Chapter 6

AFTER MY CHAOTIC RUNthrough the woods, I shared a quiet dinner with my parents and then stayed in my old room for the night. Mom and Dad didn’t ask why I wasn’t driving the three minutes back home. Instead, Dad had just poured me a double shot of whiskey, Mom put fresh sheets on my old bed, and I’d gone to bed early.

My heart hurt, like my chest was somehow too small for it. Tommy was going to be a father, and I was going to be a... what? An uncle? “Oh, my fucking... God!” I ran my fingers through my hair even as I lay in the old double bed, the lumpy mattress a testament to the decades that had passed since anyone had slept in this room.

I was never meant to be an uncle to anyone’s kids except my sister, who had unfortunately never found the right man, so she was the one looking forward to being an auntie. And Tommy and I had planned to give my parents the grandchildren they had always craved, and my sister the kids she so desperately wanted to dote on in her life. But now my brother had found a woman and started a family without me.

“This wasn’t the plan, Tommy. Fuck,” I moaned into the darkness. My whole life, I’d looked forward to our life. Our shared life. Our perfect pairs life. Our family. Our mate. Our kids.

What the hell am I going to do now?

***

THE NEXT MORNING, Islept until noon, having not fallen asleep until God knows what time in the early hours of the morning.. I’d been restless as hell and eventually had passed out from sheer frustration into a dreamless black sleep.

Mom poured me a cup of coffee and pushed a plate of golden scrambled eggs and crisp toast across the counter.

I picked up a fork and took a bite, groaning at the buttery, seasoned perfection. “How are your eggs still better than mine?” I asked with a sigh. I was the one who owned a restaurant, but it seemed I couldn’t touch a mother’s love.

She merely winked at me and went back to getting the bacon ready for my dad.

“Morning,” Dad said as he walked into the kitchen and slapped me on the back. “Restaurant closed today too?”

I shook my head. “Nah. I’ll be opening at five.”

“Oh, good. So you’ll have time.”

“For what?” I asked, taking a sip of my too sweet coffee.

“For the ultrasound,” he said matter-of-factly.

That too sweet coffee burst straight from my lips and all over Mom’s clean countertop.

“David!” Mom admonished, coming straight over with a washrag and a disinfectant spray. “What did you do that for?”

I was breathing hard, doggedly trying to swallow down the remaining coffee in my mouth so I didn’t die from lack of air. “Um...” I coughed. “You know about the—”

“The baby? Yeah,” Mom said, wiping up my mess without complaint. “What I don’t know is why you’re hiding in our house like a coward.”

“Whoa, love. Easy,” Dad said, sitting on the stool beside me, giving me a moment to recover from the gut punch Mom’s forthright words had delivered. “It’s only been a night.”

“Yeah, Mom.” I said, sounding like a petulant teenager. “Go easy. It’s only been...”

Mom’s eye roll was louder than the words I was going to say, so I shut my mouth.

She cleaned up without further comment, grimacing all the while.

Dad and I exchanged glances as we waited for Mom to make her point, but she was taking her time.

She fussed about, cleaning up and rinsing out the cloth.

So, with nothing else to do, I forced myself to eat some more of my breakfast, though my stomach hurt with every forkful of eggs I shoveled down my throat.

How long have they known about Tommy and his new baby? Since I arrived last night? Why didn’t they say anything?

But the answers to those questions were too daunting to truly contemplate, so I just continued to maintain my silence. No one gave me the truth like my parents, my mother especially. And I wasn’t sure I could cope with a dose of her reality at the moment, though I wasn’t going to run from it, either.

Mom finally turned around and leaned on the counter with both hands pressing into the wooden top. “Sweetheart, do you know for certain that Stacey isn’t your mate?”

I opened my mouth to say, “No. Of course not...” But the warning glint in my mother’s blue eyes stopped me.

“You don’t know yet, David. So, don’t throw away this chance at happiness... of love... for the sake of your wounded pride.” She reached out and cupped my cheek, then gave me a little slap. “Now, enough moping. Go to that ultrasound.”

I looked down at my plate. “That baby isn’t mine, Mom.”

She tapped my chin to make me lift my head. “And?”

“And? She isn’t my mate,” I said, feeling my anger twist and twirl in my gut. “She probably isn’t even Tommy’s, or he would have known the moment he met her.”

Mom’s lips twisted, and I saw her squash a thought, which was most unlike her.

“What?” I asked, my brow furrowing.

She shrugged nonchalantly. “You don’t know everything, kiddo. Only Fate knows what’s in store for you.”

I glanced between my mom and dad,

He was up and pouring himself a glass of water by the sink.

“What do you two know that I don’t?”

“Nothing,” she answered. “But we’re not going to sit by and let you throw your life away.”

I groaned. “This isn’t my life, Mom. It’s Tommy’s. Stacey is his lover. Her baby is his baby!”

“And what about Nancy’s babies? Hmm?” Mom fired back. “Whose perfect pair babies are hers? Are they Wade’s or Tanners? Does it matter?”

I opened my mouth to answer and realized I didn’t in fact know and neither did they. And they probably didn’t care one damn bit.

Mom tapped her watch emphatically. “Tick tock, son. You’re going to miss it.”

I began to think of every conceivable reason I shouldn’t go. “But...”

“Go,” Mom said firmly, putting on her authoritative parent voice. And there was no arguing with that one.

“Fine.”

Fuck!

I grabbed my keys and headed out the door.

Bloody parents.

They couldn’t possibly know what the right thing was for me. And they were totally wrong. It did matter that the baby wasn’t mine. I wasn’t even there for the conception, which at least Tanner and Wade had shared, I assumed.

Despite the fact that I’d always thought I’d live with Tommy in a family, we’d never had a single threesome. It seemed stupid in hindsight, but we just assumed we’d be like most perfect pair twins, and we’d find our mate and get married. Full stop. End of story. Once again, stupid. There had to be more to it than that.

How could we have been so na?ve?

I jumped in my car and headed home. There was no way I was going to the medical clinic. I’d grab some clothes and go stay at the motel. It wasn’t like I couldn’t afford it. But I had a shift starting in four hours, and I needed a shower and my work clothes. But my car didn’t park itself outside my house. Instead, I somehow ended up outside the clinic and the lights were on inside.

“Shit!” I hit the steering wheel with my palms and groaned. “No! Fate be damned, I’m not getting out.” I cringed just hearing myself. I sounded like a petulant teen. But I couldn’t sit here without getting out of my car. Even I wasn’t that stubborn or stupid.

I slid out and marched up to the door. It would likely be locked, and I didn’t have my cell phone on me, so I wouldn’t be able to call my brother to let him know I was here. So, then I’d go home. But my heart pounded against my chest, refusing to be quiet, and I couldn’t calm the fear that threatened to consume me.

What was the worst thing that could possibly happen here? I’d find out she wasn’t my mate after all, and she was here just for Tommy? Or that she’d refuse to even consider me?

I didn’t know, but I wasn’t a coward, and I’d prove it. I lifted my hand and knocked on the door stubbornly. I waited for two whole seconds then turned to leave.

There, I did it.

The door opened, and my brother was standing on the other side with his eyes wide and his jaw practically hanging open. “You’re here.”

“Mom and Dad thought I should come and see how my...” I gulped at the lump that lodged firmly in my throat. “Neice or nephew is doing.” The sadness I saw sweep over Tommy’s face was heavy enough that it made me look away. I couldn’t bear that kind of disappointment on top of what I was already feeling.

“Well, come in. We’re just getting set up.” Tommy waved me in.

I took a deep breath, then walked inside the clinic and glanced around the waiting room. “You painted,” I said, gesturing at the new light blue walls. The waiting room had been a crisp, sterile white for years. This felt much more welcoming and relaxing by comparison. It somehow settled the nerves.

“Yeah, we did,” he answered simply. “Come on, brother.” Tommy patted me on the shoulder encouragingly.

I walked down the hallway to the room at the end and followed him in.

Inside, Stacey was waiting, sitting on top of the table.

As soon as I entered the room, I lost my breath. She was so beautiful that my shifter howled inside my mind like a lunatic.

“Hi, David,” she said, smiling hesitantly at me.

“Hello,” I replied, shoving my wolf down as I stepped around one side of the table, away from all the machines. Her belly was huge, a lot bigger than I’d realized previously. “I’m sorry I didn’t stick around yesterday.” I didn’t touch her, though my skin tingled with anticipation.

She chuckled softly and ran her hands over her baby bump. “It’s okay, and I don’t blame you. Yesterday was really full on.”

I just nodded because what else could I do?

Tommy turned on the monitor and grabbed a paddle. “Just lie back and get comfortable, Stacey. Lift your top.”

She grimaced a little as she leaned back, shifting as though uncomfortable, then raised her tight black t-shirt. Her belly was round and odd... and strangely perfect.

“All right, let’s see how everything is going,” Tommy said as he applied clear gel and ran the probe over Stacey’s belly.

They both turned to look at the screen to discern the grainy image that appeared.

I couldn’t help but stare at Stacey’s hair, mesmerized by its glistening gold tones even beneath the stark indoor lighting.

“Okay, we’re measuring at twenty-six weeks, which puts the dates right in line with the conference,” Tommy confirmed, smiling at Stacey with relief.

They shared a moment and a flush of crimson rose in Stacey’s cheeks as she obviously remembered their night together.

Cold terror hit me in my belly unexpectedly, and I realized my mistake. This was too personal. I was intruding on their private moment, and I needed to leave as soon as possible. An uncle’s place wasn’t at his brother’s lover’s bedside.

I shouldn’t have come.

I stumbled forward awkwardly, eager to escape such a confronting situation. “Ah... I should go. This is for you two, not for me. It was nice to meet you again, Stacey.” I waved toward her, hoping against hope that I had my poker face in place. I couldn’t have her see just how crushed I was. None of this was her fault.

Catching me unaware, she reached out, grabbing my arm as I passed the bed. “No. David, stay,” she said calmly.

Electricity coursed through my body, making my skin tingle and my legs shake under me.

“What was that?” Stacey asked, gently taking her hand away and looking down at her palm with a perplexed expression, as though she might have felt something similar to what I had just experienced.

“Hey, brother, are you okay?” Tommy asked, his brow furrowed as he turned his gaze to me.

But I was unable answer. In the next heartbeat my legs buckled and gave out from underneath me, and to my everlasting shame I hit the deck like a freaking sack of potatoes. I couldn’t believe it. My mind reeled with shock. The perfect pairs stories were true! And not just for others, but for me too.

Well, I’ll be fucked.