by Meg Bawden
Bristol waited for us beside Doctor Tanner’s office, rubbing his hands together. He glanced around the street before his hands went to his jeans, where he then rubbed them there too. I expected him to be nervous, but not this terrified. He’d been less anxious in the last ultrasound.
As soon as he saw us, he breathed out a sigh and dragged Grayson in for a hug, kissing his cheek. “What took you so long?”
Grayson pointed at the red mark on his neck, and Bristol rolled his eyes. “Can’t keep it in your pants, can you?”
“Why should I when I have this gorgeous thing to eat?” I didn’t slap his ass like I wanted to. Partners or not, Grayson was still the mayor and had an image to uphold.
Bristol opened his mouth, as though he was going to say something, but shut it again with another sigh. He opened the door, and Grayson thanked him as he walked through, with me following, and Bristol behind us.
The receptionist behind the desk greeted us with a huge smile. “Mr. Mayor! Hello, again!” She bounced to her feet, her brunette curls jumping with the movement.
The other patients glanced at us now that she’d drawn attention to us, and I noticed Bristol shift uncomfortably. Grayson merely smiled and touched his stomach, stroking it.
“Good morning. How are you?” Grayson said gently, cranking up his charm with a gorgeous smile that created dimples in his cheeks.
“Oh, I’m great, thank you.” She almost frothed at the mouth in excitement. “Are you here for your twenty-week ultrasound?”
Grayson hummed. “Yes, please. We’ll just take a seat over here.” He gestured to three of the uncomfortable seats in the corner and guided me and Bristol to them, taking a seat between us.
“Why doesn’t she just shout your business to the whole town?” Bristol muttered, more venomous than what I was used to coming from him.
“She doesn’t mean anything by it,” Grayson whispered, but even his voice had a hint of annoyance.
I wisely kept my mouth shut. Anything I had to say wouldn’t benefit anyone in the quiet room who’d leaned suspiciously closer to us, as though trying to hear what we were saying. One by one, patients were called into one of the doctor’s rooms, until finally, Doctor Tanner called Grayson’s name.
We rose together and followed the serious doctor into her room, her door clicking shut behind us. Between Bristol and I, the tension was thick enough to make it hard to breathe. We’d already received a lecture from Doctor Tanner about being fathers. She’d been our doctor since we were born, and apparently she knew exactly what type of men we were—mature, but still idiots when we were being too stubborn.
This time she didn’t say anything, though. She merely made a calculating noise and dropped into her chair behind her desk, shoving her glasses up her face. Grayson took a seat on the other side, while Bristol and I sat in the other two chairs Doctor Tanner had arranged for us.
“How are you feeling, Grayson? How’s the nausea, appetite, bowel movements?” She tugged the keyboard to her computer closer and tapped on it, typing something.
“I’m actually feeling well. The nausea is gone and my appetite’s increased. I’ve been eating the foods you suggested, and I’ve had no constipation.”
“Your urine?” She switched between typing on the computer and sending Grayson a serious look. Her glasses were hanging around the string on her neck. How much could she see without them? As though answering my question, she grabbed them and slid them on her nose, peering closer at the screen.
“Yellow, but I’m peeing perfectly fine.”
“He’s eating like a trouper,” Bristol said, and it earned him a sharp glance from Doctor Tanner.
“You’re taking care of what you’re feeding him?” she asked.
Bristol nodded quickly. “I’ve definitely tried. I’m no master chef.”
Grayson muttered, “I’m an adult, I can take care of myself,” loud enough for all of us to hear and I laughed.
Doctor Tanner made another noise but continued to type on her computer. Finally, after she wrote whatever she had to, she stood and waved at the bed near the corner, the same one where we had the last ultrasound.
Grayson rose and tugged off his jacket before unbuttoning his shirt and dropping both on the chair he just vacated. His pants were next to be undone, but he walked to the bed and lay down on it before he tugged them down slightly so Doctor Tanner had access to his bulging belly.
Bristol and I rose, hovering on Grayson’s left, as Doctor Tanner slid on her latex gloves. She slathered liquid on Grayson’s belly before she dragged the ultrasound machine closer and began. We watched, captivated, as she moved the scanner around until the sound of a heartbeat filled the small office.
I held my breath, gaze glued on the screen I last saw our baby on. It had the shape of a baby now, and even though I wasn’t an expert with ultrasounds, I could see the shape of him, or her, more clearly. The heartbeat thumped on screen, the sounds matching the movements, and my own heart felt caught in my throat.
Fuck. I wasn’t going to cry.
“There’s your baby again,” Doctor Tanner said, her voice gentler than usual. “He seems to be growing well, strong limbs, and an even stronger heartbeat.”
“He?” I asked.
Doctor Tanner gave me a look that might have made me cower when I was younger. “Yes, Mr. Scott, he. You’re having a son. There’s his penis right there.” She pointed to a blurry part of the ultrasound.
I pumped my arm in the air and spun on Bristol, shoving my finger in his direction. “You owe me a hundred bucks, buddy.”
Bristol rolled his eyes. “I don’t care about the gender, as long as he’s healthy.”
“Didn’t say that yesterday, when you thought he was a female.”
Grayson laughed gently and touched my arm. “Boys, we don’t want to annoy Doctor Tanner.”
“Too late,” she muttered, spinning her glare on us. “How old are you, Bristol and Blair Scott? I believe I remember spending twenty-five years as your doctor.”
Shame flooded me and I felt thoroughly reprimanded. It reminded me of the way Mom used to chastise me. “Sorry, Doctor Tanner.”
Bristol cleared his throat, a redness coloring his cheeks. He bowed his head, staring at anything but the doctor. “Yeah, sorry.”
“So you should be.” She tutted at us. “Honestly, the alphas and omegas around here. Sometimes I wonder if you’re old enough to be parents with the way you act.”
I smirked. “I believe your own son has two kids with a third on the way, Doctor Tanner.”
She rounded on me, and Bristol ducked out of the way of her narrowed eyes. He wanted no part of this, and I didn’t blame him. Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut. “What’s your point, Mr. Scott?”
I blanched, clearly seeing the error of my words immediately. “You’ve got a beautiful family, Doctor Tanner.”
She pursed her lips and pushed her glasses up farther on her nose before she turned back to the screen of the ultrasound. Pushing a button, a picture printed out similar to the way it had on the first ultrasound. She passed it to Grayson. “Congratulations, Mr. Briggs, you have a healthy baby boy on the way.”
Grayson grinned so widely that my heart flipped. His happiness melted me, and my insides turned into hot goo. His beauty still stunned me, but every step further into this pregnancy only made me fall for him harder.
I directed my own goofy smile at Bristol, the excitement making me feel unsettled, as if I couldn’t quite sit still. We were having a son. A son!
I turned on my brother. “You still owe me a hundred bucks.”
Bristol groaned.
Grayson
I wanted to pretend I wasn’t nervous, but I knew the boys could see it from miles away. My skin had flushed hot, the sweat clinging to my forehead as though I was walking to my death rather than to a coffee date with my parents, two people who were supposed to hate each other. What had happened in between the time I last saw them?
Bristol
and Blair each held one of my hands, their grip on me tight. I depended on their strength in that moment and I didn’t let go of them. Their strength gave me confidence I didn’t know I had.
My parents sat in the corner of the Coffee Nook, their heads turned as they chatted happily to Teddy. From what I could see through the window, they hadn’t changed that much, other than Dad’s balding head being more prominent than ever. Papa still had waves of crimson curls, vibrant and full on his head—he’s who I inherited mine from according to Dad—and he looked much younger than Dad, even though they were the same age.
Dad, on the other hand, looked his age, the lines of his face deeper than ever. His normal brunet hair had grayed at the temples, and instead of the red hipster glasses he used to wear, he had round gold wire frames that made him look wiser. What hadn’t changed were their clothing choices. Dad still liked his fancy brand shirts, Armani probably, and his long, pressed pants, while Papa had on one of his California T-shirts and cargo shorts that reached his knees, completed with a pair of Birkenstocks.
I cringed. They were like chalk and cheese, and many people made bets on how long they’d last. If it hadn’t been for Jon’s death, they might have lasted longer.
“Are you all right?” Bristol’s whispered words curled hot breath against my ear, and I closed my eyes for a moment, reveling in their mixed scents so close to me.
“I am with you and Blair.” I leaned up to kiss him, and he made a noise of content, and as much as I tried, I couldn’t draw myself away from him or his taste, at least not until Blair cleared his throat.
“Where’s mine?”
I laughed and gave Blair the same, but Blair held on tighter, kissed me so deep that he sucked on my tongue.
“We should go in,” Bristol said, and I knew he was right. It didn’t matter how much I tried, I couldn’t avoid it.
I inhaled deeply and then nodded, releasing their hands, which I had to do if we wanted to walk in there and avoid all the people already sitting in their chairs, drinking their delicious caffeine. Bristol grabbed the door, pulled it open, and walked in first, and I followed him with Blair right behind me. I was being guarded, and that settled my nerves some.
The café fell into hushed whispers, and I ignored the buzzing, an urge to escape, that tickled at my skin and made the hairs on my arm rise. My parents paused in their conversation, and when I got closer, Papa shoved himself to his feet, dragging me into a hug.
“Oh, Gray, Gray. I’ve missed you so much.” He kissed my cheek and then my other one.
I wanted to ask him why he missed me, but I was too busy melting into his arms like I was a kid again, craving his parent’s touch. Then when he released me, Dad did the same, minus the cheek kisses. Their scents surrounded me, and while they weren’t as comforting as my alphas’, they were familiar.
“What are you doing here?” I asked before I could stop myself. At least I hadn’t sounded as bitter as I wanted to.
Papa’s lips downturned, and Teddy excused himself quicker than he’d ever done before. He’d always been the kind of guy who hated family drama, and I didn’t blame him. His mom, Dad’s sister, had always been a bitch to him for being an omega, as though there was something wrong with that.
“We missed you,” Papa murmured, glancing at Dad for help.
“Funny way of showing it. You only turn up here once my news goes viral.” I touched my rounded stomach, where my son rested, and I felt a surge of protectiveness fill me. I wouldn’t be like my parents. I wouldn’t let my son believe he wasn’t loved.
“We told you, we wanted to contact you for a long time now. We’ve been in contact with Bonita,” Dad explained.
I shrugged. “That doesn’t mean anything.” Glancing around the Coffee Nook, I knew we’d garnered attention that could be bad for my image. I gestured to the table they’d found, and we all sat down, including Bristol and Blair, who took their seats beside me. My parents sat on the opposite side, but they were awfully close to each other. Too close. I swore I saw Dad’s hand slip under the table to grab Papa’s.
“Are you together again?” I asked, because as far as I was concerned, I had the right to know.
Papa glanced below the table, where Dad’s hand was most likely holding his. “It’s complicated, Grayson.”
“What’s complicated about it? You both destroyed our family after Jon’s death. You blamed each other, you were toxic for each other, and now what? You’re fucking again?”
I noticed the way Bristol’s gaze shot to me, eyes wide, and while I knew I should have felt shame for the way I spat the words out in such an uncharacteristic way, I didn’t. If only Bristol and Blair had been there to see the way they had treated each other—and had treated me.
“Grayson—” Dad started.
I cut him off with, “Don’t I deserve to know? Is that why you’re here? You want the family that you both chose to destroy? What happened to Marc, you know, the guy you married, Papa?”
Papa turned sad eyes on Dad and his hand came up on the table, the one that Dad had been holding. He twisted his fingers together, and I noticed the ring on his wedding finger, but not the one Dad had given him, rather the one from his second husband.
“We came here to explain it to you,” Dad said, an edge to his voice. “We know we hurt you, Grayson. We hurt a lot of people, and we’re sorry. It’s why we waited so long to contact you. Your papa and I married young. Too young. We were sixteen when we got pregnant with your brother, and his death nearly killed us. And yes, we blamed each other, and we did things we weren’t proud of, but we’re human. We’re allowed to make mistakes.”
“Henry, please, keep your voice down. Grayson’s mayor, he doesn’t want us starting any gossip.” Papa touched Dad’s arm and turned to me. “Your dad is right, Grayson. We were very young when we had Jon, even young having you. Our relationship didn’t have time to grow without children involved, and don’t get me wrong, I love that we had you and Jon, but we needed to discover who we were. Jon’s death was traumatizing. We felt like we’d failed as parents. How could we not have? Everyone told us we were too young, too stupid for a child, and we told them where to shove it, and then look what happened. Maybe they were right, or at least that’s what we thought. We’re sorry that we dragged you into it. You were just a child who didn’t understand, and we realized what we were doing to you too, which again made us doubt our ability as parents. We were just two scared, young men who thought we screwed everything up, and we turned our self-blame onto each other.”
Dad grabbed Papa’s hand on the table and held it tightly. “What we did is inexcusable, we know that. We’re not asking for your forgiveness because we don’t deserve it. We’re here to be the parents we should have been a long time ago.”
“And Marc, what happened to him?” I asked Papa.
He winced, and the fear that flashed in his eyes put me on high alert. It was Dad who spoke next.
“The bastard was never good enough for your papa. Never,” he spat, the poison laced in his voice almost terrifying.
“All you need to know is that I’m no longer with him, and your dad and I are making amends with each other. We’ve found each other again, Grayson.” He leaned his head on Dad’s shoulder, his gaze slowly turning to Bristol and then Blair. “And you found your happily ever after, too.”
I suddenly realized I hadn’t introduced them. I made the introductions, and my alphas— my sweet, handsome alphas—shook my parents’ hands.
“It’s true we saw you on TV, and it’s true that’s the reason we’re here, but it’s not for what you think.” Dad leaned on the table, a little closer to us, and lowered his voice. “We’re here to be your parents. We always had people telling us what we should and shouldn’t do. When your papa got pregnant, they told us to abort. Your grandpapa told us to put Jon up for adoption as soon as he was born, and after his death, he never let us hear the end of it. We don’t want that for you, Grayson, but not only do you have two very handsom
e alphas, you now have the entire country watching your every move.”
“There’ll be people out there who’ll air their opinion very publicly,” Papa continued, “and some already have, I see.”
I grimaced. Yeah, I’d seen some of them before Bristol and Blair put me on a media ban. The vile words that came out of their mouths made me sick to the stomach.
“Don’t let their words have an effect on you, baby boy. Don’t let them win. They want to see you fail, and you’re above that. I don’t know these two handsome men here, but I know you wouldn’t ever choose someone who didn’t deserve you, and if both of them do, then so be it. Raise your family how you want.” Papa reached across and grabbed my hand. He kissed it, his hold on me strong, and something cracked inside me. The anger I felt at them slipped away like watching a cheating politician’s failing campaign swirl down the drain. “Be the man you were always meant to be.”
“He already is,” Bristol said.
I smiled at him.
“I know,” Papa replied. “He’s a very strong man, and I wish I could have been there to see him take the town from that pig Jacob.”
“Thanks, Papa. Dad.” I licked my dry lips and reached to grab Bristol’s and Blair’s hands again. I rested them on the table. “These men are important to me and I intend to spend the rest of my life with them.”
“As it should be.” Dad laid his hand over mine and Bristol’s, and Papa did the same for the one I held Blair’s hand in. “We’re proud of who you’ve become. Jon would have been proud, too.”
“So very proud,” Papa agreed.
My heart flipped and I couldn’t stop the stupid smile that slipped over my face. “Thanks.”
We ordered our drinks and spent the next two hours discussing our lives and what had changed since we’d last saw one another. Apparently they’d kept in touch with Bonita since the beginning, and I made sure to remember to ask her why she hadn’t told me, although, I already had a feeling I knew what her answer would be.