“Okay, that’s good.” Mik’s voice was still tentative. “Care to share how you feel?”
Well, that was a good question, but Rowan wasn’t sure how he felt.
Happy, idiot. You’re happy.
But that was not what came out of his mouth. Nothing came out of his mouth.
Rowan wasn’t in shock because he thought it was impossible that he was pregnant; he was in shock because he had been in denial for so long. There had been a niggling part of his brain that told him certain things he’d dismissed could be, but he’d stubbornly held on to the result from his initial test. Though now he knew without a doubt that he was pregnant, and he couldn’t deny it any longer.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Mikhail’s voice was soft.
“I kind of thought, maybe,” Rowan admitted to Mikhail. “But then I would tell myself it couldn’t be, you know.”
“I know this is not what you planned...” Rowan wasn’t looking Mikhail in the eye as he spoke but had his eyes level with his throat instead. Rowan saw him swallow as the alpha continued, “Do you think you could be okay with this?”
Rowan felt horrid. He couldn’t blame Mikhail for his question since he’d not been able to accept the fact that Mik was his mate, so Rowan could see how he would be worried about him accepting a baby.A baby!
It was like the wind had been knocked right out of him, but he wasn’t as scared as he thought he would be.
When he glanced up at the alpha, Mikhail looked like he was waiting for the jury to give a verdict.
“I know this isn’t how we planned it, but we have time to figure it out, right?”
Mikhail’s face blanched, and Rowan thought about his words and had to backtrack.
“No, not like that.” Even if he wasn’t sure it was possible, Rowan didn’t want to get rid of their child. The only reason he’d been terrified before was because a child was a permanent binding to another human. Divorce was divorce, but when you had another human being that linked you, it wasn’t just for eighteen years. It was for eternity.
Then Zac and Jay’s words floated back to him—or was it Axel and Alfie’s—Rowan had forgotten who it was. Maybe it was all of them. They’d told him that he couldn’t get pregnant if he wasn’t fated to Mikhail.
If Rowaspregnant and everything that had been said about fated mates was true and Rowan believed what Mikhail had shown him about who he was, then maybe being tied to this one person for eternity wasn’t as scary.
Because I know my heart will always be safe.
“I can feel you thinking.” Mikhail tried for lightness, but he was clearly still apprehensive.
“I was never worried about the baby part.”
Mikhail’s brow went up.
“Okay, maybe I was, but not because I don’t want kids or whatever it is you’re thinking.”
Mikhail seemed to be listening closely to every word out of his mate’s mouth.
“I just needed for this to not be from zero to one hundred, you know…” his voice trailed off, and Rowan felt like he wasn’t making sense.
“I understand.” Mikhail took Rowan’s hand in his while still squatting in front of him.
Damn, the man must have great lower body strength. At that thought, Rowan couldn’t help giggling.
“What’s so funny?” Mikhail asked.
“I was just thinking you must have a great lower body strength to be squatting so long, not that I’m surprised. Your thighs are...” An image of naked Mikhail flashed in his eyes.
Those toned calves up to his muscular thighs that were just the right side of muscular but still lean, more Michael Phelps than bodybuilder… Rowan licked his lips as he mentally went higher on Mikhail’s body. Thinking about the way that perfect cock had filled him, stretched his hole in the best way.
“I would offer a fifty for your thoughts.” Mikhail’s voice was husky like he could read Rowan’s mind.
“Hold on. You can’t read my mind, can you?” Rowan’s cheeks reddened at the thought.
