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 her face. “Sorry,” she said again. “I’ve been busy.”
Wyatt blinked. His expression was the look of someone who could be hurt, and hurt easily. And a surge of protectiveness roared through Raph’s chest. If Penny hurt him, Raph would get even.
“I wasn’t expecting you,” Wyatt said.
“Aunt Penny!” Hazel beamed. “I haven’t seen you in ages!”
Penny winced, her fingers curling into her purse. “Things came up in the lab. I’m sorry. It’s been hectic on my end.”
“We haven’t seen you for four months,” Raph said, narrowing his eyes. Sure, she might’ve been upset. But he’d tried leaving her messages, and so had Wyatt. In the end, they’d both given up. “You could’ve called.”
“I...” Penny breathed in and sighed, pushing her glasses up her nose. The drive-in wasn’t the best place for a discussion, not with townsfolk chatting and staff bustling around. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have stalked off that day.”
“Good that you realize it,” Raph said. Penny flinched.
“Raph.” Wyatt frowned. “Be nice.”
“And forget how hurt you’ve been?” Raph glared. “I understand this isn’t your cup of tea, Pen. But Wyatt’s made his choice. Respect him for that.”
Penny gulped, meeting his eyes. “Yeah. That’s what I dropped by for. I’m really sorry about that day.”
“What day?” Hazel asked, glancing between all of them, her eyes wide.
“The day I was supposed to stay for breakfast,” Penny said, cringing.
“Don’t forget the cheesy toast.” Hazel wagged her color pencil. “You owe me a cheesy toast. With chocolate sprinkles and icing sugar!”
Wyatt eased into a smile. Raph sighed. The kid really was great, diffusing situations without even meaning to. He’d had to take courses on managing people, and here Hazel was, a natural at it.
“I promise,” Penny said. She reached out toward Wyatt, before pausing. “I’m really sorry, Wy. I’d meant to drop by sooner, but I had to deal with my own doubts first. I’ve been thinking about it. In the end... it’s really your choice. I’d thought that maybe Raph felt the same way about me; we’re both omega. I was kind of creeped out.”
“Huh.” Raph hadn’t considered it from that angle. It would’ve been awkward if the situations were reversed, and Penny had a crush on him. So maybe he could understand why she’d reacted the way she did, and maybe he could forgive her for taking off. “No, it’s never been you.”
“Well, good.” Penny cracked a smile. “Either way, I’m really sorry about things. And for losing touch.”
Raph glanced at Wyatt. Wyatt had relaxed through Penny’s speech; he had always been soft with people, and he was the better person of them both. He looked like he’d already forgiven Penny for her absence.
Penny glanced between them. “I’ll leave if you want me to.”
“No,” Wyatt said. He reached out, pulling Penny into a hug. “Thanks for coming back, sis. I missed you.”
She hugged Wyatt. Over his shoulder, Penny met Raph’s eyes, smiling with some trepidation.
“You’re good,” he said, shrugging. “Just don’t pull that again.”
Relief darted through her face. “Thank you. I really am sorry.”
“Have a seat,” Wyatt said, perking up. “I’ll get you drinks.”
“I’ll ask Sam myself. It’s fine.” Penny smiled. Hazel scooted over to make space for her, and she settled into the booth across from Raph, her cheeks pink.
“I’ve got to return to the tables,” Wyatt said, squeezing Raph’s shoulder. “Be back later.”
“Sure,” Raph said.
Wyatt hurried back to his customers. Raph watched until his blond hair disappeared behind the polished lattice dividers. And Penny watched Raph.
“Can I have two cheesy toasts?” Hazel asked Penny. “I miss the ones you make. Dad makes them too, but they taste different.”
You little bugger. Raph snorted. All you care about is your dad, and food.
Penny pulled Hazel into a hug. “I could drop by sometime soon—we’ll see what your dad says, okay?”
“Okay.” Hazel hummed, coloring the roof of her stone well.
Raph didn’t know what he had to say to his sister; so
