“For goodness’ sake, Mom,” Ian broke in, rubbing his hand over Alfie’s back to soothe him. The little one was clearly getting restless because he could pick up Ian’s upset. “Could we order food first before we get another baby lecture? I’m extremely proud of my mate. Rick is very good to me and he makes me happy. Isn’t that what any family member wants for one of their favorite people?”
He looked at Maisie and his brothers. Winston and William didn’t appear to have any response to that, and Rick was wondering if their mates—Bianca and Jane—could even talk at all. Apparently Maisie didn’t do silences and had no problem filling one.
“Being happy is one thing, but you’ve always been available for us. Our kids count on their uncle Ian…”
Your baby can’t even talk yet.Rick was getting antsy.
“And I’m sorry”—she clearly wasn’t—“but if no one else is going to say it, then I will. I don’t think it’s fair of you to say you’re not going to babysit for us anymore just because you have a mate now. That’s just you being selfish, and it’s unfair on the whole family.”
His bear’s fur rose on his neck in warning. Ooh, Rick did not like that at all. Maisie clearly got her manipulative tactics from her mom, and the issue was Ian being hurt by all this nonsense. Rick’s personal family experiences were more centered around teeth and claws, so for him, Maisie was easily ignored. Ian clearly didn’t feel that way.
“Nobody saidwewere never going to babysit for any of you,” Rick said quietly, making an emphasis on the ‘we’. He rested his arm over the back of Ian’s chair, making sure to have as much contact with his mate as was decent in public. “As long as our timeis respectedtoo. What’s the harm in giving us more notice so we can schedule things like that? Clearly, it couldn’t be as often as you’re used to Ian doing in the past. I had a look at Ian’s calendar the other night and spending three to four nights a week on babysitting duties…”
“Ian likes doing it, it’s all he wants to do in his free time.” Ian’s mom jumped in. “He likes spending time with the children. He’s a natural with them. In fact, I can’t believe…”
“Mom, don’t say it. Don’t you dare say it,” Ian cut in quickly, squirming next to Rick. “I’ve always wanted an alpha mate, as I’ve mentioned many times. I’m thrilled I have an alpha mate, and Rick is good to me. I will keep repeating that until you understand. Did any of you ever give me the chance to say no to you? Look at what happened just in the past few days, getting huffy with me and making out that my wants and needs do not matter.
“It was you who always assumed this because I was single, I could help with the kids. And yes, you know how much I love my niece and nephews. I’m not saying otherwise. But they’re notmy children. They’re yours. I am not your only choice. There are other family members who could help, or services that have sitters available. It doesn’t have to keep being me.”
“We wouldn’t want our children looked after by somebody who wasn’t family.” Winston was trying to get huffy—puffing out his chest and flexing his shoulders as if it would make him appear bigger. Rick thought it was cute, but his hand was itching to slap the man, and they hadn’t even ordered drinks yet.
Looking around the room, Rick caught the eye of a server and raised his finger in that classic sign of ‘come and take our order please so this meal could be over’, vibe.
The waitstaff hurried over, his pad in his hand. “Are you all ready to order?”
“No, we’re having a family discussion,” Ian’s mom said.
“Yes, thank you,” Ian said at the same time. “I’ll have a double serving of your carbonara, with some garlic bread on the side, thank you. What about you, Rick?”
Rick ordered the same. He didn’t have garlic bread very often, but if his mate was having it, Rick wasn’t going to complain about smelly breath later.
“Anyone else?” The server looked around the table expectantly, and clearly, the others realized if they wanted to be fed, then they needed to put in an order.
Rick hoped that the kitchen was not too busy, as he was ready to leave. Ian needed holding, he needed cherishing, and that wasn’t going to happen in front of a disgruntled audience. Rick would never undermine his mate in that way, even if his bear was keen on just tossing Ian over their shoulder and stomping out of the restaurant. That could be a little difficult as Ian was still holding the baby, but in Rick’s imagination, that didn’t matter. He was good at making planson the fly, and adapting to unknown situations—a baby wouldn’t foil his plans…
Being respectful of Ian and his position in his family would.
After the server had left, Ian’s mom said, “I’m not saying that I’m unhappy that you have found your mate. It’s something that we all dream of, and I am thrilled with mine.”
Ian’s father, who hadn’t said a word beyond his welcome to the family to Rick, just smiled, clearly used to keeping the peace.
“The fact still remains that Ian is a vital part of our family.”
Yes, as a damn babysitter.Rick said, “I imagine Ian is really important in your family—he is important to me too, so that’s not hard to understand. But… I’m confused. I know Ian babysits for his siblings and runs errands for you personally—work to do with your charities, I believe—which I’m sure is very important. But I haven’t known Ian very long, so I haven’t heard of any instance where you wanted to see Ian, just to see him. To spend time with him.
“For example, apparently, if Rupert makes plans with Maisie, then Ian is expected to be available to look after Alfie. If Winston wants to spend time with his friends, while his mate is away—red flag there by the way, just saying—and he needs Ian to babysit, then where is the reciprocity in all of this?”
“Ian doesn’t have children,” Winston said, blinking as if the idea of doing something for Ian didn’t compute.
“I don’t see how not having children would stop you from asking Ian around for a meal, where he’s not the only adult present. Have you been making meals for Ian to take home with him, after he’s babysat for you, so that he doesn’t have to cook for a couple of nights?
“I’m sure you’ve been doing something right? Isn’t that what a family does?” He didn’t think so! “Can you tell me what you’ve been doing for your son in return for the countless hours he spends lookingafter your children, or running around doing errands for charities in his parents’ name?”
It was like someone had flicked a switch, and suddenly no one could talk. Bianca was prodding her husband’s bicep, and Jane didn’t look happy with Winston either. Maisie was totally ignoring Rupert, but she was doing a lot of eye communication with Ian’s mom.
“Ian’s very independent and self-sufficient,” Ian’s mom said at last. “We’ve always respected and admired that about him. Regardless, the fact still remains that because you are unable to have children…”
“Will you stop saying that?” Ian reached over and gave Alfie to Rupert—his anxiety was upsetting the baby. “Why can’t Rick and I have children? Why can’t we adopt? Why can’t we use surrogacy? Who even said we wanted children?
