Page 54 of Labor of Love

“I know.”

If anything, Bracken’s suspicion seemed to grow. “Why aren’t you having a fit right now?”

Tanner shrugged. “I like kids.”

“Yes. Well…” For once, Bracken seemed at a loss for words.

Tanner cocked his head. “Is that why you didn’t tell me earlier? You thought I’d be angry with you?”

He’d have to be a complete asshole to blame Bracken for any of it. Tanner might not have been completely up to speed with fae omegas, but he knew the deal in general. And it had been two of them there that night, fucking like there was no tomorrow. There was nooneperson at fault.

Bracken shook his head, toying with the handle of his teacup. “I had complications to attend to. There was an arrangedbetrothal and this…” He cleared his throat. “Well, it was dissolved.”

“You were engaged,” Tanner repeated dully.

There was the shock again—twice in one night; who would have thought?—and this time anger was swift to follow. Never mind that Tanner had become the unwilling accomplice to an affair, but the thought of Bracken with some tall, elegant alpha fae…

Betrothed.

Tanner didn’t like it. Bracken was too tender under all that sharpness. Whoever this fiancé was, they wouldn’t have the slightest idea how to handle him properly.

And you do?

Tanner ignored the skeptical thought. He was good at being stubborn when he wanted to be. He had a feeling that was about to come in handy.

Tanner was prepared to be incredibly stubborn when it came to Bracken and their unborn babe.

Bracken pointed an accusing finger in Tanner’s face. “Hey! No scowling. It was a Court betrothal—a political alliance. We’d never even been on a date. And premarital dalliances are both accepted and encouraged in my culture.” He shook his finger like a weapon. “I willnotbe shamed by a promiscuous barkeep.”

Right. Different species, different social practices. Tanner relaxed his face as best he could. He’d ignore the “promiscuous barkeep” jab. For now. And hewasslightly mollified that the fiancé had been only a figurehead.

Bracken cleared his throat delicately again, shifting in his seat. “That said, omegas are under a different set of rules, generally. And a premarital pregnancy…” He trailed off, letting the rest go unsaid. “Well, it’s all over now.”

“No more betrothal.” Tanner kept his voice as bland as he could, making sure he wasn’t looking smug.

But Bracken’s face was still pinched, so maybe Tanner hadn’t been successful. “No moreCourt,” he said acidly. “No more fae realm.”

Tanner read between the lines. “You’ve been kicked out.”

“Yes.” Bracken straightened in his seat, looking as regal as Tanner had ever seen him. He placed a slender hand on what appeared to be a completely flat belly. “You and your common human seed have put me in this position. So you will, of course, take responsibility.”

“Of course,” Tanner told him, without an ounce of hesitation.

Bracken blinked at him, the wind taken out of his sails. Like maybe he hadn’t expected Tanner to concede. He shook off his surprise quickly. “Yes, as I said,” he repeated snippily. “Of course.”

“You’ll stay with me. I have an extra room.”

Again, it seemed to take a second for Bracken’s brain to catch up with Tanner’s words. “If it meets my standards,” he eventually said, although his voice had lost some of its sharpness. “Which it probably won’t.”

Tanner walked around the bar. Bracken whirled on his stool, following Tanner with his gaze. “What are you doing?”

Tanner stopped in front of him. This close, he could breathe in Bracken’s natural honeysuckle scent. It was mellower than Tanner remembered, with less spice to it. Maybe that was an effect of the pregnancy.

“Can I…?” Tanner gestured to Bracken’s belly. “I’d like to see.”

“There isn’t much to see yet.”

Despite his words, Bracken began unlacing his waistcoat, revealing the silken shirt underneath. And yes, without the covering, there it was—the slightest, smallest swell of his lower belly. The tiniest beginning of a bump.

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