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He sighed with relief when he saw that most of his friends’ cars were parked outside the horse track where they met in Articus’s town.
He jumped out of his truck and rushed up to the box they used for their meetings. Everyone was present, except Xander. No surprises there. The only reason Xander would have shown up would be to complete the job he had so brutally started—killing Blake.
Only Rowan and Articus didn’t seem shocked by his appearance. Everyone else jumped up in alarm, and even Callahan showed sharp teeth in anger.
“What the fuck happened to you?” Callahan yelled in surprise. “You look like you had a hasty meeting with a train. Sheesh.”
Without sitting down or wasting time with greetings, Blake told them everything. He told them all about his life with Eleanor, from the moment they started living together, then sleeping together.
He shared details about their partnership, how good a team they made, and how much fun they had while at it. Everyone listened with rapt attention while he spoke, giving him their complete focus.
“Hold on,” Articus said. “I’m guessing this was why Xander bashed your face in earlier? He found out that you started an intimate relationship with his sister?”
There were loud exclamations of surprise and Callahan lacked grace enough to laugh. Blake shot Articus a wicked look and Articus feigned ignorance.
“Thank you, Articus,” Blake snapped. “I assure you, I was getting right to it, but yes. That’s exactly what happened.” He was about to continue his story but Asher held up a finger.
“A moment,” Asher said. “Xander did this to you?Xander? We are talking about the same person, right? Not the Yeti?”
Fannar grunted. “Yeah, I’m the only one who has proclivities to violence.”
Blake rubbed his head. “You guys aren’t really helping.”
“Why did you call the meeting?” Callahan asked from the back, uncrossing his legs and leaning forward in his seat. “I can see how Xander got angry ’cause you broke every bro code in the book. But you’re an alpha. It’s not like you suffered any permanent damage…save for your bruised ego. Right? Come on, I can’t be the only one thinking this.”
Blake took a deep breath. Here came the best part. “Well, that wasn’t all that happened. I returned home to Eleanor and…well…she told me she’s pregnant…with my child…”
The room fell silent in a heartbeat. Blake looked from face to face. The shock he saw seemed like a fair reaction to the news he had just shared. He didn’t know what he’d hoped to accomplish by confiding in them, but he could admit to himself that he did feel somewhat better.
And then Callahan giggled. “Shit. Xander is going to kill him.”
Articus smiled and Rowan nudged Callahan. “Hey, shut up.” Turning to Blake, Rowan said. “What did you do when you found out?”
Shame swallowed Blake whole, but there was no way to run away from what he had done. “I turned around, and I ran away.” The words sounded bitter in his ears, but that was exactly what he’d done.
When he saw the looks he was receiving from his friends, he added, “What could I have done? I’ve never even thought about parenthood. She caught me by surprise, and I’m not proud to admit that I panicked.
“I’d just gotten home after Xander knocked my ass out, and I was still unsettled by that. And then she informs me that I’m going to be a father? I don’t know the next thing about raising kids and I had no idea what to say. It was all too much.” He was breathless when he finished speaking.
His friends all had different expressions for him—Articus was smiling, Fannar was rolling his eyes, Asher had a perplexed expression on his face, and Rowan was looking at him like he was the biggest idiot in the world.
Unsurprisingly, it was Rowan who let him have it. “So, you mean to tell me that after thirty-seven years, you’ve finally found someone who you’re comfortable with. Someone who you’re so obviously in love with, and can’t stop thinking about.
“Someone who’s now pregnant with your child, alone and doubting everything about you and the relationship you share? Look, plans change all the time, and even though you never pictured yourself with a cub of your own, we all know how much you love spending time with the cubs from your pack.
“Trust me, man. You’re going to be a great dad. So, I really think you should set the fear aside and embrace fatherhood. I believe congratulations are in order?”
Something clicked in Blake’s mind. Rowan’s words felt like cold water from a bucket, and he felt his wolf stir from within. His wolf agreed with his friends.
How could I have been so stupid?
There was only one thing left to do, and he didn’t intend to delay or dawdle.
He rushed out of the box without saying goodbye. They were his friends and he trusted them to understand. He had to save his marriage.
As he dashed out the door, he heard Callahan call, “You do get to be brothers-in-law with your best friend! There are worse scenarios in the world, like getting beat up by said best friend!”
This time, Blake chuckled. Callahan was right. He was an asshole most of the time, but he was right. There really were worse scenarios in the world.
