party tonight?” Dorian asked, voice steady now.
“People can start arriving any time after five o’clock. It’s a big, informal thing, so I imagine folks will be dropping in and out all night long. Rebel doesn’t get off until five-thirty, so I probably won’t go until I know he and Karson are there.”
“What about Peyton and Layne?”
“They had standing dinner plans but are going to be over later. I think about seven or eight.”
“Ah. And Symon?”
“He’s not going. Still not much for parties or big crowds. Plus, he doesn’t really know the Lars-Higgs triad, so it’s not as big a deal for him. I think he’s hanging out with Jaxson and Morgyn tonight. Those three have gotten really tight.”
“I’m glad Symon has friends.”
Hyatt heard the wistful, “I wish he’d be my friend” in Dorian’s voice. “I’m glad, too. He says he isn’t dating anyone but sometimes I think he and Jaxson are closer than they let on to others. I don’t know. He deserves someone amazing like Jaxson.”
“How funny would that be? If both of our brothers end up with a Jenks?”
Our brothers. It would never not be weird to remember Symon and Dorian were half-brothers. But the fact that Symon and Hyatt shared no DNA made the whole thing less creepy than it could have been. The goddess had brought them all together last year for a reason, and Hyatt would trust in her plan.
“I think I’d like that, actually,” Hyatt replied. “I mean, Karter and Jax have basically adopted Symon already. The only thing he really needs to do is change his last name.”
“I always thought it interesting that betas are allowed to choose whose name they take. I wonder how they make that decision.”
“Dunno. My friend Gaven’s parents are a beta couple. He told me once that when they first talked about marriage, Dex said right away he wanted to take Serge’s name. Apparently, Dex wasn’t close with his own blood family, and he wanted to be part of Serge’s. To be a Freel. I always thought that was romantic, and also a little sad.”
“That makes sense in their situation. Would you, um, be comfortable taking on my surname after we mate? Given all the baggage it comes with?”
“I hadn’t really thought about it.” Hyatt stared up at his bedroom ceiling, a little weirded out by being Hyatt Lee Fowler. Then he chuckled. “Maybe you should lose Fowler and take on Lee.”
Dorian didn’t respond.
His stomach clenched. Had he said the wrong thing and fucked up what had been an otherwise pleasant conversation? “I’m joking, of course.”
“I’m not entirely opposed to the idea.”
Dorian’s words shocked the hell out of Hyatt, and he snapped up into a sitting position. “You what?”
“Alphas can petition to legally change their names. I’ve heard of it before. It would allow me to distance myself further from what my parents did. The Fowler Foundation would continue, of course, but I would feel no shame in introducing myself as Dorian Fowler Lee.”
Dorian sounded perfectly serious but he was also in the midst of his heat cycle, so maybe endorphins were affecting his decision making skills. “We don’t have to talk about this today. My next heat isn’t for another month. There’s plenty of time to make big decisions.”
“You’re right.”
Hyatt couldn’t resist teasing him with a smug, “I know.”
“Omega brat. My omega brat.”
Yours. “You know, if your cycle ends early enough, you could still make an appearance at the party.”
Dorian was quiet a moment. “I’ll be exhausted and useless in conversation. I truly think it’s best if I simply shower, eat, and then call it an early night. I want to be well-rested so I can take you out to breakfast in the morning.”
Hyatt disliked going to a party without his bondmate, but Dorian made perfect sense. And the idea of a breakfast date had him anticipating an early night for himself, too, so he could wake up and see Dorian again. “Sounds like a plan. Pick me up at eight-thirty?”
“Definitely. Have fun tonight, okay? And thank you again for this afternoon. It was exactly what I needed to get me through these final few hours.”
“You’re very welcome. See you in the morning.”
“Good night, Hyatt.”
Hyatt hated ending the call but it was for the best. Dorian had to endure his slick for a while longer, and Hyatt had a few hours of empty time to fill before the party. He wanted to talk to someone about what he’d just done with Dorian, but who? Symon would listen