Page 27 of The Selkie Santa

Noah took a deep breath. “The night before I went to sea, Dina came and told me she was pregnant. Told me it’s yours.”

Wyatt looked at his fists in his lap. “Yeah, right.”

“Said she didn’t know what to do. Made me promise not to tell anyone until she’d worked out whether to keep the baby, and make a go of it with you. I just got back yesterday, and I need to know, what’s going on mate?”

Wyatt looked up and beamed. “We’ve decided to tie the knot.”

Noah blinked—he hadn’t expected to hear that.

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, we love each other, mate. Real deal.”

“So that night I found you together, that wasn’t just a casual fling?”

Wyatt shook his head. “No, it started before that. And hasn’t stopped since.”

Walking onto Wyatt’s boat and finding Wyatt balls deep inside Dina was something Noah had preferred not to think about. He’d hoped maybe it would just go away. That it was a one-off. Because really, Wyatt was trouble, and so was Dina. And together… Gods, he’d barely dared imagine.

“I’m besotted with her, I really am,” Wyatt said, then looked suddenly sheepish. “You know my fucked-up bank robbery attempt?”

“Yeah.”

“I wanted to get some money to help Dina out. She’s planning to open her own beauty salon, and I wanted to, you know… give her a head start.”

“Fuck, Wyatt, have you got rocks in your head?” Noah palmed his forehead.

Wyatt gave a rueful smirk. “I think it was more a tank full of grog in my belly, to be honest. Therapy’s helping me to see that. Drinking’s out from now on.”

“Really?” Gods, Noah sure hoped so.

“I’ve joined AA. I don’t want to end up like Dad. And I need to step up now that I’m going to be a father myself.”

“Yes, you do. You really do, Wyatt,” Noah said. “Have you told Mom?”

“I was waiting for you to come home.”

Noah shook his head. “I’m not playing the go-between anymore. You need to speak to her yourself.”

Wyatt bit his lip, but instead of arcing up, he nodded and said quietly, “Yeah, you’re right. You think Mom will be okay with it?”

“She’ll be over the moon to be a grandma,” Noah reassured him. “And how is Dina and the pregnancy going?”

Wyatt’s face spread into a grin. “It’s all going great. She comes in to see me every day. And bub’s kicking. It’s magic mate, feeling that little foot sticking out of her tummy. I reckon I felt his tail the other day.”

“His?”

‘It’s a boy. We decided to find out.” Wyatt was looking so chuffed, Noah couldn’t help feeling happy for him, despite all the hurdles ahead.

Wyatt continued. “Another four months here, and they’ve got a job lined up when I leave, working on the docks in one of the big warehouses. If I play my cards right, I could be a supervisor in a few years. I’ll be selling my boat, too. Can’t bring up bub on a boat.”

“I could help you repair it, get it ready for sale. It’ll probably fetch good coin with a bit of work done.”

Wyatt’s face brightened. “Would you?”

“Sure.” Noah grinned. “Remember when we were kids, and we painted that old rowing boat and took it down the river?”

That started them reminiscing about the good times. There had been plenty, Noah realized, when he cast his mind back.

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