not telling you about the money.” That had been my biggest fear. That he would find out, feel emasculated or whatever bullshit alphas seem to go through when they were not the bread winner, and regret mating me.
“I’m not happy, but I get it.” He shrugged off almost a little too easily as he slung his carry-on over his shoulder. It was getting to be that time.
“While I’m all about over sharing…” Fuck it, go big or go home. “I also write romance novels.”
“What else are you hiding?” He was smirking. That was so not what I had been expecting. “I thought I scored the jackpot when you said yes to mating me, and now I find out you’re all smart and shit.”
“You already knew that.” I stepped into his open arms, his bag dropping to the floor, and kissed him deeply but briefly thanks to the alert on my app that the car was almost here. One minute fucking warning. Worst new feature ever.
Killian’s voice was husky as he said, “True, but it is always fun making you blush.”
It was a favorite pastime of his, to be sure. I secretly loved it, especially when it was followed by naked time.
“Your car’s almost here. Come back with your mama in tow and… well… I need to meet her now that we are family.” I kissed his cheek before backing away. Good-byes sucked monkey butt.
“Family. I love the sound of that.”
“And I love you. When you get to the house, our house, I have a surprise for you in the spare bedroom. I was hoping to show it to you tonight, but… well.”
“Yeah.”
He grabbed the back of my head and just as he was about to take my lips with his—the darn app signaled the car was arriving. Worst. Timing. Ever. “Hold onto that.”
“I gotta go.” He put his carry-on back on his shoulder and grabbed his suitcase, making it halfway to the door before turning back to me. “And Marcus?”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t go spending the rest of your inheritance on me. Put it in a CD or something so you never feel trapped. I know with your past, that might creep up and… just promise.”
I nodded, unsure what else to do given that he was leaving for who knew how long that very second.
“Love you.”
“Love you,” I called after him as he made his way down to the waiting car.
Well, fuck a duck. He really wasn’t comprehending what I was trying to tell him. But clarification would have to wait just a little longer. It wasn’t going to change our circumstances, though it did leave me feeling uncomfortable with this misunderstanding between us, like the Princess and the Pea. It’s just a tiny thing in the grand scheme, I assured myself.
I felt lost and lonely as I called a car to take me to Killian’s house, sending a message to Coop that he should head over with the babies. I needed comfort right now, and furry warm bodies sounded like the perfect cure.
33
Killian
As I left Marcus behind me, I felt as if my heart was tearing in two. Behind me, I was leaving the love of my life; before me, my mother was in limbo. But Marcus would be there when I got back. He was mine, marked and mated.
It was sweet of him to pay for everything, and I was beyond grateful that he'd managed everything when I was so overwhelmed, but we were going to have to talk about him wasting his money. I made enough to get by. He needed to hold on to what he could, in case of emergencies.
I was shocked that I managed to fall asleep during the two-hour flight, but I did. I hadn't checked any bags, just my backpack, and so I was out and hailing a cab within ten minutes of disembarking the plane.
On by way to the hospital. I texted Marcus, and then copied the same message to Coop.
Let me know when you see your mom. Marcus texted back almost immediately. Coop's response was just a quick thanks.
It took the nurse at the front desk a moment to find my mama's information, and then she gave me her room number and directions. When I walked into her hospital room, she was sitting up, looking... looking like, well, Mama.
I smothered her in a hug, and she wrapped her arms around me, patting me on the back, consoling me as if I were a little boy again. "You scared me," I whispered.
"Oh, stuff and nonsense," Mama said. "You boys are making a big fuss over nothing. There's no reason to cause this big hullaballoo."
I sat back and took her hands. "You didn't see how scary it was, Mama. You were out cold. And then you weren't yourself, like your mind was somewhere else."
Mama shook her head. "I probably just didn't eat enough that day."
"Mama. I know you're trying to not worry us, but we're worried, and that's not going away. There is something wrong. Remember how you knew about Marcus? What you said? You're my mama, and you just know. Well I just know this: something's wrong with your body."
Mama looked away, and I was shaken to see the tears brimming in her eyes. "We can't afford this. Any of this. Not the emergency bill, not the fancy private room. I lost my job a month ago. I've got unemployment coming in, but... I don't have insurance, Killian."
I felt that unnatural calm of finding yourself in the eye of a storm. If she'd just told me, or told Coop, we could have been helping her more. "Don't you worry about that. We'll manage, whatever it takes. But, Mama, be real with me... did you have other attacks? Is that why you lost your job?"
"I was... taking a lot of sick days."
"It's okay, Mama. The doctors are going to fix this."
She patted my hand, and I wasn't sure who was comforting who in the moment. Last night, I'd been afraid the next time I saw her, she'd be gone. But with her looking so alert and normal, everything from the night before felt almost surreal.
"I'm going to go see if someone can give me an update, okay."
"Shoo. I'll be fine."
I kissed her forehead before stepping out of the room to track down a nurse or doctor. First things first, though.
Saw Mama. She looks a lot better. I waited, knowing Marcus would be waiting for my text, and his response would be quick.
Instead, my phone rang.
"Are you feeling okay?" Marcus asked.
"Kinda? I feel weird, honestly. I'm not as worried right this minute, but I'm still really fucking worried. She lost her job, Marcus. That's why her insurance wasn't working."
Marcus sighed. "I told you I'd take care of that."
"And I told you that you need to save your money. We'll find some way to deal with this."
"Hold on one moment." There was the sound of Marcus tapping on his phone, and then my phone dinged with an incoming message. "Did you get it?"
"One moment." I clicked the notification, which was a picture, and then pulled up the picture. It was a screen shot of some kind of financial stuff... and that was a lot of numbers. "What is this?"
"That's just one of my investment accounts, Killian. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I could easily live on one percent of that account alone and be living the high life, and it definitely makes more interest than that every year."
That was more money than I could possibly conceive of.
"I promise, babe, that your Mama is going to get the best fucking care possible. The doctors will find out what is going on, and they will fix it."
For the first time, I felt like the floor wasn't falling out from under me. But I was beset by new fears, like worrying about taking advantage of Marcus.
"You there?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm here."
"You okay?"
I wished I could see him. Touch him. "Fuck, Marcus. This feels insane. I still don't know if I can accept this. It's more than I could ever ask for."
"Killian, it's not something to accept. It's already yours. If I have to set up a trust for your mom's medical bills, I will, but this is something you'll never have to ask for. It isn't just you and your mom and brother against the world now, babe. You and I are family now. I'm in this with you, too."
Damn it. How could I have ended up with such an amazing person? "I want you to meet Mama."<
br />
"I want to meet her too. Let's let Coop get through finals, and then maybe he'll have time to watch the dogs for a few days before his internship starts while I fly out to see you, if you're still there."
Would we still be here in a few weeks? The idea was terrifying, but not as terrifying as before I talked to Marcus. I saw a doctor head into Mama's room.
"Hey, Marcus, I gotta go, but thank you. I love you."
"Love you too, Killer. I'll give Coop an update."
I'd never had someone I could count on to think of things I needed before I did. And then just handle them. Marcus was not at all what I had imagined the first time he'd walked into Club Royale. I could have never imagined, not in my wildest dreams, any of this. Five freaking animal babies. Mated to Marcus. My mama in the hospital. It was terrible, and amazing, and exciting, and gut wrenching, but deep down, I clung to the belief that everything was going to be okay.
34
Marcus
It had been three weeks. Three weeks since I’d seen Killian, felt his arms around me, was enveloped by his maple scent. Three whole weeks—of course, that meant there was a storm on the day of my flight. I pulled my phone out to text Killian.
Rain delay.
I pulled up the radar map to see how long this mess was going to take. From what it looked like on my tiny screen, it was going pretty quickly, so maybe not long. My phone buzzed.
I know.
Because of course he did. To be fair, I would’ve been stalking his flight’s status if the situation were reversed. We had kept in constant contact, chatted for hours, sent texts, video called, video sexed, heck I even sent him snail mail. In some ways, I had learned more about him because of our separation. But now, now I just needed him by my side.
Stalker much?
Excited. I’m starting to believe you’ve been a figment of my imagination. I need to touch you.
I’ll text you when I am on the plane. I love you.
I crossed my fingers and toes that the delay would be short lived. As it was, the incoming flights had quite a few cancellations popping on the screen, so too long of a delay could easily mean there was no plane left once flights resumed, and that was a problem even my money couldn’t solve. My phone buzzed and I looked down to read Killian’s response.
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