Whether time flies when you’re having fun—passes faster when you’re procrastinating—I couldn’t say, but I was now three months along with no clue how to tell Hugo. At this point, it was getting ridiculous. Now instead of being shocked at the surprise pregnancy when I told him, he’d probably wondering what the hell was wrong with me for having kept it a secret for so long, not that I’d blame him.

Of course, that implied that I would actually still tell him at some point. But honestly, I really would have to before much longer. My pants were already getting tight and I had a slight pooch to my belly that hadn’t been there before. With my first OB appointment coming up, I knew I had to say something before it was too late. What if he wanted to go with me? Did people do that, even if the pregnant person wasn’t their partner? Shit, I didn’t even know.

I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard Simon shriek. “What’s wrong?” I looked around to see what had frightened him, but Simon wasn’t scared—he was laughing. Davis and Todd were staring in the direction of the kitchen door with their jaws hanging open. When I saw what had captivated their attention, I had to laugh when I saw Tom standing there decked out in lederhosen.

“Well, is somebody going to start singing Danke Schoen or what? I mean, I look pretty darn fabulous, if I say so myself—and I do.” He struck a pose with a hand on one hip and the other stretched out over his head as he pointed his nose toward the ceiling.

“You’re a mess, Tom. Do I dare ask about the getup?” I pulled a pumpkin shell closer to start carving it. Simon and I were going to make jack-o’-lanterns now that our pumpkin tarts were in the oven.

“Tom thought it was time to show off his Oktoberfest outfit. Does Todd like?” He spun in a circle before bowing and then walking over with a big grin.

“Todd…” I stopped and shook my head. It was hard not to join Tom in speaking in the third person when he got going. “I mean, I’m quite impressed. But, Oktoberfest isn’t for two weeks.”

“Tom knows.” The imp shrugged then grinned as he dropped the act and spoke normally. “Seriously, how awesome is this outfit? I have a matching one for hot daddy Colin to wear. I figure we can get double duty out of them this year. We can wear them here when we come to have dinner during Oktoberfest, and then we can wear them again on Halloween.”

I raised a brow. “You do realize that I’m part German, right? Are you really telling me that you’re going to wear the clothing of my ancestors for Halloween?” I gasped dramatically, holding a hand to my chest as if mortally wounded.

Simon giggled while Tom rolled his eyes. “Omega, please. You’re just jelly that you didn’t think of it yourself.”

“Except I did?” I had to laugh at the look on his face. “Tom, my restaurant is putting on an Oktoberfest celebration. Did you really think that we wouldn’t be wearing the traditional Bavarian outfits? I don’t know that my grandparents would have worn them, but it’s what the patrons expect, so that’s what the staff will be wearing.”

Tom narrowed his eyes. “Does that mean that everyone is going to think that we work here if Colin and I come dressed like this?”

I shook my head. “I think you’ll be safe since yours is forest green with red accents. I’ve got everybody wearing blue to match the decor, so you should be just fine.”

Tom held the back of his hand to his forehead and dramatically breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness. I don’t think I’d have time to come up with another original costume this year. And to think, I almost had the whole family dressed up as the Von Trapps from The Sound of Music. Same area, but slightly different look.”

“So you went from Austria to Germany, aren’t you original. You do realize that they aren’t the same country, right?” I playfully rolled my eyes then focused my attention on the pumpkin.

“Po-tay-to, Po-tah-to.” Tom snorted. “They all speak German, right?” Before I could launch into a history lesson and address the Bavarian history, I was sidetracked by Davis.

“Hey, boss. Try this sauerkraut and tell me what you think. I’m determined to get this recipe exactly right before Oktoberfest.” Davis stuck a spoonful of the pickled cabbage under my nose and I clapped a hand over my mouth when my stomach immediately revolted. Without a thought to anybody in the room, I spun on my heel and raced for the bathroom. I’d barely made it there before I began throwing up.

After I finally got my stomach to calm down and was able to get up and wash my face and hands, I realized that I needed to go check on Simon. I was sure that Tom and the guys were keeping an eye on him, but I hated to think that I might’ve scared him. I rushed back into the kitchen, hoping that the little guy was okay, but he was sitting at the table calmly eating a snack while Hugo worked on the jack-o’-lantern I’d started.

“Are you okay?” Hugo glanced at me with concern. “Tom had to go, but Simon came and got me because he was worried about you. Do you need to see a doctor? I’ve heard that the stomach flu is going around, but I hope it could also just be something you ate. Is there anything I can do?”

I glanced around the room, trying to figure out how to answer that. Finally, I gave up and decided that enough was enough. “Listen, Hugo, we need to talk. I am sick, but it’s not what you think and I promise it’s temporary.”

Davis became my new favorite employee when he walked over and joined us. “Sorry to interrupt, but I heard you say you needed to talk to the brewmaster? Why don’t you two go on upstairs for a private word while Simon and I take care of Mr. Jack-O’-Lantern here.”

Hugo rose before I could answer, which immediately showed me how worried he was. “Thank you, Davis. I appreciate it, man.”

I stood and ruffled Simon’s hair. “Don’t worry about Mr. Todd, sweetie pie. I promise I’m okay. I just didn’t like the smell of sauerkraut today, I guess.”

Simon scrunched his nose and nodded his agreement with a serious look on his face. “I never like the smell of that either. It smells like dirty feet.”

Davis roared with laughter. “Easy now, buddy. I’ll have you know that was my grandmother’s recipe.”

I heard Simon answer that it still stunk as I led Hugo through my private entrance and up to my apartment. After we got upstairs, it occurred to me that I’d never had him up here before when I saw him looking around my space with an interested gaze.

“Nice place, Todd. Now, tell me what’s wrong.” Trust Hugo to get right to the point.

I held up a hand. “I’ve been trying to tell you for a while, but something always happens to interrupt. Instead of trying to tell you, I’m just going to show you. Hold on a sec, I’ll be right back.” I spun on my heel and rushed into my bedroom where I’d saved the pregnancy test in my nightstand drawer. I wondered if he would think that it was weird that I’d saved it. Was it weird? But I liked looking at it from time to time, so maybe not.

When I came back to the living room, Hugo was standing in front of my bookshelf, checking out my collection, but immediately turned when he heard me come in. As I held out the pregnancy test, he took one look at it and did that guppy impression that I’d seen him do before with his eyes wide and his mouth open in a round O. He looked back up at me, his eyes clouded with confusion.

“Is this why you haven’t been willing to set a date to go out with me? You met someone else and are having his baby? I wouldn’t have cared, as long as you’re not together now. I’m sorry if I seem a little slow on the uptake here, but I’ve gotta admit that I’m totally lost.”

I shook my head. “No, Hugo. There’s nobody else. I’m trying to tell you that it’s yours. I’m pregnant with your child. You’re the only person I’ve had sex with in longer than I care to admit. When I told you that the night at the Big O was totally out of character for me, I wasn’t lying—if you haven’t been able to guess that by now as you’ve gotten to know me better.”

Hugo surprised me with his incredibly chill reaction to the whole thing. “Really, you’re having my baby? Wow, that’s pretty cool, Todd. Have you seen the doctor yet?” He took my hand and led me over to my sofa. As he took a seat, he pulled me down beside him and slid an arm around my shoulders.

“Actually, I’m seeing her this week. That’s why I wanted to finally find a way to tell you because I thought maybe you might want to come along. I mean, you don’t have to or anything! But… I wanted to invite you in case you might. Want to come, I mean.”

“Are you kidding me? I’m totally coming along. This is exciting news, Todd.” He wrapped both arms around me and gave me a gentle kiss. Pressing his forehead against mine, he smiled against my lips. “We’re having a baby, hot stuff. This is the best news ever.” He kissed me again. Right as his tongue slid into my mouth, we were surrounded by the giggling that I sometimes imagined I was hearing at night.

Hugo broke the kiss and looked around curiously. “Do you have someone staying with you?”

I shivered. “You heard that too, huh? I guess that means it wasn’t my imagination. Sometimes I hear it at night when I’m sleeping, but I’ve never really heard it loud and clear when I’ve been awake which is either super creepy or pretty cool—I’ll have to get back to you on that one. But no, there’s nobody here but us, and now I definitely know it wasn’t in my head since you heard it too.”

Hugo looked around the room with an excited smile. He reminded me of a little kid who was happily expecting a ghostly figure to pop out at any moment. Yeah, that made one of us.

Dr. Greene smiled knowingly at the odd look on our faces as the superfast lubba-dub-dub of our baby’s heartbeat was amplified in the room. “That’s definitely a healthy-sounding baby in there, gentlemen. Now, Todd. While I wish I’d seen you sooner, I’ll forgive you as long as you keep your regular appointments for the rest of the pregnancy. I just wish the ultrasound machine wasn’t down today or I’d give you a visual of the baby. Next month, you’ll be able to see the baby and we will hopefully be able to see the gender—as long as the baby cooperates.”

Hugo was smiling from ear to ear. “That’s really awesome, doc. Even if we didn’t get to see the baby today, just knowing that we have it to look forward to is enough for me, especially after hearing this heartbeat.”

I couldn’t help but smile along with him. This was probably one of the best moments of my life. “Hugo is right, Dr. Greene. Just hearing the heartbeat is pretty damn cool.”

While she made a note on my chart, Dr. Greene glanced over at Hugo. “I’ve heard rumors around town that you’re making a hard cider for Oktoberfest. Will you be bottling it? I have to admit that my husband and I have become quite the fans of your beer.”

“No, we aren’t set up for bottling just yet. Maybe next year, but not right now,” Hugo answered with a hint of disappointment in his voice. Huh. I hadn’t even realized that bottling was something he’d want to do at some point. Honestly, I hadn’t thought beyond having craft beer on tap.

“That’s okay, that will just give me a good excuse to visit your restaurant several times during your Oktoberfest celebration. It’s for two weeks, right?” She set the pen down, my chart forgotten as she asked about the hard cider.

Hugo was right there with her, always excited to talk about his latest brews. “Definitely. Todd can give you the exact dates, but I’ll have enough on tap to get us through, I think. I was lucky enough to get some locally sourced apples from an orchard here in town.”

She nodded knowingly. “I bet you got them from the same place where Milo and Tom get their cider for the candy they make this time of year. Have you had their Cider Ballz? The recipe is quite unique.”

When Hugo glanced at me curiously, I shook my head with a grin. “I guess we’re stopping by Sweet Ballz on the way home. If you haven’t tried them yet, you’re in for a treat. Cecil’s cousin owns the orchard and he always makes sure that Milo, Kent and Tom get enough cider to make candy all through the harvest season.”

Dr. Greene shared a knowing smile with me. “Yes, but the only problem is that while the orchard makes great cider, they don’t do hard cider—they only offer the family-friendly variety, the stinkers. But then again, I’m sure you saw their setup when you picked up your juice, right?” She shook her head. “Sorry, but there just isn’t much to do here in Hollydale, so we tend to get excited about little things like when it’s cider season at the local orchards.”

Hugo shook his head. “No, they delivered the fresh-pressed apple juice. I need to go check it out.” He stopped for a moment and looked between the two of us curiously. “Do you know if Cecil’s cousin is super religious or anything?”

I shook my head. “I don’t really know. But I don’t think you have to be super religious to only make family-friendly cider. If you’re interested in meeting them, their property is right next door to mine.”

Hugo shrugged. “No, I’m not judging them based on what kind of cider they make. It’s just that I’ve met these girls who must be homeschooled or something because they wear old-fashioned-looking clothes. I think they have to live near you because I always run into them when I’m walking along the creek. I thought maybe they were coming from the orchard.”

“Girls in old-fashioned clothes? I have no idea what you’re talking about, Hugo. I’ve never seen anyone around the property who doesn’t belong and the family who owns the orchard has all boys.” I scratched my head, trying to place who he could be thinking of. “How old are the girls?”

Hugo shrugged. “Preteen, or young teen, somewhere in there.”

Dr. Greene and I looked at each other but shook our heads. She thought for a moment before she spoke. “I’ve never heard of these girls. I’ve delivered most of the babies here in town for the past fifteen years. And the ones I haven’t delivered, I’ve met through my own kids. These girls must not be allowed to wander far from home, or one of us would know them by now.”

“That’s kind of sad, if they’re kept at home so much that nobody in town even knows them.” I was still trying to figure out what local family Hugo could possibly be describing. “But Dr. Greene is right, we know pretty much everyone in town so I can’t imagine who you could be talking about.”

Hugo winked at me. “Then this sounds like a great reason for us to start taking walks together in the afternoons. Maybe we can run into them together and you can meet them for yourself.”

“Now that is a fantastic idea.” Dr. Greene smiled. “Exercise is so important during pregnancy. Whatever excuse you need to get out there, I am completely behind you taking a daily walk with this sweet boy of yours, Todd.”

Hugo grinned. “See how I did that? Now you’ll have to join me for a walk, it’s doctor’s orders.”

I walked through the crowded restaurant with a satisfied smile. My staff looked perfect in their traditional dress of lederhosen and dirndls. The male waitstaff wore Alpine hats while the ladies wore their hair in Heidi-style braids that were twisted around their heads and tied with blue ribbons that had been matched to the color of their dirndl dresses. My favorite part was how many of our patrons were also dressed in traditional garb.

Huh. Who knew that Hollydale was so hungry to celebrate Oktoberfest? Now that I was thinking of it, though, the people were probably just excited to have something new to do—and the fact that beer was involved only made it that much better. Speaking of beer, I moved closer to the bar area where Hugo was holding court. He held a tap over his head with a broad smile. I loved the fact that he was making a ceremony of tapping the keg.

“Okay, ladies and germs. This may not be Munich and I’m definitely not the mayor, but I’m going to kick off our Oktoberfest celebration with the traditional saying that he would use.” Hugo looked around with a wide grin before shouting, “O’zapft!”

“Fun word, cutie. Now tell us what it means,” Tom shouted at Hugo from where he sat at a small table across from the bar. Colin simply grinned; he was either too used to Tom’s antics by now to be embarrassed, or he didn’t care. Probably the second option, since the two still seemed to be madly, stupidly, and thoroughly in love—complete with cartoonish heart eyes that all but popped out in 3D whenever they looked at each other.

Hugo tapped the barrel then called out to Tom. “Simply put, O’zapft translates to It is tapped! Which means it’s time to drink up, everyone!”

The oompah band I’d hired began playing a peppy, cheerful tune and I was able to duck back into the kitchen to check on the food now that everything was off to a rip-roaring start.

When I came back through the bar area a while later with a platter of pretzels for the bar, I saw a drunk guy weaving over toward Tom and waving one of the collectible blue and white beer steins I’d had made for our first Oktoberfest. Oh, hell to the no. This was not going to end well. I shoved the platter into Cody’s hands and rushed over just in time to hear the drunken fool bothering Tom and Colin.

“I bought the cup, didn’t I? Now get off your lazy butt and fill the fucker up.” The man swayed on his feet as he glared insolently at my friend.

Colin looked up with a glare. “Now listen here, you piece of—”

Tom stopped him mid-sentence by simply holding up a hand. He rose to his feet and got right into the arrogant prick’s face. He stood there with both hands on his hips as he smirked. “Excuse you? Are you colorblind or just plain stupid? My husband and I are paying customers just like you, except that we were cool enough to show up dressed more in keeping with the theme. Look around and maybe you’ll notice the waitstaff are dressed in blue, while my husband and I are wearing green and red. See the difference?”

The man stared at Tom in confusion, obviously having missed everything he’d said. Tom rolled his eyes and wagged his finger under the man’s nose. “Let me break it down for you, that was me telling you to take a hike. Buh-bye, Felicia.” Tom punctuated his final thought by poking the man in his chest with his fingertip. Either Tom didn’t know his own strength, or the man was drunker than I’d realized, because he stumbled backwards and went tumbling into the table behind him, sending everything crashing to the ground with a loud clatter as the entire thing collapsed under his weight.

The people at the table jumped out of their chairs and looked on in various degrees of shocked horror while Tom held his hands up and looked around with wild eyes. “That was not on me! I swear I barely touched him.”

Colin shook his head and pulled Tom down onto his lap. “Calm down, ginger boy. We were all witnesses and it’s pretty clear that a tiny twink like my man couldn’t have taken down a huge alpha like that with one finger.”

“I don’t know about that, Tom has magical fingers—hot daddy Colin has said that himself many a time.” The drunk was forgotten as Tom wrapped his arms around Colin’s neck and started kissing him.

I noticed Hugo coming over and breathed a sigh of relief. Hugo glanced at Tom and Colin who were completely oblivious to the rest of us at this point and huffed out a laugh as he motioned for a couple of the waiters to come give him a hand. After they’d hauled the drunk to his feet, Hugo glanced over his shoulder as they led the guy away. “I don’t know if you want to call the cops or order this guy an uber, but I’m pretty sure he’s worn out his welcome?”

“Oh, yeah. He’s definitely done here.” I blew out a breath and turned around to give my attention to the diners whose dinner had been so rudely interrupted. “Sorry about that, guys. Let’s get you another table, shall we? Needless to say, your dinner is on the house.”