Chapter 3 #3
“Did you read that off a motivational poster?”
Troy barked out a sharp, surprised laugh. “No, I just listen when my mate talks, and she talks about you a lot.”
Godsdamnit, Raina. He was fine. Just because she’d somehow found her fated mate didn’t mean that the rest of them were going to or even wanted to.
Hell, their parents weren’t fated mates.
Their disparate personalities had somehow meshed perfectly, and their love of travel and adventure had led them to choose to spend their lives together, but some of them—actually, the majority of the Rangecroft siblings—didn’t have any interest in mating.
Riley was too busy, Ruben was having “too much fun,” and Rowan was…
Fine. Rowan was doing just fine.
“Well, while I’m glad you listen to your mate, I’m—”
“Fine, I know. You say it all the time,” Troy said.
Rowan’s hawk clacked his beak indignantly, and Rowan had to stop himself from crossing his arms across his chest like he was a petulant teenager. Or more accurately, like he was Ruben when he was a petulant teenager.
“Because I am. Everything is—”
“Uhm, hi,” a voice said, and the two alphas turned to find Ray standing awkwardly beside their table.
He had both of his feet stacked on top of each other, and his shoulders were hunched as he glanced out the front door of the cafe and back at them.
Rowan followed his gaze and caught a glimpse of blonde moving down the sidewalk, away from the cafe.
“Hello again,” Troy said, his calm, executive tone on full display.
Sometimes, Troy could be loud and brash, but he could also be incredibly steady, with huge shoulders others could lean on.
It had been one of the reasons Raina said she’d fallen so hard and so fast for him.
That, and the mystical fated mate bond, but she swore it was mainly due to the way he always knew how to match her energy with a calming presence.
He didn’t often pull it out for Rowan, but the few occasions he had, it had felt like catching a perfectly thrown life preserver in a storm.
A few years back, Rowan had hit a decidedly low point in his life.
Raina and Troy had just mated, Riley was starting her second company, Ruben was off gods knew where becoming an orchestral legend, and Rowan was just here, working a boring office job, alone.
Their family group chat had been silent for months, everyone far too busy to talk to the youngest child, who had always been quieter than the rest. The usual space between himself and his family had widened until it felt nearly insurmountable.
Troy had been the one to suggest they co-lead Riley’s company. The idea never would have occurred to Rowan, but Troy had somehow known exactly what Rowan needed. He’d provided steady support for Rowan to make the transition and take a step back into family life.
“How can we help you?” Troy asked when Ray just stood there, biting his lip.
Ray’s shoulders rose even higher towards his ears before suddenly dropping into a firm line.
“This isn’t something I would usually do, and I’m honestly not sure if it’s the right decision, but I haven’t heard Milo mention his—or their gender or gender expression to a single person, not even me, since their great-aunt died. ”
Troy’s gaze was heavy on Rowan’s shoulders as he swallowed audibly.
Ray scanned his face before thrusting his hand out in front of him. For one horrible second, Rowan thought Ray might be testing him, to… what, prove himself?
He didn’t know Ray, so it shouldn’t matter, but Ray knew Milo, and Rowan’s hawk apparently also wanted to know Milo, so he fluffed up his feathers and decided that no matter what the test was, he was going to try and pass it.
Ray made a “give it here” gesture with his fingers. “I’m going to give you Milo’s number,” Ray said. “You can decide if you want to text them or not.”
Rowan’s hawk jumped to his feet, fanning out his wings to his full wingspan. Rowan pulled out his phone and took care not to touch Ray’s fingers as he handed it over. Ray typed in the number, but when Rowan tried to take it back, Ray held the phone just out of reach.
“If there’s any chance in the world that Milo can find happiness, after everything they’ve been through the past few years, then I think it’s worth taking a chance on.
I told them as much, and I really think they were going to come over and give you their number, but Ethel’s retirement home called, and they have a bit of tunnel vision when it comes to her.
If you can accept that and can accept them and all their wonderful quirks, then I think I’m doing the right thing by giving you their number. ”
Troy was silent, and there seemed to be a lull in conversation around the room, like the world was holding its breath to see what Rowan would do.
“I might have to give that some more thought, but I really appreciate you giving me a chance.”
Ray’s lip quirked up into a small smile. “Now let’s just hope Milo is willing to give you a chance, too.”