Page 14 of The Lab: Rigg

He didn’t disappoint. He placed his plate down at the empty seat by the little boy and then came to stand beside me. “Yep, this is Niles. My mate. We met last night.” Rigg kissed the side of my head and whispered conspiratorially to the kids. “He’s a wolf just like you two.”

“Of course he is.” Grandpa Joel just shook his head and smiled. “Well, Niles, welcome to the family. You’ll have your hands full with this bunch.” He waved between the kids but then gestured toward Rigg as well. “Maybe I can get back to my afternoon pickleball games now that we have someone else around.”

Rigg scoffed playfully before taking his seat at the table. “Please. You love being here every day.” He turned to the kitchen and grimaced. “Making a mess here and then going home to your nice and tidy house.”

The old man laughed. “Hey, I did my time with toys and crumbs in every corner. It’s time to pass the baton. Being able to visit and go home really is the best way to enjoy pups.”

"I’m ready to take that baton and do my part." I let the last of my worries fall away and absorbed all the family moments being offered to me. I was surrounded by the family I never imagined I’d have, in a home I never let myself believe was possible. “My family wasn’t happy and loving like this, but I’m a fast learner.” Especially when I was properly motivated. And the alpha looking at me with hearts in his eyes was all the motivation I could ever need. “Now, let’s eat!”

9

RIGG

From my perch in the window, I watched Niles with heat growing in my belly. He was bent over and shirtless, with his shoulder blades pushed up under his skin like he was exerting all of his strength. Sweat coated his back, and the soft dirt left a stain on his knees.

Niles was taking to domesticity better than either of us imagined possible. After just a couple weeks of being part of our household, he’d cleaned the small cabin until it was spotless, perfected at least five meals that the kids loved, and was now talking about developing a garden.

The kids were out there with him, handing him seeds and squishing mud between their toes because they refused to wear shoes. He was the perfect omega. Truthfully, I didn’t care if he had a green thumb or could cook or clean. But being comfortable with the children was important, not just for helping me raise Connor and Lily but in case we decided to have children of our own someday.

As much as I’d never pictured myself as a father or mate, both of those roles had taken hold of my heart and were the most important parts of my identity. At least, the most important safe and public parts. The part of me that was still a secret from the world and probably always would be. But the fact that he was well-rounded and liked to be helpful made my omega even more attractive to me every day.

Besides, he’d mentioned to me on several occasions that he needed a purpose and had quickly found it with our little family.

Within twenty-four hours of arriving, Niles had fixed the wobbly boards on the porch and oiled the hinges on the bathroom door. I almost broke my neck one morning when I forgot that it didn’t stick anymore and yanked with my entire body.

As for the children, Connor and Lily immediately bonded with Niles. Their wolves seemed to instinctively know his was the boss, so they followed him around and loved to be by his side.

“I’m gonna make some banana bread, and I need helpers!” His voice carried on the breeze as he walked inside with four little bare feet chasing after him. Just before they entered the back door, he scooped them up into his arms and stopped them. “No muddy toes in the house. Let’s hose you off first.”

They giggled as he helped them get cleaned up and then ended up soaking wet when a quick rinse turned into a water fight, with Lily getting control of the hose and spraying down “the boys.” That’s what she called us.

It was her against a houseful of boys, and she loved it.

Eventually, the door burst open and my family came inside. Connor had wrapped himself around Niles’s left leg and was sitting on his foot as he walked, but Lily had her priorities and beelined for the cookie jar. The two of them were still streaked with dirt, and he just caught Lily before her grubby paw contaminated the Winnie the Pooh jar that was in the kitchen when I moved in.

Niles already had a wet rag in his hand that seemed to materialize out of nowhere. “Uh-uh. No way, missy.”

She just held out her hands and looked up at him with big round eyes. “Thank you, Daddy Ni.”

He and I both went still at the endearment. Neither of the kids had called us Dad. I didn’t want to put that pressure or expectation on them, but nature versus nurture was a funny thing, and when you treated an orphan like you were their dad, they considered you to be their dad.

I rolled my eyes toward the ceiling to keep my composure, but Niles was quick to respond. “You’re welcome, Lily bug.”

Connor was watching the scene play out, but he didn’t contribute. He had a wide vocabulary like his sister, but he was more likely to sit back and observe than to jump into the fray during emotionally charged moments.

I could completely relate to the kid.

After the bread was in the oven, Niles turned to me and mouthed the word, “Bath?”

I nodded and took a sip of my coffee.

Niles clapped his hands together and turned to the kids who were each shoving banana slices into their mouths. “Alright, you two. It’s bathtime so we can be nice and clean for dinner.”

“Wolves don’t take baths.” Connor looked like a squirrel tucking away food for the winter with the way his cheeks were filled with banana. “It’s a fact.”

“Yup. We looked it up on the internet.” Lily dropped to all fours and crawled around the kitchen like a puppy.

“I’m gonna have to call Mr. Internet and give him a piece of my mind, then.” Niles coaxed a ticklish shriek from Connor as his fingers relentlessly danced over the kid’s ribs.

---