Those words made Stark’s heart skip a beat.My real mate… Is he talking about Kyle?
“Did you know the whole time?” Stark asked slowly.
“Not at first,” Chase said. “But then I saw the way you looked at him and talked about him. Plus Kyle looked miserable whenever you were with me, so I figured the feeling between you guys was mutual, even if you were both oblivious as rocks.”
Stark laughed. It was like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He had never been so relieved. “Thanks, Chase.”
“No problem.” He stared at the DVD player. “I guess I should go return this and head on home.”
“Yeah, I - that would probably be best,” Stark said awkwardly.
After retrieving his DVD, Chase headed for the door. He smiled and gave Stark a little wave. “See you around, man. And good luck with Kyle.”
“Thank you,” Stark said genuinely. “You’re a good guy, Chase.”
Chase smiled in appreciation. They said their goodbyes and Chase left. Stark stared at the closed door for a few minutes after he had gone, wondering what to do next.
There was a possibility Kyle was already pregnant. A very distinct, probable possibility. Stark wondered if Kyle already knew, or had already been tested for it. If he had, would he know Stark was the father? Would he even care?
A chill ran through him. Kylehadto care. Stark’s whole world would fall apart if the man he loved wanted nothing to do with him or, even worse, prevented him from seeing their baby.
Stark shook his head. The dramatic human movie was messing with his mind.
I have to find Kyle and make this right.
* * *
The next morningStark woke up with a purpose. He had spent too long avoiding Kyle and now he was overwhelmed with guilt. He was going to apologize to Kyle in a big flashy way - it was what he deserved.
He left home and headed straight to the brand new department store. Since it opened, Killian had asked the manager to import more modern goods from human communities, but his main focus was on baby goods. Now the store stocked a huge variety of products aimed at new parents.
Stark thought that would be the best way to go. Excitement bubbled up within him at the idea of splurging on their new baby. Even the notion ofhavinga baby was strange to him. He never thought it would happen so soon, and not like this - but he couldn’t be happier.
He rushed into the department store, which was still relatively empty in the early morning hours. He went straight for the baby goods section, his eyes gleaming like a human child on Christmas. Strollers, baby bouncers, bottles, and more things than he could even take in were displayed beautifully among the shelves and aisles. The walls had been painted in sections of soft baby pink, blue and yellow.
He picked up a shopping basket, then paused before putting it down and grabbing a shopping cart instead. He wheeled through the aisles and picked out everything that he thought would be useful for the baby. Soon the cart was full to the brim, and Stark had only been in the store for fifteen minutes.
As he sharply rounded the corner, the cart rocked with the momentum. Stark panicked and tried to right the cart, pushing heavily on the opposite side. It finally tilted back onto all four wheels. Stark let out a sigh of relief.
“Having trouble?”
Stark nearly jumped at the voice behind him. His heart fluttered as he turned to see Kyle standing there with a big smile.
“Kyle!” Stark cried. Without thinking he threw his arms around Kyle’s shoulders and pulled him into an embrace. Kyle let out a smalloof.Stark could barely stop himself from taking a deep drag of Kyle’s scent before he finally let him go. “What are you doing here?”
As he said the words, he knew there could only be one reason.
“You - you’re - “ Stark stammered.
“I’m here,” Kyle said with a shaky laugh. “At the baby store.”
“You’re here, at the baby store,” Stark echoed. His eyes went wide. “Does that mean you - you already checked - and?”
Kyle gave him a tiny nod. “Yeah. I’m pregnant.”
All the air seemed to rush out of Stark’s lungs and he thought he was going to choke. He pulled Kyle into another embrace, this one more careful and gentle, as if the baby was already big enough to cause a swell in Kyle’s stomach.
“Stark,” Kyle asked. “Are you crying?”
