He napped in Hades’ car and woke up when they parked in the driveway. Plastic rustled on his lap.
For a moment, Aaren didn’t remember what he was holding.
Then it sank in: Pregnancy test kits. His stomach dropped.
“We should just get it over with,” he decided.
Hades nodded, jogging over to open the passenger door before Aaren could.
“I can open it myself,” Aaren grumbled. He snuggled into Hades’ side anyway, clinging to him as they made their way into the house.
Hades was the one who opened all the kits and read their instructions. He stood with Aaren in front of the toilet, holdingthree unwrapped test sticks. “In case of a false reading. Anytime you’re ready.”
“This feels really weird,” Aaren said with his pants down.
Hades shrugged. “I helped you with the bathroom when you were down with fever. This isn’t much different.”
He’d seen inside Aaren’s ass, seen Aaren at his grossest, and he was still sticking around.
“Okay,” Aaren said, and peed.
Actually, it was a painless process. Since Hades was the one tracking the time, all Aaren had to do was straighten his clothes and sit on the bathroom counter.
“Are you nervous?” Aaren blurted.
Hades wet his lips. “A little.” At Aaren’s raised eyebrows, he sighed sheepishly. “Okay, more than a little. This... could be a huge change. I had not imagined a child in my future.”
“Me neither,” Aaren said, all the possibilities unfurling before him. Baby? Or no baby? “I’m not gonna think about this ‘til we see some results.” He held Hades’ hand; Hades squeezed his in return. “I think you’d be a great dad though. You take such good care of me.”
Hades opened and closed his mouth, looking torn.
Then his phone alarm went off. Both of them jumped. Aaren immediately looked down.
Two lines.
He looked at the other kits just in case. Both had two lines too.
I’m pregnant,Aaren thought.Oh gods, I’m pregnant.
There’s a baby in my belly.
“Oh gods,” Aaren breathed, horrified. “Why would anyone trust me to be a dad?”
“I would,” Hades said. When Aaren looked up, he found Hades still looking torn, his gaze intense. Hades gathered Aaren into his arms and hugged him tightly. Was he happy about this? Sad? Aaren wrapped his arms around his alpha, hiding his face in Hades’ chest.
For a while, all they did was breathe.
“I feel like I should be doing something right now,” Aaren blurted. “Run around screaming myself silly. Check if I’m dreaming. Or hallucinating. Oh gods.”
“You’re not dreaming. This isn’t a hallucination. Otherwise, I’m dreaming right along with you.” Hades leaned back slightly, looking down at the curve of Aaren’s belly. He covered it with his large hand.
“You don’t have to decide what to do right now,” Hades said. “Think about it carefully. There’s time. If you decide to keep the baby, I think you’ll do great. Know why I say that? It’s because you try your best at work; you treat people with kindness. Even the ones who don’t deserve it.”
Aaren jolted at the reminder—Ballus.
Terrible, insensitive, abrasive Ballus, who cared about himself and not Aaren. Aaren really,reallydid not want to bring his vulnerable belly anywhere near that jerk. Not that Ballus had hit him so far, but... “I guess I’m sleeping over for the foreseeable future.”
Hades rumbled, rubbing Aaren’s back. “We’ll have to start moving the rest of your things home.”
