Page 8 of His Surrogate Omega

“Why aren’t you two in bed?” Gray cried.

Ignoring Gray, Lake took one last slow step. “What thefuckhave you done?”

“Language!” Gray snapped.

“Whatever,” Lake snapped back, his normal broody self. He turned back to face Avery. “You look like shit.”

“Watch your mouth,” Avery cried.

“Why did you cut your hair?” Auggie asked, frowning. He reached back to pull his own braid around over his shoulder. “I don’t have to cut mine, do I?”

Gray realized he was absently pulling at his own long braid without noticing. He released the length and stood up straighter.

“No,” Avery answered. “I need you both to go sit in the family room. We have to have a discussion.”

“Pass,” Lake said before spinning to head back upstairs.

“Lake Anthony Stephens, get your ass downstairs and in the family room, or by the gods, Iwillmake you,” Avery blasted.

Gray tried to hide his grin. They’d both likely been too lenient on Lake the last weeks, but given the situation, they’d done their best. Lake looked over his shoulder and glared. Gray could see the boy weighing his options from the look on his face. It could start World War V or Lake would sulk.

Finally, Lake turned and angrily marched down.

Sulking, it is. Thank the gods.

“This better be quick,” Lake said in passing.

Auggie followed Lake.

Once they were out of earshot, Gray quietly asked, “Are you really going to tell them?”

“Not about what I did. But they need to know about the money situation. They need to know the truth of that.”

“Make it fast. Just because you were out all night doesn’t mean they need to be up at all hours.”

“It’s Friday night,” Avery said, shrugging. “They can stay up.”

Yeah and they’ll be zombies in the morning. Gray sighed before following Avery into the living room. His nephew pulled out an envelope from his hoodie and slipped the new ID inside before gripping the lot of it between his hands.

“As you know, Papa and Father left us a little bit of money… and both this house and the family house,” he began. “I’ve crunched the numbers, and if we sell the family house, an—”

“Sell our house?” Lake demanded, frowning. “No!”

“We can’t live there anymore, Lake. And we need the money.”

“Auggie and Ican live there,” Lake spat.

“Yes, neither of you have had your first heat yet, so technically youcouldremain in the Family Quad for a few more years… but under whose supervision? We have no other family members. It’s Gray and me… and as we’re both forced to live in the O Quad, this is now our home.Period.”

Avery paused, eyeing Gray before turning his gaze back to the boys.

“Ifwe sell the family house, and with what’s left over from the life insurance policies… and the little bit our parents had in savings… we should have enough to live—frugally—for a few years. But after that… I don’t know what we’ll do.” He took a deep breath.

“What has that got to do with your hair?” Lake asked, an eyebrow rising.

Gray eyed the boy. The kid was too smart for his own good.

“I sold it,” Avery answered.

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