“Do you have shirts in XL?” Raph asked. “And a toothbrush?”
“I have a spare toothbrush,” Wyatt said, riffling through his bathroom drawer. “Hazel and I went on a road trip up north—there were complimentary toiletries in that one hotel. Here.”
In silence, they brushed their teeth, their eyes meeting through the bathroom mirror. They’d done this a decade ago, too, back when they’d been children. Never naked, though, and never with a baby involved.
Wyatt glanced at his scent gland, wincing at the dried blood that had crusted over it. His belly might have been flat, but there was no way to hide the bonding mark. Not that he could from Hazel, not for long.
“Thought about what you’re gonna say yet?”
“I’m thinking!”
They took turns to wash up. Wyatt waited for Raph to pull on his day-old shirt and jeans; Raph’s shoulders were broader than Wyatt’s, and none of Wyatt’s clothes fit. When they were dressed, Wyatt took a deep breath. “Ready?”
“Whenever you are.” Raph squeezed his hand.
He’d never thought he’d feel trepidation in his own home. But as Wyatt cracked open his bedroom door, his heart thumped. If he thought this difficult with his own daughter, he wasn’t sure how he’d deal with his parents.
Hazel was in the kitchen alone, stirring a bowl of cereal. “Morning, hon.”
She beamed at him, kicking her legs against the kitchen stool. “Morning, Dad.”
He stopped by his daughter, bending to give her a hug. She smelled like soap and shampoo. “What’s new?”
“There’s no more cereal left.” Hazel pouted. “It was my favorite.”
“That’s fine—we’ll get more at the store.” Wyatt pulled out a second stool next to her, settling down. “I didn’t mention it, but Uncle Raph stayed over last night.”
“He did?” Hazel glanced around. “I didn’t see him.”
“I borrowed your dad’s bed.” Raph stepped into the kitchen, waving. “Hey.”
“Oh,” Hazel said. She stirred the cereal, glancing between Wyatt and Raph. “Did you do the sex thing? Aunt Penny said if two people share a room, they’re probably doing the sex thing, but it’s not polite to talk about it.”
Wyatt stared. And his face burned all the way to his hairline. “I...” He coughed. And coughed some more. “We, uh...”
Behind, Raph muttered, “That bitch Penny is such a loudmouth.”
Wyatt glared over his shoulder. “Raph! That’s rude.”
“You shouldn’t let Aunt Penny hear you,” Hazel whispered loudly. “She gets pissy if you say bad things about her.”
Raph shrugged. “She’s my sister. I call her whatever I want.”
Wyatt didn’t know if he wanted to laugh, or cry. To Hazel, he said, “How did you even know that about Penny?”
Hazel crunched on some cornflakes. “Last week, I told her that her dress was ugly. She got kind of mad at me.”
Raph snorted, setting last night’s wine back in the cupboard. “I like you, kid. You speak your mind.”
Hazel beamed. “So is this like the movies where I get both of you together and we’ll have a happily-ever-after?”
Was a happily-ever-after even possible for people like them? Wyatt leaned into the table, his shoulders sagging. “It isn’t that simple, honey. We’ve discussed this before, haven’t we? You marry people outside your family. Uncle Raph is my stepbrother.”
Hazel slurped a spoonful of milk, watching Raph. And Raph returned to Wyatt’s side, his hand slipping over Wyatt’s shoulders. A touch that said, I’m here.
Wyatt’s heart kicked. He was grateful for Raph’s presence. Raph had been comfortable against him last night, his touch soothing as Wyatt slept. Raph didn’t even comment on the state of the kitchen—the taped photos on the walls, the chipped bowls that Wyatt had retired from the drive-in. At least the counters and stove top were clean.
“But you marry people you love, don’t you?” Hazel asked, her eyes bright and curious. “Why is it so wrong to marry my dad?”
Wyatt glanced at Raph. He hadn’t an answer to this question, either.
Raph dragged a third stool out, settling by Wyatt’s other side. He set his hand on Wyatt’s thigh, and held it there—he wanted to keep that connection between them. Max had never done that with Wyatt. None of the other alphas had.
“Because it’s been proven that children born between siblings may lead to birth defects. Wy and I aren’t related by blood, though.”
“So you can marry him?” Hazel peered at Raph.
“We haven’t even talked about marriage yet,” Raph said. “See, the thing is, your grandpa’s famous in Meadowfall. He’s the police chief, right? And people don’t care that Wy and I were born from different sets of parents. All they know is that we’re brothers.”
“Stepbrothers,” Hazel said.
Wyatt cracked a smile. Raph squeezed his thigh, grinning a little. “So if anyone learns that Wy and I like each other, they’ll get angry. They’ll think it’s wrong.”
“But they’re the ones who are wrong.” Hazel frowned. “You’re not related by blood. So your babies will be fine.”
Raph choked down a laugh. Wyatt touched his belly, wondering when they’d be ready for Hazel to hear that news. His cheeks prickled. “You’re okay with siblings, hon?”
Hazel chewed on her lip, brow furrowing. “Maybe.”
“Either way, it’s none of the town’s business,” Raph said. “They don’t know the truth. They may not accept the truth. They don’t need to judge Wy’s life when they don’t know the half of it.”
“Some people need to shut up,” Hazel said, nodding.
Raph’s grin widened. “Gods, I wouldn’t mind being your dad,” he said. “You’re cool.”
Hazel perked up. “So are you going to be my dad?”
Wyatt groaned. The conversation had spiraled out of his control, but in a good way. And maybe he wished he could have Raph around more, because Raph was incredibly good with children. Enough to make Wyatt’s heart ache for him.
“Hazel,” Wyatt said, to stop himself from mooning over his brother. “We’ll just be seeing more of Raph—that’s all. Raph and I haven’t talked about marriage, or him being your dad, or anything like that. It’ll take a while. We’ll have to get to know each other better first.”
Hazel nodded solemnly, digesting his words. “By doing the sex thing?”
Raph coughed. Wyatt
