"Of course I am silly." Riley giggled. "I'm his only one."
"Hey, PJ." Kam walked up behind the little boy.
PJ's breath whooshed from his lungs at the sight of his mate. Kam had on a pair of baggy jeans that hung low on his hips and a light blue tank top with a picture of the setting sun on it. He looked relaxed and sexy all at once. Damn, PJ wished they were back at his house.
"I see you met Mr. Riley." Kam smiled, his eyes sparkling as he stared at PJ.
"Yes, I have." PJ stood up. "Very polite. I guess it's safe to say he didn't get that from you." PJ quirked an eyebrow.
"Nope." Kam wasn't offended by the statement. He rubbed his hand over Riley's hair. "He only inherited the bad stuff from me."
"How come I'm not surprised by that?" PJ smiled over at Kam.
"Are you going to invite him in or not, dumb ass?" Another man, who looked just like Kam but a little older, walked toward them. He had a friendly smile on his face. "Sorry about that. Come on in. I'm Ryan. This one's brother, and this one's father."
"Nice to meet you, Ryan. I'm PJ."
"Daddy said a bad word." Riley took off running toward the kitchen. The sound of his laughter could be heard throughout the house, no doubt.
"Carson is going to kick your butt for that one." Kam punched Ryan in the shoulder.
"Yeah, whatever." Ryan rubbed his hand over his chin. "Carson can't stay mad at me for too long. He can't deny this handsome face."
"Damn." PJ shook his head and laughed. "You can so tell you two are brothers, and it's not because you look alike."
"Boys, why don't you let the man in the house." Caleb came out of the kitchen. He had a dish towel thrown over his shoulder and a smile on his face. "Coach Henson, we're so glad to have you over. Come on in, please."
PJ followed Caleb through the kitchen out into the backyard. A large patio with comfortable looking furniture took up a good portion of the decorated concrete. Two other men stood outside watching as Riley played on the swing set. One he recognized as Kam's other father, and he wasn't sure who the other one was. When the men heard them coming, both turned to greet them.
"Coach Henson, it's nice to see you again." Seth, Kam's other father, held his hand out for PJ to shake. "I hope our boy hasn't been too much of a pain in the rear for you."
"Not too much." PJ glanced over at Kam. If anything he'd been a pain in Kam's ass over and over again. God, he wanted to get his mate alone and fuck him senseless.
"Hi, I'm Carson. Kam's best friend and Ryan's … " Carson hesitated as he looked from Ryan back to PJ.
"His mate?" PJ supplied the word Carson seemed to think he couldn't say.
"Yeah."
Carson blushed, and he looked absolutely adorable. He seemed to be a shy person, and PJ had to wonder how Carson and Kam had become such good friends.
"I could sense you were a shifter but not sure what kind. I didn't want to say too much."
"I'm a bear shifter," PJ said without pause. These people were going to be his family whether they realized it or not. He wanted to be up front and honest.
"Thank god!" Seth blew out a deep sigh. "I've been trying to place what your scent was since the day we met. It's been driving me insane."
"Jeez, dad." Kam came over to stand next to PJ. "I'm surprised you didn't grill him the moment you met him." Kam raised his hand to rest on the small of PJ's back. "Come on, Coach. Have a seat and I'll get you a beer." Kam took off to get PJ's drink, leaving PJ with his brother, his fathers, and his best friend.
"I hope you like steak." Caleb announced as he got up to get the meat off the grill.
"Love it." PJ smiled.
Ryan and Carson went inside to bring out the rest of the food and plates. Seth helped Caleb while Riley played around the back yard. PJ felt welcomed and a part of the inner circle that was the Kline-Kemp family. He just hoped they were still as welcoming when they found out he was Kam's mate.
Once the food was on the table they all dug in. The conversation was sparse and about mundane stuff, the weather, how the team was coming along but nothing about the elephant in the room. The settle looks Caleb and Seth shared weren't lost on PJ. It wasn't normal for the head coach of the college baseball team their son played for to have dinner with the families.
PJ jerked in his seat when he felt Kam's heavy warm hand on his thigh. He looked out the corner of his eye and saw Kam grinning at him. His mate must have sensed his uneasiness. It was a minor comfort for what was about to happen.
A tug on his shirtsleeve had him looking down at Riley, who sat on his right side. The little boy waved him closer then leaned in to whisper into PJ's ear.
"You like Uncle Kam, don't ya?"
PJ's eyes widened. He didn't know what to say. PJ wasn't certain if anyone else heard the little boy. His words were barely above a whisper. PJ even had a hard time hearing what he said. Not knowing what else to do, PJ nodded and gave the little guy a wink, which made him giggle.
"So, not to seem bothered by having you over for dinner, but … " Seth looked over at PJ from across the table. His thick arms were propped up on the table, and his eyebrows were drawn together. "Shit, I'll just come out and say it. Is Kam in some kind of trouble?"
"Grandpa said a bad word!" Riley pointed over toward his grandfather.
"Riley, sweetie, why don't I take you inside and set up a movie for you to watch." Carson stood up and took his son's hand.
"Okay, Daddy." Riley skipped as he went into the house. Before he went inside, he turned around and called out to Kam. "Uncle Kam, I like him." Riley gave a thumbs-up and went into the house.
"What the hell was that about?" Ryan leaned back in his chair. He stared hard over at Kam, then turned to PJ.
It wasn't but a minute later that Carson came back out. He had a small smile on his face, as if he were excited about something. That gave PJ an unsettling feeling in his stomach. Had Kam told his best friend?
"To answer your question, no. Kam is a great addition to our team," PJ said with all honesty. He knew he had nothing to do with Kam's athletic ability but he was proud nonetheless. "I haven't told him this yet, but he's looking to be our starting shortstop."
"Really?" Kam leaned in close to PJ. His eyes locked with PJ's.
"Really." PJ reached out and touched Kam's forearm. "Granted, we have some more practicing to do, but so far you are by far the better man for the job. Your stats from last season, and from what the other coaches and I have seen on the field, you're amazing."
"That sounds great and all but I have to ask, why are you here?" Seth asked again.
PJ had never been one to shy away from an argument but he was nervous. This was Kam's family, and if they didn't approve of their relationship, it could be a problem for him and Kam. PJ would never ask his mate to choose him or his family, and PJ really hoped it didn't come to that.
"Because-" PJ started to say, but Kam butted in.
* * * *
"Dad, Dad, Carson, and dipshit." Kam looked at Ryan.
Ryan wadded up his napkin and tossed it at him.
"I should have told you this sooner but wasn't sure how. It's not because I'm embarrassed or ashamed of what I'm about to say. It's just that it's so new to me." Kam looked down at the tabletop. He could feel the heat filling his cheeks. Every time he thought about PJ and what they'd done together and what they were to one another, a giddy happy sensation swam in his stomach.
"Oh my god," Caleb whispered as he reached for Seth's hand. "Has a scout offered you a position on one of the minor league teams?"
"Uh, no." Kam shook his head. To hear his dad ask that filled Kam with pride. It was nice to no his family had so much faith in his playing ability. "It's like this." Kam pursed out his lips, his head tilting from side to side. He had to just spit it out. "I'm … We … "
"They're mates," Carson said as he smiled with tears in his eyes.
"Thanks, bro." Kam chuckled. He'd told Carson earlier that week. Carson had sensed that something was off with him and demanded Kam tell him, so he did, and Kam was grateful that he had. It might have taken Kam another ten minutes to spit out the words. Not that he thought his dads would be against the mating, but PJ was older than him and in a place of power over Kam. "You totally stole my thunder."