"It’s fine, Gabe. I’m really happy I’m going to be an uncle, and that’s wonderful."
And I know he means it.
Then he stands up and hugs me tightly.
The rest of the gathering turns into a flood of questions about our plans, how we’re going to balance Blue’s demanding career with being parents, whether we’ll have an official wedding, when the news will go public at work, and a dozen other things. We don’t have answers to all of it yet, but Blue handles it as best he can.
I’m honestly surprised by how easily he fits in with my family. I have my suspicions about why, because if our families are this compatible, a lot of my relatives are probably his Half Mates, maybe even High Mates, so we’re operating on a similar wavelength.
Blue genuinely seems comfortable around them. Everyone treats him kindly, and aside from Dallas, who gets ignored anyway, there isn’t a single sour look directed his way.
I feel good too, lighter than I have in a long time, my heart like a balloon filled with something brighter than air, full of happiness and hope for what’s ahead.
No one treats me like a shy pushover anymore. I get congratulations, looks of respect, quiet comments like "wow, you did well," "you really landed that," "look at you," "man, you’re lucky," "well, at least you don’t have to worry about money anymore," and even my cousin Raven leans in and whispers, "Hey, any chance you could lend me a little cash?"
Right before the end of dinner, Marlow unexpectedly asks Blue if he can have a word with him, and they step away for a short conversation. From a distance I can see Marlow looks downcast, but he parts from Blue with a polite nod.
When we’re on our way home, sitting in the limousine, I ask Blue what that was about.
He explains that Marlow asked him about the progress on the fertility activation program for alphas.
I raise my eyebrows in surprise, because I somewhat forgot about it, but apparently Marlow’s been holding on to the hope that Blue would figure something out.
"But you mentioned before that Fenn Drax left the research project and it was closed…"
Blue lets out a small sigh.
"Unfortunately yes. Awakening heats in alphas is an extremely complex problem. We had somepromisingleads, but we were still only doing lab work, not field tests. This was supposed to be the next stage, but after Drax left, the board decided to stop the program. So I had to give him some bad news."
I absentmindedly play with his hand, sliding his fingers across my palm.
"Well. That’s rough, but who knows what the future will bring. He’s still young, maybe in a few years science will move forward on that."
Then I lean in and rest my forehead against the back of his neck, breathing him in, even though his scent is muted now by the anti-pheromone deodorant.
"You know, that whole dinner thing… it went really well. I think for the first time I actually felt like an equal member of my family. I’ve always been on the edge because of my personality, but I think in their eyes I finally count as a real Nolan."
"Hey," Blue says, playfully wagging a finger at me. "Your last name is Lowen now, remember?"
I laugh under my breath. "Right, and honestly that works for me, because it’s as a Lowen that I did all this work on myself, the kind I never managed as a Nolan."
Blue brushes his fingers lightly along my face. "It was only a matter of time, Gabriel. I think you’ve always been too hard on yourself, but your potential was always there, just waiting for the right moment."
???
That night, when Blue and I make love, I feel incredible, free, fulfilled, full of hope for what’s ahead, but later, lying beside him and holding him in my arms, I notice with some surprise that my phone starts ringing.
I don’t want to pick up, but then it rings again, and again.
"Seriously, they don’t even let a guy rest after orgasms," I mutter with a grin, propping myself up on one arm above Blue’s warm body.
"I’ll check what’s going on, because this kind of persistence usually means something’s up. At this hour?"
My eyes drop to the screen.
I see the missed calls are from my dad.
"It’s my dad," I say, a cold shiver running down my spine.
