“How is the baby?” Mom asked, looking down at his belly.
“Good. The ultrasound and bloodwork came back normal,” Wyatt said, breathing out his anxiety. “It’s starting to kick.”
“I felt the baby kick,” Hazel said, bouncing on her heels. “Will I ever have a baby?”
“That depends on whether you present as alpha, beta, or omega,” Wyatt said, setting his hand on her head. “I think you might present as alpha, though.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“None of them are bad. Everyone’s different.” He admired Hazel’s bright eyes, her indomitable spirit. She was brave, and good, and he hoped she would have a brilliant future. “In any case, you can also consider adopting a baby. But wait until you’re at least twenty!”
“You were eighteen when you had me.” Hazel looked innocently at him.
And he was twenty-seven now. With a nine-year-old daughter. Not something he’d ever imagined for himself. “You’ll be wiser when you’re older,” Wyatt said, smiling fondly at her. “I don’t want you to make decisions you’ll regret.”
Her face fell. “Do you regret me?”
“Never, hon. But I do regret that we have to deal with someone like Max.”
Mom glanced at him, her eyes sharp. “Max?”
“Max gives Dad bad moods,” Hazel said.
“An ex.” Wyatt shrugged. She’d stopped asking him who her other dad was these days. Wyatt hoped he’d never have to tell her. And hopefully she wouldn’t hate him for it, when she grew up and found out the truth.
It seemed as though everyone would end up hating him, somehow or other. Wyatt breathed out, looking at the gravel of the driveway.
“Are you going to tell your dad about the baby?” Mom asked after a while.
Wyatt gulped. “I guess I’ll have to. Is he busy?”
“He’s in the garage working on your Grandma’s car.”
“Oh. I’ve seen all his interviews,” Wyatt said. “Hazel and I have been recording them.”
Mom beamed. “That’s sweet of you.”
Wyatt shrugged. “We’re both proud of that. And I’m... not sure what Dad would feel about my news.”
Mom pursed her lips, worry darting through her eyes. “I’m not very sure, either. I haven’t told him. He can be stubborn.”
And Wyatt’s heart began to thud. He caught Hazel’s hand. “Well... if Dad doesn’t like the news, we’ll leave.”
“You’ll always have me, Dad,” Hazel said, looking earnestly up at him.
Wyatt’s throat tightened.
Mom squeezed his hand. “I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
He felt a little braver, walking to the garage with his mom and his daughter on either side of him. He should be stronger than this. But maybe Dad would disown him, and maybe that would mean he wouldn’t be Raph’s stepbrother anymore. And maybe things would turn out for the better.
Wyatt tried to figure how Stan Fleming would react. Dad loved his job, and he loved the town. He had frowned when Wyatt and Raph pulled tricks on the gardener, and he’d yelled when they’d accidentally dislodged the parking brake on a car, and it had rolled toward Penny.
But something like a relationship between his sons? No one was ever prepared for that. Especially not with a baby involved.
He glanced down at his belly, and breathed out. I hope you won’t have to face prejudice. I hope you’ll be accepted into society like everyone else. If that doesn’t happen, I’ll protect you.
Three more months, and the baby would be born.
They strode past the stately mansion, its glass windows gleaming under the afternoon sunlight. It was October, and the autumn chill hung around some days. This week was especially chilly; Wyatt had pulled on a knitted sweater, that hid his belly somewhat.
As they approached the garage, Wyatt heard the clink of metal falling on concrete, then some swearing. Dad crouched behind a Jaguar, looking for something on the floor.
He held his breath, and stepped forward with Mom and Hazel. “Hi, Dad.”
Dad glanced up, then did a double-take. “Wyatt?”
Wyatt’s heart lodged in his throat. He let go of Mom’s hand, so he could touch his abdomen, protect his baby.
“You didn’t say you’re expecting,” Chief Fleming said, grinning. He straightened, wiped his greasy hands on his shorts, and hurried into the sunlight. Then he looked around, eyebrows rising. “Congrats, son! Where’s your alpha?”
The lump in Wyatt’s throat grew, and his heart pounded. “It’s—He’s not around.”
Dad frowned. The sunlight glinted off his gray hair, and Wyatt saw the wrinkles on his face, the curiosity in his eyes. “C’mon, don’t say you have an alpha and then not bring him. Who’s he? We should meet. I’ll scare him a little, see if he’s good for you.”
It’s Raph. Wyatt squirmed, his hands sweating. Mom glanced sidelong at him.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, but he ignored it.
“Dad?” Hazel said, tapping on her phone.
Wyatt wiped his hands on his pants. “Not right now, hon.”
Chief Fleming strode up, pulling Wyatt into a hug. Pride shone in his eyes. “Damn it, son. You should’ve told us sooner! Are you bonded? Does your alpha treat you good?”
Wyatt opened his mouth, willing his voice to come unstuck. It’s Raph, it’s Raph. Your other son.
“It’s Uncle Raph,” Hazel said, looking up from her phone.
Hazel, no.
Wyatt closed his eyes, wishing he could burrow into a hole in the ground. His father’s spruce scent enveloped him, and he wished they were hugging under better circumstances, not with him carrying a baby he shouldn’t be pregnant with.
His belly pressed against his dad, awkward and incriminating. Wyatt wished Raph were here. Wished Raph were holding his hand, at least.
He pulled away from his father, unable to meet his mom’s eyes. “Raph is my alpha.”
Dad blinked. “What?”
Wyatt sucked in a breath. “Raph is my alpha,” he said again.
Dad stared, intelligent eyes locked on Wyatt. “You mean... you had someone else’s kid, and they abandoned you? Is that why Raph’s your alpha?”
He felt the prickle of his dad’s gaze on
