Chapter 12 #2
“Even if you don’t have to travel here for the hearing, would you…um, want to say goodbye? To our sire?”
The question hit him like a cold slap, and Branson sat with it for a moment.
He hadn’t even considered visiting Uty in the ICU, or saying goodbye to someone who’d never been part of his life.
It made no difference to Branson, but it might make a difference to Jeuel.
“I don’t know. I guess that’s something else I’ll have to think about. ”
“Okay.” Jeuel turned and said something to Paxton.
“As a matter of fact, yes,” Paxton said. “I would like to speak to Mr. Cross for a few minutes. Alone. To strategize a bit.”
“Oh, sure, of course.” Branson stood. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Jeuel. Promise.”
Jeuel simply nodded and shuffled out of view with Trei. Branson took Tarius’s hand and allowed himself to be led out of Papa’s office. They went into the lobby and sat together on one of the plush leather couches. Not for any particular reason. It was a quiet spot to regroup before heading home.
“What do you need me to do?” Tarius whispered.
“You’re doing it.” Branson lifted his hand and kissed Tarius’s knuckles. “You have been amazing through all this. But now that it’s a sure thing, I’ll definitely need your help with my lease.”
Tarius chuckled. “I can do that. Whatever brings your brother home where he can have a safe, happy life.”
“Yeah.” He let out a long, exhausted breath. “Now we’ve gotta tell all our brothers about this.”
“It would be nice if we could do it in one go, you know? Like how Peyton and Layne threw a big pool party to announce they were mated and pregnant.”
“I don’t think we’d get many RSVPs to a pool party in the dead of winter.”
“Stop being logical.” Branson pressed his shoulder to Tarius’s. “Honestly? I feel like all I need to do is tell the twins about Jeuel, and then Caden’s big mouth will take care of the rest.”
“No doubt. But I should still tell my brothers personally that I’m getting married before the end of the month.”
“You’re right. Ugh. Can we deal with it tomorrow? I’ll text Dad about the DNA tests, but I don’t want to deal with other people tonight.”
“It can wait.” Tarius pulled him into a tight, comforting hug, and Branson melted against the man he adored most in the world. “Everything else can wait a while.”
Telling their extended family and friends about the big news ended up being a lot simpler than Tarius expected, thanks to both Caden and Layne’s big mouths.
Caden was beyond thrilled to discover Branson did, in fact, have a life.
Caden was also delighted to know they had another sibling, even while being shocked about the Chip Uty revelation.
Everyone was shocked about that, and Tarius hated knowing there were a lot of hurt feelings flying around, especially among the older omegas who considered Kell one of their dearest friends.
Kell and Ronin had kept a huge secret for more than two decades—but no one was faulting them for protecting their son.
Layne had never been much of a gossip, not until he mated and had a baby, and now he couldn’t seem to stop talking about everything and anything.
It was endearing most days, and that week, Tarius didn’t mind allowing Layne and Peyton to spread the news to their generation.
Tarius’s brothers were thrilled for him, especially Linus.
“Finally, all the attention is off me for a little while,” Linus had said when Tarius dropped the engagement on him.
By the end of the week, Tarius had helped them secure a lease transfer to a three-bedroom, two-bath unit in a neighboring building that would be available at the end of the month.
It gave them three weeks to pack and plan.
Mr. Paxton had submitted all their paperwork and statements to the family court in Sonora, and Paxton was hopeful.
The province wasn’t challenging the custody claim, so the judge might make a ruling without a full hearing.
The longer it took to hear back, the more likely it was the judge would rule on his own, based on the evidence and statements provided.
Any judge with an ounce of compassion would see that Jeuel had nothing but bad memories and regret left in Sonora, and moving to Sansbury with his very capable older brother was the fresh start he deserved.
Tarius hoped for a calm weekend to continue settling into a domestic routine with Branson, but their siblings and friends had limited direct contact to phone calls and texts during the work week.
As soon as it hit six p.m., end of week, folks began descending on the apartment with questions, comments, and a lot of sympathetic support for Branson’s sire revelation.
Branson’s mood see-sawed throughout the weekend, from eager to meet his new brother and start this chapter of his life, down to upset about who his true sire was.
On paper, Uty seemed like an upgrade from Krause Iverson, but Uty wasn’t in a coma, shot multiple times, because he was such an upstanding citizen.
So far, Branson didn’t seem interested in investigating the extent of Uty’s crimes in Sonora.
Sometimes not knowing made it easier to sleep at night.
Not that Tarius had direct experience with discovering a parent wasn’t who you expected them to be.
His omegin, Herris, had been an amazing nurturer and parent to his three kids, keeping the house running while Dad worked hard to earn his spot as a trusted, decorated constable.
Dad had been difficult to be around after Omegin died, and he’d genuinely scared Tarius for a little while, but Dad had never stopped being himself.
He’d just briefly been an angrier, more selfish version of himself.
But his parents had always been his parents. Tarius never had to reconcile twenty-four years of believing one thing, only to learn something else was true.
Everyone rallied to support Branson, from advice on handling a teenager to help moving apartments when it was time.
Branson, on the other hand, took great delight in watching Tarius be teased mercilessly by his own brothers for “cradle robbing” and “taking his damned time” finding someone he wanted to marry.
Tarius was used to the “taking his time” jokes and the teasing about being an old bachelor if he didn’t stop being so picky. Now, he could say he’d been waiting on the right guy to notice him, and Branson finally had.
Early the following week, on their lunch breaks, Tarius and Branson met their two sets of parents at the justice of the peace court.
Tarius’s heart fluttered with nerves and excitement as he stood before Judge Comer, holding Branson’s hands tight in his, while their parents watched from a few feet away.
The chapel was tastefully decorated with white flowers and a few lit candles, giving the small room an ambiance of serenity.
Judge Comer handed a small printed card to Tarius.
The words weren’t quite the same as what he was familiar with, but Tarius liked these better.
“Branson Cross, thank you for taking me as I am,” Tarius read, putting every ounce of emotion he could into the words, and keeping as much eye contact as possible.
“For loving me and welcoming me into your heart. I promise to always love you, respect you, and be faithful to you. Today, I choose you to be my partner, and I commit to you for the rest of my life.”
Simple but powerful words that Tarius had heard others repeat many times before. But not him.
Until now.
Branson’s emerald eyes sparkled as he took the card.
“Tarius Higgs, you special, special man. Thank you for taking me as I am, loving me, and welcoming me into your heart. Your big, big heart. I promise to always love you, respect you, and be faithful to you.” His eyes held a special meaning with those final four words, as if being unfaithful was the most ludicrous thing on creation.
“Today, I choose you to be my partner, and I commit to you for the rest of my life.”
The judge spoke briefly, and then it was time to exchange their rings and make their final vows. The familiar vows to wear each other’s ring as a symbol of their promises. Tarius couldn’t stop smiling as he slid the simple gold band onto Branson’s finger. It gleamed there, the perfect fit.
For all this had been a rushed marriage, everything about it felt right. Safe.
Inevitable.
Then they were kissing. And married. Tarius laughed out loud as he picked Branson up and spun him in a circle. Once he was back on his feet, Branson hugged him hard, and then he whispered, “Thank you for going on this adventure with me.”
“I wouldn’t have done it for anyone else,” Tarius whispered back. “I love you.”
“Love you back.”
Their parents had apparently been patient long enough, and the embrace increased by four as more hugs and congratulations went around.
He proudly accepted a long hug from Ronin, a man Tarius had respected immensely for years, and who had always respected Tarius in return.
More than once, Ronin had told Tarius that if he was interested in law school, in pursuing being a practicing lawyer, Ronin would sponsor him.
Tarius always took the compliment and insisted he loved his job. And he did. He didn’t want to be out front arguing the cases; he enjoyed working behind the scenes, an important cog in a well-oiled machine.