Chapter 483

“Why?” I ask quietly, tilting my head to the side. “Why would you have wanted to start early, at twenty-two? You were so much older, so much…readier for it when Rafe came along. And you wanted him so badly that you went to a sperm donor to get him. Isn’t it better, to bring a baby into the world when they’re really desired from the start?”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” mom says on a considerate sigh, casually leaning against one arm as she turns her face up to the ceiling, contemplative. “Sometimes the desire comes first, sometimes the baby does. I’m not sure it matters. But,” she says, turning her eyes back towards me. “I would have wanted to get started young so your dad and I could have lots more kids.”

I burst out laughing, shaking my head at her. “Mom! Us four are enough!”

“Of course you are, baby,” mom coos, grabbing at me and pulling me in close for another hug, pressing kiss after kiss to my hair. I grin, swatting her away. “But,” she says with a happy sigh. “Eight would have been enough too.”

“Mom, eight is far too many,” I murmur, suddenly regretting my little joke last night about eighteen. “What would you have even named them?”

“Rafe, Ariel, Mark, and Juniper,” she says instantly, her eyebrows raising with the truth of it. “All with a Jr. at the end.”

I burst out laughing again, shaking my head at her. “Mom!”

“It’s true!” she says, shoving my shoulder, laughing at me. “I had great plans to have a whole second batch of kids about ten years later, and then I was going to try all my parenting techniques again, and pit you all against each other in a great trial and see which group of four came out victorious –“

I laugh harder now, falling down into the blankets on the bed.

“It was going to be an amazing social experiment!” Mom says, laughing too, beaming down at me. “But, sadly, dad said no.”

I put my hands on my belly, which aches with so much laughing, turning my head back and forth. “Thank god for dad,” I murmur. “Someone has to hold this stupid family together.”

“Yes, thank the heavens for dad,” mom says, reaching out and stroking her fingers again through my hair. “And thanks also for your Jackson. He’s going to be…a fantastic father. If he ever gets over the shock of it.”

I look up at her, well pleased. “You really like him for me, don’t you?”

“I like him in general,” she says, giving an eager nod. “But I like him especially for you, baby. From the moment I met him, I knew he was right.”

I raise my eyebrow. “The moment?”

“Oh fine,” she says, rolling her eyes, caught in the lie. “At first I thought he was your murderer. But as soon as I figured out he dragged your ridiculous bleeding butt all through that stupid trial? And then he started sobbing when he heard you’d probably live?” She nods, very wisely. “I knew.”

“I knew too,” I whisper, smiling at her, telling her the true deep secret in my heart. “I think I knew too.”

“Yes, you’re very wise,” mom murmurs, grinning at me and patting my cheek.

The door creeks open and both of our heads spin to it as we go very still.

“What’s that about wisdom?” Jesse says, striding in boldly as he always does, not bothering to knock. “Was someone speaking about me –“

But as soon as he gets within ten feet of me, he stops in his tracks, his face falling slack. “Oh, holy shit.”

“Seriously?” Mom says, snapping her hands to her waist. “You can smell it from there? God damn it, I wish I had an Alpha nose –“

“Smell what?” Rafe murmurs from the doorway, stepping in with a pastry in his hand, taking a big bite. “What are you guys even doing in here, all hidden awa-“

But he goes still too, his mouth falling open, his bite of pastry falling to the floor.

“From the door!?” Mom spits out, jealous and appalled.

“Ariel,” Jesse whispers, staring at me, shaking his head a little even as he holds out his arms towards me. “Oh my god, Ariel –“

I groan, sitting up, unable to keep from smiling. “I know,” I say with a shrug. “Who would have thought it?”

“You’re all knocked up!” Jesse whispers, his tone incredibly sweet, like it’s the most adorable thing he’s ever thought of in his life. “Oh my god, Ariel!”

“No way,” Rafe whispers, striding over to me, staring at me unblinking. Then he bursts out laughing, raising his hands to his hair, digging his fingers into the thick dark strands. “This is – this is insane! No way!”

“Way,” I say, laughing too, giving a little shrug. “Um, we just found out –“

“Found out!?” Jesse spits out, staring between Ella and I.

“I thought it was two more mates,” I say, laughing at myself now, falling back into the pillows of the bed. “I’m such an idiot, I didn’t even think the bonds were kids –“

Jesse howls with laughter, collapsing onto the bed with me and wrapping me up in a hug as he presses kisses to my cheeks and hair, hugging me tight.

But Rafe stands right where he was. “Two?” he whispers, staring at me. “Bond…bonds? With an -s on the end?”

Jesse gasps, putting it together, letting me sit up as I shrug and smile between them. “Yeah,” I say, a little helpless to do anything but smile. “Yeah, twins, I guess.”

“Oh my GOD!” Rafe shouts, finally coming back to himself and leaping on the bed, fairly tackling me with his hug.

“Gentle, gentle!” Mom cries, smacking at him.

But my big Alpha brother is, as usual, very careful with me, wrapping me up tight in a hug but in control enough that I’m not hurt at all. “This is so insane, Ariel,” he murmurs, hugging me close. “Congratulations, trouble – I’m so excited –“

“Who’s the dad?” Jesse asks, dry.

I gasp, shoving Rafe away – and when I see Jesse’s shitty little grin I snarl and kick at him, making him roar with laughter as he swats my feet away, not letting a single blow land.

“You jackass!” I shout, even as I laugh, kicking him harder.

“No fighting on my bed!” mom shouts, laughing too, swatting at me.

“No calling my sister’s virtue into question!” Rafe roars, joining in on my mission to destroy Jesse and giving him a hearty shove. We’re all laughing, a bit swept away in the moment, when a a creaking noise from the door makes us all basically freeze in place.

I turn my head, eyes wide, to Jackson standing in the doorway, Marigold held high on his arm in her little footie pajamas, both of them peering at the four of us in wonder and curiosity.

Jesse moves first. “Ooookay,” he says, shoving himself up from the bed and dashing over to Jacks. “Give me the baby,” he commands, reaching for Marigold.

“What?” Jackson says, frowning at Jesse and stepping away. “Why?”

“Because you’re going to collapse in about four seconds, my guy,” Jesse says, stepping closer and taking Marigold under the arms, gently lifting her away from her dad and settling her cheerfully on his hip.

Marigold gives a worried little squeak, looking between Jesse and Jackson, sensing the tension in the room.

“Nah, you’re fine, Goldie Girl,” Jesse says with a grin, pressing a kiss to her hair. “No worries for you.”

She grins at him even as Jackson still continues to stare at Jesse. “Worries…for me?” Jackson asks, going tense.

Jesse sighs, and tilts his head towards me and Rafe and mom, who are all still frozen on the bed. “You need to take a deep breath, Jacks,” Jesse says, nodding slowly to him and tapping his nose. “And then go to your girl.”

Jackson frowns at Jesse for a second and then does as he’s told, taking a deep breath in through his nose.

Suddenly he freezes to, spinning to me, shocked.

“Oh…oh my god,” Jackson whispers, his mouth falling open.

“Jacks,” I whisper, worried for him, starting to push myself off the bed.

But before I can get there Jackson stumbles back against the door and then slips down to the ground, not taking his eyes from me for a second as I dash across the room to him.

“See, Golds,” Jesse murmurs to her. “I told you he was going down.”