Chapter Eight
Phoenix
Tristan walks into Rogue’s game room where we’re playing Call of Duty . He’s rubbing his hands together and smirking, looking like the very definition of the cat who got the cream.
“What’s that look for?” Rhys asks, glancing away from the screen for a second and getting himself killed by me in the process. “Twat,” he says, glaring my way.
“Skill issue,” I retort with a yawn.
“That look is delight ,” Tristan answers. “Delight that I get to tell you this in person and see your reactions live. Nera’s pregnant. I’m going to be a dad.”
“Fucker,” Rhys accuses, sitting up. “How dare you steal my thunder!”
We only recently found out that Thayer is also pregnant. Their kids are going to be born a month apart.
Tristan’s smile widens. I’ve never seen the wanker happier in my life.
“And get this,” he says, drawing out the mystery. “ Twins .”
“Motherfucker,” Rhys growls.
“Quite literally, as it turns out,” Rogue chirps. “You’re having twins? As in two?”
“That is the general definition, yes.”
“You just had to one up me,” Rhys says, his lips twisting into what can only be described as a pout.
“Couldn’t help myself.” Tristan looks delighted, his entire face split with a huge smile.
“We’ve got to time this better in the next round,” Rogue says thoughtfully.
“Next round?” I question.
“I assume they’re not going to stop at one kid. Or in Tristan’s case, two.”
“Fuck no,” Tristan answers with a grin. “I want an entire basketball team.”
“Nera will probably have something to say about that,” I point out.
“I can be convincing,” he answers suggestively.
“Ew,” Rhys adds.
“Before you idiots go impregnating your wives again without telling the rest of us, let’s make a pact,” Rogue says. “We time the next round of kids so they all come together.”
“Why?” Rhys questions, his eyes narrowing.
Rogue shrugs. “It’ll be fun.”
“I’m fine with Phoenix and Tristan’s kids being in my kids’ year, but I’m not sure about yours, Royal. I don’t want your progeny anywhere near my children. God forbid they let their eyes wander over to my precious offspring.”
“Your kid should be so lucky to get my kid’s attention.”
“Over my dead fucking body will I ever let that happen.”
Rogue’s expression darkens into a lethal smirk. “Good luck keeping a Royal from what he or she wants.”
Rhys stands, glaring down at his friend. “No need for luck, I’ll just pop their eyes right out of their sockets if I see them stray.”
Rogue jumps to his feet. “You–”
“Alright,” Tristan interrupts, separating the two. “No use arguing over theoreticals, those kids aren’t even here yet. And once they are, we’re talking about an infinitesimal likelihood they’ll ever like each other.”
“My fiancée didn’t like me and look at us now.”
“Shut the fuck up, Rogue,” Tristan answers with an irritated sigh. “All that being said, I love the idea of having kids at the same time. I’m in. Phoenix?”
I’d been quietly watching Rogue and Rhys bicker back and forth, amused by their sparring. All three pairs of eyes turn towards me.
“Sure,” I say.
Unlike the rest of them, I’m in no rush to have children. If that’s what Sixtine wants, I’ll give them to her the second she asks for them, but only because it’ll make her happy and that’s my priority in life.
If it were up to me, it’d be just the two of us until the end of time. My wife consumes me and that’s how I want it. My entire focus, attention, and love unwavering on her with no distractions.
Just her.
Making room for anyone else seems like an impossible task. I wasted so many years letting myself be blinded by misplaced anger and I need to make up for them. I’m still playing catch up, and will be for a long time, so that’s what matters to me.
If we have children, I’ll love them because they’re a part of her, but the thought of sharing her right now makes me want to die.
I’m not ready for that yet, so I’m certainly not going to plan for a kid, but there’s no use telling the lads that now.
Six and I are both starting the same law school as Bellamy in a couple of weeks. I’m excited for the beginning of this new journey with her, if not annoyed at the thought of her being exposed to hundreds of new people who’ll be vying for her attention. If I could keep her locked up somewhere for only me to enjoy, I would.
I’d once threatened to make that a reality and, I have to say, the idea only grows more attractive with time.
Maybe I should tattoo my name on her again, this time somewhere more visible so it’s clear on first glance at her that she’s not available.
“He sounds as excited as ever,” Rhys comments drolly.
My phone vibrates in my pocket. Pulling it out, I see it’s a text from my wife.
Six : come upstairs.
Six: I need to show you something.
Phoenix: coming baby.
Six: :)
“I’ll be back,” I tell the guys before pausing. “Actually, I might not be.”
“Go be with your wife, Phoenix, you’re annoying as fuck when you go too long without her anyway,” Rogue drawls without looking away from the screen.
“Moody git,” Rhys mutters under his breath.
“Congrats, Tristan,” I add. He gives me a grin and a nod before I head upstairs
In the kitchen, I find Nera, Thayer, and Bellamy chatting as they make a fresh batch of Aperol Spritzes.
“Should you two be drinking those?”
Nera beams at my acknowledgment that she’s pregnant.
“Aw, are you being protective of us, Phoenix?” Thayer asks, reaching to ruffle my short hair. I duck before she can make contact.
“As if.”
“No use denying it now,” Nera adds. “You care about us, admit it.”
“Pregnancy seems to have addled both of your brains,” I drawl, walking away. I’ve only taken three steps when I curse under my breath, turn back towards the kitchen and pick up Nera’s glass. I take a sip and set it back down. “Orange soda,” I confirm.
“Of course it’s orange soda.” A slow grin stretches her lips. “But I think you might have just earned yourself a godfather title, Phoenix.”
I give her a horrified look. “I’m walking away now.”
“I’ll let you pick which child you want!” she calls out after me.
I head towards the back of the house, instinctively knowing where I’ll find my wild girl.
She’s sitting where I expected to find her; in a chair in the backyard, wrapped in a blue shawl that makes her bright red hair shine even against the black of night. A glass is held in her hands as she looks up at the sky.
“Hi, baby,” I whisper as I reach her side.
She turns towards me with the kind of smile on her face that I’ve only ever seen her give me. Warmth spreads through my chest at an alarming speed. When I die, I’ll be donating my body to a research center so they can study the unique phenomenon that happens inside me when my wife looks at me.
It’s the least I can do for science.
Six stands, giving me room to sit on her now empty chair. I grab her around the hips and pull her back down on my lap. She snuggles into me, pulling her legs up against her body as she lays on my chest and burrows her face in my neck.
The bothersome static that’s always there in my head when she’s not near me quiets and I welcome the inner peace that the silence brings.
“What did you want to show me?”
“ Regarde .” She points at the sky, excitement clear in her voice. “Look how bright Sirius is tonight.”
I look up at the sky.
At our star.
Well, it’s not technically ours because the IAU won’t let me buy it no matter my repeated attempts, but it’s ours in every other way. It has been ever since we both looked at it from our respective countries when we were separated over Christmas, ever since I had it tattooed on me.
And tonight, it shines brighter than ever.
I often find my wife away from the group, staring up at it in awe and something else, something like longing. I know how much it means to her and I won’t give up until I get the International Astronomical Union to sell it to me.
“You’re right, it looks even closer than usual.”
“I know,” she answers happily. “I wanted you to see it.”
I hum, kissing the top of her head. I hold her more tightly as I reach into my pocket and pull out an envelope.
“There’s no better setting than this one to give you your present.” I hold it out to her. “Happy anniversary, wild girl.”
Six sits up, turning towards me and waking my cock in the process. “It’s not our anniversary.”
“It is. It’s fourteen years to the day since you made me a flower crown.”
“Nix,” she says with a fond smile. “You can’t make every day an anniversary.”
“Why not?”
“Because I didn’t get you anything!”
“You got me you. I don’t want anything else.”
“I feel the same way and yet you still get me presents.”
“That’s because I still have some groveling to do to make up for how I treated you.”
She cups my cheek lovingly. “Nix…”
Her eyes tell me there’s no need for me to keep apologizing, but she doesn’t say the words.
She knows they won’t do any good.
I was an asshole to her for years . If there was ever a time where I deserved her love, my behavior erased that. Every day I wake up knowing how lucky I am that she ever forgave me. Telling her and showing her how much she means to me is how I atone.
Six turns the envelope over and opens the lip, pulling out the certificate inside.
She gasps and her eyes fly back up to meet mine.
“You bought me a star?” she asks incredulously.
“A hundred stars,” I correct.
Tipping her chin back up heavenward, I settle her against my chest once more and point at the sky.
“They’re spread out across the galaxy. Some you can see, some you can’t. They’re minor constellations; I’m still working on the major ones but encountering some resistance at the IAU.” I look down at her face, at the sheen of tears in her eyes. “Every time you look up at Sirius now, I want you to know he’s being well looked after.”
Six throws her arms around my neck and kisses me. Her lips move passionately over mine, her tongue dipping into my mouth. I let her take the lead, content to have my wife taking what she needs from me. My hands roam up and down the length of her back, keeping her pressed against me.
After a few minutes, she pulls back and looks up at me with heavy-lidded eyes.
“I’ll take it you like the gift then?”
Her hands stay on the back of my neck, her nails raking up and down the smooth expanse of skin and sending a lethal shiver down my spine.
Her words are tender and warmhearted when she speaks. “Sometimes it feels like you know me better than I know myself, Nix.”
“That’s the benefit of having loved you for more than half my life, baby.”
She smiles and I feel like I come out winning in the trade. Because I got her some measly stars but she just gave me the most beautiful sight in the world.
“ Merci, ?a me touche énormément ,” she says in French. “Thank you for getting them for me.”
“It’s only the beginning, wild girl,” I say, finding her lips once more. “When I’m done, the whole sky will belong to you.”
***