"Hi." Iris jumped at the voice behind her.

"Oh…crap." She muttered as she dropped her phone, he bent down to pick it up before she had the chance. "Xavier, Hi. Thank you."

"I was hoping to catch you today." He handed her back her phone and Iris swiped it to pay for her coffee.

She took a step to the side while she waited for her coffee order and to let the next person step up to the counter. "How are you?"

"I'm good."

"Great. Did you get that assignment done? It was a doozy." Xavier was only taking a couple of classes the same as Iris. He was doing criminology and some of the social work subjects were relevant to him.

"Barely."

Iris grabbed her coffee when it was ready. "Okay, good to see you Xavier, catch you later."

"Hang on…" he fell into step beside her. He was a little taller than Iris and quite broad across the shoulders. His hair was blond, perhaps with a touch of red and he was good looking but not someone Iris would normally be attracted to. He was a little clumsy and kind of loped around.

Colton was more her type, now anyway. He was tall, kept himself very fit, had dark hair and a quick easy smile. He held himself together well and Iris felt comfortable with him from the moment she met him, there was an instant attraction and spark between them. They fitted together well.

He wasn't her usual type though, up until she met him. All her boyfriends had been a little more rough around the edges, liked to party and lived life to the fullest. While she was living it she liked it but she didn't miss that crazy life, she was done with it, it was fun while it lasted but now she liked the life she was living with Colton, she enjoyed the crowd away from college that they spent time with.

"…I'm having a party next weekend, a late birthday party. There are quite a few coming, you should come."

"Thanks for the invite but I can't make it sorry." Iris shrugged and saw the faintest flicker of disappointment on his face which he hid quickly. "I am away that weekend."

"Dirty weekend?"

Iris snorted. "Hardly. I'm going away with my brother. He has a thing on in San Fran for work. I've never been so I can't wait."

Alfie had been invited to the opening of a new Rhino Exhibit and it was Ada's grandchild that was going to be the first resident. Even if they wanted to get away from their Dad's legacy they couldn't and this wasn't so much work related as the MACI Foundation business. They still had a position on the board and were involved in decisions and attended events like this one; Alfie was currently on the board and Iris would get her turn eventually.

It wasn't a chore though; it was always nice to see the work their Dad did still meant something to someone. When he got the invite he asked Iris to come with him. He wanted to share it with someone and he always had fun with Iris and now that she could legally drink they'd had some good nights out. It was also time for her to get a bit more involved in the Foundation in preparation for her turn on the board.

His face twisted into a small smile. "Well that's a bummer."

Iris reached her building. "I'm sure you'll have a hoot. Have fun." She waved goodbye and almost skipped away.

"Ready Bug?" Alfie was waiting impatiently. "We need to go."

"Yeah, yeah." She sauntered downstairs and kissed Pops goodbye. "Behave. No ladies in the house."

"Go away. I want some peace and quiet." He grumbled. It was unlikely he'd get any peace and quiet. Mae already had his whole weekend planned and as long as that involved his little Poppy he'd be happy.

"So what's Colton doing this weekend?" Alfie finally stopped being annoyed with his sister for running late. He was a stickler for keeping time and Iris was a lot more fluid with it. They were like chalk and cheese in that regard. He was more like Lola and Mae flicked between the two depending on how important it was to her.

"Counting money and getting all excited over a spreadsheet." He did tell her but it went in one ear and out the other. When he started on about spreadsheets and budgets Iris zoned out. 'I can see your lips moving but all I hear is blah, blah, blah' she often told him. It had amused him to find out that she owned property and was well taken care of but Iris insisted she knew nothing about it, that her parents set all that up and her Uncle looked after it for her. Gus had more than fulfilled his promise to their parents, they were well set up for the future.

"He does love counting shit." Alfie could just imagine him sitting at home with all his spreadsheets. He really did like the guy, he liked that he loved his job, was dedicated and worked hard and didn't mind the ribbing they gave him about his joy over spreadsheets and he was good for his Bug, who was a loose cannon up until she settled down a little with Colton. He wasn't a stick in the mud but he did have the ability to rein her in.

"That he does."

"How's College going?"

"Pretty good. Had this monster assignment due last week for that psychology class that I took, the lecturer is nuts." Iris told him about it, how she stressed about for weeks and probably went overboard but was happy with her work. She was pretty dedicated to her study; she was a lot like Lola in that regard. Alfie didn't work hard at school but he found he didn't need to which pissed off both of his older sisters. He just had the knack, he got things and always got good marks with minimal effort. "Another few weeks and we start sliding into vacation mode."

"You going to the Beach House?"

"Hopefully, I want to go up for a couple of weeks. Colton will probably come up on the weekend."

"Ahhhh….young love."

"Speaking of which, what's going on Alfie?'

"I am saving myself for marriage." Alfie winked at his sister and she just rolled her eyes.

"Yeah whatever. What happened to Larissa?"

"Bug, I haven't been seeing her for like two months. Where have you been?" Alfie wasn't surprised that Iris had no idea what was going on with him because nothing had changed for him, he still went out and he rarely bought Larissa around anyway, Adam didn't like her, 'cold as a witches tit' he'd told Alfie. Apparently Pops wasn't sure if she actually had a personality outside of the two on her chest. He didn't have a great track record with girlfriends, he was still in his shallow stage.

"You never tell me anything."

"You were too busy bumping uglies with the stallion."

"Please don't call him that. Why'd you break up with Larissa? Humour me, pretend you haven't told me before…." Iris hated it when Alfie called Colt a stallion, she had no idea why she hated it, nicknames in this family were common place but she hated the stallion for some reason. "…oh wait, you didn't."

"I was getting the feeling she was a little batshit crazy."

"How so? More than you?"

Alfie scoffed. "Yes, so obviously that was like next level. She started talking about marriage and shit, and become a bit of a clinger. I went to Barney's bucks night and she called me eight times."

"Maybe she just missed you?"

"Nope, she just wanted to tell me she loved me and remind me not to get too drunk and then she smelled my clothes when I got home to make sure I hadn't been too close to another woman."

"Did you?"

"Fuck you…." Alfie cracked back at her. "…is that what you think of me? You know she thinks I talk to you and Lola and Mae too much, thinks it's weird. Thinks there is something creepy going on."

"Well fuck her then, glad you dumped her." It probably was weird but they weren't going to change now. They'd been four heartbroken kids who had always clung to each other to survive. You either got on board or got the ass.

While Iris had Instagram her account was private but Alfie was all over it. He loved promoting what he did and all the crazy stuff he got up to with his job. His private life wasn't really much to write home about so he rarely posted anything. Perhaps it was a hangover from their Dad not really putting them out there. He did however post a selfie of himself and Iris at the airport, although her face was obscured a little as she turned her head quickly as he took it and it was blurred. Time to fly with my Bug…San Fran here we come…#RhinoLove #DadsLegacy #AdaHasAGrandbaby #SiblingLove #brotherandsister #wishmeluck #Bug #MACI #MACIFoundation #BraveHearts

By the time they got off the plane at the other end he was surprised to see a few comments about Iris on his post that he should post an unblurred photo of her because this person knew how hot she was. It was creeping him out a little, especially as they were all from the same person. Iris had also commented as soon as he posted.. Wish ME luck.. and now had a follow request from the same person. Alfie had a DM from him also asking him to tell his sister to follow him.

"Who the fuck is that Bug?" He looked at it and felt his hair stand up on the back of his neck. This is why they had always kept things on the down low. The comment that disturbed him the most was the comment about Alfie's post of him holding Iris's hand in the tattoo parlour, you couldn't see her face but it did show a bit of her body, nothing too revealing but you could see it was a female body. He didn't tell Iris about it, he just deleted it. The comment was about how he couldn't wait to see that tattoo up close when he got his hands on her sweet body.

Iris looked a little disturbed. "I think it's a guy from College I've chatted to him a few times and he invited me to his birthday party this weekend. Like I know him but he's not really a friend." She checked out his page and it was definitely Xavier. "If I see him I talk to him but I don't go out of my way to catch up."

"What does Colt think?"

"I don't think I've even told him." She shrugged. "Why would I? He's just a person I got to college with, no big deal. I talk to plenty of people."

"Don't accept his request." Alfie warned her.

"Why not?"

"I've got a vibe Bug. Just don't do it okay." Alfie was always going to look out for his little sister. He'd done it since the day she was born, that wasn't changing any time soon. Alfie also knew that Colton wouldn't be happy either, not with some of the comments. Hopefully he hadn't seen them before he deleted them. They wouldn't call Colton jealous or controlling but he didn't love other guys drooling over her either. Iris didn't enjoy girls flirting with him either.

"Okay." She shrugged, Iris trusted her brother; he was pretty laid back most of the time and never really told her what to do. If he did, she listened. "Like he's not really a friend anyway."

Alfie shuddered at the thought of him creeping all over Iris's account. Not that she was bad, but there were photos of her having fun, going out, getting dressed up. She was a young beautiful girl who loved having a good time, there were also photos of her with Colton and if his gut was right this guy wouldn't like that. And there was that photo of her with her tattoo completed. He was grateful that Iris kept a pretty tight handle on who accessed her account though, if she didn't know someone she didn't accepted their requests.

Iris loved coming to these events. Since she turned sixteen she had gone to the Brave Hearts Ball and last year had given the welcome address for the first time. It was right up her alley and she loved it. Adam made his last appearance to hear Iris speak and she did an amazing job.

She didn't have to talk this time; Alfie would do that. They were shown the new exhibit before it was officially opened and got to meet Ada's Grandson, Kahari and his keepers. Kahari's mother was Ada's last baby, Rosa. They had some photos taken for some promotion for the Zoo and then had dinner with the Managing Director of the San Francisco Zoo and some benefactors. Both Alfie and Iris knew how to handle these things, they'd all been doing them for years. It amazed them constantly that people still remembered their Dad.

One surprise for them was meeting the lead keeper. His name was Mason Reynolds. "I meet your Dad at a conference and he took me under his wing, he offered me a spot on his team to go to do some harvesting in Kenya and it was an amazing experience. I love looking after Ada's grandson."

"It must freak you out a little that this is her grandson?" Alfie loved talking about these animals and Iris just listened, perhaps only being around her Dad for such a short space of time she didn't have the passion for the animals that Alfie did and even Lola and Mae had more interest in it than her, she just loved the stories about her Dad, wherever they came from.

"It does, it freaks me out more that you were about 6 months old at the time I met your Dad."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I didn't get to catch up with your Dad much after that, we talked a bit on the phone and I was always in contact with him when he was in Australia, he would always answer my questions."

"He was pretty passionate about all this. I think he'd been chuffed to know that it's still going on, and no doubt that you are looking after Kahari."

"Your Dad was my inspiration. I always think of him when they talk about how we bought Rhino's back from the brink, he worked so hard for that. You should be proud."

They were proud of their Dad, that would never change.

By the time they got back to the hotel Alfie had had enough. "Bug, I'm about to fucking snap." He had several messages from this Xavier via Instagram, all asking him to tell his sister to switch her account off private or accept his request. He had again commented on a photo Alfie had put up that had Iris in it. It was the one taken by the zoo and he thought he was doing the right thing by promoting it but the comments about Iris made him delete it. He put up another photo of just him and Kahari and he commented on that too, wanting to know where his sister was and telling him to put it back up. "This is starting to get fucking weird." Alfie didn't want to engage with him but he seriously needed to be told to fuck off. "I've blocked the asshole."

It upset Iris but she tried not to let it bother her, there was nothing she could do about it now. She didn't even have a contact number for him or know his surname. Colton had an inkling of her unease when he talked to her. "Don't let it ruin your weekend Bug." He told her. She'd told Colton about Alfie's warning about this guy.

"I am trying not too, Alfie is really excited to be here and this is just annoying him."

"It's not your fault." Colton didn't tell her that this guy had also been on his IG page and commented on photos of him with Iris. He had no idea who he was and he deleted them, he got a DM which he wished he'd never read and it wasn't until Iris filled him in that he put all the pieces together. It wasn't the first time that a guy had made sleazy comments about his girlfriend. Now that he knew it wasn't just random it was freaking him out a little but he didn't want to upset Iris any more than she was. Not when he wasn't around to help her. He trusted her brother to do that though.

"I know." Iris changed the subject. "Hey I miss you. What you been up too?"

Colton told her about this weekend so far, he'd been out with his buddies to a game, had a few too many drinks and caught up on some work. He was having dinner with his mother tonight for her birthday. "Say happy birthday for me." Iris laughed. "I am sure she is devastated that I am not there?"

"She is, almost cancelled the whole shebang because you aren't here." Colton chuckled. He didn't really care that his mother didn't like Iris, she didn't have to like her and he knew she'd be happy that Iris wasn't coming with him. "Hey have a good night, try and stay tidy and keep Alfie in one piece."

Colton asked Alfie to give him a call when Iris wasn't around to hear and he called when Iris went out for a run. He wasn't happy. "What the fuck is going on?"

"Chill Dude, I don't know. Bug says he's a guy form College, she knows him but isn't friends. He asked her to a party this weekend apparently."

"I'm not happy."

"She's not sneaking around behind your back Colton."

"I know that." Colton just about bit Alfie's head off. "…he left a message on a few of my photos of Bug and sent me a DM telling me that they are hooking up and that she's a fucking great lay and that she sucks dick like a vacuum cleaner."

"What the fuck?"

"Yeah, right. Seriously the guy is pissing me off." Colton was more than a little annoyed. "I know right now I am glad she is with you in San Fran but what happens next week? What do I do?"

Alfie needed to talk him down from the ledge. He liked Colton and they got on really well and he really loved Iris and treated her well. She'd had the obligatory dickhead or two but this guy was straight up and down. He trusted Iris, he cared about her and gave her room to breathe and he also looked after her. "Don't go do something stupid. He might just have been drunk or some shit and may regret it tomorrow. Bug reckons he seems normal. Maybe he's just into stirring up shit for shits and giggles, see if we respond." Having them both freaking out wouldn't do anyone any good. Right now Iris was on the other side of the country and away from this guy.

"Maybe."

"Let's just see what happens when we get back. Maybe he's just fishing for a bite." Alfie knew how not to engage trolls. He'd had plenty with Animal Activists giving him constant grief but he learnt to just delete the comments, not engage with them and eventually they moved on. They do it for a reaction and he hoped this dick was the same.

"Look after Bug." With everything that happened with Mae they were all on edge a little bit.

"Hey, Colt. That's my job." Alfie assured him. "Being doing it a long time."

Iris didn't want Alfie and Colton to worry. They hadn't said anything to anyone else and she appreciated that. Alfie tried to talk to her about it but she insisted she was fine and could handle it. She promised that she would be careful and let him know if she was worried about this guy, she was convinced that Xavier was just drunk and doing stupid shit and if he confronted her about it she'd tell him to back off and that would be it.

Colton was a bit more on edge about it. He called her as soon as he had the chance when she went back to College. "How's your day?"

"Baby, I'm having a good day."

"Yeah?"

"Yes, please don't stress out. I will see you tonight. Are you coming for dinner?"

"I have a late meeting."

"Come over later, I want to see you." Iris, despite pretending she was fine was feeling a little unsettled.

"Like see me, see me?" He chuckled suggestively. "I could do that."

"You saw me last night, all of me..."

"Never enough, Bug, never enough."

Suddenly a coffee appeared in front of her and she jumped as she looked up at Xavier. He smiled at her strangely. "How was your weekend?"

"Great. It was good to get away for a bit." It took all her energy not to get up and run. He was making her nervous but Alfie had told her to appear like she didn't know anything or mention anything until he did. "How was your party?"

"Fun, you missed a fun night."

She couldn't sit there much longer and grabbed her bag off the back of the chair, threw her book into it but kept her phone in her hand. Standing up she was a little flustered when Xavier just watched her, he leant over and picked up the coffee and handed it to her. "Sorry, I've already had one today, I am trying to cut back." Iris shook her head. "Thanks anyway."

"Why?"

"I just had too much on the weekend, I need a break."

"One won't kill you, going cold turkey might." He was still holding the cup out of her and Iris reluctantly took it and thanked him for it.

As she walked away she dropped it in the first trashcan she could find. There was no way she was drinking anything he gave her. Call her paranoid but that's what happens when you grow up around cops.

It was late and Iris was watching TV alone, Pops had already gone to bed when Colton arrived. Alfie was working, they had a very pregnant Hippo who they were expecting to have twins any day now. Until the Hippo delivered they had a senior ZooKeeper and Vet on site twenty-four seven. "Hey beautiful Bug." He let himself in and dropped his bag on the floor. "What you watching?" He flopped down beside her and took the cup of tea from her hand, gave her a kiss and took a mouthful.

"Shitty home reno show."

"Getting ideas?" He handed the cup back. "How was the rest of the day?"

"Good."

"And?"

"Nothing, I bumped into him, he asked about the weekend, if I had a good time and that was it."

Colton draped him arm over her knee and gently ran his fingers up and down her leg. "You okay?" Having him here was instantly comforting.

"I am, maybe it was someone else, or he was drunk or stoned. I don't know." She shrugged. "He did buy me a coffee."

"Nice of him."

"I didn't drink it." Iris rolled her head to the side and winked at him. "I only take coffees from good looking guys with nice smiles." Iris loved that was how they met, in a coffee shop on Campus. Colton paid for her coffee, telling her he was just paying it forward as she struggled to find her wallet in her bag. He didn't hang around long enough for Iris to even ask his name. It was a week later she saw him again at the same coffee shop and Iris bought him a coffee. 'To return the favour.' She handed him the coffee 'I'm Iris, in case you were wondering.'

It was slow going, Iris had just come out of a relationship, which hadn't last long but she was wary and they started talking a little more, alternating between buying each other coffees until Colton got the courage and invited her out for lunch.

"Lucky for me." He squeezed her leg. "Hey? How interested are you in this home reno thing?"

"I'm just killing time until you hit on me."

Colton grabbed the remote and turned the TV off. "Righto.. let's go." He finished the rest of her tea that she handed him and she waited while he rinsed the cup in the sink. If they left it on the table Adam would lose his shit in the morning. He was getting OCD in his old age.

Iris had blown him away. He'd never seen her before the day he paid for the coffee and he had later admitted he only did it because she was holding up the queue and he had some place to be. When she turned around and thanked him he was a bit gobsmacked. However he was in a rush and a completely different head space that day and hadn't thought about her again until she bought him a cup of coffee and introduced herself.

Conscious of appearing too forward or being taken the wrong way he held back and enjoyed the little back and forth they had going on until Iris had dropped enough hints to let him know she wouldn't say no to getting to know him better, so they had lunch.

She asked him a million questions, talked a little about herself and they left it at that. They'd shared a few texts back and forth but exams got in the way and it wasn't until they both ended up at a party together a couple of weeks later that he made a move. They holed up in a quiet corner and chatted away ignoring the rest of the party around them.

When he asked her to catch up the next day he was already smitten. He made sure Iris was well aware of how interested he was, his kiss while he waited with her after she'd called her Uber home was not quite sweet, it left her a little breathless.

"Tell me something about you that would shock me?" Colton had playfully asked her the next day, not expecting it to go where it did.

"I was orphaned when I was three years old."

That threw him for a loop and he had no idea what to say. Luckily Iris filled the silence and made it less awkward. She really had no idea why she even told him that.

"My parents were killed in a car accident when I was three, I don't remember them. I was raised by my grandparents."

"Wow." He sat back a little. He was completely shocked, that wasn't at all what he was expecting. "Wow. I don't know what to say."

Iris shrugged. "It is what it is. I was raised by my Mom's parents, there are four of us, two older sisters, Lola and Mae and a brother, Alfie. I was the youngest and I still live with my Pops who is in his 90's."

"Here I was thinking it was going to be something like you were bought home in the back of a Police Car when you were sixteen."

"I've been in a lot of Police cars."

"Rebelled?" Colton was fascinated. He found her mesmerising as she talked.

"No, my Uncle is a cop. My Pops was a cop as was my grandmother."

"And what did you parents do? Cops too?"

"No, my Mom would never have dated a cop, she hated that job, thought it was too dangerous. Pops was in this Unit that did a shitload of undercover work, it was really hairy and Mom hated it. She looked after us but also did a lot of work for a charity and worked at BraveHearts Foundation, she was a Social Worker originally. My Dad was a Zoologist, he was an African animal specialist and managed captive breeding programs. We lived in Australia, where he opened an Open Range Zoo and that's where I was born, in Australia. We were back here on holiday when the accident happened."

"So you are an Aussie?"

"Technically yes."

Colton really had no idea what to say. "I am sorry about your parents." He touched her hand lightly. "I know it was a long time ago but I can't imagine that."

"I had no idea what was going on. Apparently I asked about them every day for a few weeks then I just stopped. My sisters and brother remember them."

"Are you close to them?"

"My family?" Iris wasn't sure if he was asking about her parents or siblings. He nodded. "Insanely close. It's freaked a few guys out." Iris pulled out her phone and showed him a photo. She never shied away from her past like Lola and Mae had the tendency to do and for some reason she felt really comfortable with Colton. The photo was of the four of them taken at Lola's wedding at the zoo, under their tree, hand in hand looking up to the sky. It was one of her favourite photos.

"Why?"

"I don't know, I mean they are my best friends. I guess we can get a little intense when we are all together, it gets a bit crazy." She waved her hands a little. "They can be a little overprotective at times."

Colton felt at ease with Iris and he told her about his family, and how dysfunctional his childhood had been and Iris felt bad for him. "I mean it was shitty not having Mom and Dad, I know Lola, Mae and Alfie struggled more than me but I couldn't imagine not having any of them around or having all that shit go down."

"It was ugly and Mom was heartbroken, still is. She has grandchildren that she never sees, I hate what it did to Mom and to Dad, they literally can't stand to be in the same room anymore. Dad's remarried and his wife Lucy is great; Mom hates her, she's bitter and twisted about everything." He shrugged. "I don't know any different. We don't have a great relationship."

"Who? You and your Mom?"

Colton nodded.

"Does that bother you?"

"At times, yeah it does but you know nothing ever changes and eventually that just wears you down." Iris couldn't really get what he meant by that. "My Mom doesn't change. I just try and deal with it but she makes things hard."

"What things?" Iris was fascinated and she wasn't even sure why. Perhaps because it was so different to her life. Other people's upbringing intrigued her because she knew hers wasn't normal, not since she turned three but she was trying to figure out what was normal. Maybe normalcy was a fantasy, something that no one ever achieved.

Colton shrugged sadly. "Let's just say, she doesn't think anyone is good enough for me. She thinks I'm going to be lead down a dark path and end up like Sophie."

"But you're not like her, are you?"

"I am like anti-Sophie." Colton assured her. "I guess it's just fear and anger on her part. I just try and minimise the damage."

"Do you want me to lead you down a path?" Iris loved flirting and they had flirted heavily right from the start.

Colton leant in, just close enough to make Iris's heart flutter. "Yes."

Eventually they moved on from talking about their families and the flirty banter was sweet for a while but Iris wanted more and after the first couple of dates they jumped feet first into a relationship, although initially it was more about the sex than anything and that was perfectly fine with both of them. When they were in a bar having a few drinks Iris leant over and whispered in his ear…'we should get out of here, like now.' In case Colton wasn't sure what Iris was hinting at she ran her hand up his thigh, stopping just short of her prize. It was wild for a while but they got hot and heavy and it didn't take long until they both settled into a more stable relationship.

Iris certainly loved Colton's attention. He was very adept and always seemed to know if they needed to take the shackles off and when someone needed a little sweet love. Tonight, Iris needed some sweet love, just like she did last night when they got home from San Francisco. Perhaps this guy had rattled her more than she was willing to admit and she sought comfort from Colton and he had strong arms to wrap her up in and Iris made sure she burrowed into him again tonight. He didn't mind, he adored this girl.

Adam wasn't surprised to see Colton the next morning. They were both early risers, which was everything that Iris was not. Often they had a coffee together in the morning before Colton left for work or home depending if he had clothes with him for work. "You should just move in." Adam muttered as he shuffled around the kitchen. Colton had also learnt to sit back and let Adam make the coffee. He was very particular about it and if someone tried to help he'd tell them, in no uncertain terms, that he wasn't dead yet.

"Not sure Bug will agree."

"Pffttt, doesn't know what she wants. Anyway it's not her house. I think you should move in; you are here half the time anyway." Adam bought him his cup, his hands shaking a little. "I'm used to having people around."

"Let's see what Bug says."

"You don't want to move in with her?" Adam growled unexpectedly. "You just using her for sex."

"Hey Pops…" Adam had always insisted that all their partners call him Pops, Riley did it, George did it and after about a year of having Colton around Adam asked him to call him Pops too. Colton stopped him before he continued on a rant he wasn't sure he wanted to hear at 6am. "…Love that girl, she's got my undivided attention. I'd live with her in a heartbeat."

"And her grumpy old Pops."

Colton chuckled. "He's not so grumpy, just loves his Bug."

He took Iris up a cup of coffee before he left. Setting it down beside her, she was still fast asleep so he watched her for a bit. He was mulling over Adam's offered, of course it wasn't up to him, it had to be Iris's choice but he could see himself living with her. Living with her Pops, that was unexpected but he was getting old and he knew Iris hated not being around. If Alfie was out or working Iris was always at home. This week she wouldn't stay at his place at all because Pops would be home alone and he really didn't mind. He just wasn't quite sure what Iris would think about Pop's offer.

He tucked some hair back over her shoulder and bent down to give her a kiss goodbye. "See you tonight Bug."

Iris muttered something sleepily, she was the most anti-morning person he had ever met. If she needed to be out the door at 730am she'd sleep until 715. Leaping out of bed at the last minute, she showered in three minutes, tied her hair up, rarely worried about make-up and threw on some clothes and was ready to go. He really loved that she didn't wear make-up all day every day. She didn't need it to be beautiful but when she did go all out she was an absolute stunner in his opinion. He as a lucky guy.

She called him on her way to College, she was of course running late. "Hey, I missed you this morning?"

"I bought you coffee."

"Yeah but I wanted a cuddle."

"You need to tell me these things some days."

"I always want to cuddle you in the morning."

"We cuddled good and proper last night." Colton reminded her. "You seemed to like it, at least that's what you told me."

The first time they had sex, after Iris literally dragged him out of the bar it was wild, they didn't even get all their clothes off. They had scrambled back to his place, barely got through the door and clawed at each other, Iris helped him out of his jeans while all he had to do was hitch up her skirt and get her underwear off which took no time at all and it was hard and fast. Neither of them had time to savour it, they just fucked each other and they were both okay with that. The next time though, just an hour later they took their time, explored each other's body's, kissed and touched every part they could and it felt more intimate. They were addicted to each other.

"Is that what we are calling it? I have other words for it." Iris knew what she was doing, she loved teasing him when she knew he couldn't talk. "Do you want to hear some?"

"Okay, I'm at work so this conversation needs to stop." He cut her off quickly. "Have a good day Bug and I will see you tonight." He had things to discuss with her, before her Pops did. He was guessing that Adam hadn't said anything because Iris never mentioned it.

It did come up later that night when they were in bed. Iris had been a little off again, even though she hadn't seen Xavier that day Colton could tell she was stressed about it, she didn't really ever see him on Tuesday, tomorrow was a whole new day though because they had class together and he knew that would be playing on her mind. It wasn't the only thing she was stressed about. "So Pops asked you to move in?" Iris bought it up. "You haven't said anything?"

"I didn't know if Pops talked to you about it or not. I didn't want to discuss it earlier either, I don't want him to get involved."

"What does that mean?"

"It's between you and me Bug."

"You don't want to live here? With me?" He couldn't believe she was crying.

Colton rolled over on to his side and propped himself up, he rested a hand on her chest to calm her down. "I do Baby, please don't cry. I hate it."

"Sorry."

"No, I hate seeing you upset about this. This came out of the blue a little."

"I think Pops is scared of being alone, he figures if you stay here then I will stay too."

"What do you want?"

"I want you to stay here but I understand if you don't want to take on the responsibility of Pops too. It's a lot to ask."

Colton smiled and kissed her. "Let's do this. Let's be parents to a grumpy, recalcitrant 92 year old."

"I love you."

"Ahhh Bug, the feeling is mutual."

They still had to discuss it with Alfie, Lola and Mae and with Gus. It was only fair. He also insisted that they needed to work out rent and splitting the bills. He knew that Iris didn't pay anything, Adam refused to take money from her, especially since she only worked a couple of hours a week in a bookshop which she loved. It was just enough to pay her gas money and give her some spending money. She had a trust fund that covered her schooling fees and she did get rental income from her property that Gus had tenanted.

Colton wasn't freeloading though and if Adam didn't accept something then he wouldn't move in. He wanted to pay his way. So they came to an agreement before they talked to anyone else.

At the end of the day, what was best for Adam was best for everyone. If it meant that he'd always have someone around at night then everyone was happy with that. He wanted to stay in his home and this was the best way to do it. Colton promised he wasn't taking advantage of Adam or his generosity or Iris's either. It took a bit of pressure off all of them and particularly Iris because she worried about him every time she spent the night with Colton.

Iris never really complained about taking on the care of Adam. Everyone helped out. Gus and Rhiannon were always around. Mae saw him a few days a week and Lola did take care of him when she wasn't working. He loved seeing his great grandkids. If Iris wasn't around all she had to do was let someone know and they would check up on him.

Colton had always been amazed at how much this family looked out for each other, but he guessed they had no choice. A nice normal family, he had craved it for so long and while he never really remembered what that felt like, it was nice to be part of it again. They welcomed him, he treated their Bug well and respected Adam and as long as he did that he always had a place in the circus tent.