Wyatt shrugged, grinning sheepishly. “Well, I wasn’t about to announce it to everyone, you know? But... this is a special circumstance.”
He met Olivier’s eyes, giving a genuine smile. Olivier felt a little bit less like a freak. He wasn’t the only one out there who loved his stepbrother.
When Wyatt brought the child seat over for Jenn, he touched Olivier’s shoulder lightly. “Raph and I have been married five years, now,” he murmured. “We thought we were the only ones, but... it’s nice to know we aren’t alone.”
“Do you have children with him?” Olivier blurted.
“Two plus Hazel—she’s a waitress here,” Wyatt answered with a grin. “Raph’s in the back with our little ones. You might see them if you keep a lookout.”
Wyatt left the menus with them. Olivier couldn’t help watching as the manager headed to the back of the restaurant, where the restrooms and an office were.
The office door opened, and an alpha stepped out—broad-shouldered, strong-jawed, two toddlers hanging off his legs.
Wyatt leaned in close to the alpha; they shared a kiss. Olivier’s heart pattered. That had to be Raph, Wyatt’s alpha. They were stepbrothers.
Then Wyatt whispered in Raph’s ear, and Raph looked over at their table, meeting Olivier’s eyes. Ollie blushed and switched his attention to Eric, who was also watching.
“You think?” Eric asked, a slow smile curving his lips. “Wanna get married?”
Olivier touched his belly, his pulse racing. He did. And yet... what would the consequences be?
He glanced at Cole and Aaron, who were discussing the menu. Eric hadn’t lost his relationship with them, even after they’d found out about the baby. Was it possible that Olivier could return to his family?
He swallowed, his chest tight with longing.
Then the front door opened, and Dad and Eric’s mom stepped in. Dad was wearing his best button-down shirt, his brown hair graying. Wendy looked older than the last time Ollie had seen her, with meticulously-curled hair and her makeup pristine.
Olivier wanted to look away, but he couldn’t.
Dad scanned the place, his expression neutral. Eric’s mom had pursed her lips.
Wendy’s eyes locked onto Olivier; her frown grew. Ollie’s heart sank.
He could’ve done without hearing another insult from her.
With her sons mostly on her side... could Ollie even hope to retain his dignity? Or would Wendy disparage him in front of her family, and turn them all against him?
24
Eric
Eric felt the moment Olivier tensed. He followed Ollie’s gaze to the restaurant’s front door, and saw his mother.
Wendy Lancaster’s mouth thinned, but she wasn’t looking at Eric. Instead, she was looking at Olivier, and it was the first time Eric had ever seen such revulsion on her face.
He swallowed, his heart aching.
The last time he’d seen her was the day he moved into Ollie’s place, when Mom had said Ollie had no place in the family, and she’d shut the door on Eric.
Since then, Eric had been struggling to reconcile the maternal figure he’d loved, and Ollie’s abuser.
Olivier looked down at the menu, digging his nails into its edges.
“Hey,” Eric murmured, closing his hand over Ollie’s fingers. “Relax.”
“I can’t,” Ollie whimpered, leaning toward him. “Everything’s going to go wrong, Eric.”
“What’s gonna go wrong?” Cole looked over, stopping his banter with Aaron.
Eric swallowed. It had been one thing, mentioning to Cole and Aaron what their mother had done. But it was something else, trusting them to take his side. They didn’t know the full scale of the insults and threats, they didn’t know Olivier’s terror and dread.
“Remember I told you how Mom abused Ollie?” Eric asked.
Olivier froze, paling. “Eric!”
Eric squeezed his hand. “They have to know, Ollie. Even I didn’t know until you told me. And it’s not fair to you.”
Ollie hunched his shoulders, as though he was trying to hide himself.
To Cole and Aaron, Eric said, “There’s a side of Mom you don’t know. That’s the side of her that hates Ollie. It’s why she’s always pitted you guys against him in the past. She’s threatened to send him to jail because he liked me. And she actually called him a slut, okay? He’s not one.”
Olivier looked at his hands, fidgeting.
Cole frowned; Aaron looked disbelievingly at Eric.
“Why haven’t I seen it before, then?” Aaron asked.
“Because you weren’t looking out for it,” Eric said. “Just watch.”
He didn’t know how his mom would react to Ollie in front of the entire family. It had happened before, with none of them the wiser. But now... he knew. And if things got bad, he would take Jenn and Ollie and get out of there.
Mom and Dad made their way over to the table, Dad leading the way. Eric held Ollie’s hand tightly, keeping an eye on Jenn. Jenn crammed four of her fingers into her mouth.
When Dad arrived at the table, he took a seat at the far end, where they’d left places for him and Mom.
Mom swept her gaze over them all. “Cole! And Aaron—I haven’t seen you in such a long time.” She leaned in to hug them, avoiding Eric’s eyes. Then she glanced at Jenn, and Eric. “Eric. And Jenn—such a dear little thing. Are there menus for all of us?”
There it was again, that subtle barb that Eric wouldn’t have noticed at a different time. Cole and Aaron exchanged a glance with Eric, then Olivier.
“You forgot about Ollie, Mom,” Aaron said brightly. “Aren’t you going to give him a hug, too?”
Mom tensed, her smile freezing ice-cold on her face.
Olivier’s nails bit into Eric’s hand. “No, no, it’s fine,” Ollie said. “I have to go to the bathroom.”
“Call me if you need help,” Eric said.
Ollie nodded and stood.
“Olivier, you’re pregnant,” Dad said with some surprise.
Ollie forced a smile. “I am.”
“Congrats! Why didn’t you bring your alpha?” Dad glanced past Eric, as though he were looking for someone else.
Olivier’s ears turned red. “He’s, um, around.”
Eric’s heart sank. He wanted Ollie to acknowledge him as his alpha. But he also understood the threat Olivier felt—that was more important than Eric’s pride.
“I’ll be in the bathroom for a bit,” Olivier squeaked. He left
