Page 23 of His Gift
I didn’t like that at all. Enzo was my responsibility. I cared for him.
I would unpack the strength and suddenness of those feelings later.
“If you want to wait here while I deal with this?—”
Walt stepped out of his car and crouched down to stare into mine, scowling. “You’re late,” he said, his voice muffled through the glass.
We weren’t late. It was barely past eleven-thirty.
“Sorry about this,” I sighed, reaching for the door handle. I got out of the car, and to my surprise, Enzo got out, too, instead of waiting where it was warm and cozy for me to deal with Walt. “I think we still have plenty of time,” I said.
“Is this some scheme to undermine me?” Walt asked, pulling his thick, winter coat more tightly around himself and keeping his arms crossed. “And who is this person?” He nodded at Enzo.
“Hi, I’m Enzo.” Enzo stepped forward with a big, comfortable smile, offering his hand to Walt.
Walt stared at his hand, stared at Enzo, then stared at me, the question still sharp in his expression.
“Enzo is my boyfriend.”
It just came out. I’d had no idea that was what I was going to say before I opened my mouth and I still couldn’t quite believe I’d actually said it once it was out of my mouth. But there it was, hanging in the cool air between us all.
And it felt right, it felt good.
“I’m his boyfriend,” Enzo said, his smile growing to epic proportions, his hand still outstretched to Walt. I wanted to kiss him for playing along. I wanted to kiss him for a lot of reasons.
“I didn’t know you had a boyfriend,” Walt said, still tense and closed up. Very tense and closed up, now that I noticed it. And upset. Maybe even…heartbroken?
Something was going on with my little brother, and it drove me crazy not to be able to put my finger on what it was.
“Nice to meet you, Enzo,” Walt said at last, loosening his arms so he could shake Enzo’s hand.
“And you,” Enzo said, stepping closer to Walt and being perfectly warm with him. “Shawn has told me a lot about you.”
I was so proud of my omega that my alpha wanted to preen and strut. He was being kind to my brother, which was just about the most wonderful thing he could have done.
“I’m not sure I would trust anything my brother has to say,” Walt said glumly.
“Oh, but he’s said so many nice things about you,” Enzo went on, letting go of Walt’s hand, but continuing to smile at him as though they were instant best friends. “How brilliant you are, how important you are in the family company, how much he admires the way you stand up for yourself.”
Dear God, was the omega trying to make me fall hopelessly in love with him?
“He didn’t tell me you were pregnant, though,” Enzo went on.
Everything stopped. My heart stopped beating, the traffic behind us stopped being noisy, even the wind stopped blowing. Or at least that’s how it felt.
“You’re pregnant?” I blinked at Walt.
Walt went from being cautiously open to Enzo to glaring at him like he’d kicked a puppy. “Thanks,” he sneered, dripping sarcasm. “Thanks a bunch, asshole.”
I noticed then. It was still a little too warm for the thick coat Walt wore. Even then, the coat barely fit him. It didn’t really conceal anything. Walt’s face had filled out a little, too, and he had a softness about him that he didn’t usually have. And that was before he unzipped his coat, seemingly out of spite, to reveal the sizeable bulge of his belly.
“Congratulations,” Enzo said, still playing nice. “How far along are you?”
“Six months,” Walt snapped before glaring at me. “Save your congratulations for this one. He’s about to get everything he’s ever wanted.”
“I…I don’t…what do you mean?” I asked, unable to drag my eyes away from Walt’s belly. I was going to be an uncle! But Walt was single, determinedly so, and as far as I knew, he wasn’t even seeing anyone.
“Do you think Dad is going to let me have anything to do with the company after this?” Walt demanded. “One fuck up, a one-night-stand that turned into heat, and my life is ruined. I bet you couldn’t be happier.”
