Consequences Series Book 4

“Where’d you find that one? I’ve been searching everywhere for it!” Eight-year-old Nathan’s eyes widened as he spotted the new game in seven-year-old Andrew’s possession.

“Dad got it for my birthday,” Andrew replied nonchalantly, lounging on his bed while Nathan rifled through his stack of games.

“You can have it,” he offered, a grin spreading across his face as he watched excitement light up Nathan’s features.

For some reason, seeing Nathan’s smile filled him with a joy that even chocolate ice cream couldn’t compete with. And that was saying something, because everyone knew nothing was better than chocolate ice cream.

“I can’t take it, your dad got it for you,” Nathan protested, shaking his head as he continued to peruse the games.

“Keep it. I’ll just come over and play it whenever I want,” Andrew suggested, sitting up and crossing his legs as he watched Nathan.

He didn’t mention that his main reason for giving away his favorite game was to have an excuse to visit Nathan’s house every day.

“Deal,” Nathan agreed, grinning widely at him.

“So, your birthday’s coming up. What’s your dad planning?” Andrew asked, shifting his position to lie on his stomach, his head leaning over Nathan’s shoulder.

“I don’t know. Dad wants to visit Grandpa soon, so I’ll probably celebrate it there.” Nathan shrugged, engrossed in the cover of the game Andrew had just given him.

“But you can’t be away on your birthday! We’re supposed to go to the river, remember? It’s a full moon that night and the rainbow fish always come out then,” Andrew protested, sitting upright and looking at Nathan, who seemed to be ignoring him.

“The rainbow fish doesn’t exist, Andrew.” Nathan chuckled, turning around to face him.

“Our parents made up that story to get us to behave,” he explained.

“How do you know that?” Andrew asked, tilting his head and looking into Nathan’s brown eyes.

“I saw it when Dave and I were playing hide-and-seek,” Nathan admitted, laughing at the frown that appeared on Andrew’s face.

Andrew always looked like a big baby when he frowned, and Nathan found it adorable. He even reached out to pinch Andrew’s cheek, earning a slap on the hand from Andrew, who jumped off the bed, insisting, “I’m not a baby!” This only made Nathan laugh harder.

Despite Dave being Nathan’s little brother, Andrew couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy that Nathan had played their game with someone else.

Andrew remembered the day he’d told Nathan that it was going to be their game. He’d been five and Nathan six when he’d confessed that he could sense Nathan’s presence. He didn’t know why or how, but he just knew when Nathan was near.

Nathan had challenged him to prove it by finding him in a game of hide-and-seek. And Andrew had found him. Every single time, without even having to look. It was as if he knew exactly where Nathan was, so much so that Nathan had accused him of cheating.

That had become their game, until now.

“Why are you upset? I only played with Dave for like five minutes.” Nathan laughed.

“But you still played our game with him. And we were supposed to see the rainbow fish together. But you went without me.” Andrew sulked.

“Fine. Let’s go tomorrow then,” Nathan suggested, getting up to walk over to Andrew.

“It won’t be the same. And I don’t want to go anymore,” Andrew retorted, turning his back and heading for the door, leaving a confused Nathan in his wake.

Despite their long friendship, Nathan had always found Andrew hard to read. He couldn’t understand why Andrew was so upset. All he’d done was debunk a silly story. If he didn’t know better, he’d think Andrew was embarrassed for believing in a fairy tale.

At the dinner table, Nathan could tell Andrew was still upset. He was unusually quiet, a stark contrast to his usual chatterbox self.

“Did I miscount the plates?” Hunter wondered aloud, realizing he was one short.

“I’ll share with Nathan,” Andrew volunteered before Hunter could get up, causing Nathan to look at him in surprise.

Andrew couldn’t understand why he couldn’t stay mad at Nathan. His anger seemed to evaporate the moment he looked into those chocolate-brown eyes.

Drew shot a knowing smirk at Hunter, who simply rolled his eyes at his stunning mate. They both watched their son’s reaction to the news that he’d be sharing a plate with Nathan. Hunter adored Drew, and it was evident in these small, shared moments.

They had placed a playful wager when they spotted their seven-year-old son, Andrew, stomping down the stairs. His face was a picture of frustration as he entered the living room and plopped down next to his twin brother, who was engrossed in cartoons with his buddy, Aiden.

Drew understood his son like he understood the lines on his own hand. He was certain that Nathan was the cause of Andrew’s irritation. But he also knew that Nathan had the power to turn Andrew’s frown upside down just as quickly. That’s why he’d made the bet with such confidence.

“Looks like you’re on the bottom tonight,” Drew whispered into Hunter’s ear, planting a kiss on his temple before heading into the kitchen.

Hunter couldn’t help but smile as he watched Andrew grinning like a fool at something Nathan was whispering in his ear. The two boys were seated at the table, and Hunter shook his head in amusement as he set the forks down. He knew exactly why Andrew behaved the way he did around Nathan. It was as clear as the arousal he was currently experiencing.

What he really wanted was to be deep inside Drew. But due to his poor bet, he’d be on the receiving end tonight. Not that he minded—it felt good either way.

He sighed, heading into the kitchen to help Drew carry the dishes to the table. He stood in front of Drew, who was slicing the lasagna, and attempted his most seductive look.

Drew paused in his cutting, looking up into Hunter’s deep-blue eyes—the same eyes their sons had inherited. He knew exactly what Hunter was after.

“Nope, we’re not switching. A bet’s a bet,” he said, laughing as Hunter groaned and slumped against the kitchen table.

“We finally have the house to ourselves tonight. We can be as loud as we want without worrying about the kids hearing us,” Hunter whined, causing Drew to laugh even harder.

Drew planned to switch roles anyway. He loved having Hunter inside him as much as he loved being inside Hunter. But he also loved teasing the man he adored so much.

“We’ll just have to arrange another sleepover for them,” he said, licking and sucking on his thumb—a move he knew drove Hunter wild—and then he left the kitchen.

As Drew served the food, Hunter poured juice into glasses. They both sat down, watching as Andrew meticulously removed all the mushrooms from his lasagna.

Drew smiled as he watched Andrew pick out the mushrooms one by one. He knew Nathan despised mushrooms, which was why Andrew was removing them—even though he loved mushrooms and always asked his dad to make a chicken and mushroom lasagna, loaded with mushrooms.

Once Andrew had removed all the mushrooms, he handed a fork to Nathan and began eating, chatting casually with Nathan, oblivious to his parents’ knowing smiles.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, his mouth full of cheesy lasagna.

“It’s okay. I shouldn’t have gone without you,” Nathan replied, reaching for his juice.

After taking a sip, he set the glass down. Andrew reached for it and drank from the same glass, continuing to eat, unaware of his actions.

“All right, time for bed,” Jake announced, entering Nathan’s room to find the two boys huddled together, engrossed in a video game.

Nathan switched off the game and climbed into bed, holding the covers open for Andrew. Once Andrew was settled, Jake tucked them in, kissed their foreheads, and turned off the light.

As the two friends lay in bed chatting, Andrew felt an unusual warmth spreading through him. It was similar to the feeling he got when he wore too many clothes. He regretted packing his long-sleeved pajamas.

Despite the chill outside, he felt hot and even began to sweat a little. He couldn’t understand why he was feeling so warm when Nathan seemed unaffected by the heat. In fact, Nathan looked like he was cold.

“Are you cold?” Andrew asked, noticing Nathan had pulled the covers up to his neck.

“A bit,” Nathan replied sleepily.

“You’re leaving the day after tomorrow, right?” Andrew asked, turning on his side to face Nathan.

“Yup. Daddy wants to leave early so he can be there when the baby is born,” Nathan said, yawning.

Jake’s brother’s mate was expecting his first child, and everyone was thrilled about the future pack heir. A grand feast was planned.

Andrew nodded, hoping Nathan wouldn’t enjoy his visit too much. After all, Nathan’s birthday was coming up, and Andrew was excited about the gift he’d bought for him. He hoped Nathan would love it. The thought brought a smile to his face.

He moved closer to Nathan until their foreheads were touching. Nathan gasped when Andrew placed his cold hand on his hot cheek.

“Why are you so hot? Are you sick?” Nathan asked, placing his small, cold hand on Andrew’s face.

“I’m not sick. I just wore warm pajamas,” Andrew replied.

Nathan nodded and yawned again before closing his eyes. As Andrew watched Nathan sleep, he couldn’t help but think that Nathan looked more like a baby than he did, even though Nathan always called him one.

He smiled, leaning in to kiss the tip of Nathan’s nose. He took Nathan’s cold hand in his warm one and closed his eyes. As he drifted off to sleep, one thought lingered.