Thoreau - Chapter 56: Chapter 56

After I finished peeing, I shook my dicky once, twice, three times, careful not to get any drops on the front of my joggers, then stuffed it back in my pants so I could wash my hands.
I wonder what luna and the alphas bought me! I hummed happily as I splashed around in the sink.
Zia Sara had given me some foaming hand soap that smelled like bubblegum and I loved it! I was very careful to only use one pump so it lasted longer, even though I really wanted to use three pumps. To make up for it, I washed my hands three times, but that didn't seem to be making the soap last longer—
They didn't buy you anything, Spring chuckled, interrupting my thoughts. They brought you something. Well, they did buy you a present, too, but the surprise isn't something you can buy.
"Oh, boy!" I raced out of my room. "Don't tell me what it is!"
Of course I won't. That would ruin the surprise, little one.
Speeding down the stairs, I smelled something - no, someone! - I hadn't smelled in a long, long time, and I raced into the living room.
And there he stood with the alphas and my boyfriends.
Alpha Jace Beaudreau of Gray Shadows. The boy who'd helped Briar keep me safe from all the bullies in elementary school and traded me his chocolate milk whenever the lunch lady gave me plain vanilla.
"Jace?" I whispered, then screamed, "Jace!"
With tears streaming down my cheeks, I ran past everyone, overwhelmed to see him in person after so many years. Sure, we texted and video-called a couple of times a week, but this was the first time we were face-to-face since we were kids, and I realized just how much I missed him. Calls were nice, but having him here to hug was a lot better!
Jace held his arms out with a broad grin, and I launched myself at him, knowing he'd catch me easily since he was as tall as Arch and as muscular as Wayne, and he did!
Then something both wonderful and unexpected happened.
"Mate!" Jace called out above my head, and my jaw dropped open in shock.
He found his mate? I hollered at Spring. Here at my party? Oh, boy! Oh, boy! I wonder who it is?
Ask him, Spring said with a shrug.
Taking a step back, I grabbed the front of Jace's leather jacket and shook him a little.
Well, tried to. He was a very large, very solid guy compared to me.
"Who, Jace? Who is it?!"
You should call him alpha, Dad linked me.
He told me I didn't need to use his title, I linked him back. I wasn't sure about that at first, but he insisted.
Well, then I guess that's okay, Dad said slowly, but I only half-listened because I was excited to discover who was mates with Jace!
If it's Briar, I am going to be sad, though, I admitted as my heart pinched a little. I will be happy for her because she is longing for her mate, but I will miss her, oh, so much!
"Freckles?" Jace leaned down to whisper in my ear.
"Oh! Leilani!" I squealed and hopped around in a circle so I could see her face. "Leilani! Come here, please, and meet your mate!"
Her face so red I could hardly even see her freckles anymore, Leilani brushed her hair behind her ear on one side and smiled a little as she walked over to us.
"Leilani, this is Alpha Jace Beaudreau of Gray Shadows," I told her. "He's very brave and kind and has been my friend for a long time!"
"Hello," she whispered, her eyes fixed on Jace's face.
Glancing up at him, I saw his eyes never left hers, either, and I screamed inside my head at how cute they were being.
I love this! I wonder what's going to happen next? Ooo! Are they going to kissy-kissy in front of everyone?
Wiggling with excitement, I waited for fifteen seconds, but she didn't say anything else.
Oh! She must need a little help! I realized with a frown. What should I do, Spring?
Introduce Jace to her, my wolf suggested. Put the ball in his court.
His court? What's that? And isn't it a little early to suggest he shows her his balls? Besides, that doesn't seem very polite to say in front of everyone. I mean, there are pups in the room!
Forget it, little one, Spring sighed. Just introduce him.
"Jace, this is Leilani Johns. She's very smart and wants to study marine biology!"
"Freckles," Jace repeated in a raspy voice, and I realized he needed a little help, too.
"Yep! She has lots of freckles! They're everywhere!"
For some reason, his whole body stiffened, and his brown eyes narrowed at me as he finally looked away from Leilani.
"And how do you know that, little Reau?" he asked, his wolf heavy in his voice, and I shivered.
Gold was not a wolf I wanted to set off.
I'd never met him in person - or the fur - but Briar had clued me in, and Jace had shared with me more than once how much he struggled with Gold, who was a lot like King Julian's wolf, Onyx: Primitive, domineering, and destructive. Jace called him T-Rex sometimes, which I didn't understand.
I knew that a Tyrannosaurus rex was a dinosaur whose name meant "Tyrant Lizard King" - or something like that - in Latin, but why would he call his wolf a lizard? Lizards didn't even have fur!
Then my attention came back to where I was as my little ear heard several wolves in the room rumble a warning at Gold, and Bubble's dragon let out a soft boom! that rattled the pictures on the walls.
Answer Alpha Jace's question, Spring said, before this little misunderstanding explodes into something stupid.
So I quickly told him, "We go swimming together a lot. The first time I saw her in her cute little bikini, I told her that if I wasn't gay and if she was my mate, I'd kiss every single one of them! She laughed and said I'd be kissing her forever then!"
"Sounds like the perfect way to spend forever." Jace's body relaxed again, and he laid a hand on top of my head to ruffle my curls. "Sorry, buddy. I knew it would be something innocent seeing as it's you, but I'm struggling to be rational right now."
"Yes, you are," I agreed with wide eyes.
Grabbing his wrist, I pulled his hand off my head and positioned it for a handshake, then took Leilani's hand and put it against his palm. His fingers automatically closed around hers, but they only gasped and stared at each other as they felt the mate sparks for the first time. Rolling my eyes, I wrapped my hands around theirs and made them shake.
"Jace!" I hissed, wondering what was wrong with him. "Impress your mate before she decides you're a jerk and walks away!"
"I'm not a jerk, I swear by the moon! I'm just stunned!" he said quickly, his eyes riveted to hers again. "I love your freckles! They're so pretty! You're so pretty! I'm so happy I found you!"
"Hmm." Leilani tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes at him for some reason. "Better, but not impressive."
I gasped. Did she not like Jace?! But he was her mate!
She's teasing him, Spring assured me, then scoffed, Freckles. I'm sure that was the first word she wanted to hear out of her new mate's mouth. Idiot!
Si, I agreed solemnly. Even I knew that, and I had zero awareness of social cues! Although he made a nice save by calling her pretty just now.
True.
Her words made Jace panic, and he moved. With the kind of speed that only alphas have, he scooped her off her feet. One of his arms wrapped around her knees and the other cradled her shoulders as he dipped her down almost to the floor and kissed her like he was trying to breathe her body into his.
Princess Rhys, Ayla, Briar, and most of my zias burst into enthusiastic applause and the guys wolf-whistled and cat-called, but I was too busy watching so I could show Arch or Wayne and ask them if they would do that to me sometime...
"Reau?" Luna touched my elbow and I turned to her. "Um, let's go into the kitchen for a minute."
"But I need to see the end of the kiss to find out if she's impressed!" I told her.
"She's impressed," luna said with a smile, but then she sighed. "Listen, sweetie, I need to tell you about something that happened so you can help fix it."
"Oh, no! Is it bad, luna?" My eyebrows drew together with concern.
"It is, but it's going to be okay. Come with me, please."
Taking my hand in hers, she led me out of the room and I worried about what might have happened.
When I noticed Arch and Wayne were nowhere in sight, that made me worry even more.
"Where are my boyfriends, luna?" I asked as she closed the kitchen door behind us.
"They are what happened. They heard Alpha Jace say, 'Mate,' and thought he meant you. Wayne collapsed and Arch carried him away, probably up to your room. Cole and Wyatt are trying to link them, but they're not responding. They're in a lot of pain, Reau. They think they lost you."
It took me nearly two minutes to process everything she said. Once I had, the breath left my lungs in a whoosh and something sharp stabbed my chest, making my heart hurt.
"Oh, no! My poor boyfriends!"
I sucked in a sharp breath and covered my nose and mouth with my folded hands. Hammering on their links, I tried to get them to answer me, but neither of them would, and my heart crumbled under the weight of Wayne's pain and Arch's grief in the pack bond.
"I didn't mean to, luna! I didn't mean to hurt them!"
"Sweetie, you didn't hurt them. This wasn't your fault. It wasn't anyone's fault. It's just a misunderstanding."
She rubbed her hand up and down my back as she sent me waves of soothing in the pack bond, but I was so distressed that it didn't help as much as it usually did. With a little wail, I dropped my forehead on her shoulder and wrapped my arms around her waist, needing the comfort only a luna could give.
"I don't like knowing they're hurting because of me!" I cried as hot tears overflowed my eyes.
"I know, Reau. I know, but Cole just linked me. He got through to Arch, and Arch is explaining to Wayne right now. I'm sure they'll answer you as soon as they can breathe again. Just give them a moment."
Nodding, I took the wad of paper napkins she held out and wiped my face.
Arch? Wayne? I whimpered, pushing hard on the link and praying they'd answer this time. Please talk to me!
Wait a second, baby, Arch said. Let me get Wayne settled, then I'll link you to come up here.
He closed the link before I could reply, but I knew it was because he had to help Wayne calm down.
I could help him, too, I thought sadly. Maybe he is so mad at me, he doesn't want me, though.
That's not true, little one, Spring murmured. You know he doesn't like you to see him upset because then you get upset. They're not mad, I swear on the moon. Ocean and Firth told me, and they would not lie, not about something like this.
I swallowed hard and blew my nose, then threw away the paper napkins.
"Reau?"
"Yes, luna?"
"Can you talk to Lark for a minute? She wants to tell you happy birthday, and I want to speak with Spring about something."
"Sure!" I brightened up. I loved luna's cute runt wolf! She was sassy and playful!
So I chatted with Lark while Spring and luna talked until Wayne pounded on the link, and I opened it eagerly.
Reau! Reau, I need to see you! he yelled, making me wince, but I was too busy running to scold him.
After Wayne finished explaining what lube was and why we would need it, Spring suggested we get some different kinds to test out before Wayne's birthday.
"Test it out how?" I asked. "I'm old enough now to play with Arch's dicky, but WayWay isn't, and we promised we'd do all our firsts together."
Just on your hands. See how it feels with your fingers. You don't want to find out that it triggers your sensory issues at the wrong time.
"Yeah," Wayne snickered, "it would suck for you to have a meltdown right as I'm about to slip my tip in—"
WAYNE! Spring and Ocean shouted at him, but I was too busy wondering what tip he was talking about to ask why they were yelling at him.
With a husky chuckle, Wayne kissed my forehead and propped himself up on one elbow, his silvery blue eyes fixed on my face as I laid there and stared up at him.
"I don't want to lose you or Arch, and I'll do anything to keep you both. You know that, right?"
"I don't want to lose either of you, either," I assured him.
"If I have to fight the mate bond to keep you, I will. If either of you want something and we can't afford it, I'll work overtime until we can. I'll compromise when we disagree. I'll give you strawberries every morning. I'll learn to make chocolate chip pancakes. I'll even let you— Fuck!" He plowed his hand through his soft blond fluff and closed his eyes with a sigh. "I'll even let you get a cat."
"You'll let me fuck and get a cat!" I screeched with excitement. "I'll finally find out what a fucking is? But you said I'd never give you or Arch one, remember?"
"I didn't mean it like that!" Wayne's eyes flew open. "I meant fuck as an exclamation to show how much I don't want a cat, but I'm willing to get one to make my baby happy and—"
"Me! I'm your baby!" I chirped with a grin.
"Hell, yes, you are! As for the other, you already know what it is. You read that damn book of Briar's and told me all about it."
"It had fucking in it?" My eyes widened as my jaw dropped.
"Stop saying the f-word!" He tapped my nose with his forefinger. "Arch won't like it and it's turning me the hell on, and I don't need to be hard again when we go downstairs to your family."
"That's what it's called?" I gasped, then blinked a few times as I thought about it. Finally, I asked, "Which boy was getting a fu— Uh, getting it, the boy on the top or the boy on the bottom?"
"The boy on top was giving it and the boy on the bottom was receiving it."
"And since you both call me little bottom in private sometimes, that means you want to give me one, right?"
"More than one, Curls," he smirked, which stirred up the butterflies in my belly. "Unless you mean one an hour."
"Every hour! You will wear out my tushy hole!"
"Teasing, baby. I'm just teasing. Well, maybe."
I giggled as I smacked his thick bicep, then a new thought struck me.
"But Arch said I could top if I ever wanted to."
"Of course you can. I don't think you would like it, but you can try and see if you do. Like we told you before, we'll figure this all out together, okay? Who likes what and who doesn't like something."
"Okay, WayWay!" With a big grin, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer. "Now kiss me before we go back downstairs. It's almost time for cake! And I miss my Bear-Bear!"
With a little smile, he leaned in and pecked my lips, which was nice, but not as satisfying as the kiss we'd shared when he first got here.
"Hey! That's teasing! Give me more!" I pouted.
"Tuck that bottom lip back in, Reau," he growled, "before I suck it right off your face. I just told you I didn't want a boner in front of your family. Behave or I'll spank my little bottom."
"S-spank me?" I squeaked and swallowed hard.
He raised his free hand, and I watched it with wide eyes until it left my line of sight. Then it smacked my right tushy cheek!
It hadn't hurt through my thick joggers. In fact, I barely felt it, but I couldn't stop myself from wondering how it would feel on my bare skin.
"Did I do it too hard?" Wayne left his hand on my cheek and gently kneaded where he'd slapped it.
I shook my head quickly, too shocked to speak, as I stared at him with wide eyes.
"Reau, you can tell us if you don't like something or if it bothers or triggers you. Don't be afraid to speak up, and please, please don't be afraid of me."
"I'm not afraid, and I'm not afraid of you," I whispered.
"Are you sure? You don't look okay right now."
"I said I wasn't afraid, not that I was okay." Gulping again, I grabbed his hand and dragged it away from my tushy.
"I'm so sorry, baby! I won't ever—"
"Do it again," I demanded as my lower belly tightened and my dicky jerked. "Spank me again, Wayne."
"Fucking hell!"
Instead of obeying me, he pulled me under him and ground himself against me, his hard dicky rubbing the inside of my thigh, and a little moan slipped out of my mouth.
"Look what you did, baby," he purred against my lips. "I told you twice I didn't want a boner in front of your family. Now how do you suggest we take care of this?"
"You can take a cold shower!"
"Oh, I can think of a much better - and less painful - solution than that." Bracing his hands on either side of my head, he levered himself up a bit and drove his hips against mine.
"Did you bring a change of clothes?" I laid my palms on his sides, rubbing up and down the hard ridges of his muscles.
"Nope. I'll have to borrow a pair of Gelo's."
"Or we can do something else to calm you down!" I yipped and dug my fingers into his ribs, then grinned as he screeched and wiggled around like a dying worm as I tickled him.
Archer
Waiting for my boys to rejoin us, I chatted with our friends and family and assured everyone a thousand times that Wayne and I were all right.
You don't have to be okay, Arch, Cole linked me. You're their rock, but that doesn't mean you're made of stone. It isn't healthy to bottle everything up. You know that.
I did know that.
Wyatt, Mason, and Jay had made a habit of that over the years, each for their own reasons, and were only now starting to heal from it. Wyatt would go 'wolfy' and leave Granite in charge while he burrowed deep down in his mind. Mason closed himself off from everyone and taught himself to have the ultimate poker face to the point he gained the nickname Alpha Ice. And as for Jay, he didn't want to 'bother' anyone and kept all his worries to himself.
You hear me, Arch? Cole demanded when I didn't reply fast enough to suit him.
I hear you, but I'm good now, and I promise I'll talk to someone if that changes.
Better keep that promise, pup.
Hey! I'm an adult now, not a pup!
You'll always be my little pup brother, he said with a grin and closed the link before I could razz him back.
I was talking to Azure and Elijah about putting together an informal football game tomorrow afternoon while watching Leilani take Alpha Jace around to meet everyone. Bridger was trying to introduce his pup, Isabelle, to little Essie Sylvestri, who was staring at everyone wide-eyed with her thumb in her mouth. She probably didn't know what to do around so many pups since Gamma Nick and his mate Reggie had kept her fairly isolated until recently. Grey was helping in his calm, restful way that made him such a good volunteer at the daycare, and soon he had a crowd of pups around him, talking in their cute baby voices about Goddess knew what, although Walker wasn't relinquishing his hold on Rosalie.
That kid is fascinated with her. Firth shook his head.
At least it's mutual, I said with a shrug. It'd be a different story if she was always fighting him off or running away from him, but she clings to him and looks for him if he isn't in her line of sight.
Leilani laughed at something Bram said from where he sat on Gamma Reuben's lap, and Alpha Jace looked starstruck yet again by his new mate.
"Well, how about that?" Princess Rhys moseyed over and raised an eyebrow at me. "Looks like Alpha Jace doesn't mind bones."
"Princess, I didn't say that. Talk to them!" I protested, pointing at Azure and Elijah. "They're the ones who—"
"And you're the one who didn't speak up."
"I apologize, princess. I'll say sorry to Leilani, too. I only said it to egg them on, but I should have been mature like Grey. I didn't mean any disrespect." I bowed because that seemed appropriate to do when apologizing to royalty. "I don't think that way about body shapes, if it makes a difference. Every girl is beautiful in her own way, no matter her size."
"Considering you like boys, I hope you won't be offended if I take that with a grain of salt." Her little smile was nothing I was going to mess around with, and fortunately she turned her attention to Azure and Elijah. "As for you two, you'd better hope I'm not your mate. If I am, you'll have to beg on your knees every time you want to bone this fine set of bones."
"Princess—" Azure stammered with wide eyes as Elijah swallowed hard.
Kneel before her and apologize, I advised them in the link. Just in case and before it's too late. You know there's no second chance mates for wolf shifters.
They both went to one knee, most likely because she was a princess and might be the mate of one of them, but also probably because their alphas were giving them the stink eye. I doubted they really regretted their words, though.
My eyes went to Gamma Landry as he helped his mate, Grace, stand up.
"We're going to go," he told the room in general. "My baby mama needs to rest."
I debated whether or not to link Reau and let him know that he needed to hurry if he wanted to see his "big sissy" on his birthday, but I didn't need to.
Footsteps thundered down the stairs, and both Gelo and Beta Em let out long-suffering sighs that made me snicker. Wayne's heavier, slower steps followed, and I checked both their faces when they entered the room and let out a breath of relief. As Wayne walked over to Wyatt and luna, Reau bounced over to stand in front of Grace, who had one arm clutched under her big baby belly and her face scrunched up as if she were in pain.
"Are you leaving already, Big Sissy?" he pouted a little, then his eyes dropped to the floor. With a gasp, he pointed and shrieked, "You peed on the carpet!"
The room erupted into chaos, and I hustled over to Reau and pulled him out of the way as Gamma Landry scooped Grace up in his arms and sprinted out of the house. Atticus and Olivia raced after them hand-in-hand, grinning with excitement to welcome their first niece or nephew into the world.
Reau's shout had scared some of the pups, and Ayla had joined Grey and Bridger to help calm them down, and luna hurried into the living room with cleaning supplies. Several people jumped up to take them from her, insisting that they would clean it, and Beta Em won, probably because he was the loudest and biggest.
Meanwhile, Reau kept repeating "She peed on the carpet!" with wide, troubled eyes, as if he couldn't process why she'd do that.
I bit back my laughter - something I'd had lots of practice with over the past couple of years - so I could explain to him.
Wayne, as usual, wasn't able to control himself and held his belly as he howled at our poor baby's innocent misunderstanding. He wasn't the only one: Wyatt, Ash, and several others broke down, too, but Briar was heading our way with a fierce look in her eyes, and I knew I had to hurry if I wanted to be the hero and not be shoved aside by Reau's permanent mother hen.
"It wasn't pee. Her water broke," I explained quietly as I maneuvered him across the room - and further away from She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. "It means she's having the pup."
"But water can't break." He squinched up his face, nothing but confusion in his eyes, and I couldn't stop myself from leaning down and pressing a quick kiss to his parted lips.
"It's not real water. At least, I don't think so. It's just what it's called when a she-wolf's body is preparing to get the pup out. It's a sign to get to the clinic."
Despite how many little step- and half-brothers I had, labor was a mystery I was content to leave to others, so I couldn't give him too many details, but that seemed to satisfy him.
Wayne
After cake and ice cream and running around outside until we were sweaty and exhausted, we trooped back into the living room so Reau could open his gifts before his guests started to leave.
Mom and Dad were the first to go, rounding up all the heathens except for Wade, who'd already left to go hang out with some of his friends, and Walker, who had finagled his way into staying overnight at the Price's.
As the others began to trickle out, Alpha Jace walked over to us and stood a few feet away. He glanced at me, then Arch before he came any closer, and we both nodded.
What happened wasn't his fault, and we knew Reau loved him as much as he loved Briar. There was no way we could hold a grudge and not hurt our baby.
"Reau, can I show you something?" he asked.
"Of course!"
So Alpha Jace sat on the couch next to Reau, pulled out his phone, and brought up his camera roll.
"We buried Miss Marriott next to her parents." The alpha showed Reau a shiny black headstone. "She didn't have a will, but Destry and I figured she'd like it there."
"Destry?" I asked. I hadn't heard that name before.
"My older brother. He's my beta. You remember Destry, Reau?"
"Yes, I do! He was so tall!" Reau clapped his hands. "Taller than anyone else on the playground! Taller than you!"
"Not anymore," Alpha Jace chuckled. "He's actually an inch shorter than me now."
"I would like to see Destry again sometime, please." Our baby blinked those killer eyes up at the alpha, who melted into a little puddle just like everyone else did.
"Of course. You are always welcome at Gray Shadows." Alpha Jace wiggled his phone. "That's why I wanted to show you where Miss Marriott is. In case you ever wanted to visit her."
He looked at me for a moment, then slid his eyes over to Arch, and I wondered why until Arch linked me that the alpha was probably going to say something that might upset our baby.
"And I wanted to let you know that we tore down your old alpha house."
Shit! Arch was right!
"It was the first order I gave when I became alpha. No one could stomach seeing the attic where they kept you." Alpha Jace's jaw hand tightened into a fist around his phone and his wolf rumbled through his voice as he went on. "I went up there the day King Julian installed me as alpha. I saw the blood, your blood, on the floor and walls. I could still smell it—"
"Alpha!" Arch bit out as Reau shivered violently between us.
Quickly wrapping my arm around him, I pulled him onto my lap and shoved his face in my neck as Arch glared at Alpha Jace. Thankfully, the alpha was a smart guy. He nodded curtly and uncurled his fists.
"Anyway, Reau, I told Beta Emerson how sorry I was for believing your parents' lies, and I'll tell you the same thing. We all should have known your brother wouldn't have done that. My only excuse is that I was too young to know I should have been asking questions."
"Jace, you were a pup, the same age as me," Reau murmured into my chest as he cuddled closer. "I don't blame you for anything. I don't blame anyone except Bellamy and Ivana Jones. They were the broken ones, not me."
"That's right, Curls," I whispered.
Pride swelled in my chest and I buried my face in Reau's soft hair as Arch ran his hand up and down our baby's back.
"I also found a few things that I thought you might want. Some photo albums, Dean's baby book, and some books under the sink in the attic." Alpha Jace raised his eyebrows when he said that one. "Destry and I packed it all up in a box and I brought it along today."
"You found my books!" Clapping his hands with a happy laugh, Reau bounced on my lap, and I clenched my jaw hard as I struggled to control myself. "Thank you, Jace! Thank you!"
"Of course. I've done my best to rebuild the pack, and I'll continue doing my best to make sure nothing like that ever happens under my watch."
"That is what is important." Reau reached out one hand and laid it on the alpha's forearm. "That no one else suffers."
"And, Goddess willing, no one ever will." Smiling, Alpha Jace dropped his phone in his lap so he could lay his hand over Reau's and pat it. "Please don't be a stranger. I'm sure Leilani will love for you to visit, and Destry would be so happy to see you again."
"We can have our first road trip together!"
Reau's head shot up, nailing me right on the chin again, and I grunted as my teeth bit my tongue nearly in half. He bounced around and clapped, but for once I was in just enough pain to not get hard by his ass wiggling around on my dick. I didn't dare say anything or blood would have poured out of my mouth, though.
"Sounds like a plan, Curls," Arch told him. "We can go right after school lets out. How about that?"
"Yippee!" Reau launched himself at Arch, and I let him go willingly so he wouldn't notice Ocean healing me.
Hours later, everyone finally went home - or in Alpha Jace and Leilani's case, back to the pack guest house - and Arch and I sat down with Reau in his bedroom to give him our surprise.
"It's kind of anticlimactic now," I said with a wince.
"Anticlimactic?" our baby parroted.
"It might seem disappointing after all the excitement that happened today."
"Of course it won't be!" He made what he called his 'angry face' and crossed his arms over his chest. "It's from you and Bear-Bear! How would that be disappointing?"
"Just give it to him, dude," Arch chuckled, probably because Reau's angry face was adorable as hell, "so we can explain it to him."
"Sure." I pulled a white envelope out of my back pocket. "Happy birthday, baby."
"Happy birthday, Curls," Arch added.
Swaying in his excitement, he cupped his hands and held them out and waited for me to lay the envelope in them. Arch and I had wondered why he always received things that way - even something as simple as an apple one of our friends gave him at lunch - and he explained his beloved Binda had taught him that it was the proper way to show your gratitude for a gift.
Arch and I had talked to Binda on the phone as she lay dying in Briar's house at Gray Shadows, and I wished with all my heart we could have met her in person just once. I would have given her the biggest, best hug for being there for my baby when no one else was, for loving him when even he himself believed he was unlovable.
Laying the envelope in his palms, I watched as he carefully opened it and took out the plastic gift card. Arch and I cut our eyes at each other for a second before returning our focus to our baby.
"A tattoo parlor?" He blinked at us three times, paused, then blinked three more times. "I am getting a tattoo?"
"We are getting tattoos," I corrected him with a grin. "Since we'll be chosen mates, we can't mark each other, so Arch and I thought we could get matching tattoos."
"We got the idea from your dad's tattoo to honor where Gelo's mark would be," Arch explained, "and from the friendship bracelets you made us."
Almost in perfect unison, we all three looked down at the woven strips tied around our wrists. They were pretty ratty after two and a half years of constant wear, but none of us had the heart to take them off.
"We could put them in a shadow box," Reau said after a moment. "Our tattoos will take their place, but we could keep them and add other things to a shadow box."
"That's a great idea, Curls!" I grinned and wrapped him up in a hug.
Seconds later, Arch's big arms twined around us and squeezed, making both of us gasp for breath.
"Oh, stop being babies, my babies," he laughed. "I didn't even hug you that hard."
"Speaking of hard—" Reau began, and damned if my dick didn't twitch!
"Reau?" Arch scowled, probably wondering just like I was what would come out of that soft, sweet mouth next.
"WayWay said I could get a cat!"
"He said what?!" Arch growled and speared me with a glare.
"Baby, how does that connect to hard?" I asked Reau before Arch could go off.
"Well, I figured it was a hard thing for you to compromise on."
"Oh, okay. Makes sense," I agreed.
"And you were explaining what a fucking was at the time."
"Wayne!"
"Then you rubbed your big, hard dicky all over me."
"WAYNE!"
"Fucking hell," I groaned and buried my face in my hands.