***
When Ronan came inside, he found Teal upstairs, supervising the boys while they splashed in the tub. The cozy scene eased some of his irritation.
“Kino, it’s wonderful that your reading has gotten so good,” Teal said gently, “but you don’t need to read the labels on all the product bottles just to annoy your brothers. There are waterproof books in the toy net.”
“Yeah, but you need to read them in your mind,” Garin grumped. “Not out loud like a big, brainy know-it-all.”
“I can’t wait to learn to read,” Zayne chirped to no one in particular, making rivers in the water with his hands.
Teal sat on a stool near the tub. He bent to pick up a plastic whale that had gone over the edge. Zayne squealed when Teal squeezed the toy to release a stream of water across the tiny omega’s shoulders.
“When did you get home?” Ronan asked his husband from the doorway.
“Twenty minutes ago. My eyes were crossing looking at paperwork and Mikel was getting on my last nerve, so I left early.” Teal tugged on his shirtsleeves. “I’ll probably need to get back on my computer after the boys go to bed, but it’s nice not to miss bathtime for a change.”
Ronan pulled Teal up into his arms. The boys made gagging motions but otherwise ignored their parents.
Tension radiated from Teal’s body. “I know you’re tired, baby,” Ronan consoled him. “At least the tribunal will be over soon.”
Teal released a tired breath. “That’s what I keep telling myself.”
“Did Niall go home?”
“Yeah. I let him off since I was here.”
“Good. He deserves it.”
“Definitely.” Teal angled his head back. “By the way, has he mentioned anything to you about a barbeque?”
“Barbeque? No?”
“He said he thought it might be nice if we could get together on the weekend with him and Jax. Have a barbeque in the backyard. Play some games with the kids and whatnot.”
Ronan gave Teal a questioning look. “I mean, I’m always happy to have Niall come over and I’m sure the boys would love to see him on a weekend, but did he have a reason for suggesting a meet-up?”
“It sounded like he wanted to have Jax get to know us better, something about not havingseparate lives.” Teal curled his fingers. “I guess it’s really serious between the two of them.”
“Clearly,” Ronan said. “Since they live together now. And Niall’s here so often, I suppose it makes sense he’d want Jax to know our family.”
“That was my thou—” Teal looked sternly toward the tub. “Garin, please share that bubble wand with your brothers.”
“Sorry, Daddy.”
“It’s okay, sweetie.” He lowered his voice again for Ronan. “Like I was saying, that was my thought as well. Niall also hinted that he’d told Jax about his history with us—the bedroom history—so I’m guessing he thinks it would be good for Jax to see for himself we’re not a threat to their relationship.”
“We’re not a threat to Jax’s relationship in the sense that we’d never try to entice his boyfriend back into our bed," Ronan said "But there’s obvious chemistry between the three of us. The kind you can’t hide. We can do our best, but I’m only so good of an actor.”
“Niall is a smart man,” Teal responded sagely. “I’m sure he’s thought this through, weighed the pros and cons. If he thinks it’s a good move, we should trust him.”
“You’re right.” Ronan leaned into Teal’s neck and inhaled the delicious scent of honey and lavender. “Let’s ask them over for next Saturday. It’ll still be more than a week until High Court, and you’ll need the distraction.”
Teal nodded tiredly, and Ronan detected a hint of uncertainty in his features. “Baby, is everything okay?” he asked. “Something else on your mind besides work and potentially awkward barbeques?”
The omega glanced down at the oblivious boys splashing in the tub. “I want to talk to you about something else, not an emergency, but we should probably do it away from the kids. Meet me in our room in thirty?”
“Of course.” Ronan felt his heart contract but didn’t push. If Teal said it could wait a few minutes, then it could. He went intotheir bedroom to change into sweats. Half an hour later, Teal joined him.
“The boys are in the family room watching TV,” Teal said. “I’ll get dinner going in a sec.”
