He forced his head up and did his best to meet Paxton’s expressionless eyes. “We’re a match.”
“Yes, you are.”
Blood rushed into Branson’s ears and blocked out every other sound. For all he’d wanted to be Jeuel’s brother, it also meant being Uty’s son. Something his parents told him was the truth, but knowing it as part of an official DNA report…it slammed the knowledge into him like a kick to the nuts. He vaguely heard the people around him speaking, but he couldn’t make sense of it.
Not until Jeuel said, “I’m so sorry, Branson.”
His head snapped up, and he focused on Jeuel’s blotchy, unhappy face. “Sorry for what?”
“That this is upsetting you. I never wanted to hurt you.”
Branson jerked toward the monitor, but he couldn’t hug Jeuel to reassure him. He needed to find the right words, so Jeuel stopped taking this personally. Jeuel hadn’t done anything to apologize for. They were both victims here. “You haven’t hurt me, not even a little. And I’m not upset, exactly, I’m processing. For all that I expected these results, it’s still a kick in the teeth to hear them. Toknow, you know?”
Jeuel nodded, his expression still painfully sad. “Yeah. This is what I wanted, but it also makes Father’s past true. The horrible people he associated with, and what he did to your omegin. Mr. Paxton helped me get newspaper clippings from Kell’s trial and…goddess.” He choked once, and Trei gathered Jeuel into a fierce hug.
“Hey, none of that is your fault. We can’t carry the shame of our parents, and we can’t be held responsible for their crimes. Jeuel?”
Jeuel twisted in Trei’s arms, his eyes red-rimmed.
“All we can do,” Branson continued, holding his little brother’s gaze, “is strive to be better men. To protect our friends and relatives, to show compassion to our fellow man, and to live full, happy, loving lives.”
Jeuel sniffled hard. “I’ll do my best. I think I can do that better somewhere besides here.”
“Me, too. Mr. Paxton? Now that we know the full truth, what’s next?”
Paxton bent at the waist and rested his elbows on the desk, so he could be seen past the two hugging omegas. “I’ve already begun drafting my petition to the family court,” Paxton replied. “Obviously, these DNA reports will be included. Branson, I’ll ask you to please write a letter expressing your desire to gain legal custody of your half-brother Jeuel, your plans to make a comfortable living environment for him, et cetera. You’ll still likely have to testify in some capacity, be it in person or via tele-conference, but I need your statement for my petition.”
“Of course. I’ll get that to you as soon as possible. And I should also inform you, sir, that my boyfriend Tarius and I? We are engaged and plan to marry in the very near future.”
Paxton’s eyebrows jumped. “I see. How long have you been dating?”
“For two-and-a-half months. The marriage is a bit sooner than either of us was thinking, but we’re both all-in with making a safe home for Jeuel.”
Jeuel looked like he wanted to burst into tears again.
“Tarius?” Paxton asked.
“Yes, sir,” Tarius replied.
“I’ll need you to write a similar letter from your point-of-view, stating your willingness to take on the responsibility of an unmated omega teenager.”
“Not an issue, sir. I’m a paralegal, and I’m familiar with the kind of statement you need.”
“Good lad. I know it’s three hours later there, so day after tomorrow?”
Tarius glanced at Branson, and Branson nodded his agreement. “We can do that, sir,” Tarius said. To Branson, he asked, “Do you want to talk to Jeuel more, or do you need some time to process?”
Branson smiled fondly at his fiancé for knowing him so well. “I need some time to process, I think. I’m sorry, Jeuel.”
“It’s okay,” Jeuel replied. “Can we talk tomorrow?”
“Definitely. How about I call you on my lunch break? It’ll be mid-morning for you.”
“That’s fine. Great.” He sounded less than thrilled, but Branson imagined this was easier on himself than on Jeuel. Branson had a fiancé, his parents, and other siblings to help him through this. All Jeuel had left was his brother-in-law and a comatose sire. “Branson?”
“Yeah, buddy?”
“Even if you don’t have to travel here for the hearing, would you…um, want to say goodbye? To our sire?”
