Ty was thirty-one years old and September still felt like back to school time for him. He’d been out of law school for years now, finished with education entirely, and every year at the same time he still had the pressing urge to run out and buy new clothes and shoes. Of course, this year he had a perfectly good reason to do that.

He rested his hand on his baby bump. It wasn’t “barely there” anymore. He hadn’t reached the uncomfortable, big-as-a-house stage, but no one could doubt that he was very much pregnant. He could feel his child moving around in there sometimes, making fluttering kicks in his belly. The logical side of him knew they were just random firings of the fetal brain, which hadn’t really developed yet. The paternal side of him imagined the kicks were responses to specific stimuli, like the sound of Carter’s voice or one of the cats sitting on his baby bump and purring.

Right now Ty was at work, pressing a yarn shop’s lawsuit against a multinational conglomerate for copyright infringement. Part of him felt like he had this case in the bag. The conglomerate hadn’t even been subtle about what they were doing and they’d tried to intimidate the yarn shop into yielding to them… in writing… multiple times. They’d trusted their size and the fact that the yarn shop was run by women to get them what they wanted.

Ty couldn’t afford to be complacent. He knew the law was on his side, and he knew his client was morally right as well. That didn’t necessarily translate to “winning.” He had to focus and put every bit as much energy into this case as he would into a more complex lawsuit if he wanted to win.

His phone rang, making him jump. When he glanced at the screen, he groaned. He hadn’t heard from Beau since that disastrous brunch. He hadn’t missed his father either. He’d once gone for two years without speaking to either of his fathers, and that was without having had a big blowout fight. Was it too much to ask to be given the same amount of peace at a minimum after a fight?

He sighed and answered. Beau would just keep calling, or worse - he’d come to the office. If it was important enough to have Beau pick up the phone and call him, it was probably important enough for him to answer. Maybe Ty had gotten lucky and Sebastian had dropped dead.

“Hello?”

“Tyler? This is your father.”

Ty pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew Beau wasn’t stupid. He knew Beau was perfectly capable of using his phone successfully. Why then could he not understand basic concepts like Caller ID. “I know, Dad. How can I help you today?”

“I’ve heard from your fiancé. I understand you’re expecting.”

Ty slumped and banged his head on the table. “I don’t have a fiancé, dad. I have a husband, but I somehow doubt the two of you chat socially.” He sighed and picked his head up. “Yes, I’m pregnant.”

“Don’t be vulgar, Tyler.” Beau softened his tone. “I know we’ve had some tense moments over the past few months, but I’d like for us to get together and talk. Maybe for dinner.”

Ty bit his tongue. “Dad, I don’t think that’s the best idea. I’m super busy, and I’m not going to go off and not have my baby because you don’t like the father.”

Beau gasped. “I would never!” He sniffed and choked back a sob. “I just thought - well, this is my first grandchild. At least it’s the first one I know about. And I know you think you’re Mr. Independent, but you must want to talk about things with someone who’s been through all of this before. I know you, Tyler. I changed your diapers. I nursed you at my own breast. I know you have questions, and I’m the logical one to answer them for you. Can’t we pretend to be a proper family, just for the baby’s sake?”

Ty put a hand over his baby bump. The baby didn’t seem to have an opinion on the subject either way. Ty’s discomfort came entirely from his own disgust. He’d been in enough courtrooms to recognize crocodile tears when he heard them, and Beau was notorious for his “attacks of the vapors” when he didn’t get his way.

And yet, Ty knew he’d go. Beau had pushed all the right buttons. Ty knew Beau hadn’t nursed him, or changed any diapers at all. They’d had a nanny for all of that. With a new baby on the way, Ty did want to ask questions of someone, another omega if possible. He wanted to talk to someone about this amazing thing he was going through, and there wasn’t anyone around. Carter did what he could, but he wasn’t all that interested in children and he wasn’t in town at the moment. He was currently up in Boston, in the middle of a losing series. Keegan was useless, and he didn’t have any omega friends.

“Fine,” he finally said. “But we meet someplace public, and it’s just us. I don’t want any ambushes or crap like that.”

“I’m offended, Tyler. I’ll meet you at Gotham in an hour.”

Ty slumped in his chair. Leave it to Beau to pick someplace inconvenient and expensive. Not that he couldn’t afford it, but Ty just didn’t feel compelled to spend that kind of money these days. He knew it bugged Carter, that kind of ostentatious display. Oh well - Carter wasn’t here, and it would get this meet-up out of the way.

He texted Keegan to let him know what was happening. Beau had insisted on a private, omegas-only meet up, but he had no faith in his father. He wanted to make sure he was safe. Keegan’s response consisted entirely of a gif of a cheesy, 1960s robot bouncing up and down saying, “Danger, Will Robinson, Danger.”

He didn’t understand the reference, and Ty didn’t need to have bad special effects tell him this was a bad idea. He still didn’t feel like he had much of a choice. He got up from his desk, got his things ready, and headed out.

It occurred to him, once he was in the car, to text Carter too. He usually tried not to bother Carter before a game, but something in him warned him that this wasn’t going to go his way.

He got to the restaurant his dad had suggested and got a seat. He wanted to be in a position to welcome Beau, not the other way around. Maybe it was petty, and he’d learned over the years that most families didn’t play these stupid games with each other, but he wasn’t going to change Beau or Ed. Not at this late date. He might as well just accept who they were and try to limit contact.

He saw Keegan arrive. That was more than Ty had expected. His brother got a seat at the bar, in an out of the way location. Ty almost didn’t recognize him. He’d dressed to blend in, almost, with only his bright pink dress shirt being offensive. Keegan texted him once he’d gotten settled. I’ve got your back, li’l bro.

Ty grinned as his baby kicked in delight. Thanks, Keegan.

We’ll call it even for the time I tricked you into going out on a blind date with Kris Cordioli.

Ty shuddered. He’d almost forgotten about that. Maybe it was less organic forgetfulness and more of a deliberate mental block. That was so not cool.

Everything I do is cool, bro.

She’s still in therapy! Ty hid a laugh behind his hand.

Beau showed up fifteen minutes late, because that was just who he was. He gave Ty a fake kiss on each cheek. “Tyler, son! You’re looking well. The baby bump suits you. It’s too bad it’s taken you so long to get around to it.”

Ty forced a little smile onto his face. Beau probably didn’t even mean anything cruel by his comment. He would, later, but right now he probably legitimately meant his words as a complement. “Dad. How’ve you been?”

They made small talk and caught up on gossip while they put in their dinner orders. Beau ordered a cocktail, of course. Ty couldn’t remember a time when Beau hadn’t had a drink with dinner. “I went down to visit my family in Georgia,” Beau told him. “I thought you might like to know that your cousins asked about you. They were shocked to hear that you’d gone off and married some athlete.”

“I’m sure they’ll get over it.” He looked up and didn’t have to fake his relief when their food was delivered. “Oh good. Here comes dinner.” Beau couldn’t deliver little barbs if he was eating.

But Beau was looking somewhere else. The food didn’t interest him. The arrival of someone new did. “Why, would you look at that? I wasn’t expecting Sebastian to show up tonight.” He brightened up and waved at Seb, like some kind of drunken monkey. “Well this is a pleasant surprise, let’s make some room for him.”

“There’s plenty of room for him at another restaurant.” Ty pushed his plate away. He didn’t believe for a minute that Beau hadn’t set this up beforehand. He knew Beau wouldn’t ever admit it, though.

He pulled out his phone and texted Keegan. I’m shocked. Shocked, I tell you.

Keegan replied with a picture of The Scream.

Beau stomped on Ty’s foot under the table. “Don’t be rude, Tyler. We have a guest.” He beamed as Seb walked up to them and pretended to be surprised to find them there. “Sebastian, how lovely to see you. Do sit down and join us, won’t you?”

Ty was stuck. He couldn’t leave, not without paying. He didn’t want to risk a scene, either. “You could, you know, not do that, too. Don’t let us pressure you or anything.”

“Oh, that Tyler. Always thinking of his alpha’s comfort.” Beau shot him a vicious glare.

“Well, yeah. I’m pretty sure my husband wouldn’t be thrilled about you setting me up to meet with Seb, so I guess it does relate back to his comfort too. But really it’s all about me right now.” Ty gave a thin, humorless grin. He didn’t feel compelled to play nice. He didn’t want them to be able to misconstrue anything.

Seb kissed Ty’s cheek before sitting down. “Droll as ever, Ty. And it should be all about you. After all, your supposed husband went off and left you all alone in your condition. Someone has to think about your needs, even if he won’t.”

“He’s fine in that regard, thanks. What about Niall? He must have had times when you left him alone too, for work and such.” Ty tried to look innocent.

Keegan strode up to the table then and straddled the chair beside Beau, across from Seb. Ty managed to relax a little then, although it wasn’t easy. At least Keegan was there to help him push back. “Hey there, Dad.” He stared Seb down. “Seb.”

Beau glared at Keegan. “Keegan, darling, I’m sure you can understand that this is supposed to be an omegas-only get together.”

Keegan widened his eyes to a comically large degree, like in a cartoon. “Holy crap, Seb, did they finally get that uterus transplant thing right?” He raised his voice just enough to carry, not so much that it constituted shouting. Not enough to get him kicked out by management. Ty had never quite appreciated his brother’s genius enough. “Congratulations, man. I know you’ve been working hard to make it happen. It’s been a long road, but I knew you’d get there eventually. Gimme a hug.”

Seb flushed dark red. “Keegan, your japes are not appreciated right now. This is a very important discussion between your father, me, and Tyler.”

Keegan put his hands on the side of his face. “Oh, so it’s not bonding time between omegas? Oh, I’m disappointed. But since I’m not intruding on omega bonding time, I’m going to hang out right here and spend some quality time with my family.” He smiled wide and bright, showing all of his teeth.

Ty fought to hide his laughter.

Beau ground his teeth. Ty could see his eyes darkening, but he would never be so vulgar as to give full voice to his emotions in public. “If you must,” he snapped at last. He reached down into his bag and pulled out a dark brown legal file. “These are your divorce papers, Tyler. Sign them right now and I’ll deliver them to the lawyer myself.” He passed them over to Ty, along with a turned wooden pen that had probably cost a small fortune.

Ty looked the papers over. They seemed legit, or at least as legit as divorce papers drawn up for two parties that hadn’t sought a divorce could be. “You’re on drugs.” He snapped a picture of the papers and passed them over to Keegan. “He’s on drugs.”

Beau made a grab for the papers. “Tyler, you will stop being a stubborn ass this instant. Sebastian is willing to have you, despite this absurd stunt you’ve pulled with your farmer. Despite the fact that you let that Neanderthal touch you, and make you pregnant. Which I still find repulsive, by the way. You have no idea who his family is, or what might run in his family —”

Ty held up a hand. “That’s enough. I’m not going to sit here and listen while you insult my husband and the father of my child. Honestly, did you really think drawing up divorce papers would do something? Seriously?”

“I will sign them myself.” Beau stuck his chin out. “You are my son, and I will do whatever I have to do to save you from your own idiocy.”

Seb grabbed Ty’s hand. “Listen to your father, Ty. I know the way we parted wasn’t good. Your priorities weren’t in the right place, but I’m willing to give you another chance. All you have to do is listen to your father.”

“Seb, if you ever think of putting your hand on me again I will make sure that hand is useless.” Now Ty did stand up. Screw making a scene. “Do not contact me, either of you. I’m getting a restraining order as soon as the courthouse opens up in the morning. Do you understand this? Beau, you’re trying to force me to marry someone who is under suspicion of murdering his last husband. Does that not matter to you, or are you just that determined to get rid of me?” He shook his head. “Don’t answer that. Feel free to wrap that up, I haven’t touched it.” He left the restaurant, followed closely by Keegan.

His brother waited for his Lyft with him, and even headed back to the new apartment with him. “That was disturbing,” he said once they were safely inside. “I don’t mind telling you that. It was creepy. The divorce thing? The fake papers? I don’t know what they were thinking that would accomplish.”

Ty sighed. “They’re real enough papers. I’m filing a complaint with the bar association about lawyers who write up divorce papers for couples who don’t come to them looking for a divorce, but that’s not here nor there. I don’t understand what they get by trying to force this.”

“I don’t get it either. I get what Seb thinks he gets, but our dads don’t make any sense here.” Keegan glared at the door. “I’m staying here until Carter gets home. I just don’t trust them.”

Tyler wrapped his arms around his baby bump. “I hate to put you out like that. But I’m glad you’ll be here.”

* * *

Carter got texts from Ty and from Keegan that night, and he had no idea what he was going to do about them. The stunt with the divorce papers was just bizarre. He could wrap his head around Ed coming to try to shake him down or something, even if flying to Denver to do it seemed a bit outside the realm of normal. He could understand sitting Ty down and trying to talk to him, even if it seemed like beating a dead horse. That was what parents were for, wasn’t it?

But divorce papers? Did they think Ty was so fickle that he’d up and divorce his husband of only a few months, so soon after getting pregnant and buying a new home together? It didn’t make sense. Carter would be the first to admit he didn’t know Ty all that well, but he knew him better than that.

He shared what he knew with Tracy, who recoiled. “Man, I’ll believe you love this guy. And I’ll even believe that he loves you, although how that’s possible under the circumstances I cannot understand for the life of me. But he is not worth all this drama, son. His parents are nuts. His ex is nuts. And his brother dresses like a psychedelic peacock in Las Vegas.”

“You’re not exactly wrong. About any of it, except Ty not being worth it. Those people are all… I don’t even know, Tracy. I can’t understand what they’re thinking of.” He rubbed his temples. “You know what? This was a crappy game, my head hurts, and I really feel like I just need to get out among friends right now. I’m going to the local Hellions.”

Tracy shook his head. “It’s not a good idea for you to go anywhere without witnesses right now, Bowman. Witnesses you can trust. Me, or Ruiz.”

Carter clenched his hands into fists. “I can’t live my life like that, Tracy. I need independence. I need to be free. I’m faithful, and I know I’m faithful. Ty knows I’m faithful too.” Well, Carter wasn’t sure that was true. Ty didn’t seem to need Carter to be faithful, since he hadn’t been raised to expect alphas to be faithful. But Carter had been raised that way, and he was going to act right by his husband. “I just need to go somewhere where I can relax a little. If I was in New York I’d put my feet up in my own home, and play with the cats. I can’t do that here. I just need to not be alone in my own head, or else I’ll wind up obsessing over this, you know?”

Tracy threw his hands up into the air. “It’s your funeral, bro. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Carter grinned and headed back out. The Boston Hellion Club was located not in a hotel, but in two elegant old brownstones on Newbury Street. It wasn’t as large or as grand as the New York Hellion Club, or as modern or lavish as the Los Angeles Hellion Club, but it worked for the locals.

It worked for Carter, too. Sure it was nice to have some attractive, willing omegas around when he’d been single. They were here in the Boston facility, but they weren’t quite so in your face. They didn’t have a stage here. The omegas walked between tables in the bar, providing table service instead. They flirted gently, and Carter responded politely but restricted himself to a drink and a little conversation.

One of the omegas turned out to be a baseball player, in the single-As. He had some questions for Carter that had nothing to do with sex or flirtation. Carter almost fell off his chair in relief at that. The kid, whose name was Ron, said he was a catcher but he sometimes played second. Carter wasted no time encouraging him to switch positions. “Catcher is an awesome job, don’t get me wrong. The only thing about it is it’ll mess up your knees big time. You won’t last long there, not if you want to be productive. What’s your batting average?”

Ron told him, and Carter almost choked on his drink.

“You’ll be moving up soon, Ron. Trust me on that. When you do, take every chance you can get to prove yourself at second.”

“Will you be doing winter ball this year?” Ron asked eagerly.

“No. Actually I won’t. Usually I’m game for it, but my husband’s going to be delivering our first child that time of year and I just can’t leave him alone.” He ducked his head and grinned. “I figured I’d wait until I was done with baseball to have kids, but Ty wanted to get on with it, and now I’m at least as eager to see that baby come into the world as he is. Funny how that kind of thing works.”

Ron grinned. It was a pretty grin, one that probably got him plenty of tips. “That’s good to hear. I don’t want to sound like I’m denigrating any of the guys who are here, because I like what I do and I’m grateful for the opportunity…”

Carter smirked. “But the guys you meet in this job aren’t exactly showing their ‘family side’ to advantage? I get it. Most guys come here to be distracted from whatever’s troubling them. And nothing troubles people more than family, sadly. My husband’s awesome, but his family’s a little nuts. Sometimes it’s good to get out and be somewhere with friendlier faces.”

Ron nodded. “Can I get you anything? Another drink, something to eat?”

“No thanks, Ron. I’m really just here to get away for a moment or two. But when we all get to spring training, make sure you give me a call. We’ll get together and work out. I know my coach would love to have a guy who could fill in at catcher if he had to.” Ron’s eyes shone. The kid couldn’t be more than nineteen, and he likely had plenty of polishing to do in the minors before he could even think about coming up to the bigs. With an average like he’d claimed, though, he’d probably be a huge asset to any team.

And if he was going to be the first omega major league athlete in any sport, he’d do well to have a coach like Tracy Belmonte having his back. And a team like the one Carter played for. No one would tolerate any harassment in the clubhouse for one thing, and he could talk to Tracy about anything without getting a line of bullshit.

Carter already felt better, just from having spoken to Ron. He finished his drink, got ready to leave, and left a generous tip. He couldn’t afford to stay too late anyway. He had a day-night doubleheader tomorrow, and here in Boston if he was anything less than on his toes the fans would eat him alive. They might eat him alive anyway, who knew?

Just as he was getting ready to head out the door, though, someone he didn’t recognize barreled through the crowd and threw himself into Carter’s lap. Carter didn’t recognize the omega sitting on him. His booty shorts didn’t leave much to the imagination. His abs could have been picked out of an anatomy textbook, and his soft lips would have made Carter’s knees weak only a year ago.

“Well, hi there, sailor,” the omega said, and slung an arm over the back of Carter’s neck. “Fancy meeting a guy like you in a place like this.”

God, he even had a tongue ring. When Carter had been single, that alone would have been enough for him to go rent one of the available private rooms. He hadn’t thought about body jewelry, or any other purely physical turn-ons, since he and Ty had gotten to know one another.

He pulled his head out of the stranger’s grasp. “Do I know you?”

“Not yet.” The unknown omega simpered at him, eyes sparkling. “We can fix that in private, sweetheart. My name’s Steve.”

Carter sighed and stood up. He placed Steve, or whatever his real name might be, on the ground very carefully. “I’m sure you’re a great guy, Steve, but I’m a married man.” He enunciated carefully, so anyone around could hear him. “I’m not going to risk my marriage that way, but you have a good day now.”

He walked toward the exit. He’d always liked omegas who knew what they wanted and who weren’t afraid to ask for it, but this seemed like something else. This went beyond anything he’d seen at any Hellion Club before. Other members were staring. Some were laughing, some curled their lips.

And some had their phones out, recording.

That was strictly against Club rules. Those members risked losing their membership for life if they were caught, and indeed Carter could see black-clad security men moving through the crowd with scowls on their faces. The damage would have been done, though. At least some of those members would have already uploaded their footage to whatever social media platform they preferred.

And Steve, of course, Steve wasn’t done. His eyes widened in panic, and he reached out to grab Carter’s hand. “No? Maybe you’ll think again.” He tried to slip Carter’s hand under his waistband and into his booty shorts.

Carter had only had one drink, and he made a living from his reflexes. He broke away from Steve’s hold and snatched his hand back. “Steve! That isn’t okay! It wouldn’t be okay for me to do to you, so it’s not okay for you to do to me.” Since he was being filmed and all, he might as well use the opportunity for good. “I said no, I meant no. Now you have a good night.”

“Your husband is divorcing you!” Steve called as Carter walked away from the club.

Carter ignored him, even though the words were like a splash of cold water down his back. He hailed a cab and got it to take him back to his hotel, all the while staring at his phone. His social media notifications were already blowing up, and it had only been a few seconds.

Christ. This was going to be a nightmare.

Tracy was waiting for him when he got back to his room. How Tracy had gotten a key to his room would remain a mystery, but that wasn’t important right now. “One of these days, Bowman, you’re going to learn to listen to me. Have you seen some of these posts? ‘Carter Bowman Grope Caught On Film.’ ‘New York Second Baseman Gets To Second Base In Public Sex Act.’ It doesn’t get better.”

“Almost as if it was planned.” Carter flopped down on his bed. Then he grabbed his phone and sent a text, to both Ty and Keegan at the same time. It was a setup.

Ty’s response brought tears to Carter’s eyes. It came back immediately and it said only, I know.

“Who plans for you to go groping strangers in a bar?” Tracy threw his hands into the air.

“I don’t know, but I have some ideas. One of them involves people who decided to have divorce papers drawn up for my husband. The omega involved yelled out that Ty was divorcing me as I left.” Carter grabbed a pillow and held it over his face as he screamed his frustration into it. “What good does it do them to try to trash my reputation?”

“It’s not you they’re trying to trash. You being a sleaze doesn’t hurt you at all. Baseball players are kind of expected to screw around when they’re on the road.” Tracy shrugged. “We don’t, not all of us, but it’s a stereotype, right?” He sat down beside Carter. “But Ty couldn’t just go out and get pregnant. He had to be married, right?”

“The firm he works for is pretty conservative.” Realization hit Carter like a meteor. “Damn it. They’re trying to get him fired.”

“For having a husband who doesn’t match up with the firm’s morals.” Tracy shook his head. “You did all the right things, except going in without a witness. And you couldn’t go in with a witness, because your friends are all betas.”

Carter sat up and punched the pillow. “I’m going to find that son of a bitch and I’m going to throw him in the East River.”

“No, you’re not. Then you’d go to jail, which doesn’t help Ty at all. You’re going to sit back and let team PR handle this. And much as it pains me to have to tell you this, you’re going to be a good little boy and stay in your hotel room when you’re not in New York. Any time you leave, you’re going to have at least one teammate with you.”

Carter grabbed two fists of hair and pulled. He understood what his friend was saying, but that didn’t mean it hurt any less. “I didn’t do anything wrong!”

“I know that. I know.” Tracy gently disengaged Carter’s hands from his hair. “But man, these bastards are gunning for you. They’re using you to get at Ty. Do you want that? Do you want to be a tool like that?”

Carter shook his head. “No, no, of course not. I just don’t want to be a prisoner either.”

“Then we need to figure out a way to deal with Sebastian Britton for good. I heard from Scotland Yard.”

“Now you’re hearing directly from them?” Carter whistled. “Tracy Belmonte, champion coach and international man of mystery.”

“And don’t you forget it. I heard from them. They asked if he’d found a new attorney. They said they weren’t quite ready to bring charges yet, but they’ll get there soon. We’ve got to have faith.”

Carter slumped. Faith was getting harder and harder to come by. What choice did he have, though? This crap would keep happening until he agreed to leave Ty, and he couldn’t make himself break Ty’s heart like that.

Tracy patted his shoulder. “Keep your chin up. We’ll get to the bottom of all of this.”

Tracy left the room, and Keegan called maybe ten minutes later.

“I’m going to assume you were telling the truth about the weird omega being a setup. Because bro, he was just your type.”

Carter sighed and bowed his head. “He was before I got to know Ty, okay? I just wanted to get him a shirt and get him off of me, not in that order. Look, you don’t have to believe me. As I was leaving, he mentioned the divorce.”

Keegan breathed out, long and slow. “The one my dad is trying to push on Ty?”

“That’s the one.”

“Son of a bitch.”

“That’s mostly what I said.” Carter managed a weak laugh. “I’m telling you, this was a new low.”

“He’ll get lower. Don’t worry, I’m staying here with Ty until you get home. I don’t trust the little turd as far as I can throw him.”

“Thank you, Keegan. I appreciate it.”

“That’s what family’s for, bro. I’ll let you know if anything changes. I told him to delete his social media accounts for the time being, for his own mental health.”

Carter grimaced. “Yeah, that’s probably for the best.”