My brothers exchanged looks but followed without argument. We’d learned to trust each other’s instincts over the past few months. Especially mine, regarding threats.
And right now, every tactical sense I had was screaming that something had changed.
We took the elevator to the executive floor—our floor, the four suites on this floor now merged into one apartment. The living room was quiet, afternoon sun streaming through the windows.
I knocked on Tashi’s door. Actually, it was our door, as we had all been sleeping there more nights than not.
“Come in,” Tashi called out.
I opened the door and stopped dead.
Suitcases lay open on the bed. Clothes folded neatly inside. Marta stood by the dresser with an armful of sundresses.
“You’re leaving,” Orion said, his voice tight.
Tashi looked up from where she was folding a swimsuit. “Yes. But before I do, I want you to know that you can sign the papers or not. Your choice.”
Dread crept over me. Was she leaving us?
“Papers? What papers?” I asked.
“First—” She took a breath, and I caught the nervousness in her eyes. “I want you all to know that I’m changing my last name to Kolykos. Unless you have objections.”
The world stopped.
Tashi Kolykos.
She wanted to share our family name, the one we had diligently fought to safeguard.
“We don’t have objections,” Orion said, his voice rough. “But what is this about? What papers?”
Tashi pulled a folder from her bag and handed it to him. “Well, poly marriages aren’t legal yet, so I went for the next best thing—without competition. I’ll change my name, so our little family all have the same one. The papers ensure that you all have parental rights. The laws were meant for gay couples, but they work just as well for a situation like ours.”
Parental rights.
My brain stuttered over the words, trying to make them make sense.
“Parental rights?” Leo’s voice came out strangled.
“Well, you don’t expect me to raise children without financial support, do you?” Tashi’s tone was light and teasing, but her hands were shaking. “Because if you do, I’ve made some bad choices.”
Children.
Raise children.
“Tashi,” Orion said carefully, like he was defusing a bomb. “Are you?—?”
“Yes.” She met my eyes first, then Orion’s, then Leo’s. “I’m pregnant.”
The floor dropped out from under me.
Pregnant.
Tashi was pregnant with our child.
I reached for the dresser to steady myself, my mind racing through tactical assessments—threats, vulnerabilities, and protective measures we’d need to implement immediately.
“Is there any point in asking who the father is?” I heard myself say.
