The waitress came by to deliver their drinks, before taking their orders. Dale watched as she headed over to the next table, some of the excitement fading away from his eyes. And even though Greg didn’t want to, they needed to start the conversation about the pregnancy.
“So, the baby,” he said.
Dale sighed, glancing back at him. “The baby.”
“I thought you’d be more excited.”
With the way he’d been so upset by his infertility, Greg had expected Dale to be elated by the news. But Dale fiddled with his cutlery, tugging at the napkin wrapped around them.
“Maybe when I feel a little more secure about it.” Dale twisted his fingers together, his shoulders hunched. Greg wanted to scoot over, give him a hug. “I mean... This is unexpected news. I had no plans for children. And I certainly didn’t mean to implicate you—I’m sorry.”
“You shouldn’t be sorry,” Greg said. “I should be the one apologizing.”
“I shouldn’t have stopped you when, you know.” Dale glanced around them, lowering his voice. “You asked about contraceptives. I should’ve been more careful.”
“There’s no point regretting it, I guess.” Greg shrugged. “You’re fine with it. I’m fine with it. We just gotta move forward.”
“You’re fine with this? The baby?”
“Yeah. I’m not gonna abandon you just because I’m not prepared.” Greg laid his hand on the table between them, palm facing up, inviting Dale’s touch.
Dale eyed it, his gaze sliding away. He glanced at the patrons around them, then at Greg’s hand, as though he wanted to link their fingers together. “I’ve thought about it,” he said, pulling out a notebook from his satchel. “We’ll just have to straighten things out.”
On the notebook, there was a list of bullet points: Responsibilities, Finances, Scents, Misc. Under each point, tinier writing made up a few paragraphs.
Trust him to think this over. Greg smiled, watching him. Why am I not surprised? Dale was a professor. Of course he would analyze all these things and put them together like a goddamn lab report. It was kind of cute.
Dale tapped his pen on the first bullet point. “To be honest, this is entirely my fault. I’m perfectly willing to take on a hundred percent of the responsibilities.”
“No,” Greg said. “I’m its father too. I’d rather do fifty-fifty, or something in that range.”
Dale’s lips twitched. “You just have to be my best student, don’t you?”
I am? Greg’s heart skipped. “I want to be the best. For you.”
He hadn’t meant it to be that cheesy. But back in the college washroom, Dale had looked up at Greg, his eyes watery, and Greg had felt something in his stomach tug. Dale had been helpless, and Greg had needed to help him, protect him. Make him happy.
The more Greg thought about it, the more this didn’t feel like a crush anymore. Where was the line between a crush, and whatever came after that?
For a moment, Dale stared, his throat working. “It would be so much simpler if you shirked your responsibilities. Your... status as Bernard’s son complicates many things.”
And it came back to his father again—Greg’s status, Dale’s employment. Greg could have so much power over Dale, just by his status alone, but he didn’t want that. “I know. Tell me if I’m pushing too hard.”
Dale smiled wistfully, turning the pen over in his fingers. “You’d make such a good alpha for someone else. I don’t mind being the only parent listed on the birth certificate.”
Greg’s stomach knotted tight. “What?”
Even though the pregnancy was unexpected, and even though he couldn’t imagine himself a father at twenty-two, Greg had never once thought about leaving Dale. Not when this omega was important to him. Not when he’d watched Dale over the past two months, learning his mannerisms, learning how to read him. Learning the ways Dale smiled when he thought he was alone.
“You’re young, Greg. You have an entire life ahead of you. Don’t waste all those possibilities.” There was a telling shadow in Dale’s eyes. Greg’s thoughts whirled. Does this have to do with the divorce? Which bastard alpha would mark you and then dump you?
“I won’t be wasting it,” he said, frowning. “I don’t care about my future.”
“I care. There are so many things you can do—fulfill your dreams, go on to play in the national league. Continue school. Travel the world. Anything. Don’t you see?” Dale looked earnestly at him. “You don’t need a child holding you back.”
Greg fought down the whisper of dread in his chest. Dale’s words were like a sermon he’d heard too many times. “You sound like my dad.”
Dale looked away. “And he’s right.”
“I want to court you. In case that’s not obvious.”
“I just—” Dale sighed. “We’ve been over this. I’m not good for you. There won’t be anything positive coming from a relationship with me.”
Dale made himself sound terrible. Like he didn’t deserve a chance. After Tony’s death four years ago, Greg had realized that the future couldn’t be taken for granted. Hell, Tony had died at eighteen. To hear Dale decline a relationship just because of age... Greg bit back the snarl of anger in his veins. “You don’t know. You haven’t even tried.”
Dale met his eyes then, and the defeat in his eyes silenced Greg’s protests. “Look around us. Everyone is in a socially-accepted relationship. I am your professor,” he said quietly. “And your father employs me. Can you tell me what he’ll do if he finds out?”
Yeah, Greg had thought about it. His father would force Dale to end the relationship, maybe terminate his employment. Maybe schedule him for an abortion. Greg swallowed, his heart aching.
“He can’t do anything if we’re bonded,” Greg said.
Dale opened his mouth. Closed it. He curled his wrist toward himself, looking at the silvery scar there. A mark from someone who had deserted him.
Greg wouldn’t leave.
“I don’t love you,” Dale finally said. “It would be a... waste for us to bond.”
A waste? Greg quelled
