Chapter 1
CHAPTER 1
“Brother, grab the phone for me? I’m having a deep, heated discussion with my curling iron.”
Jeb rolled his eyes at his sister, who was acting like she was getting ready for prom instead of a huge Friendsgiving hosted at the Secret Springs hotel. “Sure, honey.”
He grabbed it, smiling at the sight of Andrea, Jen’s best friend, on the screen. He hit the green button, getting out a “Hey—” before she started in.
“Oh my God, Jen, guess who I ran into? Just guess. No, no, don’t guess. I’ll tell you. Owen. I ran into Owen. Like Owen, our friend Owen, like your brother’s ex Owen. That Owen. Okay, well maybe ran into him is a strong word. I know that he always shops on Fridays, so I ran to the grocery store to see if I could catch him, because he said he wasn’t coming to Friendsgiving. And I was like, that’s ridiculous. Just because you and Jeb have broken up doesn’t mean that you can’t come to Friendsgiving. This is not, I mean, it’s a tiny town. Secret Springs is small. He has to show up. So anyway, I ran into him, and you will never believe what I saw. Do you want me to tell you what I saw? I saw Owen. He looks like shit. He has to have lost like fifteen pounds in his face and everything, but that’s okay because he hasn’t lost it, you know where? In his belly. He’s pregnant. OMG Can you believe this? He’s pregnant like with a baby, like showing, like wearing, you know, his heaviest sweater but that belly still sticking out so everyone’s gonna notice. He says he’s going to have to move. Do you think it’s Jeb’s? I mean, surely if it was Jeb’s, Jeb would like have— Jeb wouldn’t just— I mean, we all know he wouldn’t. Jeb’s a good guy, but oh my God, can you believe this shit?”
Jeb just stood there, the bottom of the world dropping out from under his feet in a heartbeat. What the fuck?
“Jeb? Honey? Who is it?” Jen asked.
“Oh.” Andrea sounded horrified. “Oh, good Lord. Jeb? Um, can I talk to Jen?”
“Uh-huh.” He said it with stiff lips, thrusting the phone at Jen.
Jen’s eyes were big as saucers. “Are you okay?”
“No.” He turned his back on her, his hands clenching into fists. No, he was absolutely not okay.
“Andi? What’s going on?” Jen said.
But he already knew what was going on. God. Owen was— and he obviously wasn’t planning on telling Jeb about it.
They’d broken up in a slightly spectacular way — Owen had been acting strange, avoiding him, and all the signs had been there, so finally he just asked if Owen had been cheating on him.
Those pretty blue eyes had widened, shock making Owen’s mouth go slack. “Whaaat?” he popped out.
That was after the whole conversation about why Owen had been hanging around with all their alpha friends, the one wherein Owen wouldn’t answer his questions, just hemming and hawing.
“Well, what am I supposed to think?” he’d asked.
The Owen’s eyes had flashed blue fire, and he’d poked Jeb right in the sternum. “Not that! You’re supposed to trust me.”
“Babe.”
“Fuck you!”
And that had been pretty much it, with a little more of Jeb trying to make nice and Owen stomping away and not coming back to get his shit.
He’d called several times, apologizing on voicemail. And on text. And then his pride had forced him to stop trying. Owen could damn well come to him if he wanted to make up.
Except he hadn’t. And now this?
“Is it mine?”
Jen stared at him, eyes huge. “What?”
“Fucking ask her if it’s mine!” he roared.
“Okay, okay! Jeez. Yeah, he wants. Sure, I know you heard. Well, that’s what I think too, but did you ask? No, I know you’re not tacky like that.”
“Oh, bullshit.”
He could hear Andi’s indignant squeaking from where he stood.
“Well, he kind of has a point, but I’ll tell him.” Jen glared at him. “She didn’t ask. But Owen isn’t the kind to spread it around, you know.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Hang up.”
“Jeb.”
“Jen please.”
“I have to go, hon. I’ll see you in a bit.” She hung up with Andi.
“If he’s not the cheating kind then why couldn’t he answer me when I flat out asked why he was hanging out with all these alphas?”
“Maybe because he was pregnant with your baby?”
He glared at her. “Then why didn’t he tell me that?”
“Because you accused him of cheating?” She stared right back, unblinking.
“I did not accuse him. I asked him what was going on. He hemmed and hawed. So I snapped at him. But that shouldn’t have kept him from telling me if this was what was going on!” He wasn’t that much of an asshole, dammit.
“Maybe he was scared you wouldn’t want him? Maybe he needed a friend? I don’t know. I haven’t talked to him.”
“Well, shit, obviously neither have I.” He sat abruptly. “Jesus, he’s having my baby.”
“You’re a baby daddy. Dude.” She leaned in. “Friendsgiving is in an hour, man. You know Andrea. Everyone we see is going to know.”
“I know.” He popped back to his feet. “I have to find Owen.” See him. Action man. He headed toward the front door to grab his coat.
“I—Good luck? What do I tell people? At supper, I mean.”
“That we’ll be there in a bit.” He was not going to waste all that food he’d paid in for. And dammit, Owen was coming with him.
He threw on his coat and stomped out the door. He would try Owen at home first, because obviously the son of a bitch had been at the store buying dinner, since he wasn’t planning on coming to Friendsgiving.
How hadn’t he heard about Owen being pregnant? Surely someone at Owen’s school noticed if Andrea did, right? The man was a kindergarten teacher, for God’s sake.
Maybe it was because he was a little newer in town than some folks, Owen included. Maybe no one wanted to rat Owen out. Who knew? But this was ridiculous. Them breaking up had been ridiculous. And now they needed to talk in the most urgent kind of way.
Owen lived across the river, but there was no way he was going to just run across the footbridge on this sleety, blowy, blustery November day. Hell, no.
He hopped in his pickup, emblazoned with its Bad Badger Brewery logo, and headed through town to cross over the bridge to the newer section of houses, which was where all the schools were. Owen rented a little condo near the med center.
Which took him about five minutes to reach, and he pulled up behind Owen’s tiny hybrid car and neatly boxed it in. He didn’t want Owen to just be able to run.
They needed to talk.
Now.
Owen was not disappearing like this. No way. They were having a baby, dammit.
He strode up the icy walk, noting he needed to shovel it and chop ice. Then he knocked on the door.
It took a second before he heard. “Just a second!” Then the door creaked open, those pretty eyes peeking out. “Oh.”
“Let me in, Owen. We need to talk, and it’s cold as a witch’s tit out here.” He should have started with Happy Thanksgiving, maybe. But dammit, he was… angry. Baffled. Hurt.
“I—” The pressure behind the door eased and Owen moved to stand behind the big old recliner that squatted in the middle of the room like a green lump.
Jeb stepped inside, closing the door behind him. “Were you going to tell me?”
“You don’t want babies. You don’t want to be tied down. You don’t trust me. I won’t be the person who tied you down. I can raise her all by myself.”
“That’s not fair, Owen. I didn’t say I didn’t trust you.” Jeb moved, feinting to the right as if he would go around the chair that way.
“You accused me of cheating.” Owen shifted left.
“I asked if you were. I didn’t accuse you of it. And that was after you hemmed and hawed and wouldn’t answer any other questions.” Jeb darted to the left to catch Owen before he could hide again.
“Hey!” Owen’s belly was right there, round and hard and firm.
“You are pregnant. Wow.” That was stupid thing to say, but it was true.
Owen’s cheeks turned a dark red. “I am. I didn’t try. You know I was on birth control, but it’s not a sure thing.”
“I know that.” He knew all the stats. “Owen.” He stared down into Owen’s eyes. “What were you planning to do when you ran away?”
“Get a job at another school. Raise our daughter. Cry a lot. I mean, that’s what happens.” Owen lifted his chin. “I chose to take the risk. I decided I wanted to keep the baby. You were clear. You weren’t into settling down and having a family.” Owen rolled his eyes. “Maybe next time, know that choosing a kindergarten teacher is a dumb idea. We tend toward kids.”
He just stared for long moments, the urge to shake Owen until his teeth rattled really strong. He resisted. Then he took a deep breath. “I know I popped off with a lot of shit. But you still should have talked to me. I called and called.”
“I know. I was scared.”
“Of me?”
Owen shook his head. “Of you telling me to go away.”
He raised an eyebrow. “So you just went?” He just wasn’t understanding this.
“At least I got to decide! At least you didn’t just turn your back on me! This way I’m not just a…some little lost omega, right?” Oh, Owen could yell.
“I have no desire to turn my back on you!” Jeb knew he was shouting back, but he couldn’t help it.
“Oh fuck you! You were just playing! I knew it!”
“Owen.” He felt a twist in his gut. “I’m sorry if I made you feel like I didn’t care.”
“I’m in love with you. I’m in love with you, and I’m having your baby, and I spent Thanksgiving alone. Go to the hotel. Have fun. I’ll be moving out at the end of the semester.”
He shook his head, not sure exactly what he was denying. “I tried to apologize! You wouldn’t let me!”
“I didn’t know how to tell you I was pregnant. I didn’t want you to hate me.”
“I don’t hate you.” In fact, he really wanted to kiss Owen. Wanted it bad.
“I don’t hate you either.” Owen sighed and pulled away from him. “You have a dinner to go to.”
“Not without you.” Dammit, he wasn’t letting Owen sit here alone and worry about shit. He’d already missed Thanksgiving, which he shouldn’t have.
“Oh, no. I can’t. No one knows I’m?—”
“Baby, you saw Andi at the store. She called Jen so fast she left skid marks. I guarantee everyone knows. Your phone will be blowing up any minute.”
“Oh.” Owen nodded. “I mean, that’s why you’re here, right?”
“Yes. Because I’m not going to let this go, Owen.”
Owen tried to move away, but Jeb held him fast, pulling him closer in fact, pressing them together. Which made him feel that belly, which was now gently rounded and firm, which took his breath.
He didn’t have any fucking idea what they were going to do, but Jeb knew right then that they were going to do it together.
He wasn’t letting Owen go.