Page 52 of Mated in the Stars

Teal paused the game and Sequin set the remote down. He stared off into space for a long time.

“You can have some of it too. And Teddy and Duke too. It’s not just about Dal” I said, rubbing circles on his back.

“I know,” he nodded. “I’m just thinking. Maybe I can make us all quilts.It would take forever but…”

“Everyone could pitch in on the not sewing parts,” Teal offered. “I can’t make them all help but I will and in a real pinch I’ll make Indigo and Cobalt come help too.”

“I’ll help,” I offered.

“If she stops being so--- whatever she’s being.”

“In love and grieving her mother still,” I sighed. “I hope the first one never goes away on her.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Nelum

It took me a bit to find the television inside the mansion. I walked around with the sunflower patterned hatbox tucked under my arm. How many times had Lotus wandered these halls chasing after her kids, in pain, and in love? Who knew. I wasn’t sure I wanted to. They all missed her and despite once being her, I knew I’d never replace her. That’s the thing about dead people. You can never beat them in a popularity contest, and I wouldn’t want to. Why try to take away the memories of their mother?

I opened the hatbox in front of the big television. I wasn’t positive but I knew Lotus left her last will and testament on video and was pretty sure she left me one too. The hatbox was stuffed full of photos of her and Fred when they were younger. Pictures of their kids and little bags filled with pieces of eggshell from when their babies hatched. I wanted to wail. Everything inside me rose up. How could I leave them? I never wanted to leave them. They were my world.

I swallowed down the emotions that belonged to the person I was before and as I came across an envelope with the words ‘Future Lotus’ scrawled across the front in loopy right leaning handwriting. I held it for a long time before opening it up. When I finally did it was a single sheet of paper.

“Dear Future Me,

There’s nothing I can say that will prepare you for the life I left behind. The kids are the best kids in the universe and Freddie will love you until the galaxy cracks open and kills everything off. I hope you love them as I have. I hope they inspire you as they’ve inspired me. I thought about leaving long lists about each ofthem – their favorites and the things they don’t like. All my favorite memories of them and everything else but that would rob you of getting to know the most wonderful people I have ever met.

So, instead, I’ve set up an account in trust for you. Clarence’s banker thought it was an odd request, but Clarence let me get on with it. If you ever find yourself dying of a terminal illness, use it for everything. Life is short but even shorter with a clock above your head.

The money is yours to do what you will with. It’s a sizeable chunk and will continue accruing interest as well. All I ask, is that you take the flash drive with all my favorite photos and home movies of my family and make it a little party for them. Invite the kids and Teddy. My parents too, if they’re still around. Invite Zoey and Blake and Lee. Have a party for them and help them to remember there’s so much more to life than everything weighing them down.

I don’t know how long it’s taken you/me to get back to Freddie but if I had to put money on it, I’d say it’s been a long while. I know this is a big ask, especially if you just met Freddie. He’s so freaking distracting, huh? I know. He’s a good distraction, though. Just whenever you get around to it or whenever you think everyone will benefit the most from it.

Good luck! You won’t need it, though, not with Freddie by your side. You are so loved. If you ever doubt that for a moment, remember me. Remember that my dad and Freddie got along eventually because of me and they were oil and water.

Hug my babies for me! They’re yours now.

Eternally in your head,

Lotus.”

Chapter Thirty

Elio

The babies and I woke up in the middle of a sewing bee. A rush of motion fluttered this way and that. All the kids, minus the sleeping Teddy, worked in a circle on the floor with Fred and Teal. Had hell frozen over while I was out? Had Nelum discovered the secret to making everyone get along? I rubbed my eyes and slid Baby Amaranth under my shirt to feed him. Minter blinked around the room noticing that Duke had arrived sometime while we were asleep. He waved shyly at the crowd and leaned into my side. Nelum wasn’t back.

“He’s still at the main house,” Fred said, picking up my thoughts over our mating link.

“You left him alone to go through her stuff?”I asked him over our link.

“He asked me to. I went back and checked on him. You were out for a while. I even had him take whatever out of the closet that he didn’t want anyone else rummaging through. Now we’re making quilts and he’s working on something of his own.”

I bit my lip. Was I going to turn into a brute like alphas did when their mates were carrying eggs? Maybe. Just maybe. The thought of him over there all on his own didn’t sit well with me at all.

“He’ll just chase you off too,” Teal piped up. “I offered to stay and help him because I wasn’t as close to the situation.”

“What’s he doing?” I yawned.

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