“Me too,” Wyatt said.
“Me three,” Hazel said.
Raph stepped out. He rounded the hood and opened both doors, catching Wyatt’s hand, and Hazel’s. “We’re going up,” he said. “Just to tell Mom we’re fine. Then we’re going home.”
Wyatt squeezed Raph’s fingers, leaning into his side. “Will it be that easy?”
“Yeah,” Raph said, his eyes gleaming. “Watch.”
Wyatt held his breath. Together, they trooped toward the stairs. Mom’s smile grew, and Grandma’s frown deepened.
“What are you doing, Raphael?” Grandma asked, her eyes narrowed. “You were missing at the office today. I’m glad I fired you as my chauffeur. How shameful would it be if I were late?”
“Somewhat,” Raph said. “But nothing you can’t recover from.”
Grandma’s nostrils flared. She glared, jabbing a shaking finger at Wyatt. “And what is that omega whore doing with you?”
“Wyatt is my omega. Who I fuck and marry is none of your business.”
Wyatt turned, staring at Raph. Really? You’re saying that to her?
But the corners of Raph’s lips were turned up. Mom bit down her smile. And Grandma prowled forward, glaring so hard the whites of her eyes almost glowed.
“You ungrateful son of a bitch,” Grandma said, her voice rising, her necklaces trembling. “I’m taking you off my will. Forget what I said about the next three months. You’re fired. You’ll pay your debt in the next thirty days, and I’ll see that all three of you are banished from this town!”
Her chest heaved. She shook hard, the gold bangles on her wrists rattling.
“My mom’s not a bitch,” Raph said. “Either of them.”
“You’re the bitch,” Hazel said.
Wyatt stared at his daughter and his alpha, wishing he could add something, anything. Grandma had stalked after him through his childhood, had told him how worthless he was. But he wasn’t worthless. He had family, and he had friends. He’d done all the things Grandma had said he couldn’t.
As they climbed the first step, Wyatt took a deep breath, and said, “I have worth, you know. I’ve got my own restaurant. I’ve got an alpha, and I have children who love me.”
“Damn straight,” Raph said, squeezing his hand. He smirked, all handsome and confident, and, looking at him, Wyatt found the strength to continue.
“I might not have been your favorite,” he said, his voice growing stronger as he spoke. “But controlling people is really not what family is about. Raph, Hazel and I have been having a lot of fun over the past few months. Raph’s going to be Hazel’s dad.”
At the top of the stairs, Grandma seethed, pressing her hand to her chest. “Imbeciles,” she snapped. “Nasty little ingrates. You know I have a weak heart. You’ve lived under my roof for several years, all for free—”
“You’ve been making Raph pay you back,” Wyatt said. And a slow, hot anger burned in his chest. “You could have helped him soar, but you’ve dragged him down instead. Why force him to pay that loan in three months? Why ruin him? I think we should all be ashamed of you, Grandma.”
Grandma’s face turned an ugly shade of puce. She sucked in a deep breath, as though she was about to yell at them, or curse them with something terrible. Right now, Wyatt didn’t care. He had Hazel, and Raph, and their baby in his belly.
“Gods, I love you,” Raph said, turning. He cupped Wyatt’s cheeks, brushed their noses together. Then Raph kissed him hard, slipping into his mouth, tangling their tongues. Wyatt groaned, leaning into him.
To the side, Grandma gasped. Raph slid his hands down around Wyatt’s belly, and squeezed his cock.
Grandma made a terrible choking noise. There was a thump, and Raph claimed all of Wyatt’s mouth, dragged his wrist down Wyatt’s throat, marking him.
“Mine,” Raph whispered against his lips, his tongue slipping soft and warm in Wyatt’s mouth. “Gonna make you all mine.”
“I’m already yours,” Wyatt whispered back.
“Ew. Does that count as doing the sex thing?” Hazel asked.
Raph pulled his hands away from Wyatt, his eyes dark. “Maybe.”
It certainly felt like it.
When Wyatt looked up, he found their mom with her eyes averted, and a smile on her lips. Hazel was skipping up the stairs. “Great-Grandma fell over,” she said. “Think she had a heart attack?”
Wyatt glanced at Raph, then at Mom. So that was what the thump was, when they’d been kissing. No one had thought to stop them.
His fingers laced with Raph’s, Wyatt hurried up the stairs, his pulse racing.
Grandma had collapsed in a heap, her shimmery dress splayed around her. Raph turned her over onto her back. Her eyes had rolled up in her head, and her mouth was open. But her chest was still, and she didn’t move.
“She looks dead,” Hazel said.
“Anyone gonna resuscitate her?” Raph looked around.
Wyatt grimaced. Mom shook her head. Hazel unscrewed the cap of her bottle, and emptied it on Grandma’s face.
“I tried,” she said when they stared at her. “Guess she’s not an actual witch.”
Wyatt fought down a smile. They had to at least try, probably. But looking down at the woman who had hounded him since he was three, at her painted, wrinkled face and her bony, claw-like hands, he couldn’t find in himself the will to revive his past.
“I’ll learn CPR at some point,” Wyatt said. “Are you sure she didn’t just faint? This is... a little too convenient.”
Hazel nodded. “Max died today, too.”
His baby had just witnessed two deaths. Wyatt glanced at Hazel, suddenly worried. Would she have traumatic flashbacks from either death? Would she be okay?
Raph slipped his arm around Wyatt’s waist, pulling him into a hug. “She’ll be fine. She’s a strong one.”
Wyatt huffed. “I didn’t know you could read minds.”
“I can read your eyes. That’s all.” Raph smiled, kissing his lips. “Wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.”
Wyatt’s heart swelled with gratitude. Hazel grinned up at them both, her eyes bright. And maybe she would be fine, after all.
He crouched by Grandma, pressing his fingertips to her wrist.
With Max, the paramedics had pronounced him dead at the scene, and Dad had
