But if you were an omega and you carried your brother’s child... every insult would be directed at you.
Ollie sucked in a deep breath, his heart hammering. Eric squeezed his hand.
They pulled up at Wy’s Drive-In, a noodle place just next to the highway. A few cars had parked in the lots there; Ollie didn’t recognize them.
“They have drive-in services too, but we’re doing a table inside,” Eric said, nodding toward the restaurant. “Would be funny if we all did a family dinner in our cars.”
Olivier tried to smile, except his stomach was doing somersaults. Everyone would learn that he was pregnant. And depending on how Eric acted around him... they might realize that Ollie carried Eric’s baby.
Eric’s mom would skin Olivier with her words. And Dad would be influenced by her, as he always was.
This is a bad idea.
Eric reached over, clasping Ollie’s hand. “It’ll be fine,” he murmured.
“It won’t,” Olivier mumbled. “Sorry. I hate being a downer.”
Jenn babbled in the backseat, shaking her rattle. At least she was happy. Olivier breathed in deep, trying to calm down. He hadn’t seen his family in ages.
Another car pulled up, a scarlet one with flame decals on the side. Olivier recognized Cole as the driver, with his messy blond hair and green eyes. Cole glanced over; Eric waved.
Then Eric clicked off his seatbelt and leaned across the center console, slanting his lips. He was going to kiss Olivier. In public.
“Not here,” Ollie squeaked, shoving at Eric’s chest.
Eric paused. “Cole knows.”
“But you don’t have to kiss me in front of him!”
“Are you afraid of me, or him?”
“Him.” Olivier squirmed further down in the car seat, trying to duck out of sight. What if Cole sneered like Zan had sneered at Ollie?
Eric sighed. Then he caught Ollie’s nape and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “I love you, Ollie, but they’re gonna find out sooner or later.”
Olivier’s heart squeezed. “They can do that when I’m not around.”
“What about you stay in the car, and I’ll meet them inside?” Eric squeezed Olivier’s hand. “Think that’ll help?”
“A lot,” Olivier mumbled.
Then Cole stopped outside the window and knocked. Olivier jumped, yanking his hand out of Eric’s. Cole was here.
Eric narrowed his eyes. “Okay if I open the window, at least?”
Cole was waiting, his posture tense. Ollie didn’t dare meet his eyes. “I guess you could,” Olivier said, wishing Cole was on the driver’s side so at least he wouldn’t see his brother judging him.
Eric rolled the window down. Cole braced his forearm on the car roof, peering in. Olivier looked at his feet. Smelled Cole’s maplewood scent. Cole was far too close.
“You okay?” Cole asked.
“He’s talking to you, Ollie,” Eric said.
Olivier grimaced, his stomach twisting into knots. “Yes, I’m fine,” he squeaked.
“He’s terrified that you’re gonna judge him,” Eric said.
“More than you already are,” Olivier mumbled, wrapping his arm around his belly. There was a baby in there. A baby who would love him no matter what. Ollie tried to draw strength from that.
Cole narrowed his eyes. “I’m not judging you. I’m judging Eric for it.”
“Jeez, thanks,” Eric said. “See, Ollie. I told you.”
“Maybe let him talk,” Cole muttered at Eric.
“He’s not gonna talk if you’re crowding up to him like that,” Eric muttered back.
Olivier covered his face. “I don’t want to be here at all.”
“Why?” Cole asked.
“Everything will go wrong,” Olivier said breathlessly. “Wronger than they already are. I love Eric, Cole. I know this is wrong. I can’t help it, okay?”
It was the scene in the backroom all over again, except now Olivier was in a better position to prevent Cole and Eric from fighting. Cole paused, looking at Eric.
“See for yourself,” Eric said. “He’s not hiding from me. He’s hiding from you.”
He took Olivier’s hand gently, kissing his knuckles. Ollie’s face burned. That was far too intimate for anyone to witness.
Olivier glanced at Cole, half-afraid Cole would lash out with his words. But Cole only watched them thoughtfully, his lip between his teeth. “So... you guys are really serious about this.”
“We’ve been serious for months,” Eric said. “You just didn’t know.”
Cole frowned. “Why Eric? There’s a whole lot of alphas even in Meadowfall, Ollie.”
Olivier gulped. “I’ve wanted Eric all my life. Even... even before we knew what bonding was. I guess... I wanted him before we knew it was wrong.”
Eric turned Olivier’s hand over, kissing his scent gland. “He’s been abused, Cole. By an alpha who was supposed to care for him. And by Mom.”
Cole froze, his eyes darting to Olivier. “By Mom? Really?”
Olivier shrugged uneasily. “Remember the times your mom told you to say my handwriting sucked? And she said you shouldn’t follow me because I’m a bad example? And the time there were four Christmas cookies but I hadn’t had any, and she gave the last one to you?”
Cole winced. It had taken him years to see past his mother’s prejudices. “Yeah. I remember.”
“She called him a slut, Cole.” Eric narrowed his eyes. “She called him a lot of things when you and I weren’t around to hear. I only learned about this recently.”
Olivier flinched, expecting Cole to look at him with revulsion. But Cole only pursed his lips. “I don’t believe it.”
Eric glanced around the parking lot. “Watch the way she behaves around Ollie. You’ll see.”
Olivier groaned, his stomach flipping. He didn’t want to be shamed in front of the entire family. “I want to go home.”
“Five minutes,” Eric said. “We’ll stick around for five minutes, and you can tell me if you wanna leave.”
That sounded like a good compromise. So Olivier nodded, fidgeting. Jenn shook the rattle in the backseat.
“Ready to step outside?” Eric asked, squeezing Ollie’s hand.
Olivier blew out a breath. “I guess.”
He clicked off his seatbelt slowly. Eric jogged around the car, pulling the door open. Then he helped Ollie out, cradling Ollie in his arm.
“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 his family name!”
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.
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