A whole month had gone by, and yet nothing had changed between me and Dallas. Instead, we just kept chugging along comfortably. I smiled as I stirred my tea and wondered if this was how normal relationships were supposed to be. Was it really possible to be a couple without any major drama cropping up?

“Someone’s lost in deep thoughts.” Ethan walked into the break room. I smiled at the way the overhead lights bounced off his bright blue mohawk. “I saw you signed up for another round of taekwondo and yoga classes with me. Did you clear them both with your doctor?”

I looked up at him curiously because we hadn’t exactly announced it yet, given the big question regarding the whole who’s the daddy? issue. “You can tell?”

Ethan chuckled and pulled out the chair across from me. “I suspected it, and now you’ve indirectly confirmed it. You’ve got that glow about you that omegas get, you know?”

I shrugged helplessly, because I honestly didn’t have the slightest clue what the hell he was talking about. “I guess? But, as far as yoga or self-defense, the doctor said that I don’t need to limit any activities until I get further along. And even then, I can still probably do most things within reason. I want to know how to protect my family, and I need the yoga to help me relax.”

“Good. I’m glad to hear you say that because you’re the biggest reason that I wanted to teach that self-defense class in the first place.” He looked a little uncomfortable, stretching a hand out to close the break room door and lowering his voice before he continued. “That whole thing with your ex, let’s just say that it hit a little close to home.”

As I looked into his eyes, I saw a kinship there and knew the truth. I sucked in a breath. “You mean… you were once… I mean… you were like me?”

He chuckled softly. “You’re not exactly a twink yourself, buddy. Big guys like us get suckered by pretty faces with shitty personalities every day, you know? And guys our size, we aren’t as likely to hit someone back who’s smaller than us which can sometimes turn us into the victims. But for the record, don’t ever fucking call me that. I’m nobody’s damn victim—I’m a motherfuckin’ survivor.”

My eyes raked over the large, muscular, tattooed alpha with the vivid mohawk and more piercings than I’d ever considered possible. And yet here he was, saying that he’d once walked the same road I had. I shook my head as the truth of his story settled into my heart.

“But you are so kind, Ethan. I’ve never known an alpha that was as gentle and in touch with his inner peace as you. I don’t get how somebody could do that to you. Shit. I’m sorry if I’m dragging this out too long.”

Ethan shook his head. “Not at all, it’s a lot to wrap your brain around. But Kyle, you’re also a kind, gentle man. Violence happens to the best of us. It doesn’t matter whether you’re big or small, fat or skinny, short or tall, man or woman, alpha or omega… seriously, I could go on all night. One thing I’ve learned is that domestic abuse happens more often than most people realize. It’s an insidious disease that affects every strata of society.”

I tilted my head to the side and regarded him thoughtfully. “I’ve never thought about it that way. I guess I was caught up in my own situation and never looked at the bigger picture. I almost feel like an asshole now.”

“No, don’t do that. That wasn’t my point. It wasn’t until about a year after I left my wife that I finally sought counseling and began learning the statistics. I volunteer at a shelter now; it’s my little way of giving back and reaching a hand out to those who might be too afraid to ask for help. But when I can, I do whatever little bits I can to help out. That’s all any of us can do, really.”

Listening to him speak, I respected him more than I already had. I was lost in thought when I realized that Ethan had asked me a question.

“I’m sorry, I totally missed whatever you just said. I was thinking about everything you shared with me and I think I was in a whole other place for a moment there.”

Ethan nodded knowingly. “Yeah, it’s a lot to take in. But what I asked was if you’re excited about the new round of classes you have coming up. I heard great things about that first session you taught.”

“Oh, man. You have no idea. A lot of my students are repeat sign-ups, so that alone will keep me on my toes, you know? No rehashing old lessons when you have the same faces. I’m considering taking them on a field trip to the farmers market and showing them some of the more exotic fruits and vegetables. I’m pretty sure that most of them couldn’t name more than two, maybe three, varieties of squash.”

“That sounds like fun, actually. If you end up doing that, let me know. I’d love to come and learn about some of that shit.” He leaned across the table and lowered his voice confidentially. “Also, there’s one lady in your class that I wouldn’t mind getting to know a little better, if you get my drift. She’s a waitress over at the waffle house. We’ve been chatting for a while. But she’s a single mom and pretty cautious when it comes to dating. Maybe if she saw me at the farmers market, it would make me look a little bit more approachable?”

I thought about that for a second, enjoying the picture of Ethan surrounded by country wholesomeness. It was an amusing concept, if you only took him at face value. “Well, if you point her out—I can try and put a good word in for you.”

Ethan looked down the table, his cheeks pinking up as he smiled shyly. “I don’t know about all that, but maybe? So, you must have made a good amount on that first class after Dallas took his thirty percent cut to be doing it again. Not all the classes around here are as profitable as ours are, but that’s to be expected.”

I kept a blank face and nodded politely, but my stomach churned as I inwardly fumed at the knowledge that Dallas had lied to me. I didn’t give Ethan any solid numbers because I was never comfortable talking money. I just shrugged. “Yeah, it was better than I expected. Definitely enough to merit doing it again.”

After we chatted for a few more minutes, Ethan patted the table and stood. “Well, as much as I’ve enjoyed catching up with you, I’d better go get my room set up. Yoga starts in fifteen. Are you joining the class today?”

I shook my head. “As much as I’d love to, Dallas and I have to go over a few things for my class.”

Ethan nodded knowingly. “Number-crunching time, huh? That’s my least favorite part of doing these classes. Oh, well. Keep it up, I was proud of the turnout you had. We survivors have to stick together, you know? Okay, I’m out of here. I hope I see you next class for yoga, it’s good for you to stay limber—especially in your condition.”

“Definitely.” I smiled back at him as he opened the door and headed out. He glanced back with one more wave before leaving me to my tea. I waited until I knew that Ethan was busy in his classroom before I walked down the hall to Dallas’ office. When I walked in and closed the door behind me, Dallas looked up with a hopeful grin.

“Did you come in here to have your way with me? Because either one of us can be bent over this desk at a moment’s notice—just saying.”

I rolled my eyes and wagged my finger at him as I sat down in the chair opposite him at his desk. “You don’t get to be cute right now. I’m not that happy with you at the moment.”

Dallas sat up straighter, his eyes clouding with confusion as he looked back at me. “What’s up, babe?”

I shocked myself when I began to speak and actually chewed him out a little. “What’s up is that you lied to me. How dare you, Dallas? Let me back up a bit. Tell me something. How much do you charge for class fees from outside instructors? And I’d advise you not to lie to me again, because I just got done having a very interesting conversation with Ethan.”

He leaned forward in his chair, his arms braced on the desk as he shot me an embarrassed smile. “Look, we weren’t together when we planned your first class, and you had just been through so much. I didn’t want to take a cut for helping you get on your feet. And I didn’t want you to know that I’d done you a favor because knowing you, you’d have thought that you owed me and I didn’t want that.”

As I heard his words, I filtered them through what I knew about Dallas and accepted them as truth. I looked down at my feet as I spoke, knowing if I met his gaze right now that I’d never be able to say what was on my mind. “I get that, but now I have to question how I can trust you to co-parent with me if you would lie about something so silly.”

When I looked up, my heart twisted when I saw tears running down my boyfriend’s face. “Kyle, you’ve got to give me another chance. Please don’t say that you can’t trust me, or that you wouldn’t want to co-parent with me. My own brothers warned me to come clean about the fees, but I didn’t know how to bring it up without making you feel awkward.”

I thought about that for a second and decided that it was silly to be angry at him for this. “Look, Dallas. I’m not sure if I can explain this right, but I’m going to try. Even though it was a lie that was originally told with my best interests in mind, it was still a lie. If you want to have a shot at anything real and permanent with me, I have to be able to trust you going forward. I’ll forgive you this time, because you’ve never been anything but generous and kind to me in the years that I’ve known you. Just don’t ever lie to me again.”

“I promise,” Dallas said without hesitation. He plucked a Kleenex from a box at the edge of his desk and dabbed at his eyes. I bit back a smile at my sensitive sweetie and thought about how this was the second time in less than an hour that I’d found that my preconceived idea of alphas wasn’t entirely true.

“Tell me something, Dallas. What would your percentage have been if you hadn’t been trying to help me?”

He tossed the Kleenex into his wastebasket before glancing over at me distractedly. “Thirty percent. I mean, the gym covers the electricity, provides the space, advertises the class on the website, and handles the sign-ups and money collecting, so I think it’s entirely fair.”

I shook my head. “No, that’s highway robbery. It doesn’t cost you over two grand for electricity, and if my class wasn’t being held, that room would just be sitting there gathering dust. As for the website, happy clients make people more likely to stick with your gym. The way I see it, it’s a win-win for both of us. So all things being equal, I’ll give you twenty percent.”

A slow grin spread across Dallas’ face. “I’ll take it.”

“Damn straight you will,” I said as I stood and leaned over the desk to give him a quick kiss before turning to leave the office. Before I opened the door, I turned back with one last thought that had been bugging me a little.

“You know, I can’t believe that I’ve worked so hard to get into shape and now I’m going to get even fatter.”

Dallas shook his head. “You’re not going to get fat, you’re going to grow round with our baby. There’s a difference.”

“But what if it’s not your baby?” I asked softly. Even after a month of Dallas telling me otherwise, I still worried about the whole parentage thing.

“Semantics.” Dallas shrugged. “Whether or not I sired him or her, the baby will be mine either way. I’m the dad, whether or not I’m the father. I don’t care whose DNA started that life you’re carrying, as long as I’m there to help nurture that child and watch them grow.”

I flashed him a flirty wink. “Maybe; we’ll see. It all depends on whether or not I decide to keep you around.” I giggled yet again—damn, I really needed to quit doing that—and rushed out of the office as Dallas jumped up from his desk with a growl and chased after me.

Hmm. I was really starting to get the hang of this happiness thing.