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“Don’t pussy out.” Linc was sitting to his left, Callie to his right. Linc had been whispering to him since the pack sat down to dinner. He was like a gossipy old lady, anticipating the moment Jasper stood up and told his family he was the father of Callie’s baby. “You better not be a little bitch about it.”
Jasper rolled his eyes, using his fork to stab the back of Linc’s hand. He didn’t draw blood, but Linc yelped anyway. “Stop fucking rushing me.”
Callie rested her warm hand on his thigh, and his stupid dick decided it liked that.
“You okay?” His wolf seemed to enjoy her touch as well. His wolf was fully awake now, instead of napping here and there. He was a constant presence underJasper’sskin once again.He hadn’t realizedhow much he’d missed the spirit of his wolf. Theconstantsupernaturalhum that ran through his veins.
It’d happened so slowly once he’d moved away from his pack that he’d barely noticed until it was too late. He understoodnow whatRiley had gone through.Pen had explained it to them in detailabout the pack bolstering their inner wolf and how being isolated suppressed it.Either way, his shifter was back and he liked Callahan. Notin a way that screamed fuck her against a wall and claim her; it was more of a warm light in his heart.
Love. His wolf loved her, he supposed. She was carrying his baby. Whatwasn’t to love?
“Linc’s being an impatient prick.” He leaned closer to her, not caring that people could clearly see theircloseness.“I’m nervous. I know it’s silly, but I am.” He knew this was his life now and this was what he’d chosen. What they’d chosen. Still. He was anxious.
“Take your time.” She patted his thigh, then leaned forward and sent a piercing glare to Linc.
Jasper chuckled, loving she was no longer shy with his invasive species of a family. Sink or swim, and Axie, who was an expert at swimming with sharks,was trainingCalliefor the gold. If she was brave enough to take on a house full of strangers, then he could get through one tiny, life-altering announcement.
He put his fork down, letting it clatter obnoxiously on his plate,causingall eyes to move to him. “I have something to say, to tell you.” He cleared his throat. “I, um, I’m the dad. Of the baby. Of Callahan’s baby. It’s mine. The baby is mine. Ours. The baby is ours and we’re going to raise it together. But not like,together, you know?”
Everyone was silent, staring at himandat her. This group at a loss for words? That had to be a first. Callie’s hand was still on his thigh, so he threaded his fingers through hers, squeezing.
Their eyes met, she smiled. He winked.
And the table erupted into chaos.
Dom and Baze pulled out their wallets and passed cash to Keller. Jace put his head in his hands, most likely hoping everyone would leave and take their noise with them. Riley had his arm around Blake, both of them trying to explain things to Corey, who’d come back into the room from changing Hadley in the middle ofJasper’sawkward speech. Molly was wrangling the twins, shooting rapid-fire questions at Maddi.
Jaspersighed, leaning back in his chair, oddly at ease now that it was out there. It was as if a huge weight had come off his shoulders. They’d made a choice together, and his pack was informed. He needed to call his mom and stepdad, but he knew she’d be more excited than concerned. He rested his arm around the back of Callie’s chair, putting his lips near her ear. “You want to get out of here?”
She was blinking rapidly, looking from person to person, as if she was trying to gauge everyone’s mood through the mele. “Are we allowed to bail in the middle of this mess? I don’t think your brother would like that.”
She had a point. Jace would kick his ass for imploding dinner and then throwing up the deuces. See? She was really coming into her own and learning how to survive in the pack…without actually knowing about the pack.
Geez. He’d almost forgotten for a damn second that he was supernatural and the mother of his child had no freaking clue.Full-on exhaustion overtook him, andhe becameincreasingly annoyed with everyone talking over each other,but not actually talking tohim. Was he hormonal too? His wolf was starting to clawtothe surface, wanting him to get the girl carrying his seed away from all the chaos.Seed?That was fucking weird. Was his wolf aging at a rapid rate?
“Hey.” He stood, using his outside voice to get the pack’s attention. “One at a time, or I throw Callie over my shoulder and no one gets any answers. Understood?”
“Huh. Speaking like a dad already.” Riley grinned from across the table.
“Are you two, uh,dating?” Dom put a hell of a lot of emphasis on the word “dating,” and Jasper caught his drift. Dom was asking if Callie was his mate, his forever.
“No.”Jasperrested his hands on Callie’s shoulders, wanting to make sure his words didn’t come out harsh or cruel. “We hooked up one night. We were super careful and responsible.” He shrugged. “It happened anyway. We’ve decided to raise the baby together, asfriends.”
Corey was standing on the other side of the room, trying to corral her and Dom’s toddler. “What about school?”
“They’ll both finish school,” Jace answered before he or Callie got the chance. “I’ve already looked into childcare in Greenly and put the baby on some waiting lists.”
Callie dipped her head back, a frown on her pretty lips when their eyes met. Jasper gave her a slight shake of his head, silently begging her to let Jace’s control issues go for the time being. That was a whole other conversation that would need to happen, but not here, and not now.
He wouldn’t be surprised if Jace had already purchased Callahan her own house, you know, as another “investment” property.
“So you aren’t Blake’s friend?” Pen glanced between Callie and Blake. “That wasn’t true?”
“Of course we’re friends.” Blake smiled at Callie, which made Jasper incredibly happy. He loved watching the people he cared for continue to grow closer. “We’re friends, but I’m not the one who came up with the plan to stay in Haxton for the summer.”
“That was my idea.” Jasper supposed he could start answering some more of these questions, although everyone else was doing a great job. “Callie couldn’t go home.”
“Why?” Molly’s lip was out in a pout, like she was seriously concerned for the pregnant teenager she’d only met a few weeks ago. “Did something happenwithyour parents?”
