held back, watching the family reunite and loving that my mate had grown up in this kind of home rather than a cold one like I had. The parents looked way too young to be retired assassins, much less the parents of five grown men, but that's shifters for you.
When it was my turn, I smiled as I held out my hand to their mother. "Hello, Mrs. Moreno. I'm Nate Clarence, Dear's mate."
She gave a great whooping laugh and pushed my hand aside, throwing her skinny arms around me instead with a mighty firm hug. My heart melted as I hugged her back. She was still hugging me when her mate came up and greeted me over her shoulders. "Hello, Nate. I'm Armando and that tiny tornado who's trying to squeeze the life out of you is Mona. We were already on our way when Clay texted us yesterday to tell us that Dear had found his true mate."
Dear laughed as he gently pried his mother away. "Leave some of him for me, Mom. So you were already on your way, huh? Let me guess, you’re here for the grandchildren."
Mona giggled and pressed her palms together as if praying, leaning back to stare up at the sky. "Yes! Thank God for finally answering my prayers for some babies in this family!” She dropped her hands and grinned at Dear. “You bet your sweet buns I'm here for the grandkids, sweetie. Clay and Nick's baby will be here before we know it and now I have a half-grown baby that I need to love on. Where is my Sacha, anyway?" Mona turned toward the house and cupped a hand around the side of her mouth. "Sacha! Where are you, little one? Grammy's here!"
Dear tugged at my arm. "Quick, get Sonia and Andy. We can escape while my mom is sidetracked."
His mother's head jerked right back around to glare at her son. "Oh, no, you don't. Reschedule whatever you're doing, I haven't seen my family in several years. I want to have a proper meal and get to know my new son Nathaniel a little better."
As much as I wanted to get going, I also wanted to stay and get to know this charming lady. I'd already waited thirty-three years to see my brother again; another day or two's delay couldn't hurt.
Dear stubbornly shook his head. "Sorry, Mom. No can do. Nathaniel and I have to get these two omegas to their next stop. Their parents sold them through arranged mating contracts and the underground is helping them. I know you know all about it, because there's no way you wouldn't. With all your causes? Hell. I'm surprised our family wasn't already hip deep in the underground. As for my mate, here’s a short bio. Nate is a newly retired Anglican priest with no current job prospects, a brother he hasn't seen in over three decades thanks to an arranged mating, and he has a heart of gold. And yes, I already love him. Anything else you need to know? If not, we really need to go because we just found his brother and we have a ship to board."
Mona gaped at me. "Oh, sweetheart. I'm so sorry about your brother. And now you found him? Go, go, go. And Godspeed to you both. We can get to know each other when you come back home."
Sonia and Andy came out just then, shyly walking toward our car. Mona clutched her chest. "Oh, my heart. Are you sure they'll be okay? Armando and I can adopt them if that's what it takes for them to be safe." She bared her teeth with a low growl of frustration. "And yes, I know all about the underground railroad. Armando and I have helped transport a few times over the years. The only reason our family isn't involved is…" Her voice trailed off as she shrugged with a rueful smile. "Let's just say it doesn't mesh well with the family business. That's okay, we all have our own jobs to do and none are more important than another when you're doing the Lord's work."
When Dear snorted, Mona chuckled and wrapped her arms around him. "Gracious, I imagine the fates were having themselves a good laugh when they matched my mouthy atheist son with a man of the cloth."
Dear rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Mom. I don't judge you for believing, so let's agree to disagree on whether I do or not. Can we go back to the