Page 30 of Miles's Pact
I snorted. "I doubt they're going to keep up that pace. They'll be pretty busy raising these five for the next eighteen years."
"You think if they came across a kid in need, they wouldn't adopt them?"
I opened my mouth to answer, then closed it. I couldn't argue with that because Mateo was right. Raiden and William were made to be parents.
"Though I am kinda gladourdads can't have bio kids with each other."
"That won't stop them from having more kids either," I pointed out, and Mateo chuckled.
"I know. But knowing Dad likes it when Papa drinks his blood is already more than I wanted to know about our dads' sex life, so I'm glad more kids have nothing to do with it," Mateo said with a scrunched-up face, and I laughed.
"It was your own fault for asking Papa about being ace and not Dad."
"I know! But I wanted a partner's experience because at that point I still thought I wanted a romantic relationship. Or more like I was supposed to want one. Whatever."
I smiled, remembering with fondness the day Mateo had stumbled back into our shared bedroom red-faced and flustered. I never got to see him like that, so that day was one of my most treasured memories.
"Okay, it's around that bend," Mateo said, and I parked the car in the adjacent lot.
After we'd gotten our gear, we joined the other players in a 'capture the flag' type of game, and of course, Mateo decided we should be on opposite sides.
We'd been playing for about ten minutes when Mateo stepped into my path, and I showered him with Nerf bullets.
"Cut it out! Duckie texted. We gotta go."
I jerked my gun down, and we rushed to return all our equipment before heading out.
"What did he say?" I asked as I got behind the wheel, and Mateo shrugged.
"Nothing specific, just asked us to come back."
Maybe we had been overthinking, and Duckie's momhadwanted some privacy with the son she hadn't seen in years.
Duckie
"What do you mean I need to break up with them?"
Mom shook her head, her eyes taking a faraway look. "Your bond isn't complete yet, so you still have time to get out of it, Duckie."
"I don't understand," I admitted, confused by everything she was saying. Why would I want to 'get out of it'?
Mom made a frustrated sound, then looked at me head-on. "You have no idea how painful it is to lose your mate, Duckie, and I never want you to have to experience it."
My brows furrowed as I tried to understand what she was driving at. "So you want me to give up a lifetime of happiness on the off-chance I might have to deal with Mateo or Miles or both of them dying?"
Mom nodded, and my eyes flickered to the picture of Mom, Dad, and me that hung on the living room wall. "Does that mean you regret being with Dad? If you got a do-over, would you leave him to save yourself this pain?"
Mom didn't reply, but she didn't have to. She would never do that, and it was shocking that she expected me to.
"I'm not leaving them, Mom."
"But—"
"You have no idea what my life has been like these past two decades," I said, cutting her off in an attempt to get her to understand. "Miles and Mateo are two of the first few people who made me feel like a person. And if it weren't for Miles, I wouldn't even be here. I had no idea you were alive. Mileswas the one who found out and told me after I told him what happened that night. He did it without me asking, and they've both taken such good care of me."
Mom's face softened, and she placed her hand on my cheek. "Sounds like you already care about them."
"I do," I murmured, and Mom sighed, dropping her hand.
