“Have Booker and Frey arrived with Emmy?” Kari asked, going with the reason they were all there. He had kept his thoughts centered on why they wanted them all there tonight.
“They should be here soon.”
Silas appeared, hands shoved into his trouser pockets. “Look who it is! You managed to grace us with your presence!”
“Behave Silas,” Popi warned, slipping an arm through Bowie’s. “Let’s talk about why I want you all here.”
Kari followed Bowie and Popi, Silas matching his stride. “I think our lives are about to become baby orientated.”
“Possibly. They’re gonna need help for sure,” Kari replied, matching his tone to Silas’s. “But let’s see what Popi has in mind.”
Kari sat next to Bowie, listening and staring at the chart that Popi had created to support Frey and Booker. He couldn’t fault it, and approved of how all the PAs also got on board with helping their friend. Bowie was quiet, more so than usual, and Kari believed it was to do with what he’d talked about before they’d gone to the club.
Tyres crunching on gravel had Popi skip out of the room at a speed that had Dad groaning.
“Here we go,” Jupiter chuckled, looking completely unphased by the turn of events, unlike Kodi, who cast several accusing glances in Kari’s direction.
Bowie fidgeted next to him, glancing at the doorway.
“Do you want to go and speak to Frey?” Kari questioned quietly.
The nod was hesitant, but Bowie rose, so Kari followed, not paying any attention to the chatter going on around them. His concern was for the man whose smile had disappeared.
In the entryway, Kari watched Bowie as Popi held court, Emmy clutched in his arms. The nervous chewing of Bowie’s lower lip gave Kari the desire to slip his arm around him, only he couldn’t when his family were there and Bowie hadn’t said he was ready to share what was between them.
Bowie took a step towards Frey, pausing.
“What’s up?” Frey asked, placing a hand on Bowie’s arm when he didn’t reply. Bowie kicked at the floor with his sneakered foot.
As the seconds drew out, Kari fought the need to reach out.
“I… you see…” Bowie sighed and rubbed at his flushed face, dislodging Frey’s hand. “You won’t give up that little girl if things don’t work out for you and Booker, will you?”
Frey blew out a breath much the same as Kari at the unexpected emotional punch to his gut.
Kari stepped back and watched Frey drag Bowie in for a hug, struggling a little to get his arms around his shoulders. In the end he gave up, slipping his arms around Bowie’s waist, drawing him in and whispered in his ear, “I would cut off a limb before I’d give up my baby.”
With his wolf’s hearing, he heard every word, and he didn’t doubt that Frey meant every word. Except Kari wasn’t concerned about that. All his concern was for the man whose cheeks Frey was currently cupping. “She’s mine in every way. I helped bring that baby into this world, possibly even saved her life. Her daddy asked me to help, and I am going to honor his life by doing just that.”
Bowie’s eyes searched Frey’s in a way that Kari recognized as him searching for the truth. “What if you get pregnant a-and don’t want her ‘cause you h-have your own flesh and blood?”
“I can’t have children. I took heat blockers for too long, and they messed up my hormones. I don’t have a heat the same way because of it.”
“You what?”
The strain in Booker’s voice got Kari glancing at his brother. Clearly he wasn’t aware of this information.
Bowie wore a panicked look and muttered, “I’m so sorry.” He ran into the house, past Kari, eyes full of tears. Kari chased after him, guiding him into an empty entertaining room when he caught up with him.
Kari cuddled Bowie the second they were inside the room, resting his chin on his head, rocking him slightly. “Babycakes, this is not your fault. So, whatever you have going on in your head right now, I want you to stop and listen to Daddy.”
Bowie sniffed loudly and buried his face in Kari’s shirt. “I just wanted to make sure.”
Kari got the jist after hearing the conversation, and though he wanted to continue this discussion, with his family a couple of rooms away, it was not the time. He kissed the top of Bowie’s head, squeezing him a little tighter. “I know, and I think we need to talk about the reason for that later, when we get home.”
Bowie tensed, so Kari placed another kiss on his scented hair. Kari wished they were anywhere but where they were.
“Let’s meet Emmy properly.” Kari couldn’t help Bowie the way he wanted to, with his family so close by, so having something else to do felt like a good distraction.
