Nico’s father put his hands on Nico’s shoulders and looked down at him.Nico had to resist the urge to squirm.
“Areyou happy?”his father asked.“Reallyhappy, or are you saying that because you don’t think there’s a way out?”
“I’m happy,” Nico confirmed.“It’s not what I expected, but it doesn’t mean I don’t want it.I know it’s going to be a lot to deal with, but I promise I won’t slack when it comes to the job.I’ll continue to work with you until I can’t, and I’ll get back to it as soon as I can after I give birth.”
Nico’s father shook his head.“I don’t need you to think about the job right now.You’ll come back to it when you can.Family is the most important thing, Nico.I realize that sometimes, I might not act like it, especially recently, but I love you and your brother, and all I’ve ever wanted was for the two of you to be happy.If for you that means having a baby with a man I’ve never met, then so be it.”
Nico snorted.“You’ll meet him.”
“I sure hope I will.”He pulled Nico into a quick hug, and Nico clung to him.He’d expected his father to be disappointed, and maybe he was, but that wasn’t important right now.
Everything wasn’t perfect, but Nico didn’t need it to be.He had Mackenzie and their baby, and now, he knew that he had his family’s support.That was all he needed.
Although it would be nice if Silas finally made his next move so they could deal with it and move on with their lives.
* * * *
I’M COMING OVER.
Mackenzie stared at the text he’d gotten from Nico a while ago.That was all the text said, so Mackenzie had no idea how things had gone with Nico’s father.Not knowing made him want to scream, but he told himself that if things had gone badly, Nico would’ve told him.Instead, he was coming over, and they’d probably spend the evening together.Hell, they might even be able to spend the night together for once.Now that Nico’s parents knew about Mackenzie, they didn’t have to hide anymore.
Not from them, anyway.There were other people who should be aware of their relationship, like Jerome.Mackenzie didn’t like that he’d lied to him, too, but it had been too risky to tell an alpha about Nico.He could have decided to go straight to Nico’s father to let him know what was happening, and that wasn’t something they’d wanted to happen.That had led to Nico sneaking in and out of fox territory, which in turn had led to Saul seeing him.
Mackenzie was glad all of that was over.He didn’t want to hide his relationship anymore, especially with the baby on the way.He was sure they’d have to deal with a lot of complications, but none of them would be from hiding their relationship anymore.
The second he heard a car stop in front of his house, he rushed to the front door.Nico really wasn’t hiding anymore.Usually, he’d park further away, hiding his car in the bushes as much as he could.Not that it had helped Saul not notice him coming and going.They’d been stupid, hadn’t they?If they’d truly wanted to keep their relationship a secret, they should’ve been more careful.They’d played with fire, and they’d been burned, but Mackenzie didn’t mind.It had led to them being honest with people and being able to be together openly.
When he opened his front door, Nico was climbing out of his car.He grinned, and Mackenzie relaxed.Things had gone well.
“What did your father say?”he asked when Nico reached him.
Nico hugged him and clung to him.“That as long as I’m happy, he’s happy for me.”
“So everything’s fine?”
“Everything’s fine.He even said that I had to take care of myself and not obsess over work too much. I couldn’t believe it when I heard it.”
“Your father loves you.”
“I’ve always known that, but sometimes, I wondered if he loved the clowder more.I wouldn’t have blamed him.They’re his people.”
“Andyourpeople, too.I don’t think he’s ever loved them more, just that he didn’t know how to show you how much he loves you.”
“He kind of apologized for that.We still have things to work on, but I feel like this pregnancy is going to help a lot with that.”
Mackenzie was happy for Nico.He’d been terrified about his father’s reaction, but he shouldn’t have been.Things had gone the way they were supposed to, and now, they could move on to the next step.Mackenzie wasn’t quite sure what that step would be yet, but Nico had to know.“Now what?”he asked.
“Well, my father knows, but Jerome doesn’t.”
“And since I live here, we have to tell him.”
Nico took a step back, clearly hesitant.“We do have to tell him, but I think we should talk first.”
“We can do that.”It didn’t sound good, and Mackenzie was getting a bit worried.
“It’s just that I can’t move.”
Mackenzie waited for Nico to continue, but he didn’t.It was like he was waiting for something, but Mackenzie wasn’t sure what.“I know you can’t.You wouldn’t be able to be the clowder’s alpha if you moved here.”
