Page 10 of His Surrogate Omega

“Can I go play video games with him?” Auggie asked.

“You should be in bed,” Gray murmured.

“Is he actually letting you play?” Avery asked, ignoring Gray’s comment.

Auggie shrugged. “Not really. But I like watching.”

“Tell him I said he had to let you play, too.”

Auggie grinned before racing away. “Avery said you had to let me play!” he screamed up the stairs.

Avery chuckled before turning to Gray.

“He should be in bed.”

“It’s Friday night!”

Gray shook his head. “I thoughtIwas the lackadaisical one?”

“I don’t know what’s happened to my laid-back uncle, but I want him back.”

Gray tilted his head and stared at Avery. Maybe he was trying too hard—but he wanted to do right by the boys. “I was reading something about schedules being important for children, especially ones his age. Staying up a little is fine, but it’s midnight. And he’s ten, not twenty.”

“He’ll be okay. The summer’s almost here.”

Gray shook his head, knowing Auggie’s bedtime was the least of his concerns now. “You’re letting them get away with too much.”

“I’m sorry if I don’t have the energy to be a disciplinarian right now,” Avery spat. “Especially when they have so little to be happy about right now. If staying up past his bedtime on the weekend puts a smile on his face, so be it.”

Gray nodded and leaned back against the couch. He stared at Avery’s hair, still shocked at the sight of it. “How are you going to hide four years of college and a part-time job as a beta from them?”

“I don’t want that strain on them,” Avery said. “A secret wears on people. They’re boys… let them be children as long as they can. They’ve already had enough stripped away.”

“And what about you?” Gray asked. “You’ve had the same things stripped away. I’m the grown-up here.Ishould be the one making concessions for you.”

Avery eyed him. They’d already had this same argument more than once, but Gray could see how well his nephew listened to him.

“I’m not a child. I’m nearly twenty. And I’ve been running this house for almost three years as it is. I can do this.”

Gray eyed his nephew. “Technically, thisisyour house. You’re legally an adult. I can’t force you to do anything.”

“You’re right. You can’t.”

The house had belonged to Gray and Silver’s papa. It had gone to Silver upon their parents’ deaths, and Gray had beenallowedto live there, as he had nowhere else to go. Silver and Gilead had supported him, when they didn’t have to. He’d been fortunate to have a brother who cared so much about him. Then once Avery had gone into heat at seventeen, he could no longer live in the Family Quad, and Gray had been given new purpose, as guardian to his young charge.

But Avery had proven he was better at caring for himself than Gray had ever been of himself.

Now they had a houseful and Avery was making it clear he was in charge.

Gray felt unneeded.

Unwanted.

That’s all he’d felt for the last twenty years. Lake’s words from the funeral rang in his ears.

“Do you… do you wish me to leave?” Gray asked.

Avery frowned, his eyes widening. “Do you… do youwantto go?” Before Gray could answer, Avery leapt to his feet. “I know suddenly having three boys in your house is a lot of change.”

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