Chapter Four

Taylin

A quick boot to close the door behind him and Taylin dropped two heavy suitcases with a grunt. His head tilted as he listened out for any noise. Met with nothing but silence, his brows furrowed as he called out, "Popi. Popi."

He'd messaged from the airport to say he'd landed and would be home within the hour. Had his dads gone out?

Taylin expected Popi to hang around waiting for him like he usually did and it was the reason he always messaged when he landed. It was a tradition, one of many they had. It wasn't like Popi to change one.

Scratching his head, he left his suitcases where they were and strolled in the sunroom's direction, discarding his suit jacket as he went. Could they be having breakfast without him? Again, they'd normally wait for him, or any of his brothers, to arrive if they knew they were coming .

An unsettled feeling formed in the pit of Taylin's stomach with thoughts of the retirement bombshell not being the only thing that was shifting in his world. Frown lines deepened around his eyes as he checked his wristwatch. Heading through the large, open living room, he couldn't smell anything other than wood polish and Popi's fragrant flowers sat in a vase on the far table.

Almost every Saturday morning his fathers predictably ate breakfast in the sunroom that overlooked the large, landscaped garden Popi had designed. All year round they had blooms that would flower, making the sunroom Taylin's favorite place to sit and read or listen to music when he was home.

His shoes clipped faster on the marble floor, his frown deepening at the house's silence. He stepped through the open door leading from the formal dining room, which was only used for family get-togethers and special occasions, and paused at finding the sunroom empty.

Unsettled, Taylin felt the tension gather at the base of his neck, causing his shoulders to draw up. Dad and Popi's stability—routine—had gotten him through some of the worst days of his life. Days when he'd thought death would be better than struggling and fighting for his next breath.

Before he could shut out the past, images flashed through his mind fast enough to steal the air from his lungs. They punched at his psyche like they always did when his mind decided traveling back to the events that brought him to his found family was a good thing .

A tremor ran through Taylin at the effort it took to stave off what he didn't need reminding of when his body bore the scars. He shut his eyes, slowly drawing in a breath. He clenched his stomach muscles tightly, holding them and taking several deep, even breaths, releasing each one slowly as Popi had taught him to, to get his focus on nothing but breathing.

"Why, Master Taylin! When did you sneak in?"

His eyelids darted open, and a grin formed at being caught with his eyes closed by Bessie. Round, flushed cheeks, bright eyes and a mop of gray curls framed a face that was homely and welcoming. She was one of Taylin's favorite people. Their longtime housekeeper's motherly tone never failed to make Taylin feel deep affection.

She smelled of lavender and baked bread—of home. Taylin, glad of the distraction, looped an arm over her shoulder and gave her a side hug. "I texted Popi over an hour ago to let him know I was coming. Where is he? I expected him to be hanging around waiting for me like usual, or here having breakfast? I know it's been two months since I was last home, but…" he swept a hand towards the empty room, "I've never known my dad's to break from routine."

Bessie's giggle was definitely naughty, as was the light in her blue eyes. "Your daddies… well, they… aren't behaving… like themselves," she finished, looking anywhere but at Taylin.

His smile disappeared. "What do you mean? Is their retirement because of something else? Something serious?" He didn't need to tighten his stomach muscles this time, they did it all on their own as fear crawled through him at thoughts they might not have been honest about their reasons for retiring.

"No, silly boy. I'm meaning they've had a… new lease of life … if you catch my drift?"

This time she met his gaze and Taylin realized exactly why she was flustered. Relief flooded through him, and his lips twitched. "Oh, you mean—"

"Yes, you don't need to be going and sayin' such things, Master Taylin. Now, let's change the subject." She bustled him out of the room and towards the kitchen. "I take it you'll be wanting my pancakes for breakfast?"

Fleetingly feeling like the fourteen-year-old boy she had mothered, he grinned and nodded. "You know it's my most favorite part of coming home." He kissed the top of her silky hair and inhaled her familiar scent, letting it help settle him.

Her arms came around his waist, and she hugged him hard. "You were always the sweetest boy."

Emotions caused his throat to clog, making it hard to swallow when an ache developed at the back of his eyes. She'd always had the ability to make him demonstrative, much like Popi. He hugged her back, careful not to squeeze too hard. He sniffed and blinked back the moisture forming at the corner of his eyes.

"It's good to be home, Bessie," he murmured softly, meaning every word.

Several hours later, Taylin wasn't so sure that statement still held with Booker, Silas, Kodi, Kari, and Rue's arrival. The house was noisy and nothing like his own peaceful apartment.

His dads had finally come out of their bedroom, reeking of sex, about two hours ago… it was disconcerting when Taylin wasn't sure how he felt to be home and two doors down from their room. Something Silas had pointed out not so kindly when he arrived three hours after Taylin and their dads hadn't put in an appearance.

Taylin wasn't the only one struggling with this new dynamic. Booker had spent quite some time staring sullenly at the twins, who'd arrived together. None of them had all lived in the same space for over fifteen years. Silas and Booker were the first two to leave, quickly followed by Taylin and Jupiter, the others following suit soon after, leaving Popi with an empty nest.

Popi eyed the bickering men around him with an indulgent smile. Taylin, on the other hand, wasn't feeling so indulgent and pondered if he'd made a mistake leasing the apartment he had bought several years ago, aiming for independence. He wasn't sure how he felt to be—even temporarily—left here with his brothers in such close proximity.

He loved them, would fight to his last breath to protect them, but sitting listening to their bitching… that was a big ask, even for him.

"Is this how it's going to be until we can all find places to live? If so, then I'm thinking a hotel has got to be better than hearing Booker and Silas argue just because they're in the same room. Or listen to Kodi, Kari and Rue bitch about Hollis's assignment of permanent PAs to them," he stated, unsure anyone would hear him over the din in the room.

They'd all received a group email from Hollis at four-fifty-five pm on Friday advising who they would work closely with for the transition home and to aid with the added responsibility of running the company together. A true hit and run if ever there was one and Taylin had to smile at Hollis realizing it was probably the only way to escape questions until Monday, giving his brothers time to cool down.

Silas jabbed a finger in Taylin's direction, a scowl gracing his handsome features. "I've got a ranch to run, and being here isn't conducive to doing that, especially when I get the newbie. What's his name?"

"Ziggy. His name is Ziggy and darling, he's going to be an asset to you, you'll see," Popi supplied, his head resting on Dad's wide shoulder, looking relaxed and unconcerned by the conversation. Dad intertwined his fingers with the hand Popi rested on his thigh. The move was casual, yet it demonstrated a level of connection that Taylin had witnessed a thousand times. A connection he one day hoped to have with…

"What kind of name is Ziggy, anyway? Is it even real?" Booker's comment broke through Taylin's thoughts.

Booker got up and walked to the roaring fire in the massive fireplace, lowering himself right in front of it on the thick rug. One Popi had bought when he noticed how Booker liked to nest in front of the fire. When home, it was Booker's favorite place to make himself comfortable. The sweats and T-shirt strained to fit his enormous frame as he stretched out.

Popi had worked with designers to create a clothes line for men like Booker when, as a teenager, they'd struggled to find anything to fit him. A bear shifter, Booker was the same size in both forms. Though part of what drew folks' attention to Booker was his size, it was his dark, styled hair, chiseled features, and magnetizing, gray-green eyes that got the most attention. He could have modeled but attracting that kind of attention always made his brother uncomfortable. It never failed to secretly amuse Taylin that such a big alpha could blush like a schoolgirl when folks stared at him for too long.

"Yes, it's his real name," Lane said, with an indulgent tone.

"Whatever his name is, I've got more balls to juggle than the rest of you," Silas snapped with enough bite to get Dad to give him a stern look. "It's true," he continued, the anger a little less noticeable but there in the tightness of his clenched jaw and the tension rolling off him.

"We all have lives outside the company," Kodi pointed out, his blond brows arching as he rubbed at the designer beard that was trimmed to frame his jawline. "Some of us just don't bitch about it like others."

As blood brothers, the twins and Silas could and would get into more arguments than with their adoptive brothers.

Taylin settled back, getting ready to watch the fireworks he didn't want to be in the way of, or the fallout when one of those fiery sparks hit a target. Anyone could go up in smoke when they started on each other. Taylin absently rubbed at the scar on his left wrist from when he'd stepped in to stop a fight between Kodi and Silas, only to be the one with a wolf bite, courtesy of Kodi.

"Boys, behave!" Dad growled, his alpha power bringing silence to the room. The only sound was that of the wood crackling on the fire. He shifted forward in his seat, getting a grimace from Popi, who had to move his head. "I understand that this is a big change for you all." He paused, aiming a pointed stare first at Silas, then Kodi before his gaze swept the room. "That being said, you are no longer rambunctious teenagers who need to learn how to behave. Get a fucking grip and act like the men I raised to take on new challenges without fear."

Lane grinned at them all. "The PAs are there to help you. They'll be the making of you all, mark my words."

Taylin searched Popi's expression when he got an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach at how—pleased— smug he sounded.

What did he mean ‘they'll be the making of them' ?

Arching a brow at the uneasy feeling settling inside him, Taylin glanced at his brothers to see if any of them noticed anything off with Popi's comment.

Only Kari met his gaze with a worried frown. At the questioning look that developed as Kari continued to hold Taylin's stare, Taylin shrugged, not sure how to answer the unspoken question. Popi wasn't into random statements.

Taylin shifted his gaze to Popi, the odd feeling they were missing something increasing. Was this another change they'd need to adapt to?

He released a pent up sigh.

Only time would tell…