“Do you need to see the doctor?” Hazel winced. Wyatt missed it, because his back was turned, but Raph saw. And he wanted to hug them both. There would be bills with this pregnancy; Raph would be there to catch them, loan or no loan.
“No, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me, hon.” Wyatt spat into the toilet, rinsed his mouth into it, and flushed. And promptly bent over it again, groaning. “Gods.”
The doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it,” Hazel said, frowning. She left the bathroom door ajar, her feet pattering away.
“When are you gonna tell her?” Raph asked. “She’s sharp. You can’t hide the puking from her.”
Wyatt sighed. “I don’t know. It’s a lot to keep quiet about. I’ve put her through a bunch, Raph, and I don’t want to give her more—she already feels responsible for me.”
The way Hazel bossed her dad around sometimes, it seemed as though she might present as alpha. And Raph couldn’t fault her for wanting to keep her dad safe—he felt the same.
They stood in the bathroom, staring at each other. Wyatt heaved again. He bent over the toilet, mug tipping, water sloshing over the edge. So Raph held his hand to steady the mug, rubbing Wyatt’s back.
He didn’t notice the voices until the door opened.
“I can send him to the doctor if it’s bad,” Penny said, her voice trailing off.
Raph looked up. And met her eyes, feeling like the older brother who’d fallen on his ass, after laughing at his sister for the exact same thing.
“Raph?” she spluttered. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“What the hell are you doing here?” he said. Because, shit, he’d told her he hadn’t seen Wyatt for years. And now this.
“I asked first,” Penny said. She looked between Hazel, Raph, and Wyatt, her forehead furrowing. “I thought you guys weren’t talking.”
“I’m puking,” Wyatt said. “Go away and leave me alone.”
Penny planted herself firmly in the doorway. “No, Wy. We’re your siblings. We’re entitled to watch you puke.”
But her gaze roved over Raph’s hands, where they held Wyatt’s fingers, and his back. And Raph kept his touch steady, didn’t pull away.
“Wait,” Penny said, her eyes darting between them. “You know about Wyatt.”
She meant Wyatt’s pregnancy, and of course Raph knew. He didn’t think she’d been aware.
“Yeah,” he said. “I know.”
Penny sagged. “I feel so betrayed. I thought you had a falling out. Why did you lie to me?”
Then she looked at Hazel, who pursed her lips, pinched her fingers together, and dragged them across her mouth. “Sworn to secrecy.”
Raph tried not to smile. Hazel was funny. “Yeah, it was a secret.”
“Why the hell should it be a secret? Wyatt, I’ve been babysitting Hazel for years. You’ve been keeping secrets from me?” Penny’s voice raised by an octave, and Raph felt a tiny bit sorry for her. Just a little.
“Look, it isn’t your business,” he said, his stomach flipping. She was his sister. They had commiserated with each other through Wyatt leaving home, even if Penny was a loudmouth.
She glared at him, pushing her glasses up her nose. “You’re just setting aside your differences like actual adults. Why does it have to be a damn secret?”
Maybe Raph should ask her to leave. Wyatt’s neck was red, the tips of his ears pink. He gurgled some water, pointedly ignoring her eyes.
“Wait,” Penny said, breathing in.
Raph didn’t know how obvious their scents were, mingled like that. Shouldn’t have marked him. Please don’t be your usual smartass self, Pen. Please.
“I’m puking,” Wyatt said. “Go away.”
“Are you feeling better, Dad?” Hazel asked.
And maybe Hazel had the most decency of them all. Raph swore inwardly, scanning Wyatt’s face to make sure he was okay. But Wyatt looked embarrassed. He wanted them to be a secret. And even though Raph agreed with his reasons, having to hide their relationship rankled.
“I’m feeling better,” Wyatt said, slanting a grin at Hazel. “You don’t have to worry, okay?”
Hazel beamed. “Can I make breakfast since you’re sick?”
“Sure thing.”
Hazel cheered and skipped away to the kitchen. Raph relaxed slightly; they didn’t have to dance around the subject now.
“You smell like each other,” Penny said.
All Raph smelled was the sour tang of puke. He filled the mug when Wyatt emptied it, handing it back. “I’m standing in the bathroom with him. ‘Course we’re gonna smell like each other.”
“No, it’s more than that,” Penny said, tapping her fingers on her arm. She had that narrow-eyed look about her, when she was figuring things out. And she was usually right.
Raph wished he could shut the door on her, but it would solve nothing.
Penny’s gaze flickered between them, lingering on Raph’s hand on Wyatt’s back. Then her eyes widened, and she looked at Raph. Really looked at him. Raph held his breath.
“Oh, hell no,” Penny said. “Wyatt smelled like you that day. When his scent changed.”
What could he say? It wasn’t like he would hide their bond.
Wyatt took a deep breath, then straightened, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. He flushed the toilet. When he turned, his eyes were determined, his fingers curling into Raph’s.
This is my omega, Raph thought, a surge of pride welling up in his chest.
“Yeah, you’re right,” Wyatt said, looking straight at Penny. “The baby is Raph’s. He’s my alpha.”
15
Wyatt
The silence that followed hung between them, impenetrable as ice. Wyatt wanted to crawl into a hole and never show his face again.
On the other side of the bathroom, Penny stared, her mouth hanging open.
She could reject them. She could call them sick bastards, and never return. She could tell Mom and Dad, and they would shake their heads, asking Why did you do this, Wyatt?
It had been one hell of an omission, when Penny had taken out days and weeks of her life, caring for Hazel when Wyatt was busy or ill. She’d brought him food when he’d been too busy between jobs to care for himself. She’d been seventeen when Wyatt first handed his daughter to her, afraid of passing
