Page 31 of My Brutal Alpha

As his gaze lingered, I gave him a questioning expression, only for him to give me an innocent one, like he didn't know what was going on.

Yet, he didn't seem all that concerned, so I steeled myself and kept going until I met my brother's gaze.

"Oh good, you're up," Sebastian said, sitting slightly on the couch. He patted the cushion on the other side. "Here, sit. I want to talk to both of you."

Those words immediately sent me into panic mode again, and I urged my heart to stay at a slow, steady beat.

When I glanced at him again, Ezra gave me a reassuring look, and despite the unknown in front of us, I could still feel that tension between us. It didn't help the situation at all, knowing we had crossed the boundary of our agreement and put everything on the line.

Regardless of time passing, it was a struggle to navigate the unfamiliar territory.

I pulled a small smile for Sebastian and sat down on the opposite end of the couch. "This is a bit sudden for a Sunday morning."

He snickered. "Lydia is busy at home with the little one, so I figured this would be my only chance to slip away."

Despite my fears, he seemed to be in a good mood, so that was a positive thing. Still, I was just as confused about why he turned up at the house unannounced.

"What did you want to talk about?" Ezra asked, looking just as confused and curious as I was.

Sebastian nodded once and got into it: "I'm sure you guys have your own things going on, but I wanted to see if you two could help me put together a nice baby shower for Lydia."

A baby shower. Not a confrontation.

Despite my relief, I had to stop myself from letting go of a deep breath. I could sense that Ezra was feeling the same way, and we both seemed to ease into our seats a bit more.

"I don't want to overburden either of you, so that's why I'm wondering if you two could help me out," Sebastian continued, excited at the prospect of doing something nice for his wife and mate. "I've done a bit of planning already, but it's almost impossible for me to work at it without her knowing. And I can't keep any decorations or supplies in the house either because I already know she'd find them."

"So, you want us to finish the planning and get everything we need for it?" I questioned, already considering everything needed for a baby shower.

Sebastian nodded. "Yes, exactly. I can show you everything I've put together already, but if you could take over the rest, I'd be eternally grateful."

Sighing, I considered what that would mean.

While I had no qualms about doing the planning myself, he seemed set on us planning together, and I knew that meant we'd be forced to be around each other even more than usual.

Even while living together and sleeping in the same bed, the two of us were busy enough with our things to be separated for most of the day. Not only did it make it easier for us to avoidfighting, but it also stopped us from even remotely talking about our bond or what we were going to do about it.

Planning the baby shower meant spending a lot more time together, and it gave me a strange combination of feelings. Apprehension was the most prominent one, but I couldn't ignore the faintest thrill that moved through me at the same time.

Plus, if we were seen together more, especially near his parents, then we'd be able to convince them a lot faster, and then I'd have the chance to get out of that situation faster.

Although, given the bond, that won't be easy.

Despite my reluctance to be forced into spending that much extra time with him, I let go of a breath. If anything, I was doing it for Lydia.

"All right, sure. I can do that."

Sebastian brightened at my acceptance, then lifted a brow in Ezra's direction.

Just from looking at him, I could tell it was weighing on him in the same way. He was probably making the same considerations, aware that whatever we were would end up being less avoidable.

Then, he sighed and nodded. "That shouldn't be a problem."

Despite our silent exchange, we both agreed anyway, fully aware that the forced proximity would be less than ideal given our confused standing.

Sebastian and Lydia were lucky we both cared about them.

"Perfect," Sebastian said, his face bright with gratitude. Thanks so much for doing this; I appreciate it. I know Lydia is going to love it."

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