24. Marcelo
Chapter 24
Marcelo
“Okay, Matthew, let’s go find your dads.”
I put him on my hip. His sister was already in the carrier on my back. She loved seeing everything from that vantage point. Matthew? He was all about freedom, exploring the areas around him on his own. And Josh? He was content staying in one place and playing with a toy. All three of them were so very different and such a joy to have in my life.
We went outside where the rest of the family was. We’d managed to turn our backyard into a little family oasis. I’d never really used it much before, but now that I had a family, it became an extension of our home. Jackson and Brooklyn put in a fence, I helped add a patio, and we even had a little gazebo just because it reminded me of one of the books I read to the kids when they were still in their eggs. And the gardens… such beautiful gardens. It was magical.
“Did you hear the news?” I stepped out into the warm sun.
Jackson was grilling lunch, and Brooklyn was putting the finishing touches on a water table he had made for our kids.
They were at the toddling stage, barely able to take a few steps before tumbling to the ground. None of them had quite mastered going too far, but they were getting there. It was adorable to watch them go. They would fall to the ground and get back up, laughing the entire time. It would probably only be a couple of days before they mastered it and began running. It blew my mind how quickly they changed, grew, and learned, and also how much I did.
When I was pregnant and especially after I laid my clutch, I had this underpinning fear that I wouldn’t be able to handle three kids, that it would be too hard, that I wasn’t the omega for the job. Fear that I’d be one of those stressed parents on the internet talking about how I wished for a few hours of sleep or needed a break from my little ones or asking if it was wine-o’clock.
That worry fell away quickly. Sure, I still stressed, what parents didn’t, but I now saw how it was the three of us together that made the parents our kiddos needed and that I didn’t need to carry it all. It was funny how hormones messed with your head.
But also, I was the lucky one. No, my babies didn’t sleep through the night instantly. But it wasn’t me alone taking care of them. They had three dads who loved them beyond measure. All of us took turns nurturing and caring for them. And that was how it worked with every part of their lives. They were lucky children, and I was a lucky, lucky omega.
Thank you, fate.
“What news?” Jackson was turning the dogs. They smelled delicious.
“Love and Hate was bought in a merger.” It had made the news due to the purchase price.
“Well, good for him. But please tell me it wasn’t something like Tinder or Bumble or another one of those very human-related sites.” He lowered his voice as he said human, but we didn’t really need to worry. Brooklyn’s old neighbor sold his home to a squirrel shifter, and on the other side of us was an older man who was sweet as pie and had been mated to a shifter. We weren’t free to shift here, obviously, but we could speak without too much worry.
“No, it’s Match Me, Maybe. They’re part of Bruyne Enterprises. It looks like they specialize in all kinds of matching. They have a line for nannies, a line for finding employees, and a line for finding employment, they even have one for finding vacation spots. Basically, if you’re a shifter, they have an app to help you find what you need.” According to the interview I’d just seen with the creator of Love and Hate, it was the next step in growing it. Only time would tell.
“That’s pretty cool.” Brooklyn stood up. “What do humans think they are?”
“They think they own one of those hookup sites, of course.” I went over to the grass and set the babies down in the little play yard we had made for them.
Their brother Josh was already in there pounding on his “drum.” The drum was a coffee can our older neighbor had given him, saying it had been their child’s favorite toy. I wasn’t even sure coffee came that way anymore. The label was definitely dated. But boy, was our neighbor right—our boy loved it. Thankfully, it was summer, and the rap, rap, rap was outside and not in the kitchen
“Stick time,” I said. He looked up at me and handed me his drumstick. We’d played this game enough times he knew that when I asked for it, I meant it. He didn’t like it, but we didn’t need one of his siblings to accidentally get hit with it.
It was wonderful to watch the three of them together. Not having a drumstick didn’t stop Josh from banging away and making music. Kristin found a ball that was sitting in the corner, and Matthew picked up his teddy bear that I’d brought out for him earlier.
He’d picked it out for himself when we were walking through the store, and next thing I knew, it was in his hand. He had yanked it from a shelf and was very adamant that it was his. Was that the best way to parent? I didn’t know, but there was no way I could break his heart that day, and it was still his favorite.
“Need any help before lunch, Brooklyn?” I asked.
“No, I think it’s just about ready.” He’d managed to make little built-in seats out of their chairs, the ones that held them as eggs. Having them connected to the water table so they could play and get wet without us having to worry about them falling or tipping things over or putting their faces in the water had been a genius idea. It was beautiful and showed how attentive he was to their needs.
“After lunch, we should let them try it out. The water will be warmer, I hope.” I reached inside. It was a stretch that it would heat up enough to make a difference, but the sun was warm, and it was a gorgeous day, so maybe.
The kids had finished lunch already. They were on a different schedule than the adults at the moment. Being little dragons, they liked to eat every three hours. It gave Jackson pause at first; he thought maybe something was wrong with them, that was why they were always hungry. When he discovered it was a dragon trait, he started thinking of fun ways to deal with it and started naming each meal time a fun name.
“It’s ready,” Jackson called us to the patio table, which was set for lunch. We were just having hot dogs, nothing fancy, but also one of my favorites, or at least lately had been my favorite. Historically, they weren’t something I normally craved, but I couldn’t get enough of them recently. Especially this brand. I wasn’t sure what they put in them, but it was so good.
The kids played and played as we finished our lunch, not much more than an arm’s reach from them.
“These are the best,” I said, taking yet another one. “Thanks for making mine extra charred.” Another craving of mine.
“I was thinking,” Jackson said. “Don’t you find it odd you suddenly want hot dogs all the time? Specifically, ones that are grilled over a flame?”
I lifted my head. “I don’t know.”
“I’m just saying...”
“Boom. I knew it,” Brooklyn said.
“Knew what?” I was so confused by this conversation.
“Be right back.” Jackson ran into the house and came down with a little box. He set it on the table. “I bought this two days ago when you asked for the hot dogs for the third time. I thought, there’s no way you go from being meh about something to needing it all the time without a reason. And I think we know that reason.”
The little box told me exactly what he thought.
“You think I’m pregnant?”
He nodded.
“You think I’m pregnant.”
“One way to find out.” Brooklyn tapped the box.
“Alright, I’ll go take it.” Once I got it in my head that I might be, there was no waiting, so might as well.
“I’ll start cleaning up after lunch while you do, and Brooklyn will keep an eye on the kids while you take the test.”
I agreed with his plan, ran inside, and peed on the stick. This time I watched as it processed. One line showed up, then the other. It didn’t even take one minute, much less the three the box said.
I was pregnant.
I threw it in the trash, not wanting to wave my business in the backyard, and ran out.
The kids were already at the water table, splashing away, loving their new seats, both of my mates splashing around with them.
My mates’ eyes went straight to me.
“You are?” Jackson sounded so hopeful, and I was thrilled to be able to give him the good news.
“I am. Is that okay?” We hadn’t discussed adding more to our family just yet. But now that I knew our little one or little ones was coming, I was thrilled.
My mates came over to me.
“That is not only okay, that is everything.” Brooklyn hugged us close together, all three of us.
When we were doing this, we were growing our family.
Josh held up a little ducky and giggled.
“Daddy time.” I kissed each of their cheeks, and we went to join our kids as they splashed around gleefully, my heart so full of love.
A new series by Lorelei & Colbie…
Sometimes the wrong number is the exact one you need.
The phone and I are not friends. Send me a text any day, but ask me to make a call and I’d rather do anything else, and I mean anything. So when my prospective boss asks me to call to schedule an interview, I nearly withdraw my application. Who does that anymore? My rent answers for me: I do.
I dial the number, expecting someone to answer with the company name. Instead, I get a typical “Hello.” I explain why I’m calling, and he tells me I have the wrong number. That should be that. But no, I have to babble on about how I got to this point. I hear him asking for a date just as I hang-up. Crap.
Wrong Number, Right Tiger is a sweet with knotty heat MM Mpreg romance featuring a human who hates talking on the phone, the tiger he accidentally calls for a job, true love, fated mates, adorable babies, and a happy ever after.