“Isn’t that specifically a pregnancy thing, though?” I ask.
Lydia shrugs, very nonchalantly. “Probably.”
The doorbell rings.
“I’ll get it.” I leave my water beside Ty and answer the door. It’s Tyler’s friend Jordan, who looks about 8 months pregnant, and his mate Miles. “Hey, Jordan, Miles, you guys are way early.” I step aside and let them in. Jordan’s carrying a small brown paper bag in his hand.
“Your dad asked if we could come a little earlier,” Jordan says. “Apparently something he needed our help with before everyone else arrives.”
“Okay, well, we’re all in the kitchen right now.”
Jordan and Miles follow me to the kitchen.
“You guys want something to drink?” I ask, my hand on the refrigerator door as I await their answer. Oddly, both Miles and Jordan are staring at Tyler.
“What?” Tyler asks between bites. With one finger, he pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. When neither of them answer right away, Ty gives his head a slight shake and raises both eyebrows, silently questioning them.
Jordan looks at me. Miles presses his lips together, meeting my stepmom’s knowing expression.
“What?” I ask, my voice a bit higher than normal. I’m not getting the weird, furtive glances.
“Well?” my dad asks, looking expectantly between Jordan and Miles as he sets the peeler down and rinses his hands off.
Miles nods, a huge grin stretching across his face.
“I think it worked, Ben,” Jordan says, his smile just a big.
“What worked?” I ask, looking between everyone for answers.
“Jordan, sweetie,” Lydia says. “You brought it, right?”
“Yep.”
“Why don’t you take Tyler and confirm?”
“Confirm what?” Ty asks, wiping his mouth after having downed all six enchiladas.
Jordan hooks his arm around Tyler’s elbow. “Just come with me.”
“Why is everyone staring at us?” I ask as Jordan leads Tyler out of the kitchen. Tyler glances over his shoulder at me, looking just as confused as I am.
“Son, you may want to sit down.”
“Why?”
“Your father and I have something we need to tell you.” My stepmom takes me by the elbow and hand and guides me into the living room, sitting me down in one of the chairs. Miles sits on the couch. Lydia steps back into Dad’s arm as he puts it around her waist.
“Okay, so what’s this you need to tell me?”
“Do you recall a few weeks back how I mentioned a couple of new drugs my company was testing on couples?”
I draw my brows together, thinking back. “Rings a bell, but you’re always testing new drugs.”
“I told you we’d developed and were testing new fertility and virility drugs.”
“Sounds familiar, but what would that have to do with me or Ty?”
“Those drugs were also genome modifiers, but we weren’t sure they would work. I tested them on the two of you.”
