“Is—is Grandma around?” he asked, his stomach flipping.
Mom shook her head. “No, she’s out. In Highton, I believe.”
Gods knew what she was doing in Highton on a Saturday, but that was fine. It was good. Wyatt sagged with relief, his nervous pulse slowing. “So... she’ll be back late? Can Hazel and I stay?”
Mom’s face lit up. “You’re absolutely welcome to stay for dinner. I just wish your grandma wasn’t around quite so much.”
He felt the same. “Thank you.” Wyatt leaned into the car, shooting Sam a weary grin. “Mom says Hazel and I can stay. We’ll be fine.”
“That’s good.” Sam glanced around. “How will you guys get home, though? Your car’s still in the grocery parking lot.”
“I’ll get my dad to drop us off, or something.” Wyatt tried not to wince; he didn’t know how Dad would react. “Or I’ll call Penny. It’ll be fine.”
“Call me if there’s an emergency,” Sam said. “I’ll do what I can.”
“Thanks.” Wyatt reached over to hug him. “I owe you so much.”
“I’ll expect your help in the future, then.” Sam winked. “Anytime, Wy.”
Wyatt backed out of the car, closed the doors, and watched as Sam drove down the driveway.
“What’s for dinner?” Hazel asked, turning to Wyatt’s mom.
“We’re thinking of some baked potatoes and a pork roast. How does that sound?”
“I want to help,” Hazel said. “Dad lets me make scrambled eggs.”
“Really?” Mom glanced at Wyatt, lifting an eyebrow.
“I taught Hazel my secret scrambled egg recipe.” Wyatt shrugged, smiling. Mom hadn’t frowned, or begrudged him about the pregnancy. She knew the baby was Raph’s. And yet... “You really don’t mind?” Wyatt asked, touching his belly. “I thought... you might want to disown me. Or maybe Dad would.”
“Oh, Wyatt.” Mom pulled him back into her arms. “You’re still my son. I am upset—” Wyatt held his breath “—but that’s because I have an idea about the difficulties you might face.”
“We’ve talked about moving out of Meadowfall. Raph wants to quit his job and move here, though.”
Mom frowned. “He hasn’t mentioned that to me.”
Wyatt froze. Why didn’t you? I thought you trust Mom enough to tell her things.
Or did Raph not plan to leave his job at all? He’d not given Wyatt an update on his transfer application, and it had been an entire month since he began to drop out of contact. Wyatt’s stomach twisted into a tight knot. Did this have something to do with the debt?
“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
