Page 95 of As The Shifter World Turns
95
NO LONGER WAITING BUT MATING
Neil
I was staying at Martin’s for the night. Charlie was asleep in his crib and I peeked my head into Toby’s room. He was reading and when he saw me, he put down his book.
“How do you feel?” I sat on the mattress and ruffled his hair.
“Weird but a good weird.”
“I’m so proud of you.”
“I’m glad you were there, Neil. I wouldn’t have wanted anyone else with me when I shifted other than my dad.”
“Stay where you are.” I leaped up.
“Neil, I’m in bed. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Good. Don’t move.” Racing into Martin’s and my room, I paused and studied Martin who was reading a novel. He loved mysteries and there was always a pile of paperbacks beside his bed. “I love you.”
He peered at me. “Good, because I feel the same way.” His eyes flicked back to the page.
“Forever and ever.”
This time he put the book down. “Okay. Are you about to give me bad news?”
“Hopefully not. Let’s mate.” That got his attention and he gave me a smile that warmed my heart.
“I’ve been waiting a long time to hear that.” He flipped back the covers and crawled over the mattress to me.
“Neil,” Toby yelled from his room. “Are you coming back? You told me not to move?”
Oh, shoot, poor Toby. Charlie stirred but didn’t wake. “Come here, sweetheart.” He appeared at the door yawning. Martin had to be the one to tell him and I nudged my almost mate.
“I’ve got some amazing news.”
“What is it?” Toby yawned and sat on the bed.
I couldn’t wait and I blurted it out. “You dad and I are going to mate.”
“What?” He jumped onto the mattress. “For real? You’re going to be my dad?”
“I’ll be your third father. You have this dad.” I jerked my head at Martin. “And your other father is still your dad even though he's not here. And I’ll be number three.”
Toby held out his hand. “Jump with me, Neil.” His expression changed. “Wait. What should I call you?”
“Whatever you want. Neil is fine.”
We held hands and hauled Martin to his feet. The three of us jumped up and down as Toby chanted, “Mated. Mated. Mated.”
I wasn’t the leaping up and down type and eventually I let go and collapsed onto the mattress. Martin and Toby joined me and we made what Toby always called a Neil sandwich with me in the middle and Toby and Martin either side.
“I suppose you want the Sunshine Manor family there,” Martin mumbled into my hair. “Like what Daire and Nate did.”
Theirs was an elaborate affair at Daire’s parents place. We couldn’t afford that and I doubted Martin wanted that, based on the way he said it. “Not if we do it tonight.”
“What? Right here in the bed?”
I sat up. “Are you happy for it to be just the four of us?” I had to make sure because if his plan was to mate in front of a large group of people, what I was about to suggest would be a big disappointment.
“Absolutely. You, me, Toby and Charlie.”
“But not here.”
“I thought you said.”
I shook my head and put a finger to his lips. “Toby, where did we first meet? The three of us.”
“At soccer. You were a little upset about something.”
Right. I thought Martin recognized me from my work and then he turned up at the manor and really freaked me out. A lot had happened in our lives since then.
“Is that where you want to go? The soccer pitch where we met?”
I thought it might bring us full circle but if Martin didn’t agree, we could go out into the garden.
“I love that idea,” my soon-to-be-mate said. “Let’s get dressed.”
“Nah, why not go in our PJs? ”
Toby giggled. “I like that idea, but what about Charlie?”
Of course our second son would be there. I carefully picked him up and when we got to the car, I strapped him into his seat. He slept the entire time.
As we drove through the streets to the place where I used to teach kids how to play soccer, I glanced over my shoulder at my two boys. One sleeping peacefully, the other pointing out landmarks as Martin drove. My little family.
The wide open space was in darkness and Martin and I used the flashlights on our phones to find our way into the middle. I held Toby’s hand while Martin carried Charlie.
“We should say a few words before we do this.”
“Wait, because Third is human, how are you going to do it?” Toby asked.
Both Martin and I stared at our son. “Did I hear you right?” Martin asked. “Did you call Neil, Third?”
Toby shrugged. “Yeah, I thought I’d try out different names and see which one I like best. He said he was my third dad so that’s how I came up with Third. But I’ll try other names too.” He scratched his chin like an old man. “I’ll keep thinking.”
“Good to know,” Martin noted with a big old smile on his face. “But he has a point. How do we do this?”
“You mean you don’t know what you’re doing?” I quipped.
Martin pulled me to him. “I know exactly what I’m doing. I’m mating with the man who stole my heart, almost from the first day I met him right here. That’s you, Neil, and I promise to love you always.”
Toby clapped. “Wow. That was a pretty good speech, Dad. Didn’t know you had it in you.”
“Why thank you, son.” Martin bowed.
“And I don’t care how we mate, just that we do.” I looked into Martin’s eyes. “Because I dragged my feet for too long, not wanting to commit, always thinking we’d do it at some point. But we’ve reached the point. Right now. Tonight. And I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.” I kissed Martin. “And you.” I placed a kiss on Toby’s head. “And you little poppet.” That was for Charlie.
“Give me your hand, Neil.” Martin turned my palm up and allowed his fox claws to appear. He scratched a jagged line on my palm, breaking the skin. A small trickle of blood pooled on my hand. I was marked and Martin retracted his claws.
“But you have to mark my dad, Neil,” Toby insisted.
It was a good thing I kept my nails long as many of my clients loved them, especially when I painted them. I marked Martin’s hand the same way as he’d done mine, though my nails weren’t as sharp as his claws. But they did the job. I broke the skin.
“That’s it,” Toby yelled. “You’re mated.”
We had a three-way hug. Well, technically four-way but Charlie only opened his eyes briefly before going back to sleep.
“Let's go home and have hot chocolate.”
“Which home? You don’t live with us, TD,” Toby pointed out. “TD means Third Dad in case you didn’t know.”
“What he said.” Martin agreed with our son. Our son, not his son.
Trust my older son to remember I had my own apartment, especially when it’d slipped my mind during the excitement. Now we were mated, I didn’t want to be apart from my family. “How about we all live together in your apartment until we can decide if that’s going to be our permanent home.”
“In that case, let’s go home,” my mate agreed.
“You have to tell everyone,” Toby insisted. “The Sunshine Manor family will want to know.”
“The morning will do,” Martin told him.
“Awww, Dad. That’s ages away.”
“Fine, we’ll drive past the manor, and if anyone’s lights are on, we’ll text them.”
Toby peered out the window as we drove to our… our former home. The manor had been my safe place for so long, I hoped I wouldn’t feel adrift at not sleeping there every night. My office was there in 2A and for the moment, I was still paying rent on 2B. Slowly, slowly. I’d get used to it.
“There’s a light on in Ivor and Ryder’s place,” Toby yelled.
“Lower your voice, sweetheart. We don’t want to wake up Charlie.” Though I suspected as he’d slept through all of tonight’s commotion, nothing was going to disturb him.
‘I’ll text Ryder,” Martin said. “What should I say?”
“We’re mated,” Toby suggested. “Though he might think you and he are mated. That wouldn't be good.”
Martin and I doubled up with laughter. “How about you write, ‘Neil and I are mated.’ Does that sound okay, Toby?” I asked.
He nodded, his eyes studying the light in the 1A living room. A second light was turned on. And my phone beeped. A light appeared in 3B. And another in Anthony’s apartment, 3A. Now Martin’s phone dinged.
“We’re out front,” Toby yelled as he lowered his window.
Ivor and Ryder, dressed in their pajamas, waved from their living room, Daire and Nate leaned out of 3B as did Anthony in 3A, while Archer sent a text of emojis.
“Now they know.”