Page 53 of Claim Me

“I don’t know. Taxes, sex, budgets, maybe?”

“Indigo isn’t a flexible person. He can’t twist himself up to fit your life.”

“I think you’re wrong. He might not be a healthy person, but he will absolutely suffer for the people he loves.”

Sync exhales hard and looks at the girls. “I don’t know.”

“Do you think Indigo will hurt them?”

Giving me a dirty look, Sync switches gears and gets protective of Indigo. “Of course not. He’d never hurt any child, let alone mine. What the fuck, Siobhan?”

“You’re the one giving me shit about him,” I hiss and consider taking off my sandal and hitting him.

“I just don’t want you to build up this thing and then leave Indigo hanging.”

“Wait, are you worried about me or him?”

“Both. You’re an idiot about love, and he’s all broken inside. Plus, the girls will get attached to him being around. Then, when things fall apart, they’ll be sad.”

I open my mouth to give him shit. Sync is trying to ruin things for me. I ought to kick his ass for stinking up my good fortune.

I’m distracted when the twins giggle at something. I consider the changes about to happen in their lives from Indigo to the dogs to the baby. The girls tend to handle change well. I suspect they learned to be flexible after years of bouncing from my place to their dad’s, plus frequently hanging out at the farm.

Sync is less keen on change. He prefers routine. We did really well as new parents to twins because he instituted a schedule early on. I never worried about him caring for the girls alone after we broke up. I knew he would have them eat well, go to bed on time, and never forget to brush their teeth. Hell, he’s even good at encouraging them to floss. The guy loves his fucking rules and schedules.

“I’m sorry I dropped this on you,” I say in a softer tone like I might with Indigo. “It must seem so random for this to be happening. But I’m giving this thing with Indigo a real shot. He makes me happy. I can’t worry about what happens if we break up. That might make me a moron, but I love who I love. I did it with you, and I’m doing it with him.”

Sync reacts like I expect. He turns off his pissy attitude and steps back. His gaze flashes to the girls. They suddenly look at him. A little staring contest takes place. The twins give up and laugh. On their feet, they run over to him.

“You’re going to miss us,” Kiera says and nuzzles her cheek against his hand. “Don’t cry, Daddy.”

Kneeling, Sync hugs the girls. They pat his head, really thinking he’s about to sob over their departure.

“It’s okay,” Deirdre whispers to him. “You have to be strong.”

Sync chuckles at their teasing before glancing at me. The girls follow his gaze. I smile at my babies.

“Let’s go home and get prettied up before dinner.”

The girls kiss their dad’s cheeks and take my hands. “We need to go,” Kiera insists. “No more talking.”

I walk with the girls to my truck and get them situated in the back seat. Once I’m in the front, I lean out the window and smile at Sync.

“You should be happy it’s someone you know and love,” I tell Sync who walks over. “You do love him, don’t you?”

“He’s family,” Sync says.

I pat his cheek. “You better get inside to find tissues for your tears.”

“Don’t cry, Daddy!” Deirdre yells as Sync steps back. “We’ll come back!”

I pull away before Sync can say anything to ruin the nice moment we’ve shared.

On the short drive home, I explain how Indigo is my boyfriend and he is staying at the house right now. The girls mostly ignore me and whisper about boyfriends. I don’t know how they’ll react to a man staying over. They don’t remember when Sync lived with us, and the other men who bunked at our house didn’t share my bed.

We find Indigo on the couch. He looks like he’s spent the entire time I was gone working himself into a bad mood.

“You’re a boyfriend,” Kiera tells him after she and Deirdre leave their shoes and bags in their bedroom.

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