With Abandon: With or Without, Book 4

normal. He didn’t want to think about his family right now, but the problem wasn’t going to go away for good. Maybe it’d help to talk about it.
    Talk about screwing up an afterglow though.
    Matt considered going to change his squishy pants, but instead he gave in. He wanted to tell Aubrey.
    “My mom threatened to divorce my dad again and almost hit my brother with a fork trying to throw it at
    my dad.”
    Aubrey’s eyes widened, and he brushed Matt’s hair off his forehead. “Again?”
    “She does that every now and again. It’s just that lately it seems more frequent. My parents don’t like each other.”
    Aubrey shrugged. “Maybe they aren’t mates.”
    “Nah…” But it sort of made sense. He didn’t know any other mates who acted like his parents. Their
    animosity did seem a little extreme. Maybe there was an underlying reason. Perhaps they were once like all the other mated couples. “Can you imagine ever hating me?”
    “Hell no.” Aubrey scowled, looking half-confused, half-offended. “I guess that’s why I thought they
    might not be mates. The longer I’m around you, the more I like you, the more I find we have in common. I even like our differences.”
    Matt nodded. “Me too.” The immediate reaction from his mate made him all warm and fuzzy inside.
    Truthfully, he was halfway to being head over heels in love with Aubrey. Which made his parents’
    relationship even more puzzling. All the mated couples he knew were good to one another. Mates were a
    perfect match. Keaton and Chay, Jake and Remi, Chay’s parents, Aubrey’s parents, all of them were deeply in love. Not only was there an unmistakable physical attraction—his parents had that at least—but mates

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    were friends too. His parents truly did not like each other, and they had nothing in common except their kids.
    Oh no. No, no, no, no. Matt stared up at Aubrey, not really seeing him. A deep, empty feeling settled in his chest. “You’re right. They aren’t mates.” The sense of betrayal washed over him. Logically, it had nothing to do with him, unless— Matt gasped in air. He couldn’t breathe. Aubrey’s face blurred, and Matt’s nose started running. There was a lump the size of Texas in his throat. “They got married because she was pregnant with me.” He tried to blink back the tears, but failed. His entire life was one giant lie.
    Aubrey dragged Matt up into his lap and pressed his face up against Aubrey’s neck. He rubbed Matt’s
    back, rocking them side to side. “Shh… All couples fight, even mates. My parents have arguments. Hell,
    I’ve thought Chay was actually going to strangle my brother a time or two. Can’t blame him, but still…
    Mates fight just like every other couple. They even pick fights occasionally. God knows Keaton does.” He kissed Matt’s temple, his cheek and his ear.
    Matt shook his head and buried it farther into his mate’s neck. His hand touched the bare skin where
    Aubrey’s shirt hung open. “But mates don’t hate each other.” This was all his fault. It made sense now. His mom seemed to distance herself from Matt more so than the others. She blamed him…resented him. And
    his dad? Now the talk about how they should save themselves for their mates made sense. It wasn’t some
    romantic notion. It was to keep from knocking up some bimbo and being stuck with her. Their dad didn’t
    want them making the same mistake he had. Not that that would ever be an issue for Matt, but it certainly shed light on Dad’s irritation over Logan’s never-ending sexual conquests.
    “No one made them have eight other kids, Matt.” Aubrey caught Matt’s face and forced eye contact.
    He wiped a tear away with his thumb and kissed Matt on the lips. “Even if they got married because she
    was pregnant with you, no one forced them to bring eight other children into their lives and bind them
    further together. That’s what’s bothering you, isn’t it? You think it’s your fault that your brothers have had to suffer through your parents’ rocky marriage.” He kissed Matt again and brushed away more tears. “You and your brothers are the innocents in this.”
    Taking a deep breath, Matt tried to calm himself down. It was his fault his brothers had to deal with constant tension. He didn’t want to be upset over this, but— “They never wanted me.”
    “They did want you. They just didn’t want each other. If they didn’t want you ,