“Of course. Come on.”
Tarius led him to the bedroom without turning on additional lights. In the red glow of his alarm clock, they shed their dress clothes, folded them, then climbed into bed. As soon as Tarius spooned up behind him, his arms tight around Branson’s chest, Branson started to cry.
The tears started slowly, silent drips across his nose and temple. Then the first sob ripped from his throat, and Tarius held him tighter. He never let go while Branson mourned the life he loved and prepared for the new reality tomorrow would bring.
“He’s never going to forgive me, is he?” Kell Cross asked, unsure if his beloved mate even understood the question, his voice was so rough and worn from crying.
After the confrontation with Branson, Kell had gone upstairs to their bedroom and sobbed himself sick, while Ronin dealt with the babysitter, the triplets, and later, with Emory and Eriq. He didn’t know what Ronin told them, only that neither knocked on his bedroom door. Kell was sniffling in bed, his nose stuffy, head throbbing, when the house quieted and Ronin finally joined him.
“He will, at some point,” Ronin replied as he crawled onto the bed and gently tugged Kell onto his lap. Kell hugged his mate, needing his familiar strength. The hugs that always made him feel safe. But there was no safety from the fallout of Branson’s anger and devastation. This secret had crushed their son.
“His face tonight, Ronin. He looked at me like I was a stranger.” Kell had seen a lot of things, suffered a lot of experiences in his forty-eight years, but he’d go to his grave never forgetting Branson’s expression of utter betrayal.
“He’s in shock, little one.”
“Because of us.”
“No, because of something that is going on a thousand miles away.”
“Did we ruin our son’s life?”
Ronin squeezed the back of his neck. “No. We made a serious decision twenty-four years ago to protect Branson. We agreed to keep Chip Uty’s name out of our mouths. Uty wanted the out, so we had no reason to believe Branson would ever learn differently.”
“But how did this Jeuel Alder learn who Branson is? Do you think Chip died?”
“It’s the only thing that makes sense. If it had been a situation like with Zaq’s son, the court papers wouldn’t be asking for custody placement, they’d be asking for a DNA test.”
Kell grunted. Not quite a year ago, Caden’s mate Zaq had been contacted by the sire of Zaq’s young son Alvis, becauseAlvis needed a bone marrow donation to save his life. Caden and Zaq’s relationship had still been tender, and Alvis’s existence was a shock to their whole family, but Caden had stood by his now-mate.
Kell understood a parent’s desperation to find a solution to their child’s health crisis, even someone as cruel and unforgivable as Chip Uty. But that wasn’t what this was about. This was about the custody of a seventeen-year-old omega, likely another of Chip’s children, and Jeuel had reached out to Branson.
If an omega was in trouble and Kell’s family could help, they helped.
“I made some calls and left some messages,” Ronin continued, “but I’m unlikely to hear back before tomorrow. I also did a quick internet search while I was in your office. The name Chip Uty was last used in Rolina Province twenty-two years ago. No death certificate that I could find.”
“So, he changed his name.”
“I’d be more surprised if he hadn’t, to be honest, especially with how notorious your trial was. I’m sure anyone else who cut deals eventually found a way to disappear and distance themselves from the Iverson name.”
“Probably. Did we make the wrong choice back then? To not tell Branson?”
“No, and I believe that in my soul. You had been severely traumatized by everything Krause put you through, from the violence, to giving Branson away, to him threatening Braun, and then the trial? You needed the reassurance that Branson was safe from Chip, or anyone else who might try to take him away from you. I needed you to know your son was safe with us, for your own mental health.”
Ronin caressed his cheek with a familiar, calming touch. “Do you remember those first few years? You’d let people hold him,but you watched them like a hawk. You almost never wanted to leave him with a sitter who wasn’t Braun or Serge, and even then, you were a nervous wreck. You only seemed to break free from that when you asked to have another baby.”
“I know.” So many details of those first few years were still blurry, and Kell might have forgotten them completely if not for his journals, which his therapist suggested he start keeping not long after the trial. So much of his time and energy had been used up caring for Branson and repairing his own mental health. Knowing Branson was safe had meant the world to him, and Kell would have agreed to almost anything.
He and Ronin had discussed telling Branson the truth, off and on, over the years. When Kell’s life went screaming back into the media during his memoir’s release, they’d discussed it again. But if they told Branson, and if Branson somehow let it slip to anyone…and it got back to Uty….
“We always knew this could happen, even though we prayed it wouldn’t,” Ronin said. “Branson is an amazing man, and he got that from you. Just love him and let him process his anger.”
“I’m glad you’re sure. I need your confidence to feed mine for a while.”
“Done.”
Kell accepted a gentle kiss. “I don’t want Branson to think he isn’t wanted. Krause gave him away because he was beta. Chip gave him away to save face and possible criminal charges.”
“He’ll probably have those thoughts, and he’s allowed to be angry about the ugly facts of his life. But as angry as he gets, Branson knows how much he’s loved. There are thirty people I can name who’d get in line to protect him, and you’d be at the very front.”
