Chapter 21
Twenty-One
Duckie
"Only a few more boxes left!" Gus, the twins' papa, declared as he whizzed through the portal with a giant box in his arms, carrying it over to the living room corner where Miles, Mom, and I were unpacking.
It'd taken under a week for us to find the perfect apartment for my mom.
It was on the third floor of the building Miles had mentioned that day, with two bedrooms, a cozy living room, and a big kitchen with shiny appliances that Mom had instantly fallen in love with.
The place was also close to the pack, and I was hoping Mom would find a community with them, like I had with the whole clan.
When Miles had told his dads my mom was moving to Mistvale, they'd volunteered to help with the move, and even requested a portal from the warlock Rhiannon to make things easier.
As I looked around the room, I realized this was my family now. Mom, Mateo, Miles, and their dads... I could see myself having family dinners with them, and game nights. I could see a life with them, and it was strange to think that only a few weeks ago, I'd been alone in this world.
"Okay?" Miles asked, leaning into me so he could murmur the question in my ear.
A smile curved my lips at his concern, and I nodded, then pressed a soft kiss on his cheek as thanks for asking.
"Never been better," I promised him, and he shot me a warm look before returning to the box he'd been unboxing.
Almost an hour later, we were done. My mom was moved in, and everything had been unpacked and put in its place.
"It's almost lunchtime. How about we order some pizza?"
Mateo grinned at his papa, then pulled his phone out. "I'll do it. Any preferences?"
I shook my head, though Mateo already knew what I liked, and the others chimed in as he tapped around on the screen. He'd shown me how to do it before, but I'd need a little more practice before I felt confident placing an order on my own.
Daily life had so many little things that I was still learning, but Miles and Mateo made it feel easy. They never pushed or judged me for my cluelessness, and with them holding my hand, it was easy to figure everything out.
Once the pizza arrived, we settled in the living room, the dads taking the couch, Mom in the armchair, and the three of us on the floor in front of the coffee table. The table was laden with three pizza boxes, a box of fries, and cans of Cokes.
"Eat up, everyone," Gus said as he opened the pizza boxes, then handed a big slice to his mate, Cassian, who took it with a soft smile. Cassian had carried half of the boxes himself without breaking a sweat, and he deserved all the slices he wanted, in my opinion.
I found the twins' dads fascinating. While Gus was bubbly and spirited, Cassian exuded a calm warmth, contrasting his mate perfectly. Being around Cassian was akin to curling up in front of a cozy fireplace, while Gus was like fireworks in a clear night sky.
"Welcome to Mistvale, Heather," Cassian said, raising his pizza slice like a toast, and the others joined in. I raised my own slice as well, giving Mom a warm smile she returned.
"Thank you, everyone," she said, her dark eyes full of warmth as she glanced at everyone. "Thank you for making me feel so welcome, for helping with the move, and for taking such good care of my Duckie."
"It's been our pleasure, ma'am," Mateo said with a charming smile, making Mom laugh.
"Call me Heather, kid," she said, her eyes shifting to me before returning to Mateo as she added, "or you can call me Mom."
Mateo blinked, the smile dropping from his face as his eyes widened. "Really?"
"Of course. You're my son's mate, which makes you family."
I watched as Mateo swallowed hard, and while I couldn't sense his emotions through the bond, it was easy to read the shock and want on his face.
Reaching for him, I clasped his hand, giving it a squeeze, and his eyes fell to me.
Blowing out a breath, he smiled without a hint of mischief, which was such a rare thing for him, then raised his gaze to Mom's.
"I'd like that... Mom."
Mom smiled warmly, and my own chest went all warm and fuzzy. I'd been worried Mom would still want to keep my mates at a distance. Thank heavens she'd changed her mind and accepted the fact that I wouldn't leave Miles and Mateo.
As Gus pulled Mom into a conversation about the clan, I turned my attention to my mates, who seemed a little subdued after Mom's declaration.
I nudged Mateo with my elbow as I reached for Miles's hand, giving it a tight squeeze.
"Are you two okay?" I asked in a low voice, not wanting the parents to overhear.
It wasn't easy since one of them was a shifter, another a vampire, and the third a mage, but they were distracted by their own conversation and didn't seem to be paying us any mind.
"Yeah," Mateo said, giving me one of his usual smiles. "It took me by surprise. We've never had a mom before."
"At least not for any length of time," Miles added, a wry look on his face that made Mateo wince.
"Yeah, I don't think any of those women deserved to be called 'Mom,'" he said, making me wonder who he was talking about. I imagined it was the foster moms they'd been placed with before, but this didn't seem like the time to ask about it.
"Well, you have one now, and she's great. I can promise you that."
"Of course she is. She made you," Miles said, making me blush, which made Mateo snicker.
"You're so easy, Duckie," he teased, and I smacked his leg as my face flamed.
"Shut up," I grumbled, which made him laugh harder.
Shaking my head, I ripped off a big bite of my pizza, chewing furiously as I tried to ignore them both.
Of course, the universe wasn't having it because somehow I managed to get the pizza stuck in my throat, sending myself into a coughing fit as my mates scrambled to help.
Mateo smacked my back while Miles thrust an uncapped bottle of water at me.
I gulped down the cool liquid, feeling it wash down my throat and dislodge the errant morsel.
"Fuck," I mumbled when I'd caught my breath, and Miles rubbed my back, murmuring soothing words as I placed the water bottle on the table and glanced up to find all three parents watching us with a mix of warmth and amusement on their faces.
Miles
"I'm exhausted," Mateo groaned as he threw himself onto the couch, and I mumbled an agreement as I joined him, leaving space between us for Duckie, who'd taken Snowball outside to do his business.
We'd made it home minutes ago as the sun had dipped below the horizon, and just in time too. Rain pounded on the roof, the soft crackle of thunder filling the air as the sky flashed outside. I wondered if everything was okay with Raiden.
I turned my head as Mateo shuffled around, watching as he pulled his phone out and started typing. He pursed his lips as he stared at the screen. Then his gaze flicked up to me.
"Micah says one of the babies took a tumble when Raiden wasn't looking. They're okay, but Raiden's annoyed at himself."
I snorted. "Before the eggs, I never realized how dramatic Raiden could be."
"More like overprotective," Mateo corrected, and I hummed. I supposed it made sense, considering how rare dragons were. Five viable eggs in one go was nothing short of a miracle, so on some level, I could understand why Raiden was being so overly cautious. His instincts had to be in overdrive.
I glanced up as the back door slid open, and a soaked Snowball raced inside, followed by a just as wet Duckie. I raised a brow at him, and he sighed. "Snowball wouldn't come in, so I had to go and grab him."
"Damn. You should go change," Mateo suggested, and Duckie nodded morosely, eyeing the spot on the couch before sighing and trudging toward the stairs.
"I'll find Snow before he tracks muddy water everywhere," I said as I forced myself to my feet.
"Good boy," Mateo joked as he spread out on the couch with a sigh, and I grabbed the remote from the coffee table and threw it at his face. Of course, he caught it before it could hit him, giving me a cocky grin as he returned it to the table.
"Go on now. He's probably already finished a circuit of the house."
I found Snowball in the kitchen, lapping away at his water bowl, and after some bribing, I managed to lead him to the hall bathroom, where I washed the mud and rainwater off his fur before toweling him down and releasing him back into the house.
When I came outside, Mateo was mopping up the mud tracks, which made me smile. He could be a dumbass when he wanted to, but my brother was a good guy under all that sass.
"Wanna order in for dinner?" I asked since I didn't think either of us were up to cooking, and Mateo nodded instantly, leaning into the mop.
We waited for Duckie to get back before placing an order, and then settled in front of the TV while we waited for the food.
Mateo started the show we'd been watching together the last few nights, and Duckie curled into my side as Mateo snuggled into him, the three of us cozy as we could be as the vampire hunter ran around chasing evil vamps on the screen.
When the food arrived, I slipped out of the warm cocoon with much reluctance, collecting our food and bringing it back to the living room as Mateo and Duckie grabbed the dishes and some drinks.
We'd ordered Chinese, and we divided up the food as Snowball tried to get his paws on the food before giving up and curling up at the foot of the couch.
"Are there any shows where the supes are the good guys?" Duckie asked as he poked his fork into a dumpling. He was still struggling with using chopsticks, but as long as he enjoyed the food, I didn't care about what utensils he used.
"Of course! There are a few good ones. We can watch them after this one," Mateo said, and Duckie nodded before turning his attention back to the TV.
"Technically, Buffy's a supe too. She has powers," I said, waving toward the screen, and Duckie hummed.
"I guess," Duckie relented, while Mateo went, "No way."
And so our dinner was spent arguing over whether Buffy was a supe or not.
By the time we finished our dinner, we hadn't reached a verdict yet, and Duckie—growing tired of us—declared it a tie as he stood up and started clearing the table, leaving us scrambling to help him and putting a stop to our discussion.
After we'd cleaned up, we retreated upstairs, Mateo to his bedroom, and Duckie and I to mine. We'd been sharing a bed for days now, and I still hadn't gotten used to it. Mateo was the only other person I'd ever shared a bed with—to sleep, at least—and it was obviously nothing like with Duckie.
Having him close made my heart race, but it also made my bones feel settled in a way sleeping alone never had. I was at peace, and I slept better than I did on my own.
"Thank you for helping Mom move today," Duckie murmured once we were under the covers, shifting closer and pressing his lips to mine. I kissed him back, though we were both too tired to take things further tonight.
"It was my pleasure," I said when he pulled back, and he smiled as he closed his eyes.
I watched him for a moment before I leaned back and turned off the lamps. I snuggled into him, and he wrapped his arms around me, holding me close as I sank into his warmth, finding it easy to drift away.