“Seems so. Not that she’ll have him.”
“It’s not such a bad thing. In fact, it’s rather satisfying to see them settled, loved, and appreciated.”
“Says you who was going to kill his son-in-law,” Maverik said.
“I wasn’t really going to kill him. I was just going to kill him a little until he went away. And now I’m glad I didn’t. Boon’s the best thing that ever happened to Angelle, except for me and Avaleigh.” Daniel thought about it. “And Delilah, because without Delilah we wouldn’t have ever known about her. And maybe Kaid for agreeing they ask if we wanted to parent her.” Daniel shook his head as though to clear the thought. “But I digress. All of your other kids are mated and you never had a meltdown over any of them. Why Ronan?”
“I don’t know,” Maverik said irritatedly.
“Yeah, you do,” Daniel said.
“It’s lots of things,” Maverik said, shaking his head as he sipped more coffee.
“Such as?”
“Such as he’s never even talked about a mate, and if he did it was in terms of look how fucked up the others are over their mates. Not going to be me! And now, it’s him. More so than the rest. Except for Havoc, and he created that monster.”
“Havoc also managed to fix that monster and build a loving and trusting relationship with his mate.”
“True. Didn’t say we aren’t good at fixing our fuck ups, it’s just that I never thought Ronan would have one.”
“Haven’t heard anything about a fuck up yet, just that he never really expressed wanting a mate.”
“All he’s ever wanted is his degree — all three of them. He wants to be a biomedical engineer. And the thing is, the kid has the brains to do it and do it well! He’s already got his first degree, and is a short time away from his master’s, then he’s got his PHD to work toward. He’s got a long time left in school. But he’s looking at taking on a woman and her kids, too.”
“Kids?!” Daniel asked.
“Yeah! Two of them. And they little! It ain't like he can just let them do their thing while he’s away, he’s gonna have to be involved. And she’s older than him! Older! With kids!” Maverik insisted, his voice rising with his irritation.
“Older can be better. More mature, less bullshit, no games,” Daniel said.
“Lot of baggage. Somebody else’s problems to clean up. Somebody else’s kids to raise. Somebody else to have to accommodate when trying to navigate your relationship. You, her ex, and her, and the kids! Like it ain’t hard enough with just the two of you.”
“He’s not the only male that’s ever wanted a mate that already had kids.”
“No, I know that. But now he’s saying he’s not going back to school.”
“He said that? He’s quitting school?” Daniel asked.
“Not exactly. He said he’s going to transfer his hours to Tulane. Finish up his studies there. But you and I both know if he starts being mate and daddy, he ain’t ever going to finish his studies. Day to day crap will take over.”
“I don’t know that,” Daniel said.
Maverik looked off toward the wall behind Daniel as he thought about the conversation he and Ronan, and then Valerie had shared first thing that fucking morning. “If he’s taking care of a mate and kids, he’s not going to be able to load up his classeslike he likes to do, and it’ll take him twice as long. He’ll get tired of it and quit.”
“Maybe, but isn’t that his choice?”
Maverik swung his gaze to Daniel. “You ain’t helping as much as I thought you would.”
Daniel grinned at Maverik. “I get your concerns, I really do. But so far, all of your objections are just that — concerns. None of it has come to pass. And if Ronan is anything like his father, the more you tell him he can’t, the more he’ll prove that he can.”
“Yeah, well, that much is true.”
They sat there quietly for a few moments before Maverik threw one hand up in the air, signaling his frustration with the whole situation. “What does he see in this woman? She’s old! She’s hard — has to be. She’s been through abuse, she’s had to fight all her adult life it seems like. And now she’s single and until just recently she was homeless. You know what kind of hardness it takes to pull yourself and your two kids through something like that?And all the props to her for doing it, but why does my kid have to be the one that carries her going forward?”
Daniel watched Maverik thoughtfully, then sat forward, capturing Maverik’s gaze and refusing to allow him to look away. “I call that strength. I call that doing what’s needed no matter what it is to make sure that your babies have what they need in life. Not a thing about that is something to be ashamed of. And how much older is she?”
“I don’t know. She’s just older, with a ready made family. And he’s happy about it!”
