“You’re... treating Ollie like your own,” Cole said with some surprise.
Eric snorted. “That’s because he is.”
Eric handed Jenn to Olivier, slinging the diaper bag over his own shoulder. Then they turned, and Aaron pulled into the parking lot in his sports car, stepping out next to them.
Unlike Cole, Aaron was taller, lean and wiry, smelling like pine. Even though Aaron was the youngest of them, Olivier couldn’t help pressing into Eric’s side for safety.
“So,” Aaron said, looking between the three of them. “Are we still pissed with Eric?”
“No,” Cole said.
Olivier looked up in surprise.
“Really?” Eric asked, glancing at their brother.
Cole shrugged. “I guess you’ve convinced me. You missed out on the details, Aaron. Too long, didn’t read—turns out, Mom might be the bad guy.”
Aaron’s jaw dropped. “What? How? Not Eric?”
“I guess I do kinda trust Ollie to be safe in Eric’s hands,” Cole said, nodding toward them. “Who else do you trust but your own brother, right?”
“Wait, how’d we get from ‘Eric’s a sick jerk’ to ‘Eric’s the hero’?”
Eric snorted. Cole crossed the few feet to Aaron, slinging his arm around Aaron’s neck.
“Haven’t seen you in a while, little bro,” Cole said, ruffling Aaron’s hair.
Aaron yelped in protest. “My hair!”
“I don’t believe this,” Olivier said, staring at their brothers. “This was supposed to go upside-down.”
Eric blew out a sigh. “I guess we don’t have complete jerks for brothers.”
“Only half-jerks,” Cole said dryly.
Eric slipped his arm around Olivier’s waist, pulling Ollie close. Olivier held his breath; they were still in public. But Eric brushed a kiss to Ollie’s forehead, and there was his comforting cedar scent, all over again.
Olivier breathed his alpha in, calming down. A forehead kiss was safe. Maybe they could get away with this.
“I couldn’t do this without you,” Olivier whispered, leaning into Eric. Time and again, he’d wondered if he could truly step away from Eric now, and emerge unscathed. Being Eric’s omega was one of his wildest dreams come true.
“I don’t want to do this without you, either,” Eric murmured. He tickled Jenn’s belly. Jenn babbled, trying to catch his finger.
Then Eric pulled Ollie closer, kissing the corner of his lips. Olivier squawked; his entire face flooded with heat. “Eric!”
“Ew,” Aaron said. “That’s not safe for work.”
Ollie whirled around, only to find his brothers watching them. His senses jangled with alarm. Jenn squealed.
“See how they convinced me?” Cole asked, smiling lopsidedly. “I bet it’s a scam.”
Eric flipped him off.
“Don’t do that in front of Jenn,” Olivier cried, covering Eric’s fingers with his hand. “Eric!”
“I won’t if there’s no one around to annoy me,” Eric grumbled.
“I mean, Ollie’s kind of cute,” Aaron said, squinting at Olivier. “I can see why Eric likes him.”
“Hands off,” Eric growled, scowling. Then he stood in front of Ollie, puffing out his chest. “He’s mine.”
“But we can still hug him, right?” Aaron wandered around Eric, pulling Olivier into a hug. “Sorry for all the silence,” he said sheepishly. “It’s really been a while. Do I even have your number? I’ll flirt with you if it gets on Eric’s nerves.”
“Aaron!” Eric scowled, but he was only pretending to. He’d relaxed his defensive stance, and deep down, Ollie was glad Eric felt comfortable with their brothers, too.
“What if I answered Aaron’s texts?” Olivier asked, grinning.
“Then I’m not sleeping in your bed.” Eric nudged him.
“That’s really too much information.” Cole rolled his eyes. “C’mon, are we going in? Wyatt’s peering at us wondering if he should send a waitress out.”
Eric met Olivier’s eyes. Olivier nodded, relaxing against Aaron’s chest. Somehow, their brothers weren’t casting them aside. Cole and Aaron were accepting them, and maybe, just maybe... Ollie might get to keep his alpha, and the rest of their family.
His spirits lifting, Ollie slipped his hand into Eric’s. “We’re going in,” he said.
Eric grinned, boyish once more. He nudged Aaron off Olivier, leading them into Wy’s Drive-In. “C’mon, let’s get some food. I’m starving.”
Inside, Wy’s Drive-In bustled, the scent of rich broth heavy in the air. Potted bamboo plants led in from the front door, and a noodle bar offered a peek into the steam-filled kitchen. Cutlery clinked; wait-staff hurried to and fro with trays of noodle bowls.
Cole waved at a slender omega with a yellow apron. “Wyatt! Table for seven, and we need a child seat.”
“It’s been a while since we’ve all gotten together, hasn’t it?” Olivier mumbled, his chest aching with nostalgia.
Eric nuzzled his ear. “Yeah, it has.”
“Your belly is kinda round,” Aaron whispered, staring at Olivier’s abdomen. “There’s really a baby in there?”
Olivier flushed, smoothing his hand over it. “Yeah, there is.”
“Is it Eric’s?”
“No, it isn’t,” Cole said, at the same time Eric growled, “It’s mine.”
Olivier froze, his heart missing a beat.
Cole looked accusingly at Olivier. “It’s really Eric’s? He’s your brother! I mean, when I said it was okay for him to be your alpha...”
“Stepbrother,” Eric growled. “Not brothers.”
The waiter stopped next to Cole, surprise flashing through his eyes.
Olivier wanted to hide his burning face. “Cole! You weren’t supposed to announce it to the whole restaurant.”
“Really?” the waiter asked, perking up. “I married my stepbrother, so...”
At that, Olivier turned to stare.
The waiter was an omega, his gaze soft and friendly, his magnolia scent barely-there amidst the restaurant’s smells. His nametag read Wyatt Fleming, Manager, and he was beaming.
“It’s pretty rare to find anyone in love with their stepbrother,” Wyatt murmured, glancing at the bonding marks on Olivier’s neck. “If you ever need recommendations for anything, feel free to hit us up.”
“Oh,” Olivier said, his mind whirling with the information. Another pair of stepbrothers had gotten married. It was possible?
“Wanna marry me?” Eric murmured in Ollie’s ear.
Olivier’s heart stopped. He’d never even considered that possibility. Him and Eric, married? “I-I, um. I need to think about it.”
Eric smiled, though, and they followed Wyatt to a long table further inside the restaurant.
“I didn’t know Raph was your stepbrother,” Cole was saying to Wyatt. “I thought you just adopted
