Chapter 24
Deejay
I grab a napkin and wipe my eyes. We didn’t ask if Cary was ok with anything other than me adopting him. His excitement eclipsed the conversation, and we didn’t ask about anything else.
We should have asked.
Matt’s been his acting parent since he was born, of course once he realized he can have a parent that isn’t the man he called Dad before he would think of the one person who’s been his rock all his life. I feel like an idiot for not considering that. The State of Texas wouldn’t usually let Matt adopt him until he’s twenty-one, but the benefits of being the ruler of my own demesne is that human laws can be lubricated under special circumstances. I am going to make sure that Cary gets his wish, no matter what because that kid deserves all the happiness we can put in his life. They both do.
The emotional moment almost makes me forget that Matt just announced the change in our relationship status without discussing it with me. Colt’s interruption woke me up from the daze kissing Matt put me into. I tried to talk to Colt, but the boy refused to come out of his room. I have very few rules that are hard and fast, but the boys’ rooms are their rooms, and no one is allowed in them without permission. In the case of Kendall and Colt sharing a room, if one objects that’s all it takes.
Colt wasn’t ready to see me, so I had to leave it. I wanted to talk to him before just announcing it to the whole family, but it’s too late now. Kendall’s logical reaction didn’t surprise me, but Colt’s been my kid since I was nineteen, and yes, I used my position of power so that I could adopt him before I was twenty-one. Obviously, he would have an emotional reaction about me pursuing a romantic relationship simply because I haven’t actively dated since I got him.
At least everyone else seems fine with this development. Not that the twins would have much of an opinion.
Matt holds Cary until Cary scoots himself back into his chair to finish his breakfast. I want to reach over to Matt and kiss him, but I don’t know what my PDA rules are with these kids because it’s never come up! I don’t want to normalize that with them at the very beginning of a relationship, I think. I just don’t really know what my personal limits are on this matter, so I hold back until I can figure it out.
“I’m going to head over to the Hub around two today. I have to finish the paperwork for signing up as a contender since I didn’t get around to it last weekend. I was thinking I could take Robbie with me, if he’s up for it, so he can get the same testing done as I did and get registered,”
Matt mentions, looking between me and Robbie.
“What testing?”
Robbie asks.
“Species testing,”
I tell him quickly then shake my head at Matt. “No need. Robbie’s teacher called me yesterday. He knows what Robbie is. I’m waiting on a callback from him. And I don’t think we need to be in a hurry to register him.”
“What is Robbie?”
Jasper asks curiously.
“We’re not sure yet,”
I answer with a smile.
“Robbie is human?”
Robbie falters, confused.
“You’re not,”
Matt disagrees. “I can see your aura and it looks like every other non-human aura. There’s a certain kind of shine that non-humans have, and you sparkle just like all these guys—Why don’t you want to register him?”
“I just think Robbie has enough on his plate,”
I explain with a shrug before turning to Robbie. “Obviously if you want to register, you can.”
“Back up. Which teacher knows what I am and how?”
Robbie questions, clearly annoyed.
“Chanda Marduke,”
Matt puts in.
I point at him in agreement. “Yes, he called me,”
I confirm.
“He’s going to be at the fights today, if he doesn’t call by the time I leave, I can ask him,”
Matt suggests.
“Um, it’s my species. I want to talk to him,”
Robbie informs us, bolder in his irritation than I’ve seen him yet.
“You’re welcome to come with, but I plan to be there until ten, even if I’m not fighting, I want to watch the other fights,”
Matt warns him.
“I can get a taxi or something if I need to leave before you’re done,”
Robbie determines. “I’ll go if Mr. Marduke doesn’t call before then.”
“Sounds good,”
Matt agrees.
Everyone is about done eating, so I start gathering plates, leaving Kendall’s. Matt takes the plates from me and takes them over to the sink, rinsing them and putting them in the dishwasher as I clean up the twins who have annihilated their pancakes and gotten more on them than in them. It’s fine, I saw their empty bottles, so I know Matt fed them before I got back. It was ridiculously cute listening to him interact with them on the baby monitor earlier. I didn’t want to interrupt his bonding with them, but I loved listening in.
Matt finishes loading the dishwasher and starts it before I’m done wiping the babies down, so he picks up the clean one, cooing at Alex and tickling his neck. I finish with Eren then pick him up and together we take the twins upstairs to get them dressed. In the nursery, Matt puts Alex on the floor before opening the closet to grab outfits for the babies.
“Requests? They’re getting jeans and t-shirts if you don’t stop me now,”
he teases, glancing over his shoulder at me as I sit on the floor, undressing Eren.
I find myself smiling at him even though there’s still a small amount of annoyance about the conversation at breakfast. “That’s fine but make it a long sleeve onesie.”
He hums his acknowledgment and pulls two onesies and two pairs of jeans out of the closet shelves. He sits down across from me, pulling Alex to him and deftly undressing the baby. “Are you mad at me?”
he asks after a moment.
“We should have talked about it before telling the family,”
I answer without hesitation. “I’m slightly annoyed that you made a unilateral decision like that.”
“I shouldn’t have done that. You’re right that we should have talked first. I apologize. I will do better in the future.”
My annoyance evaporates with his admission, acknowledgment, apology, and promise. This is why it's so easy to get along with him. Moments like this where we work together as partners toward one goal, in this case, a shopping trip and figuring out the outline of our relationship. It’s so normal I just have to bask in it for a minute. This is what I want, and it seems like this is what I am going to get.
“Forgive me?”
he queries, interrupting my reveling.
“Of course. Always. Thank you,”
I sigh. I appreciate that Matt still asks about what I am feeling and thinking even though he can see what happens in my aura. He could just make assumptions based on what he sees or he could delve deep and read the deepest aspect of my aura instead of asking—Kendall told me all about the aura reading Matt did—but instead of being the kind of person who violates my privacy simply because he can, he doesn’t and he keeps the lines of communication open between us.
Matt and I finish dressing the babies but before I can stand up, he scoots them both to the side and pulls me by the hips to him, lifting me in a display of his ridiculous strength until I am straddling his lap. “One more question,”
he warns me, distracting me with the rumble of his voice through my body. “Are you upset with me about Cary wanting me to adopt him?”
I take a breath and refocus on what’s important right now. He must have seen something in my aura about my frustration with myself earlier if he’s asking me this question. I’m glad he decided to ask rather than let the idea that I am upset by this development fester. “I am absolutely not. I am frustrated that we didn’t ask him anything after we told him about me adopting him. It breaks my heart that he thought you didn’t want him because I’m adopting him. How are you feeling about that? He wants you to take over as a father, not a brother anymore.”
I don’t have the benefit of being able to see auras, and even if I could, I would still ask.
Matt frowns thoughtfully as he responds. “I’ve been the only parental figure he’s had since he was born, that’s not even a question, but hearing him say it—that was a confusing moment. I loved it because he’s mine and I am his, but my old man was so awful, I kind of hated it too. But I don’t want Cary to have that kind of reaction, and I want to redefine that idea for myself. I won’t insist he call me Dad, but I’m not going to stop him because as soon as I can, I am going to adopt him and make it legal.”
“I will help you make that happen. In Texas you have to be twenty-one to adopt a minor, but I’m Father Deejay Aquino D’Aquino, I can make things happen that others can’t. But the legal aspect is really just frosting on the cake. The good part is the relationship you have with him.”
Matt smiles at me, his obsidian eyes tracking over my face to my lips. “Can I kiss you now?”
I grin at him. “You really don’t have to ask,”
I inform him, feeling my heart rate pick up in anticipation.
“Good to know,”
he rumbles before drawing me into a slow, sensual kiss.
Which lasts exactly until Eren whines, hitting my leg.
I draw back and look down at the boy who’s managed to scoot himself over to us. “Look at you! You traveled! Good job, Eren!”
I coo at him, sliding off Matt’s lap and picking him up.
Matt untangles us and stands before reaching down and giving me a helping hand up as well. He stoops and grabs Alex, then gives me a wicked grin before smacking a quick kiss to my lips.
Both Eren and Alex cry out angrily at us.
Matt’s deep, booming laughter fills the room. “Jealous babies. Cary was just like this. He would get mad when I kissed my girlfriend at the time.”
I feel myself ogle him. “Wow. I did not know that was a thing. I knew it, but I am just now realizing it that you have more experience with babies than I do. That’s crazy,”
I marvel, agog. “This is my first time with babies.”
Matt gives me a gentle smile. “You’re doing great, you know. The babies are healthy and happy, and that’s the goal, right? Keep them alive long enough for them to learn to keep themselves alive; try to keep the hardships to a minimum.”
I swear I’m going to fall in love with him. Even for an Obsidite, who are above average generally speaking in the intelligence arena, he’s insightful. I reach up and pull his neck, pressing my lips to his to express the fluttering emotions that I don’t have words for right now. Alex and Eren both scream, which makes me smile—who knew baby jealousy was a thing? I sure didn’t!
Matt grins against my lips before pulling back. “Buy lip balm while you’re out.”
He wipes his lips with the back of his hand and immediately licks them.
Yeah, I’m feeling the kissing chap too now that I’m thinking about it. “Ha!”
I laugh, tickled by the odd problems of having someone to kiss.