I really wanted to include this scene in the end of the book. SO BADLY! But it messed with the flow of the epilogue (which I just fell in love with) and adding a third POV just didn’t work but I couldn’t get rid of this exchange so here it is as a deleted scene for you! 

Hope you enjoy Theo and the Fierro kids. I sure do adore those hellions Sena and Noah made with all their taboo love they have for each other.

 

 

~*~*~

 

 

“I ate too much sausage.” Groaned Sage.

“Yeah, you did!” Cackled Raene, who they all called bunny. Theo cocked a brow at his baby sister and stopped her mid laugh for teasing Sage about the non-boyfriend he might or might not have. Whichever it is he better not be eating sausage, or he’d knock the kids head off his shoulders.

Getting them out of his car took a month, and as a noisy group they piled into their house.

“Bunny, you got homework?”

“Calm down, dad.” She sassed dumping her boots and coat.

“Do what our overlord says,” chimed Lachie and wrestled their sister into a headlock.

Sage continued to whine he’d eaten too much pizza.

Some days, Theo mused, he couldn’t wait to get to college and out of the house. Couldn’t wait to play ball and get spotted by scouts and then declare for the drafts. He wanted to play football so badly it was all he thought about, worked towards every day without fail. Everything he did was to get his place at college and to do it for himself, not because his parents were wealthy or held connections.

Theo was a Fierro and earned his accomplishments himself. It was one of the things his parents instilled in him early on and he never forgot. Something meant more if he worked for it.

But as he watched his siblings play fight in the hallway he caught himself grinning.

He was gonna miss those knuckleheads a lot.

“Settle down, or I’ll crack your heads together.”

As expected, Raene and Lachie parted and turned on him like vultures grabbing and messing up his hair.

His family were savages.

And he loved them.

“Hey, where are the adults? Think they finally ran away from home?” Their Brainiac asked.

Yeah, it was kinda quiet. No music from the kitchen or the sound of their mom testing out a game she was working on.

As a group they trooped through the dark house, flipping on lights.

“If they’ve abandoned us,” Lachie announced in a staged whisper, “I declare I’m king of the house.”

Raene huffed. “Eh…Nu huh. It comes to me, mom said so since I’m the only girl.” They all spoiled the princess too much.

It was pretty obvious why his dad wanted them out of the house for a while, not that Theo said a word ‘cause knowing his parents still got it on was enough to put him off sex for life. He’d kept the others out for three hours. Wasn’t that long enough for the parentals?

They found the pair asleep on the den sofa. Their mom wrapped in their dad’s arms and Jagger his puppy asleep on their feet. The dog gave a token head lift, wagged his tail and went right back to chasing the ladies in his sleep.

“What do we do now?” Whispered Lachie again. “I’m hungry.”

Theo punched his brother’s arm. “Firstly, you just ate a pie and a half,” Theo scolded quietly. “And secondly, you don’t need mom to fix you food, you got two good hands.”

“Yeah, I do, Kim Fledgers said so.” Smirked Lachie and Raene gagged.

“Purlease. Do you mind? I might be sick.”

The pair on the sofa didn’t move. His mom slept like the dead anyway, so the others arguing wouldn’t bother her, but Theo noticed his dad’s forehead twitching.

He was awake.

And listening while he held his wife.

It wasn’t odd seeing his parents together like that.

They were big on affection with all of them.

But especially with each other.

He remembered every Sunday morning thinking it was a big deal to climb into their bed to watch cartoons and eat jam waffles while he told them all about his great dreams about playing football.

Seemed a lifetime ago now.

And here he was about to leave home.

And the thing was; Theo was scared shitless to leave his family.

As excited as he was, he was also scared.

As much as his mom clung to him and cried, he wanted to hold on just a bit longer too.

The kids went right on arguing.

And Theo did as any big brother would; he held Lachie by the arms while Raene raided his pockets and stole his phone to delete Kim’s number, and it was promptly stolen by Sage who knocked it out of her hand and gave it right back to Lachie.

“No wonder your boyfriend won’t date you,” she sulked.

“He’s not my boyfriend.”

Right on the back of his claim and before bunny could interrupt and tease Sage more he went on. “He is hot though.”

Theo snickered.

“I don’t think I will take your room, Theo.” Announced Raene throwing her arms around his waist.

It was either a ploy to grab his wallet or she wanted a favor. His baby sister was a slick con artist. 

“We’ll keep your room just as it is, so you’ll come home.”

His heart tugged, and he hugged the cute monster, her skinny arms held him just as tight.

She had pockets of sweet in her.

Deep somewhere

“I’ll miss you too, bunny.”

“Good, that means you’ll come back often so I’m not left with these two Neanderthals.”

And there she was, he grinned kissing the top of her head.

“We’re all gonna miss him,” the deep voice from the sofa spoke quietly setting all their eyes to their dad who looked up but had yet to move. His eyes moved to the left. “Invite the boy for dinner, Sage.”

Sage groaned.

“And I’ll be calling Kim’s parents, Lachlan.” Lachie blanched. “Now get gone all of you and give me thirty more minutes with your mom. Homework, bunny.” She groaned, too. “Then we’ll make sundaes.”

Man, he really was gonna miss his family.

As he helped pile everyone out of the room Theo heard. “Son?”

He backtracked and met the same blue eyes he had. “Yeah?”

“Everything okay?”

Noah Fierro noticed everything.

It was what his mom always said, and Theo believed it.

The woman in question was still dead to the world cuddled into her husband.

It was strange to envy his parents, but when he thought about love and relationships it was them he held as the blueprint, he kinda wanted to have a relationship like theirs one day.

An indestructible love that was as intense now as it was the day they met.

He cleared the unexpected lump from his throat.

“Yeah,” he answered. And since he never lied to his parents. “Just everything … scary, you know?”

His dad nodded. “Come here,” one hand left his wife and he held it out. Theo leaned down and let his dad cup his head and kiss his cheek. “I love you, and you’re going to be fucking amazing. Your mom and I will only ever be a phone call away. You know she’ll be itching to jump on a plane at the slightest provocation.”

Theo snickered and felt some of his knotted belly unravel.

Since his dad didn’t know how to tell his wife no for anything, it would be a case of Theo letting Sena Fierro know he needed his parents there and they’d fly out. No problem about that.

“Love you too, thanks, dad.”

“You and I will go for a drive in a bit.”

Theo’s eyebrows popped up eagerly. He was no punk to miss an opportunity like this. “Can I drive the Mercedes?”

His dad grinned and closed his eyes again, arms going around his wife. “Sure, now get gone.”

Theo grinned and ambled out of the room.

Not before he heard the quiet feminine voice. “Well done, lion. He’s a Fierro, he’ll own the world.” Theo’s chest burst with pride.

He could do this.

Right as he closed the door. “Now we need to find out who Sage has his eye on.” He left them with his dad chuckling.

Man, he really was gonna miss his family.

But he was nice to know they’d always be here.