“Or Joaquin and Malyah,” Reggie said. “I’m surprised Nami didn’t put that man through the wringer the way she did me.”
“He can thank Beck for that, I think,” Lu’ana said, grinning. “At least they didn’t have to hide things from her the way we did.”
“What do you mean?” Mateo asked.
She nervously laughed. “Guess it doesn’t matter much now but when Reggie and I first met, it was that literal lightning strike.” She looked up at him with an expression of love Carl knew all too well. “We knew immediately we were in love and wanted to get married. I mean,rightthen.”
“I think I proposed to her after less than an hour,” Reggie added.
“Not even thirty minutes,” Lu’ana said. “And I was crazy enough to say yes! But I just…knew. Crazy, right?”
Carl forced himself to remain planted right there and focus on the conversation at hand and not immediately run to find Dewi, Duncan, and Badger and update them with this tidbit. “Not so much,” Carl said. “Mateo and I, we kind of felt like that when we met.” He met Mateo’s gaze and knew even without their mate bond that Mateo was already thinking exactly what Carl was thinking about Reggie and Lu’ana’s story. “Love at first sight.”
Reggie nodded. “So yougetit, right? Like, when I met her and shook her hand that first time, from that second on,nothingelse existed except her.” He stared at her with blatant love and longing in his gaze. “It killed us to sneak around behind Nami’s back for so long but we knew if we told her that it was love at first sight she would have called us crazy and fought like hell to keep us apart.”
“I love my sister,” Lu’ana said, “don’t get me wrong. She should besainted. I ain’t even kidding. She’s amazing. And I get why she’s overprotective of us, believe me.” Her gaze darkened. “That worthless man on our birth certificates did a number on us all in various ways. But there wouldn’t have been enough money or promises or ways to prove to her we weren’t making a mistake if we let it slip how we felt right from the start. So we pretended to take things slow for her sake.”
“Meanwhile, we were at my place as often as we could sneak away and going at it.” Reggie grinned. “We almost eloped but Lu’ana convinced me to wait because she didn’t want to hurt Nami’s feelings and deny her throwing a wedding for us.
“I mean, my family might have thought it was reckless, too,” Reggie added. “Although, Mom and Dad maybe would have understood. They were sort of love at first sight, too, but they dated for a little while before they got married.”
“Times were different then, though,” Lu’ana reminded him. “And even though your parents were younger than we were, people commonly got married younger back then. Just out of high school.”
“It obviously worked for them, though,” Reggie said. “They been married, what, over fifty years now, and I can’t remember either of them ever not acting like they’re still as completely in love as they were when they got married. We never even heard them argue. Ever.”
Someone called for Reggie and he excused himself after giving Lu’ana a kiss. She looked around, obviously trying to locate Bebe, spotted she was still safe playing with Tamsin and Dania and other cousins, and pulled her focus back to the men.
“So, y’all ever think about adopting?” she asked.
Carl draped his arm around Mateo’s shoulders. “We raised Brianna. And we’re looking forward to being uncles for all the babies on the way.”
“I think that’s one of the reasons why we get along so well with Nami,” Mateo added. “Because we understand what she went through, raising younger siblings.”
She chuckled. “I don’t know if Nami would kiss or kill Da’von if he got Brianna pregnant before they both graduate,” she said. “I’ll also admit I had my doubts about Beck in the beginning, but he’s proven he’s a good man. The whole family has.”
Her smile faded. “Nami’s never been as happy in my entire life as she is right now. I feel bad she spent so many years forced to be a mom to us when it shouldn’t have been her job. She gave up so much for us. I’mtrulyhappy for her. And now we have a huge extended family. Funny how that works, huh?” Her gaze clouded a little and Carl glanced around, spotted Badger, and when they locked gazes, Carl tipped his head to summon the old shifter.
“Funny how?” Carl asked as Badger worked to disengage himself from a conversation with Reggie’s dad. About the smoker, if Carl had to guess.
“That Nami fell for Beck,” Lu’ana said. “And… he’s related to Joaquin, who Malyah fell for. And…” Her gaze narrowed. “And Brianna isyoursister, and y’all are cousins with—”
Badger hustled up while Carl sharply nodded toward Lu’ana. Badger placed a hand on her shoulder and whispered. “Just stand there a moment, sweetheart, and ignore what we’re sayin’ ’til I say so.” He looked at Carl.
Carl whispered, “She’s putting together that her three siblings all fell for cousins. And did you know she and Reggie basically had a mate bond? And so did Reggie’s mom and dad?”
“What?” Badger glanced around and leaned in. “No! No one told meanyo’ that!” He focused on Lu’ana, holding on to her arm now. “Love, tell me real quick how you and Reggie met. Short version, if ye please.”
She did, Badger’s expression growing more astonished by the word.
“Right,” he grimly said. “Lu’ana, the last couple o’ minutes of conversation didn’t happen. Stay here chattin’ with these two for a few minutes, aye? Yer not gonna remember what we just talked about. And there’s nothin’ at all odd at all about your siblings’ spouses and how they’re all related.”
“Sure.” Her gaze clouded a little in that way Carl recognized was Badger’s Prime power at work.
Mateo and Carl watched Badger hurry back to Reggie’s dad, glance around, and lay his hand on the man’s arm as they had a quiet conversation.
“So when do you think Da’von and Brianna will want to start a family?” Lu’ana asked Mateo, playfully smiling. “Make us all aunties and uncles. You two ever think about adopin’?”
Carl was too focused on Badger to answer so Mateo stepped in. “I don’t know, Lu’ana. We’re going to be busy being uncles for a while with all the babies on the way. And we raised Brianna. I think that’s one of the reasons why we have such a great rapport with Nami. We understand what that was like.”
