by Arden Blair
This time it wasn’t just because he was desperate to get out from under Roscoe’s meddling gaze. He found he actually liked his time working at The Pup’s Creek Times. He liked being useful.
He focused on that feeling as Bailey wheeled a scowling Roscoe out of the room. Once the pair was gone and out the door, it felt like a weight had lifted, and Toby could finally breathe again. He leaned back in his chair and enjoyed the companionable silence as Justin finished his eggs.
A few minutes later, the alpha pushed his plate back and stood up from the table. “You ready?” he asked.
Toby nodded. After clearing the table and loading the dishes into the washer, they both met at the door. Justin pulled his jacket off the hook and slung it over his shoulders. He held the door open for Toby, cocking his head to the side as the omega walked through. His brows pulled together as he drew in a breath.
“Weird,” he said. “You smell kinda funny today.”
15
“So, you’re the new photographer for The Pup’s Creek Times?” the nice—but definitely tired—omega behind the counter at the Wishing Mill Inn asked him.
“Today I am,” Toby answered honestly. The omega’s warm and welcoming smile was a nice change from all the scowls he’d faced this morning. “Tomorrow I’ll probably have another job title.”
The omega laughed. “I understand. Owning an inn is like that too. You have to be a jack of all trades.”
“And right now you should be resting,” the tall, handsome alpha at his side said.
The omega dismissed his words with a wave of his hand—the one that wasn’t cradling a newborn to his chest. “I’ve been in bed for two full days at the hospital. I’ll go lie down as soon as we’re done, but right now I’m going to enjoy the company.”
The proud alpha papa shot Toby a pointed look. The meaning was clear. If the omega wasn’t going to rest until this was over, Toby had better make it quick.
“All right,” Toby said. “How about we go over to those sofas by the window to take the picture?”
The new family agreed, and started over toward the seating area. Toby did his best to fake his way through the photo shoot. He opened the drapes to let in the sunlight. He arranged them on the couch: Levi, the omega, sitting with the baby cradled in his arms, his mate, Drew, standing behind him with a hand draped over his shoulder.
Fortunately, Toby didn’t have to coach them to look happy. The pair seemed to have that down on their own. They genuinely liked each other. That much was obvious. Their proud smiles lit up the pictures Toby snapped.
After a couple dozen shots, Toby figured he’d taken enough for Justin to choose from. “Thank you,” he said. “I won’t keep you any longer if you want to rest.”
“Oh, don’t be silly,” Levi said. “I’m in no rush. My mate makes it sound like I’m some fragile flower, but you know how it is. We omegas are a lot more resilient than alphas make us out to be.”
Toby couldn’t help but smile. Wasn’t that the truth.
Levi patted the cushion on the couch beside him with his free hand. “Come sit for a while and tell me about yourself.”
“Levi,” his mate said, his voice full of concern.
“See what I mean,” Levi said to Toby. He lifted his hand to his shoulder and patted his mate’s fingers lovingly. “Don’t worry, darling. I’ve already spent two days in bed. Any more and I’ll probably die of boredom.”
“I just don’t want you to exhaust yourself,” Drew said.
Levi smiled up at him. “Don’t worry, love. I’m on a couch. If I get tired, I’ll just lean over and take a nap.”
The alpha shot him a look that was only half serious. “That’s what I was afraid of.”
“Oh, stop,” Levi said, giving the alpha a wide smile. “Now, make yourself useful and go get me some tea. Toby, would you like a cup?”
“That would be wonderful,” Toby said with a nod.
Drew gave a grumble, but started off for what Toby assumed was the kitchen. Levi looked back Toby, practically beaming.
“Good,” he said. “I thought he was never going to leave us alone. I love him to pieces, but it’s been a while since I’ve been able to just sit and talk with another omega.”
Toby felt the same way. He loved spending time with Ryan. He even loved Justin and his family, but there was something so comforting about being in the presence of another omega. The pressure was off. Toby didn’t have to put up any defenses. He could just relax and be himself.
“So when are you due?” Levi asked.
Toby straightened up. “Excuse me?”
A hint of smile lifted the corners of Levi’s lips. “Oh, I’m sorry,” he said. “Have you not told anyone yet? Are you trying to keep it a secret?”
Toby blinked again and again. There was no way that the omega was asking what Toby thought he was.
“Oh, I’m not pregnant,” Toby said quickly. He needed to dispel that idea right away.
Levi’s brow wrinkled. He didn’t look confused exactly, more concerned. “Yes, you are.”
Toby shook his head. That was ridiculous. “No. There’s no way.”
Levi’s brows shot up. “Really? No way at all?”
Well…okay. So, technically there was a way. But it still couldn’t be true. It just couldn’t be. Toby refused to believe it.
“It’s too soon,” Toby said, more to himself that to Levi. “It’s only been a couple of days.”
“It only takes a couple of seconds for conception to take place,” the other omega said with laughter in his voice. “Of course, the hormonal changes afterwards can take days or weeks to show up. Sounds like you’re an early bloomer.”
No, no, no. That was not what was happening with him.
“I am not pregnant,” Toby insisted one last time
The humor in Levi’s expression drained away. It was as if he suddenly realized he wasn’t giving good news. Not that it stopped him. Sympathy filled his eyes as he took Toby’s hand in his own.
“Oh, darling, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but there’s no mistaking that scent,” he said, turning Toby’s blood to ice. “You’re going to have a baby.”
Toby couldn’t push Levi’s words out his mind. They clung on tight, refusing to budge. There was something so certain about the way that the other omega had said them. Like he knew.
And why wouldn’t he? After all, the omega had just had a pup of his own. Why wouldn’t he know all about the changes that came with pregnancy?
Toby shook his head. No. This couldn’t be happening. His whole life would turn upside down if he turned out to be pregnant. His family would throw him out the moment they found out he had a pup growing inside him.
If.
If he had a pup growing inside him.
Why did this have to be so complicated? He didn’t know what to do.
Ryan.
The thought floated through his head like a divine answer. Ryan would know what to do. Even if he didn’t, just being around the alpha’s calming presence would make him feel better and think clearer.
Yes, Ryan’s cool-headed reason was the answer to all this madness.
Toby took a left turn at the light instead of a right, and followed the winding road out through the trees and out of town. The moment his wheels hit the dirt road that led to Ryan’s door, he felt calmer.
This must be what it feels like to go home, he thought. A place where you could solve your problems instead of having more heaped on your head.
16
Ryan was surprised to see Toby’s car pulling into his drive. For a moment, the idea that he’d finally had enough of his family’s shit and had told Roscoe that he could go straight to hell flashed through his mind.
It was nice fantasy. But Ryan knew that’s all it would ever be. Toby wasn’t the kind of omega who would run away from his responsibilities. That was one of the reasons that Ryan liked him so much.
But something was definitely wrong. Ryan could tell from the way T
oby slammed on the brakes in front of the house. A cloud of red dirt flew into air, billowing up behind the tires.
Ryan swung the blade of his hatchet into the wood pile in front of him and made his way over to Toby’s car. A second later, the door flung open.
“Do I smell funny to you?” the omega demanded before he had both feet on the ground.
Ryan blinked. “What?”
“Do I smell funny to you?” Toby repeated, exasperation furrowing his brow.
Ryan did his best not to laugh. The omega had driven all the way out here to ask him that?
Okay.
He didn’t know why Toby was acting this way. All he knew was that it had to be important…to Toby, at least. Maybe after he answered the question, Ryan could calm him down enough to wrangle some answers out of him.
He took a step closer, and drew in a deep breath.
A hypnotically sweet scent filled his senses. Ryan’s blood reacted to it instantly. The urge to wrap Toby up in his arms, carry him inside, and never let him go was almost overwhelming. At once, Ryan felt peaceful and protective, and the sensation only grew stronger the more he breathed it in. His reaction must have shown on his face, because Toby’s face turned ashen.
“You smell it too, don’t you?” He turned his face to the ground as he shook his head. Going by the sound of his voice, Ryan’s reaction wasn’t the one he’d been hoping for.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
Toby let out a long breath. He sunk back against the car door.
“Apparently, I’m pregnant.”
What?
How was that even possible? Okay, bad question. Ryan knew exactly how, but that didn’t mean that he believed it. It was so quick. So fast. Sometimes it took months or years of constant breeding for an omega to get pregnant, unless…
Unless there was a particularly strong connection between him and the alpha.
Holy shit. What he’d been feeling was real. The bond between him and Toby, even though it had been lightning-quick, it was real.
And now there was proof. Real proof of their connection growing in Toby’s belly.
It was almost too much to believe.
“This is…” Ryan struggled to find the words.
“Terrifying,” Toby tried.
Ryan shook his head. “Amazing. Wonderful. A miracle.”
Toby looked up at him, confused and more than a little afraid. “You’re not upset.”
“Why would I be upset?” He closed the gap between them and wrapped Toby in his arms. Ryan could feel the omega’s tension seep away in his embrace. “This is the greatest news I’ve ever heard.”
Toby lifted his head just far enough to look him in the eye. “But we’ve only been together for a few days. I’m supposed to leave town in a couple of months.”
“Oh, sweetheart,” Ryan said, soothing back the omega’s frazzled hair. “Forget about supposed to. That was before. Now everything has changed.”
Toby’s brows pulled together. “But how can you be sure this is a good thing?”
“How could it be bad?” Ryan asked. “Nobody makes me laugh or smile like you. Nobody has ever made me half as happy as you have the past few days.”
Toby’s eyes widened. He stood a little taller. “Do you mean that?”
“Of course,” Ryan said. “You’re my sweetheart.”
Toby beamed. He hugged him back, long and hard. A full minute passed before the tension crept back into the omega’s shoulders. He pulled back, fear showing in his eyes.
“Ryan,” he said. “What am I going to tell my family?”
“The truth,” he said.
That didn’t seem to help. Toby still shook under his touch. “And when they disown me?”
Ryan smiled and shook his head. He laid his hand over the omega’s still-flat belly. “You tell them that you don’t need them. That you’re with your real family now.”
17
Toby didn’t want to go back to Roscoe’s house. At least, not right away. The last thing he needed was more judgement and confrontation.
He could practically hear their voices ringing in his head right now, telling him what a disappointment he was, how he’d let them down.
But the strange thing was, Toby wasn’t disappointed. He didn’t feel let down. He felt a thousand times better than when he’d first pulled up in front of Ryan’s house.
Sure, he was still scared, but now he was hopeful. And Ryan was the source of that hope.
He was solid and safe and strong. All the things that Toby had wanted in a mate, but never dreamed he’d get.
He wasn’t sure how the bond between them had formed so quickly. The chemistry must have been just right. Like they were made for each other.
Or maybe that was just the hormones talking. There was no way to be sure.
“Would you mind if I stayed here with you while we figure out what’s going on?” Toby asked, his arms still wrapped tight around his alpha’s waist. “I don’t think I could manage another night in Roscoe’s house. Especially after this.”
“Would I mind?” Ryan asked with a laugh. “I insist on it. After all, you’ll be moving in as soon as possible.”
A bright light lit up in Toby’s chest. Just the thought of living with Ryan, of being around him night and day, of sleeping by his side, filled him with an incandescent joy.
But Toby did his best to keep it under control. There was still a lot to figure out.
After all, even though his family was probably about to disown him, that didn’t mean he was ready to abandon them.
“But what am I going to do about Roscoe?” he asked.
“Singing telegram telling him to go fuck himself?”
“I’m serious,” Toby said with a sigh. “I know better than anyone what a pain in the ass he can be, but he’s also a broken, old man in a wheelchair. Until he’s back on his feet, he needs someone to make sure he’s okay.”
Ryan crooked a finger under his chin and lifted Toby’s face. The alpha’s voice brimmed with pride as he looked into Toby’s eyes. “You’re amazing, you know that? Thoughtful, and kind, and all-around good. You’re going to make an amazing father.”
Toby couldn’t help but blush. “Thank you.”
“Bu-u-ut,” Ryan said, stretching out the word. “You also have a bit of a martyr complex.”
Toby blinked. “What are you talking about?”
The alpha laughed. “You’re right. Someone has to look after Roscoe, but it doesn’t have to be you. We can hire a nurse to look after him during the day.”
“I can’t afford—”
“But I can,” Ryan cut him off.
“That’s not fair,” Toby said.
Ryan just laughed. “True. In a perfect world I wouldn’t be marrying into Roscoe Martin’s family, but whatcha gonna do?”
Toby didn’t react to the teasing. He’d barely heard anything past the middle of Ryan’s sentence. “Marrying?” he repeated. “You want to marry me?”
“Sure,” Ryan said, sounding sincere. “After all, we are having a pup together.”
Toby shook his head. He wasn’t about to guilt a good alpha into a life he regretted just because they found themselves in a tough situation.
“That’s a terrible reason to marry anyone,” he said.
Ryan nodded. He looked like he was holding back an amused smile behind that serious mask. “True,” he conceded. “But what about love?”
Toby’s head spun. He couldn’t believe he was having this conversation. Honestly, he couldn’t believe that any of this was happening. It was all too fast. He barely knew which way was up.
“You haven’t even known me a week,” he said. “There’s no way you can know you love me. You haven’t had a chance to seen me at my worst yet.”
Ryan raised a skeptical brow. “You’re telling me it gets worse than calling and demanding I take you out to dinner because of lie you told your family?”
Okay, maybe not. But then again, who knew? Maybe thei
r relationship would get crazier. There was no way to know.
“All I’m saying is that all of this happened too quick for either of us to make grand pronouncements about our feelings for each other,” Toby said, not quite sure how he somehow ended up the rational one in the conversation.
“Fair enough,” Ryan agreed with a solemn nod. “But I do know that I really like being around you.”
Toby smiled. That he could accept. “I like it too.”
“And I like you in my bed and in my home.”
A blush began to burn his cheeks. The way that Ryan’s arms tightened around him, broke through the stress that was closing in around him, heated his blood. “Me too.”
“And I don’t want you to go anywhere while we figure out what our feelings are, and what our relationship will be. I want you to stay with me,” Ryan’s words and tone were so confident, so steady and strong, that Toby practically melted in his arms. That was exactly what he needed to hear.
18
“No. No. No.” Roscoe’s words echoed off the walls, each one falling like a judge’s gavel. “This isn’t going to happen. I won’t allow it.”
Ryan shook his head slowly, feeling sorry for the old man in the wheelchair. “I’m sorry, but it’s not your decision to make. It’s Toby’s.”
“But he can’t move in with you,” Bailey said beside him. “Toby is going to marry my son, Justin.”
“No, he’s not, Dad,” the exhausted-looking blond alpha said from the chair across the room.
The way Justin rubbed his temples with his fingers made Ryan think that this wasn’t the first time they’d had this conversation, and it wasn’t the first time that his opinion had been ignored either.
“This is ridiculous,” Roscoe exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air for emphasis. “You two have only known each other for a few days. You’d think that this was a shotgun wed…” The old coot’s voice trailed off. His eyes narrowed as he took in a deep breath. Ryan pulled his shoulders back as understanding washed over the newspaperman’s face. “Oh my God, Toby. What have you done?”