by Skyler Snow
“Okay, okay. Tomorrow we’ll deal with it. Tonight we get to be kids.”
“Good,” Colten smiled. “Hey, I was wondering. Did you always want to be a mechanic?”
Declan thought it over as he chewed. “I always wanted to do something with my hands. It calms me down. I think you’re more of a brain type though.”
“Running pack lands, buying and operating businesses, handling taxes. All that stuff is brain stuff. There’s more than one way to do things. I don’t just have to be an attorney.”
“I know. I want you to do whatever’s going to make you the happiest.”
“Being with you makes me happiest.”
Declan’s cheeks tinted in the soft light of the fair and Colten grinned. He loved seeing the big omega shift into a shy person. It only made him want to carry Declan off and have his way with him.
“Hey, I want one of those,” Declan nodded toward a stall with water guns attached to it.
“A gun?”
“No, you ass. I want one of the prizes. They have little stuffed wolves.”
“I can’t imagine you with a room full of stuffed animals.”
“It’ll be for the baby,” Declan rolled his eyes. “You know, the first one they ever have can be from this date.”
Colten’s heart warmed. “You say the cutest stuff.”
“Don’t go all mushy on me,” Declan pointed at him. “I am not going to cry in front of all these people.”
“Yes, dear,” Colten laughed as he leaned over and kissed him. He still tasted the powdered sugar on his lips. “You always taste like sweets now.”
“Is that a bad thing?” Declan grinned.
“Not to me.”
“Colten?”
Colt pulled back as someone called him. When he saw the familiar face, he frowned. Shit.
“Mike, hey. What are you doing here?”
“I was just bringing my kids to the fair,” he glanced between him and Declan. “Who’s your...boyfriend?”
“This is Declan,” Colt said tightly.
“Nice to meet you.”
They shook hands and chatted briefly. The whole thing felt really friendly, but Colt already knew it was over. Mike was one of the biggest gossips he knew, and he had led them both to the place where the blabbermouth was hanging out. Once they waved goodbye, Declan groaned.
“What’s going on?” Declan asked confused.
“I’ll tell you later. Let’s go get you that stuffed animal.”
Declan tilted his head, but Colten refused to let him get it out of him. He decided they were going to enjoy their night.
By the time they left the fair, it was late. The road was quiet and dark. Music filled the car and Declan was relaxed as he cradled the stuffed animals that Colten had won for them.
“Colten?”
“Hmm?” He asked as he stared down the road.
“I love you.”
Colten’s eyes widened. When he glanced over at Declan, the omega smiled softly. He quickly buried his face against Colten’s arm. He cleared his throat.
“I love you too.”
There was no way in hell he could feel better. Colten knew right then and there that nothing could ever tear them apart. He’d already felt it, but now he knew it. All he’d longed to hear were those three little words from Declan.
His heart swelled. Colt took his hand and squeezed it. Declan squeezed back, his lips kissed Colt’s arm, and he buried his face again. Goddess, I love him. Declan was the best thing he had ever been given in his life.
Colten pulled up to the house and parked. The lights were still on, and he was sure at least one of Dec’s brothers were still up and waiting for him to get home. They looked out for each other, that much was clear.
“Sure you don’t need me to get you upstairs?”
Declan laughed. “I’m not that big yet! Besides, I know you’re tired.” Dec toyed with his fingers. “Although you could spend the night if you’re up for it.”
Colten’s heart ached. “I wish I could, but I have to get home.”
“Oh, that’s okay.”
“And that’s not said so you can start doubting what this is and what we have,” he said as he tilted Declan’s chin toward him. “I love you and I would love to stay. Trust me, leaving is going to hurt so fucking bad. I need to go chat with my dad though.”
Declan frowned. “Why? What happened?”
Colt sighed. He’d desperately wanted to keep it to himself. The last thing Declan needed was more stress when he was already pregnant and worried about life.
“You know that guy Mike that you met?”
“Yeah.”
“He’s a friend of my dad’s and lives a few towns over. Mike’s also an incorrigible gossip. I’m sure by now my father knows we’re together. I turned my phone off though. I wanted to enjoy the night with you.”
Declan gripped his hand. “I should go with you.”
“No. Not tonight. Let me talk to him first and figure things out. I’ll call you first thing in the morning though.”
“Okay,” Declan nodded. “I have to work tomorrow afternoon but just call me.”
“Of course.”
Colten kissed him and made sure he was safely inside before he headed home. His stomach dropped the closer he came to home. Thankfully, he wasn’t home. That wasn’t true the next morning when he trudged downstairs for coffee.
“We need to talk,” he growled.
“Yeah. I guess we do,” Colt said as he poured himself a cup.
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Frank asked.
“Yeah. I’m dating Declan.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Dad…”
“He’s too old for you! I don’t know what you’re thinking, Colten. Besides, you’re going back to school soon. You need to be focused on that, not running around town with him.”
“I thought he was your friend.”
“I thought he was my friend too before he pulled this shit,” Frank snapped. “You don’t need distractions. Break it off.”
“He’s pregnant.”
Frank stared at Colten for what felt like hours but were mere seconds. He saw the rage as it boiled under his skin and exploded.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Declan is pregnant,” he said levelly. “And I love him. And we’re fated. I’m not going to give him up, dad. And I’m not going back to college.”
“Have you lost your damn mind? What are you talking about?”
“I need to be here for my pup. I’m not going to abandon him.”
“He should have thought about that before he threw himself at you! Colt, you can not throw away your future.”
“I’m not. My future’s just changing. Besides, I’m already coming up with a backup plan. Everything’s going to be great. I want to be here for him. And I like being home. I realized how much I missed it.”
“I never should have let you come home. None of this would have happened if I’d told you to take those summer classes.”
Colten’s fists tightened. “I’m trying to be understanding and I get that you’re upset, but please don’t keep going with this. I want to claim him.”
“Oh, because you’re ‘fated’,” Frank scoffed. “That’s bullshit. It’s a fairytale. I don’t know what he’s been filling your head with, but I’m not going to let it continue.”
“You don’t have a choice,” Colten spat. “He’s going to be my mate and that’s the end of that.”
“You’ve lost your damn mind for sure.”
“I’m sorry you wasted your money. I’ll pay you back for it.”
“Colten I’m going to tell you this one time. Either you pack up your car and head back for the dorms now, or you get out of my house. Those are your choices. I’m not going to have you sit around and ruin your future. Maybe some time out on your ass will fix your mind.”
Colten blinked at him. Why was his father being so hard on him? He shoo
k his head.
“I’ve done everything you’ve ever asked me to do. When you wanted me to go to college, I agreed, even though I never wanted to be an attorney. I’ve done whatever I can to make you happy over the years and you’re going to throw me out just like that?” He growled.
“My house. My rules.”
“Papa’s house, his rules too. And he wouldn’t have put up with this shit.”
“Don’t bring him into this. That’s a dirty move.”
“It’s the truth! You might have forgotten that, but I haven’t. And you can deny that we’re fated, but I’ve felt the pain of being away from him. I won’t do it again.”
“Get out of my face,” he growled. “You’re delusional. It’ll all come crashing down on you eventually. Just you wait.”
Colten shook his head at his father. “This is what Declan was afraid of and I get it now. I thought you would be more understanding. Clearly, I was wrong.”
He climbed the stairs and disappeared into his room. Well, no longer his room. Colten stuffed his things into his car. He’d go and stay with Declan until he could figure things out. One thing was for sure, he wasn’t going to let his father be proven right.
Anger stirred in his belly as he stalked past the man. He felt his glare and ignored it. The door slammed after him as he headed for his car.
No matter what he had to go through, he would be there for Declan and his child.
Chapter 15
Declan
Declan had popped the stuffed animals into bed with him the night before. He’d wanted to spend the night with Colt, but he understood that he needed to talk to Frank. I should have gone with him. If Declan was honest with himself, he was worried about what Frank would say to him.
He reached out and caressed one of the little wolves. Colten had won two of them and said he could keep one and give one to the baby. Declan smiled as he thought about it and how much fun they had the night before. How shocked Colten was when he said he loved him.
A smile curved his lips. Declan reached over to the nightstand and grabbed his phone. He had gotten used to Colten calling him first thing in the morning. They had compromised on the texting and calling. Colt called him first thing, he texted Colten at night. Things had worked out better than he ever could have dreamed.
For the first time, Declan was sure their bond was a gift and not just the universe screwing with him. He could imagine Colten living with him. Waking up with him every day and sleeping with him every night would be amazing.
The phone rang and Declan’s heart sped up. He sucked in a deep breath. Goddess, I shouldn’t feel like a giddy teenager so much. He grinned as he picked up and pressed the phone against his ear.
“Yes, you can come over. No, I haven’t gotten out of bed.” Silence answered him on the other end. “Colten?”
“So, it’s true. You two are seeing each other.”
Declan shot up at the sound of Frank’s voice. “H-hey. I um I wanted to talk to you about things…”
Frank scoffed. “You wanted to talk to me about taking advantage of my son?”
“That’s not it at all,” Declan stumbled over his words. “If you would just let me explain-.”
“Explain what? That you’re dumb enough to get knocked up by my boy and ruin his future? Colt’s talkin’ about not going back to college because of you.. What the hell were you thinking, Burns?”
“I’m sorry. I never meant for it to happen, it just kind of ...happened,” he finished lamely. “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry,” Frank sneered. “You’re not sorry or you would have done the right thing ages ago. You’re too damn old to be carrying on with a twenty-one-year-old. And having pups at your age? What are you thinking? Why would you throw everyone’s life into upheaval like this?”
Declan’s shoulders tensed with each word that left Frank’s lips. The more he said, the smaller he felt. He’s right. I’m screwing everything up. Colt’s going to resent me for this eventually. I can’t believe I thought this would work.
“I’m really sorry,” he choked out.
“If you’re sorry then stop seeing him. Colten has a chance at a bright future, Declan. If you really give a damn about him you’ll grow the hell up and walk away. Now.”
“Okay,” Declan whispered. “Frank I’m really-.”
“You don’t need to say sorry to me anymore. Let’s just go our separate ways.”
The call ended and Declan clutched the phone so hard his hand ached. Tears rushed down his cheeks. He buried his face in his hand as his phone started to ring. Quickly, he wiped his eyes and stared at the call ID.
Colten.
The phone rang and rang, but he couldn’t bring himself to answer it. He’d crossed all kinds of lines and now his friendship was over. The phone stopped and the texts started. Declan pushed the phone into the nightstand and flopped onto the bed.
It was exactly what he knew would happen, and he had still given into it. He ran a hand over his burgeoning belly and tried to stifle the sobs that left his lips.
Chapter 16
Colten
Colten stared down at the phone in his hand. No matter how many times he called, it went to voicemail. His texts were ignored. It got to the point where he worried something was wrong. What if Declan had ended up in the hospital? He rushed over to his place and banged on the door.
“Declan? Are you home?”
The truck was parked in the driveway, so he knew he hadn’t driven wherever he was. He knocked harder. The door opened but the screen stayed locked as he yanked on it. Jed frowned.
“Sorry, Colten. Declan’s not up for seeing anyone.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“He’s just...not up for seeing anyone.”
“That’s bullshit, Jed. Let me in.”
“He asked me not to.”
Colten blinked at Jed. Had he heard that right? Declan had asked him not to let him in? Panic set in and he shook the doorknob.
“Jed, I need to see him. What’s going on?”
“I don’t know. He won’t say anything other than that he doesn’t want to be disturbed. I hate to have to do this, but please leave and let him calm down. I know how hard it is to be away from him, but you know he’ll come around. He cares about you.”
Colten forced himself to calm down. His wolf wanted to rip the door off its hinges and go up to Declan, but he knew what Jed said was true. He would come back. That didn’t mean it didn’t hurt like a bitch.
“Yeah, alright. Tell him I’ll talk to him later.”
“I’m really sorry, Colt.”
He held up a hand and waved it off. What more could he say? Colten jogged down the stairs and climbed into his car.
What the hell am I going to do now? Colten had nowhere to live. He had no job. The idea of returning to his dorm and going back to school made his stomach drop. If he did that he would be so far away from Declan, his baby, the life that he wanted.
Colten held his head up. “No way in hell. I’m not doing it.”
The time flew by as he waited for Declan to head out for the day. As soon as he caught his scent, he followed it. He was well aware he was being a bit of a stalker, but he needed to talk to him. He had to know why he refused to talk to him.
When he found Declan, he was bent over the hood of a car that he was working on for a neighbor. Colten stopped short and watched him work for a minute. After a quiet moment, Declan stopped and turned on his heels quickly.
“What are you doing here?” Declan breathed.
“What’s going on?”
Declan shrugged. “I’m working,” he muttered.
“I’ve been trying to get in touch with you all day. There’s your phone, so I know nothing’s wrong with it.” He walked closer to Declan. “What happened?”
“Colt…”
“Don’t do that,” Colten warned as he grabbed his arm and stopped him from turning away. “Don’t you go back to that bullshit. I can hear it in
your voice. I want to mark you. All I’m waiting for is us to have our pup and for you to say yes.”
“It’s the truth. We were kidding ourselves, Colt. There’s no future for us.”
“We’re fated. What’s going to happen when we stop being around each other? Both of us got sick.”
“And I’m sure it will be hell, but it’s what we need to do. You have to go back to school.”
“I don’t want to go back to school! I told you, that’s not the life that I want. What about expanding the farm? Expanding the pack? Our pack?”
Declan quickly turned away from him. He heard the way his voice trembled as he picked up a wrench.
“There’s nothing else to talk about. I’m too old for you. Go back to college.”
“Declan…”
“We’re over. Just let it go,” he snapped. “I have work to do.”
Colten stared at his back for a while longer before he turned on his heels. The car door slammed and he gripped the wheel tightly. Once he pulled off he headed for the bar. Thankfully, it was just opening up for the day, and he parked himself on a bar stool.
“Whiskey.”
“Day drinking? What’s the matter?”
Colten glanced up. Emmett smiled at him from behind the bar. He had only seen him once before, but there was something about his smile that was comforting.
“Is Nathan here?”
Emmett snorted. “That lazy jackass? I can guarantee he won’t roll in here until another good hour or two. Typical alpha bullshit. Not that you’re like that,” he said quickly.
Colt grinned and waved a hand. “It’s okay. That does seem to be his personality. Why do you keep him working here?”
He shrugged. “Honestly? Nathan’s great at his job. He pulls in new customers, advertises, runs the bar when it’s insanely busy and smiles through all of it. I can appreciate that.”
“That’s awesome. I’m glad someone’s life is going right.”
“Seriously, spill. You’re Declan’s boyfriend, right?”
“Was.”
“Ah,” he slid him a glass of whiskey. “First one’s on the house. I’m sorry to hear that. You two are perfect together.”
