In Heat

He hummed as he thought this over for a few seconds. "Hmm... Maybe once we get settled, I'll look into what I could do. I could actually open up my own business. Something I could run, but also have plenty of employees to take care of things for me when I have to come back here for a week or so."

"I like the sound of that," I murmured in encouragement. "What sort of business?"

"I don't know. Maybe a coffee shop. Or a bar. I wouldn't mind a strip club, hahaha!"

"That would probably make you a lot of money," I said with a chuckle.

Before he could say anything, his phone rang. "Hi mom!"

"Hi honey," I could hear her say because he put her on speaker. "I'm not trying to be a bitch here, but I was wondering if you planned to find your Lifemate soon. I don't want to pressure you or anything, it's just that I'd like grandchildren sooner or later."

"Aaaand why can't I just have kids with Joel?" He asked a bit snarkily.

"I don't know. I thought your people had rules about this sort of thing. Like don't bite until you're ready to settle down," she said.

"Oh, well, yeah, we do. It's just that they aren't set in stone. In fact, I've bitten Joel and had him bite me lots of times. Only he isn't one of us, so it doesn't do anything," Zephyr explained.

"I really like Joel. I wouldn't mind him becoming part of the family," his mom said, making me smile. "It's just that neither of you have ever mentioned getting married, so I have to wonder if you're not really all that serious about each other. If not, then, isn't now sort of a good time to think about your future?"

"We were actually doing exactly that," Zephyr told her in a cheery tone.

"Hi Tabitha," I greeted her, also in a fairly cheerful tone.

"Oh, hi Joel. Sorry, I hope you don't think I'm being mean to you. I'm just worried about my son."

"You want grandkids, I know," I stated. "My mom does too. She actually calls me at least twice a year specifically to ask me if I plan to have some anytime soon."

"Mine too!" Zephyr exclaimed with a laugh.

"Well? Do you plan to have any?" She wondered.

I sighed a bit morosely. "As soon as I find a job, I'm probably going to be working 60 to 80 hours a week for a couple of years. That's not really fair to a baby."

"So don't choose a baby," she advised pragmatically. "Choose a child who is just going into school. That way, you don't have to worry as much about them needing you during the day, and better yet, it'll give you a very good reason to insist that you work less than 80 hours a week. I'm sure my son would appreciate that as well."

I sighed, not knowing what to say.

Zephyr laughed softly at the look on my face. "Listen mom, we're only just starting to plan out our future. Let us figure out how things are going to be before we think about adding kids to the mix."

"So... you DO want them?" She questioned with clear interest.

"I do," he confirmed. "I know that I'm always going to be weird, and that I risk passing that on to my children - if we decided to use a surrogate - but I really like the idea of having kids despite all my baggage."

"Me too," I informed him, giving him a soft smooch. Then I frowned. "But she has a point about the mate thing. Nana explained to me that if someone ever bit you, you'd have no choice but to be bound to them for the rest of your life. I never want to be without you, but maybe you'd be happier in the sort of relationship your body expects."

"Hush!" He ordered, pressing a finger to my lips. "Biology is only one - admittedly large - part of who I am. It doesn't get to dictate my entire life. I choose who I want to be with, and I choose you."

My eyes watered and it felt like every part of me melted into a puddle at his feet. "Aww..." I purred as I wrapped my arms around him and held him tight. "I love you so much!"

"I love you too," he murmured, kissing me.

"Sounds like I should probably let you go before this turns into a porno soundtrack!" His mother called out, reminding us that she was still there. "Talk to you later, love you!"

"You too," we both replied before promptly forgetting about the rest of the world. We went to bed and made love until we were lethargic and the world was fading.

"Hey," Zephyr whispered in my ear.

"Mm?" I murmured, more than half asleep.

"Maybe we should get married," he suggested.

"Tomorrow," I stated.

Laughing, he kissed me before laying his head on my shoulder.