Wyatt’s heart skipped a beat. He hadn’t dared look before this. Part of him still believed this was wrong, Raph and himself. But maybe things could turn out fine for them. Maybe there was a chance that they could build a family together, and not be ostracized for it.
He opened his mouth, about to speak when something moved in his belly. Wyatt looked down.
“What’s wrong?” Raph asked, frowning.
“I felt something.” It moved again, a faint pressure inside him. “The baby.”
Relief unfurled through his chest. He’d been waiting to feel it move; Hazel had moved at twenty-one weeks, and Wyatt had been hoping to feel this baby sooner than that.
“Can I touch?” Raph asked, his eyes lighting up.
Wyatt laughed. “After last night, Raph, you need to ask if you can touch?”
“Yeah. Absolutely.” Raph held his gaze, some of his boyish excitement fading away. “I want you to have control, Wy. Your body is yours first, and mine second. I want you to know you have a choice.”
He couldn’t help smiling then, his heart swelling full. “Gods, Raph. I keep falling in love with you.”
Raph grinned, pressing their foreheads together. “Where do I put my hand?”
“I don’t know if you can feel it yet.” Wyatt took his fingers, pressing Raph’s palm against his belly. “It’s very faint. You might only feel it after a few more weeks.”
“Damn.” Raph settled in close with Wyatt, his thigh nudging Wyatt’s hip. “But at least you felt it. I can’t wait to see our baby, Wy.”
“I didn’t know you wanted it this much.” Especially when they’d never dreamed about a family together. The baby had been a surprise, and Wyatt had thought Raph cared only because he felt responsible for it. But here Raph was, smiling like he’d been told the next phone model had been released early.
“It’s our baby,” Raph murmured, stroking Wyatt’s belly. “‘Course I’m excited.”
Wyatt melted. “Are you coming to the ultrasound with me, then?”
“Hell, yeah.” Raph kissed him again. “Were you serious last night, about me being Hazel’s dad?”
“Yes. Ask her first. I think she might be making breakfast now.”
“I’ve never seen anyone let their kids make them breakfast.”
“She’s been volunteering.” Wyatt followed Raph off the bed. They dressed by the closet, Wyatt stealing one of Raph’s T-shirts. It fell loosely over his shoulders, whereas it would’ve clung to Raph’s solid biceps.
“Nice shirt,” Raph said, humor glinting in his eyes.
“It definitely is.” Wyatt grinned back. “For something that mysteriously appeared in my closet.”
Raph slipped his arm around Wyatt’s waist. As they stepped out of the room, the low murmur of conversation flowed from the kitchen; Hazel was talking. Wyatt exchanged a look with Raph, quickening his footsteps.
They found Penny at the stove, wearing one of the drive-in’s egg-yellow aprons. She turned at their movement, her eyes growing wide. Then, she looked at the bump of Wyatt’s belly.
“I wasn’t expecting you,” Wyatt said, surprised.
Penny smiled sheepishly. “I wanted to see how you were doing. You didn’t look so great last night.”
“I’m doing a lot better today. Thank you.” After the intense sex last night, the memory of Max seemed so far away. Wyatt leaned into Raph, grateful for his alpha’s presence. He kissed Raph on the cheek, then stopped by the table, catching Hazel in a quick hug. “Morning, hon.”
“Morning, Dad!” Hazel grinned. “Aunt Penny promised to make cheesy toast. For all of us!”
“Really?” Wyatt looked up.
Penny nodded, her uncertainty falling away when she smiled. “And eggs on the side!”
“Thanks, Pen,” Raph said. He angled a smile at Penny, and Wyatt relaxed; things between the three of them were returning to normal. Or more normal than they’d ever been.
“I wanted to mention last night—Dad sent me to ask if you’d attend the Christmas dinner. Raph, too, and Hazel. Dad’s been missing all of us lately. He was upset that we missed the charity audition.”
It was October; Wyatt hadn’t had dinner with his parents in two months, ever since his belly began to show. He hadn’t even apologized to his mom for not sharing the pregnancy news. His stomach turned.“We should probably visit before then, shouldn’t we?”
“Dad was very insistent that all of us show up together.” Penny winced. “I tried to convince him it was better not to, but you know he gets stubborn.”
Wyatt sighed, looking down at his belly. Telling his mom was one thing. But telling his dad? What if Grandma was there? Because of course she’d be, and she’d look down her nose at him, saying people like him weren’t family. If Wyatt could travel back in time and fix her broken heirloom, he would have.
Raph glanced up from his phone, his forehead creasing. “So we’re going?”
Penny shrugged, turning back to the stove. “We don’t have to.”
They owed it to their parents to show up. And maybe Wyatt didn’t have a choice, if he really thought about it. He couldn’t hide the news about the baby forever; neither could he hide his relationship with Raph. “Oh, gods. I don’t want to think about it.”
Over her shoulder, Penny watched them. Raph set his hand on Wyatt’s belly, rubbing him. And maybe that was too intimate for witnesses.
“What d’you think?” he asked Wyatt.
“Sorry,” Penny said, blushing. “I’m still... still not used to seeing that.”
“You’ll get used to it,” Raph said. “We’re bondmates.”
Wyatt still hadn’t bitten Raph. But he carried Raph’s scent, and Raph wore magnolia and honey. It was beyond obvious who they were sleeping with.
Penny nodded jerkily, nudging at the scrambled eggs in the pan. “Don’t mind me. I’ll get better about it.”
It was sweet of her to visit, and kind of her to accept their relationship, however twisted it was. So Wyatt left Raph’s arms, stepping up to their sister. “I’m really glad you’re back with us,” he said, pulling her into a hug. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you guys, too.” Penny hugged him back, her expression uncertain. “So... breakfast as an apology?”
Wyatt grinned. “I wouldn’t say no
