Wyatt poured everything he felt into the song, because I love you wasn’t enough to convey everything he felt for this man.
Then Raph fumbled, trailing off, and he grimaced. Pulled his bow away from the violin. “Sorry.”
Sorry? That was the last thing Wyatt needed from him. He stood, his throat tight, and padded over to Raph. “That was beautiful.”
“Nah, I could’ve done better.” Raph scratched his neck, his face red. “I’ll go back and practice—”
Wyatt caught Raph’s face in his hands, pulled him down, and kissed him hard. “You did great,” he whispered. “I’m proud of you.”
Raph chuckled lowly against his lips. “I’m an alpha. I don’t need you to be proud of me.”
“Proud of you anyway,” Wyatt said. “It doesn’t matter what you are.”
For a long moment, Raph stared at him. Then he settled into a smile, and leaned his forehead against Wyatt’s. “All right.”
“Are we going to play some more?” Hazel asked, wriggling on the piano bench. “The kissing thing is gross, but I’ll deal if you teach me how to play the violin.”
Raph laughed. “Let me get better first, and then I’ll teach you.”
Wyatt smiled, basking in the cheer of his family. Then his stomach roiled, squeezing. Gods, it would be a pain, dealing with morning sickness all over again. “Be right back,” he said, heading to the bathroom.
Raph frowned. Wyatt ducked into the en-suite in his bedroom, and folded himself over the toilet. Pity about breakfast.
A minute later, Raph was beside him, stroking his back. “Is this gonna happen all the time?”
Wyatt spat, then flushed the toilet. “I’ll get used to it.”
“Are you okay, Dad?” Hazel asked from the doorway. “Do you need to see the doctor?”
Raph winced, glancing at her. Wyatt figured Raph had tried to distract her from the puking—only it never worked with that child. She was sharp, more so because she’d learned to read Wyatt a long time ago.
And maybe there wasn’t any way to hide this from his daughter. Wyatt sighed, wiping his mouth. “I really am okay. Remember the book we read about babies? About how a baby takes nine months before it’s born?”
Hazel nodded slowly, still frowning.
“Well, a month into their pregnancy, omegas tend to feel tired and nauseous a lot. So they’ll be very sleepy, and they’ll want to vomit every so often.”
He waited a beat, so Hazel could digest that. Then she blinked. “Does that mean... you’re pregnant?”
“Yes, I’m pregnant. The vomiting will be normal for me for a while.”
Wyatt wasn’t sure how she’d react. They’d talked about babies and alphas and omegas after reading that book, but Wyatt had never really dated an alpha long-term, not enough for Hazel to get curious about babies.
“So I’ll get a brother or a sister?” Hazel asked, her gaze sliding to Wyatt’s flat belly.
“Yes,” Wyatt said, holding his abdomen. “You won’t see the bump until a couple months from now. Then, if everything goes well, there’ll be a baby next February.”
Hazel nodded, still staring, a thoughtful look on her face. “Is Uncle Raph the other dad?”
Wyatt glanced at Raph. Raph shrugged, so Wyatt said, “Yes.”
“What is it like to have two dads?”
At that, a tiny coil of guilt wound into Wyatt’s chest. Maybe that was why he’d wanted Raph to stay, too. Because Raph was terrific with her. Another dad means you’ll have an easier life. Someone else to turn to when I panic. Someone who won’t fail you like I do.
“Kind of like having Uncle Sam and Aunt Penny with us,” Wyatt said. “Or like Uncle Raph. Except they’ll be around all the time, instead of just visiting.”
“Okay.” Hazel chewed on her lip, thinking. Then she brightened. “If Uncle Raph isn’t teaching me the violin yet, then can I go play on the piano?”
“Of course.” Wyatt rinsed his mouth, dried his face. He reached for Hazel, pulling her into a hug. “Anything you want, hon.”
She grinned, then pulled away.
Wyatt leaned into Raph, watching as Hazel padded out of the room. Raph stroked his back. “Feeling better?”
“Yeah. Thanks.” Wyatt looked at his hands, glancing at the knife scars left from the kitchen, and the one silvery gash, from when Max had hit him far too hard, and he’d fallen against a broken fence. “Sometimes I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing with Hazel, you know. I was still a kid when I had her.”
Raph pulled Wyatt into his arms, nuzzling his temple. “You’ve done great, Wy. She’s great.”
Wyatt sighed. “There’s that. But sometimes I think I’m selfish for keeping her to myself. I had the option of giving her up for adoption.”
She would have gone to better parents, people who didn’t break down and cry in grocery stores. She wouldn’t have to put up with a rotating cast of babysitters, or do her homework in a noisy drive-in.
“No,” Raph said, his eyes flashing. “I’m glad you kept her. You’ve done your best with Hazel, Wy. I’m proud to call her my niece.”
“That’s nice of you to say.”
“I mean it.”
Wyatt chuckled. “And sometimes, I think you’re too kind.”
“I love you, Wy. Love your daughter, too.”
Wyatt’s heart skipped. He burrowed into Raph’s chest, holding on to him. So maybe he needed to hear that sometimes, needed to know he wasn’t quite so terrible. “Thank you.”
Raph kissed his forehead, then hugged him closer, like Wyatt meant everything to him. For a moment, he was quiet. “I’d have more babies with you, you know.”
“More than one?”
“Yeah.”
He thought about a house full of children, and Raph by his side, wrapping gifts for them all. And that image made his heart soar. Wyatt bit his lip, his pulse thudding. “I’d love that.”
“Me too.” Raph held him, his arms strong, his skin smelling like teak and magnolia.
He was Wyatt’s stepbrother. And somehow, standing here in his bathroom with Raph, everything in Wyatt’s life felt right.
17
