Chapter Eleven #2
“Mom’s a control freak—I had to be there because apparently Maisie’s husband’s useless and I was needed to get snacks and drinks, and of course they all assumed I’d want to be there, because it’s family.
I had to cancel on Lionel an hour before we were due to meet up.
I felt like absolute dogshit for doing that to him. ”
“It prompted you to go to the ranch where we met.” Rick wasn’t sure what else he could say. He was just glad Ian was sharing with him.
“Lionel and Brad bought me the tickets for the ranch to say thanks because they found each other. But you see… you see… no, it’s not even you seeing, it’s me.”
“Seeing what?” Rick stroked over Ian’s hair. “Whatever’s on your mind, just spit it out.”
“Today showed me something I hadn’t noticed before. The moment I say no, the moment I say, ‘hey, I’ve got a mate too, be happy for me, and yes, we have other plans’ all of a sudden, I’m abandoning the family.
“But do you know… do you know…” Ian’s voice was rising again as he looked up.
“Do you know when my dad said, ‘when can we meet him?’ I suggested we all go out for lunch at a restaurant I know they like on Saturday, and then it’s them saying, ‘make it Sunday instead. We’ve got plans.
’ Why aren’t my plans important? Why can’t my family do what I want for a change—I just met my mate. Surely that’s important?”
Rick was shocked to see Ian had more tears in his eyes.
“For all my parents love me, and I know they do, they’ve never once put my plans first, never once considered my needs.
And now I’m a blubbering idiot with my mate, but in my defense, it was one hell of a realization.
It’s as if my entire world view used to be so narrowly focused, and I was the one who went along with it. But now… now I see it all clearly.”
That realization was clearly devastating.
Rick could see that. Pulling his mate back against his chest again and cradled his head, Rick struggled to think what to say.
There was no point talking about his family because none of that shit was relevant.
Ian needed to be reassured. And then Rick had a realization of his own.
This is why Ian was given another alpha as a mate, instead of an omega.
He could imagine what Ian’s family situation would’ve been like if his mate had been an omega.
Not only would he and the omega be running around providing babysitting services for family members who just wanted to be out having a good time.
Yes, Rick realized he might’ve been a bit harsh on people he hadn’t met, but Rick could imagine the mother being equally pushy about when Ian and the hypothetical mate would have kids.
Rick’s bear rumbled deep in his chest, and of course Ian noticed.
“Is your bear getting huffy and all protective about me?”
Rick nodded. “The thing is,” he said slowly, “I’m not good with families. I will meet yours, obviously, and I have no problem with that. But the one thing I’ve always held true in a mating is that both sides of the mating should have the space and support to choose what they want to do.”
And this particular bear could get really huffy if we thought for a second that our mate’s wants and needs weren’t being respected.
“You would save me from my family?” Ian clasped his hands together and swooned against Rick’s chest, looking up at him and fluttering his eyelashes. “That would be so romantic.”
“Okay, now I know you’re teasing me.” Rick could feel his cheeks heat as he grinned. “And don’t get me wrong. I hear that you love your family. But I feel your family will have to learn that you are now building a family of your own, with or without children.
“You and I are still a family, and the way we live our lives and the dynamic between us is entirely up to us. And if you don’t want to babysit on a Friday night or have kids for the weekend or whatever else, then you don’t have to.
“You are not a babysitting service. You are probably a much-loved uncle. There’s a big difference, and maybe your family needs to understand that.”
“I missed you so much today,” Ian admitted.
“I missed you, too.”
“I kept thinking about you, even though I needed to focus on work. I know we’re both independent men, we both work for a living, but the distance between us felt too far away. Does that make me clingy? Do you think I’m weak?”
“I don’t see wanting to be with a mate as being weak at all, and if that was the case, then you’d better add me to the weak list,” Rick said firmly.
“I didn’t want to drop you off this morning, and all day I was mentally rearranging Ernest’s house so you could come and work there.
And then I felt bad because I’ve got no right to assume that you’d want to give up your apartment and move into my den, and then spend your days working in one of Ernest’s spare rooms. I knew, respecting you as an equal and my mate, that I needed to talk to you before I just went ahead and made decisions like that for you. ”
“We’re a bit ridiculous, aren’t we?” Ian said with a chuckle. “We could just as easily have talked to each other about this over the weekend, and saved ourselves a day of worry.”
“Agreed,” Rick said, noticing Ian hadn’t said no to moving into his den and working at Ernest’s house. “But I’m not going to regret the three days we spent using our mouths for other things. Are you?”
“You know I’m not.” Ian tilted up his head for a kiss, something Rick was pleased to give him. Bothersome families and expectations were tomorrow’s problem. For now, he needed to work on making his mate feel a lot more relaxed. It was his responsibility as a mate.