Page 33 of Breeding Clinic

Gabriel snorts and raises his glass of wine to his lips. “He goes to church twice a year. On Easter and Christmas.”

Liam gives him an unamused expression. “And weddings and funerals. I don’t have to kneel in a church to believe in God.”

“He’s a lapsed Catholic,” I explain, seeing her confusion. “His parents were very religious. We don’t see them very often.They moved far away and… well, they had a hard time with themated to menthing.”

“Oh.” Her brow furrows. “I’m sorry.”

Liam shrugs it off and chews his food. “It took time for them to come around, but they’re fine now. Especially with…”

With the baby on the way.

The mood in the room shifts a little as Liam puts his foot in his mouth.

“Mmm.” Kat stabs her fork into her mac and cheese and takes a bite, chewing slowly. “This is amazing.”

I give her a smile and hand her the bread basket. “I’m glad you like it. Thank you for helping.”

She pushes her broccolini around on her plate. “I’m not sure I helped much, but thanks for letting me. I like to bake more than cook.”

“Oh?” I arch a brow in interest and lean toward her. “What do you like to make?”

“We’ve lost them,” Gabriel says to Liam, trying to steal the attention. “They’ll be talking about yeast for hours.”

“Ignore him,” I say. “He’s jealous because he burns everything that’s not breakfast or Brazilian food his mom taught him to make.”

“That shepherd’s pie was delicious, thank you,” he says, acting offended.

I rise to the bait. This is a familiar old squabble. “There were eggshells in it. There aren’t even supposed to be any eggs in shepherd’s pie.”

“The egg yolk in the mashed potatoes makes it brown better,” he argues.

“Ignore him,” I tell her. “Just talk over him. It’s the only way you get a word in sometimes.”

“Normal things, I guess,” she says. “Cookies, cakes, brownies, that sort of thing. Although I did go through a bad spell andgot really into making bread after my… after I went through a tough time. I even tried to make my own sourdough starter, but it’s a lot harder than it seems.”

“See?” Gabriel says, talking to Liam. “Yeast.”

“Shh. I want to hear this,” Liam says.

“Bread is really difficult to get right,” I say. “There’s a lot of chemistry and science involved. Cooking is generally easier than baking,” I agree with her.

We spend the rest of the dinner chatting and eating. Once we’re done, Liam suggests a movie. It’s a tactical move we talked about in advance. Our couch is big enough for three people, but not as comfortable for four. That means we’ll get to touch her. He says that’s really important for omegas who like small, enclosed spaces and pack piles.

“What kind of movies do you like?” he asks, bringing up one of our streaming services.

“I’m not picky,” she says. “I’ll watch almost anything.”

“How about this one?” Liam pulls up a thriller. It’s the psychological kind, not the gory chainsaw kind. “I heard the reviews were good and it’s new.”

“Sure.”

We sit on the couch. Liam takes an end seat, putting her between him and Gabriel. He knows I don’t always like to be touched by people I don’t know well. I take the chaise portion, settling myself against Gabriel’s leg.

Ten minutes into the movie, Liam’s omega seduction plan falls apart. Kat falls asleep, her head on his shoulder and her sock-covered feet tucked under Gabriel’s thigh. It’s cute. And then Kat begins to softly snore. The cuteness factor drops a smidge.

We sit through the movie anyway, scared to move or turn the movie off and wake her. The pregnancy must make her tired. I read that fatigue is really common in the beginning.

The movie is good, but I predict the twist about halfway through and lose interest. Instead, I turn on my side and study her. The mother of my child. She’s pretty. Liam’s gorgeous. Our baby is going to be adorable.

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