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Marshall scooped up Milo from my arms and kept a close eye on me.

“I think I need to talk to you guys. I kind of spoke to a doctor, and I’m definitely going into heat, whether I like it or not,” I admitted in a rush.

Marshall’s brows rose. “Going into—Oh. Okay, well, the others will be home soon. Do you want something to eat?”

I didn’t really answer him. I was in a daze, but the next thing I knew, I was in the kitchen with him, sitting at the table with a seltzer water and a bowl of popcorn.

Marshall sat down next to me at the table, giving Milo a bottle. “It’ll be okay, Summer. We’ll figure this out. I promise.”

I looked up at him, seeing the sincerity in his eyes, and nodded. “Okay.”

Later that afternoon, everyone was home, and I met them in the living room after putting Milo down for his nap. They all sat on the couches and chairs, sympathetic eyes going to me as I walked in.

“So what did the doctor say?” Noah asked.

“Basically, since the heat suppressants I was given weren’t what I normally take, I didn’t react well to them. They can’t put me on my original ones while these are in my system, though; it's too much on my body. I’m already showing early signs of going into heat. So whether I like it or not, I have to, because the doctor said to let it play out, and I don’t really know what to do about Milo. I’m not going to be lucid, really, and with a heat…” I trailed off for a few seconds, feeling hot and flustered. “Who’s going to look after him? I could take injections, but they have side effects, and—Ugh. I just don’t know.”

Tobias leaned forward. “Well, I think the first question we need to ask is what do you want to do about your heat?”

“Wh-what do you mean?” I asked with a shaky voice.

“Well…” His eyes dropped as he exhaled, then slowly lifted back to mine. “…do you want help?”

He said it with such sincerity that I had to pause for a moment. “I-I hadn’t really thought about it,” I admitted softly.

“That’s okay!” Emmett rushed to say. “We don’t want to push you into anything. We’ll happily look after Milo if you want to deal with the situation on your own. We can take turns looking after him; it’ll only be for a few days. I’m sure we can manage.”

“I know it’s probably nerve-racking leaving him with someone, and if you had the option, I know you wouldn’t. But I promise we’ll take good care of him,” Noah said. “We’ll distract him with park trips and toys!”

“All the toys,” Tobias agreed, nodding seriously.

Something in the back of my throat started to burn, and tears gathered in the corners of my eyes. “I think you guys misunderstood me when I said I hadn’t thought about it. I just kind of assumed you guys would want to be involved. After all, we are a pack. Then again, that was probably presumptuous of me. I’m really sorry, I should⁠—”

“Summer.” Marshall’s voice was low and soft, but it still held that authoritative edge as he walked up to me and took my elbows in his hands. “Take a breath.”

I did as I was told, knowing that he was right. I needed to calm down. “Sorry,” I muttered.

“Don’t apologize. This is a stressful situation. I’m pretty sure all of us would be very happy to help you through your heat if you want. You can have one, two, or all of us. However you want to do this. This is your heat, so it’s your call. None of us will be offended, no matter what you choose.”

“Milo…”

“I have a thought about that, actually.” Marshall smiled. “There are several grandmothers who would be ecstatic to have a little extra grandbaby time if you do choose that route.”

“They would take Milo?” I asked, my eyes wide.

Emmett snorted. “They would be delighted to have baby time. Those women have been baby crazy for years. There was one point when we were considering getting them a puppy.”

I nodded absentmindedly, a chuckle escaping. “Do… do you guys want…” I trailed off, nerves attacking me, stopping me from finishing the question.

“To help you through a heat?” Emmett smiled wide, crossing the room to me as Tobias and Noah followed. “Is there a stronger word than yes?”

I laughed, sagging, but not with that same dread as before. The guys were all here to support me, and none of them were being gross about it or weird. They were the perfect level of excited.

“We would be thrilled to help you because we care about you. You’re the boss of this. You get to pick. None of us want to pile on the pressure.” Noah smoothed a hand down my arm.

“Plus, I feel a little responsible that the brand we gave you isn’t working. I’d like to make it up to you.” Tobias grinned, his eyes filled with a silent apology.

“You didn’t know. You didn’t dispense the drugs. I didn’t know.” I sighed, blowing out a breath. “All right. I would like your help. So, there it is. I guess we’re planning Milo’s first trip to stay with his grannies.”