Page 90 of It Must Be Fate

I laugh at his blunt word choice, caught off guard by the contradiction of his youth and the vehemence in his tone. He misunderstands my reaction and looks like he’s about to cry, clearly thinking I’m making fun of him.

He’s started to run away when I stop him.

“Rhodes, wait.” I walk up to him and place a hand on his shoulder, thinking through what to say to him. I’m not exactly one to encourage restraint. “You can’t keep her just yet,” I tell him honestly.

“Why not?”

The question is asked so earnestly, my stomach pinches. It’s clear my son doesn’t understand why he’s not allowed to keep Ivy when he likes her.

It’s so simple to him.

“When you’re older and assuming you still feel the same way,thenyou can keep her.”

His brow furrows, his expression confused and uncomprehending as to why it can’t happennow. He gets his impatience from me.

“I will still feel the same way,” he vows, determination etched on his features. “Why do I not get to keep her now?”

“You’re too young. You don’t know if you really like her just yet.”

“Uncle Nix knew with Aunt Six,” he counters.

The twerp may be young, but he’s inherited my debating skills. The lad is six going on sixteen.

I already know that Bell and I are going to have our work cut out for us with this one.

“That’s true,” I acquiesce. “That’s how you feel?”

He nods vigorously. “She’s cool, Dad. She likes bugs, and not the lame ones like other people pretend. Snails and cockroaches and even snakes. And I like her hair. She’s not like other girls.”

I bite back a laugh at the list of criteria he’s identified that make Ivy a match for him. I’m about to try to dissuade him again but then I look down at his face. At the determined and stubborn expression on his features. The very same I see reflected on my own face every single day.

He’s mine. Me in every way, except maybe worse because his obsession has already started. If it’s anything like the one I have with his mother, then there’s no changing his mind or stopping him.

“Then hold onto her tight and make sure you never let her go.”

He nods, his expression more serious than a six-year-old’s should be. “That’s what I’m going to do.”

I ruffle his hair affectionately. “Where are your siblings and your mother?”

“Inside. Mummy is making Lebanese food for dinner.”

After being together for almost fourteen years, you’d think my reaction to my wife would have dulled by now. If anything, the heat that blows through my chest is hotter than ever, carried forward by obsession and possession. I’m sure Rhodes accidentally spilled the beans and Bell meant to surprise me by cooking food from my mum’s country. She does it every so often, always upping herself from the previous time by learning new, more complicated dishes.

It’s her way of keeping me connected to my mum. It’s her way of showing love and unwavering support, exactly as she has since we first met. I’ll never understand what I did to deserve her, but I won’t question it either.

“Did you know your Mum is the best person in the entire world?”

“Yes,” he answers proudly. “You’re not ever letting her go right?” he asks, echoing the words I just said to him back to me.

“I decided to keep your mum a long, long time ago.” Crouching so we’re eye to eye, I grab his shoulders and whisper vehemently, “I’mneverletting her go.”

Rhodes smiles, showing me the many gaps where adult teeth are still growing in. “Me neither.”

“Go inside and tell her I’ll be right there. I just need to finish one thing quickly.”

He does as he’s told, skipping back into the house as I pull out my phone and text the lads.

Rogue:Rhys, my son just informed me that he wants to keep your daughter.

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