We are the Answer {boyxboy} ✔ (Dogs, Bats & Monkeys series, Book I | Rhys)

Chapter 43

A/N: Part of this chapter is available in You are the Answer, but there's also some new content including Rhys daydreaming while Riley and Kennedy are away. I hope you'll enjoy it ^_^

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"Want to race on the way down?" I asked, closing the door to my bedroom.

"I doubt I could ever outrun you," Riley replied, looking at his feet.

"Let's see." I nudged his shoulder with my arm and his eyes found my face. His teeth were lightly biting his lip; he was hesitant, but it was obvious he wanted to try it.

"We run on three," I said. "One... Two..."

The moment I uttered "three", Riley dashed towards the stairs and then to the first floor. I laughed and followed him.

He wasn't fast - not at all - and it would be easy to outrun him. Nevertheless, I kept behind him. I wanted to give him this victory and cheer him up, to distract him from the previous evening.

Once he got to the kitchen, he stopped and turned to me. He sighed and slightly shook his head, letting me know he realized I'd let him win. He didn't reprimand me though; he probably thought it was a nice gesture.

I smiled and extended my arm to motion him into the kitchen. My mouth was already watering at the smell of fried bacon, a crispy batch filling a plate on the table.

Our chef for the morning had donned on one of mom's long pristine white aprons, the fabric reaching all the way to his ankles. He was currently flipping a pair of eggs in the pan.

"Riley only likes the yolks," I told my baby brother as my mate and I took our seats.

"You can cut them out for him when I'm finished." He shrugged, then shook the pan to prevent the food from sticking to its surface. "Which will be pretty soon. Put the bread in the toaster," he ordered. Beta or not, my little sibling still thought he could boss me around. Not when it came to serious matters, but chores?

As far as Kennedy was concerned the hierarchy in the family went like this: mom, him, dad and I sharing third place, Everett and Lisa coming in forth and Carter was at the bottom.

Perhaps we humoured the boy too often, but he had charm in abundance and a winning personality; neither my parents, nor I could help ourselves.

And Riley - our hopefully not distant future addition - seemed just as likely to follow and pamper the bright-eyed little devil.

"I thought you wanted to make the breakfast all on your own," I teased him.

"I already took care of the bacon and now I'm making the eggs; you take care of the toast," he replied in an even tone, showing off how confident he was that I'd do as I was bid.

"I can do that." Riley began to rise and Kennedy and I shook our heads.

"No, you are the guest of honor; you sit there and we'll take care of everything," Kennedy insisted, making no move for the bread so I got up and placed two slices of it in our toaster.

"And by we," Kennedy turned the stove off and put the pan aside, "I mean that I cook and Rhys will clean the dishes while you and I take a walk, Riley. We have so much to talk about." He narrowed his blue eyes at me, adding: "Finally, we can talk."

"First of all, I couldn't just tell Riley 'hey, I'm a werewolf and you are my mate'. Second..." The bread jumped out of the toaster; I placed the slices on a plate and put two more in the machine.

"Second," I went on, "you are cooking so you are doing the dishes."

"We'll see." He shrugged again, then positioned the eggs in front of my mate before bringing two empty plates and leaving them next to the eggs. "Dig in."