Chapter 110

**AMELIA**

Contrary to what I thought, Tom greeted my mother in a very friendly way and was in a radiant mood. He played with the children for a long time, before we left them with Noah, Alec and my mother. He booked a table at one of the pack restaurant. When we arrived, we were seated at a table away from prying eyes and ears.

As we begin to dine, we discuss a variety of topics until dessert. As I savor my tiramisu, Sophia sighs.

"Well, are we going to talk about what you wanted to tell us, or are we going to continue pretending you haven't been an asshole for the past few months?"

"Sophia!" Dad scolds her.

"What? Seriously? You're both thinking the same thing so stop being such hypocrites."

Tom wipes his mouth with his napkin and places it on the table.

"Thanks for your thoughtfulness, big sis." He rolls his eyes. "If I asked you to meet between us it was to tell you something." He pauses and I pop the last spoonful of tiramisu into my mouth. All eyes fix on me and I shrug. When I've finally finished, Tom continues. "I've found my mate. The reason I didn't jump up and down... is because... well he's a guy." He says, scratching the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"You all decided to surprise me today?" Sophia asks open-mouthed. "How did you meet? Is it someone from the Night Pack? Where did it happen? Was he gay? Had you ever been attracted to a guy before this? No, otherwise you wouldn't have been an asshole and you certainly would have told us." Sophia didn't stop talking and he looked taken aback.

"Okay stop, please." He growls. "I met him when I came to visit you... well when I was supposed to. I stopped for coffee in town and saw him, I knew right away, it was a no-brainer. We settled down and neither he nor I knew how to react. So to answer your question, he wasn't gay either. We've always been attracted to girls and that's why it caught us off guard. Honestly, we thought about rejecting each other. I didn't recognize him but he recognized me, he knew who I was."

"Is he from our pack, the Blue Moon Pack?" I ask him softly.

He shakes his head. "He's Josh. My mate is Josh." He sighs. "The one who participated in your kidnapping and the deception Christian organized to take Noah's place. So that was all the more reason for me to reject him."

Well I wasn't expecting that at all. We all remain silent for a moment. It's news enough that his mate is a man, but for him to be Josh is shocking.

"And finally, did you reject him?" Sophia asks, having calmed down considerably.

"No. We got to know each other and decided to finalize the mating process. So sorry dad, but don't count on my future offspring to take over the pack." He adds with a shy smile at Dad, who still hadn't said a word or even expressed an emotion. His face is frozen and devoid of emotion.

Sophia clears her throat. "Dad. This is the part where you say something."

He remains silent so I take Tom's hand, which is resting on the table. "All that matters to me is that you're happy. I've talked to Josh and there's no more animosity between us so admittedly this is a surprise and even though you don't need my approval... I'm giving it to you. I'm happy for you Tom." I squeeze his hand and he looks at me with wet eyes.

"Yeah just like she just said." Sophia adds. "I'm happy for you, little brother."

"Thank you girls that means so much to me."

"I'm happy for you too." Dad says at last. "I was shocked because Josh tried to hurt my kids."

"I know and he knows. He doesn't expect you all to welcome him with open arms, but we're willing to give you as much time as it takes for you to see that he's a good person."

"That's a credit to you. I'm proud of you, son. I love you and don't worry I already have grandchildren who can take over and there are other ways to have children other than naturally."

"Yes, well, that's not on the agenda anyway." Tom replies slightly panicked. "But I'm glad you're taking it so well." He seems to relax at the sight of him.

I look at him and have a revelation. "Hey but you're the person who vouched for him to Noah."

"Yeah, that's me. I asked him not to tell you because I wanted to tell you myself."

"Now I understand why he was so secretive."

"And... what if we want to meet him? Can we?" Sophia asks him.

"Of course you can. You decide when and where. I don't want to put pressure on you and make you feel obligated. The only thing I ask is that you treat him with respect and if you decide to welcome him into this family to never bring up this business with Christian again."

"Of course." The three of us answer at the same time.

"Anyway, you hit the jackpot because in my memory he was a really good-looking guy." Sophia tells him before taking a sip of white wine.

"He is, indeed." Tom replies, his cheeks turning pink.

It's true that I remember the first time she saw him and also Noah's reaction when he'd seen him. He'd been jealous.

Tom's phone vibrates and he looks at the screen, smiling. No doubt a text from Josh.

"Is he checking that everything went well?" Sophia asks him before finishing her drink.

"Yes." He replies with a small smile.

When he asked to see us, I had no idea that he would make this announcement, and even less so with Josh. I suspected he was trustworthy, but now I'm 100% sure. I was sincere when I told him I was happy for him. After all, he's my little brother.