It made sense, especially after everything Kyle had said. Ezra considered it carefully. “How does someone go about undoing damage like that? It’s not easy to start taking responsibility for your own actions when you’ve been taught you’re above taking responsibility for anything.”
“Well…” Jude turned his head, cheek resting on his shoulder, to smile at Ezra. “I think it helps to have someone there to guide them through it. Teach them how to be less of a shitty person and all that.”
“And you’re okay with me being that person for Titan? Even if it means that your husband will want to smother me to death in my sleep out of spite?”
Jude sighed. “Look, Al won’t be happy, sure, but you’re family to him. If you tell him Titan has turned over a new leaf, well, it might take him a minute to accept it, but eventually he will believe you. And, because I know you’re worried about it, he’ll forgive you, too, because that’s just the type of guy he is. He doesn’t hold grudges.”
“I don’t know, he’s still pretty hung up about daylight saving time.”
Jude snorted. “Okay, fair. Let me clarify—he doesn’t hold grudges whenit comes to the things that count.”
“I’m going to hold you to that,” Ezra said, managing a smile. “Especially if it turns out Titan doesn’t end up turning over a new leaf. Are yousureyou’re okay with me and him hooking up?”
Jude shrugged. “I’ve known you for quite a while, man, and this is the first time I’ve seen you show interest in anybody since you and that douchebag—Zane, or whatever?—broke up. You’ve been pretty solidly anti-men for a long time, so, I dunno, I guess it’s kind of nice to see you putting yourself out there again. Even if it is with my questionable brother-in-law.”
“Parenthood has made you soft, Mr. Adler,” Ezra said, relief blooming in his chest. Maybe the consequences of his actions wouldn’t be as severe as he’d first feared.
“Yeah, I guess,” Jude replied, a little wistful. “Just wait until you have kids—you’ll be the same way.”
“Not happening,” Ezra said with a snort. “Don’t get it twisted, I love my nieces and nephews, but I’m not ready for the kind of responsibility raising kids entails. I tried having a pet cat and she ran off and got a position in an undercover government agency. Imagine what would happen with a baby.”
“I hope you’re being careful with Titan, then. I wasn’t ready for that kind of responsibility either, but, well, you know how that story ends.”
Ezra furrowed his brow at him. “I thought that happened because you guys were True Mates or what-have-you. That wouldn’t be something I would need to worry about, right? I mean, Titan and I are definitely not like, bound together by fate like you and your guy.”
“No, I don’t think that’s a risk. Probably don’t need to worry about it unless you’ve been having pregnancy symptoms,” Jude teased with a grin. “Are you tired all the time? Nauseous? Going back and forth between not being able to stand the thought of food and eating everything in sight?”
Ezra stared blankly at Jude. After he continued to not respond, his friend’s smile began to fade. “Wait, seriously? I was joking.”
“I thought it was just stress,” Ezra said, eyes growing wide. “I mean, itisjust stress.”
The two of them stared at one another in total silence until Ezra couldn’t take it anymore.
“Jude, man,” he pleaded brokenly, “please tell me it’s just stress.”
“Are you sure this thing will even work on me?” Ezra called out loudly. He was standing in front of the toilet in Jude’s master bedroom, a white and blue stick in his shaking hands.
“No idea,” came Jude’s muffled voice through the door. “I bought a bunch just in case Al and I ever had a, er, slip-up, but I’ve never had to use one. Just pee on it and see what happens.”
“Just pee on it and see what happens,” Ezra muttered to himself in disbelief. What sage life advice that was.
But, also, what the hell else was he gonna do?
He peed on the stick to see what would happen.
“Okay, now what?” he asked, opening the door and letting Jude into the bathroom once he’d flushed and washed his hands.
“Now we wait three minutes, and if two lines appear it means you’re either pregnant or you have testicular cancer.”
“Great,” Ezra deadpanned. He rubbed his temple, where what was sure to be a tremendous headache was starting to form. “This is ridiculous. Everything I’ve learned about Darvrokians says that they can’t get another species pregnant unless they’re True Mates or bonded to each other through the bonding ceremony. Right? Because otherwise the… the parts just don’t line up for that to happen. This has to be an overreaction.”
“Better safe than sorry?” Jude said sheepishly, leaning against the gold edging of the countertop.
Ezra groaned.
The next three minutes dragged. There had never been a longer span of time in Ezra’s entire life. When Jude finally said, “Okay, time’s up, take a look,” it felt like he had aged fifty years. Not wanting to wait a second longer, he scrambled to pluck the pregnancy test off the counter and held it in his trembling hands.
It had two pink lines.
