“When do I ever kid?”
Raph grinned. Wyatt popped the lid of the tin, peeling it back.
Inside, the fillets were packed in olive oil, their dark skins glistening under the kitchen lamp. Wyatt picked a fillet out, pushed it into his bowl of ice cream, and mashed the fish up. His stomach squeezed; he’d been waiting for this all day. “Gods, this looks so good.”
“The next time you say I look good, remind me that I share the honor with mashed sardines and ice cream.”
Wyatt laughed. “I’ll eat you too. Just saying.”
Raph rolled his eyes. “Hopefully not at the same time.”
“Can you imagine? If I set tasteful dollops of fish and ice cream on your chest, and ate it off?”
“Sick bastard.” But Raph grinned, and Wyatt popped the lumpy mixture into his mouth. Raph winced. “How is it?”
Wyatt chewed, rolling the oozing cream over his tongue. “The fillets are salty, but paired with the fruitiness of the olive oil, it complements the sweetness of the ice cream. And whereas the ice cream oozes, the fillets flake off—the mouth-feel is great. All it’s missing is a bit of crunch. I should’ve added some chips in here. 9 out of 10.”
Raph rolled his eyes. “That’s the sort of bullshit they say on the cooking shows.”
“Those are respected judges, okay.” Wyatt grinned, picked up the sardine tin, and drizzled some oil into his bowl. Then he scooped the mixture into his spoon, and extended it to Raph. “Want some?”
Raph gave the mint-green glob a disgusted stare. “Hell, no.”
Wyatt popped it into his own mouth, purring. It really did taste good. Raph was missing out.
Instead of commenting on the ice cream, Raph stepped over to Wyatt’s back, sliding his arms around Wyatt’s hips. Then he rested his palm against Wyatt’s belly, where there was a baby bump, now.
“I’ve missed you all week.” Raph murmured in his ear. “How’s the baby?”
“Good.” Wyatt snuggled into his chest. “I can’t believe it’s been almost twelve weeks.”
Raph peeled up Wyatt’s shirt to expose his belly. Then he ran his wrist over Wyatt’s skin, marking their baby, too. Wyatt’s face warmed.
Sometimes, it felt surreal, carrying Raph’s baby. It felt as though the heavens would strike him down, or the patrons at the drive-in would stare. But no one did.
As he leaned into Raph’s embrace, Wyatt thought that maybe... all of this was too good to last.
19
Raph
Hazel colored the leaves on the calendar, her lips pursed in concentration. Across the booth, Raph leaned back. “Your dad ever told you what he thinks of me?”
She paused in her coloring, glancing up. “He said you’re too nice.”
Raph snorted. “I’m too nice?”
She nodded. “Yeah. Kind of like Uncle Sam and Aunt Penny. Where’s Aunt Penny? I haven’t seen her in ages. She said she’d make me a cheesy toast.”
Two months had passed since Raph told his mom the news. They’d missed the charity audition; neither Wyatt nor Raph had heard from Penny, and Raph didn’t want to put Wyatt in front of the cameras. Not with his belly growing ever bigger, and no alpha to publicly claim him.
The Friday night drive-in crowd was always loud. Raph craned his neck, looking up over the polished lattice dividers. On the other side of the diner, Wyatt took orders at a table, while his waitresses skated out with full trays of food. Mina had grown more confident in her time here, and the drive-in ran smoothly.
Raph was proud of his omega, happy that the restaurant could run itself with minimal help from Wyatt. In the near future, Wyatt would be busy with their baby; these were all good signs.
Except Raph still hadn’t made the decision to move back to Meadowfall. He would have to, when the baby was born. And that involved the rest of their family finding out. He swallowed his unease, focusing on his bondmate instead.
Wyatt strode across the restaurant, tapping food orders into a screen. Then he turned, caught Raph’s eye, and headed over.
Raph’s heart quickened; he hadn’t seen Wyatt for five whole days. Video calls and texts only went so far.
Under the warm lighting, Wyatt looked radiant. His cheeks were flushed, his golden hair gleamed, and there was a noticeable bump behind his black vest. At twenty weeks, Wyatt could no longer hide the pregnancy from his staff.
Wyatt paused next to their table, smiling down at Raph, then Hazel. Raph almost reached out for him. He shouldn’t; there were people here who recognized them both.
So he held his hand down, admiring Wyatt in his starched white shirt and fitting pants, the way his lips pulled into a smile.
“How’s your day going?” Wyatt asked.
“I’m almost done with the April page!” Hazel said, bouncing in her seat. “I skipped ahead because this page has a well. Isn’t it pretty?”
“It looks great!” Wyatt ruffled her hair and grinned. “Have you done your homework?”
“I did English and Math.” Hazel smiled sheepishly. “I promise I’ll do the rest tomorrow.”
“Sounds good,” Wyatt said. “What about you, Raph?”
“I’m here. Doing better now.” He meant Better with you around. Over the months, they’d learned to read between the words they said in public.
Wyatt smiled, his eyes filling with delight. “Just two more hours, and I’ll be ready to leave.”
“Good,” Raph said. He had plans for them tonight, after they’d gotten Hazel to sleep. Wyatt’s fatigue had worn off two months ago; he’d resumed his regular hours at the drive-in. But on the weekends, he left at 9, and spent time with Raph and Hazel. Raph appreciated it—Wyatt kept later hours than he did, and they hardly had time for calls during the weekdays.
Tonight, he had plans to tuck them both in bed, and snuggle in front of the TV. Maybe share some ice cream, and maybe there’d be a massage involved. Maybe he’d cradle Wyatt close, and fuck him good and hard. Wyatt loved that.
“Um, sorry,” someone said behind Wyatt. The voice was familiar.
When they looked up, they found Penny, a grimace on
