Running into Luke at Slow Grind had solidified my fears—that sweet man was obviously in an abusive relationship. If nobody else was going to step up and help him, I would.

I drummed my fingers on the table top while I waited for my laptop to load. I’d considered asking Ian or Cecil for Luke’s current address and phone number, but the more I’d thought about it, the more I’d realized that was a bad idea.

While I’d never expressly suggested keeping our personal interactions a secret from Ian and Cecil, Luke had obviously kept it to himself, even after I’d left town. I understood him not wanting his employers to know who he was banging, especially if the alpha in question was a friend of his boss.

That’s why I couldn’t blow his secret out of the water now. Not to mention the fact that the moment I asked Ian, it would immediately rouse his attention to my interest in Luke. Not that I would blame him, if I’d suspected something juicy like this in Ian’s past, I would’ve been front row center with my popcorn waiting for all the details.

I started to open the search app I preferred, but my fingers hesitated over the mouse. As much as I wanted to help Luke, did I really have a right to dig around in his personal life like this? Fuck. What to do?

I leaned back in the chair, raking my fingers through my hair. What to do? On the one hand, Luke needed my help—of that, I had no doubt. On the other hand, he had a right to his privacy. And he’d been nothing but clear when we’d spoken that he had no desire in discussing this with me.

With a sigh, I navigated to the real estate page I’d been following instead. Obviously, I wasn’t leaving Hollydale anytime soon. One way or another, until I knew Luke was safe, I wouldn’t be going anywhere.

But I couldn’t continue to stay at Ian’s house indefinitely. Even though I was at loose ends, he and Cecil still had a family and jobs of their own. They surely didn’t need houseguest underfoot who didn’t know how to leave.

The nice thing about never having settled down or put down stakes at any point in my adult life, was that I had a nice enough nest egg now that I really didn’t need to go back to work anytime soon. Or ever, if I lived frugally. The bonus from my last job was more than enough to see me through if properly invested.

No. My problem wasn’t funds, it was simply that I didn’t know what way I wanted to go next. Which was yet another reason why I was hesitant to pull the trigger on the whole Luke search thing.

What if I was latching onto his personal situation out of boredom? Because I had been bored lately… And lonely, if I were being honest. But the loneliness was on me. You can’t spend your entire adult life avoiding relationships, and then get depressed because you don’t have one.

Fuck this. I needed to get out of the house, and maybe do something nice for my hosts at the same time. I closed the laptop and stood decisively to go investigate the herb situation in Cecil’s kitchen.

I may not have been able to solve Luke’s problem today, but I could sure as hell put together a nice dinner for Ian and Cecil. After a quick glance through the cabinets and fridge, I made a mental note of what I might need to pick up if I wanted to put together a roasted chicken dinner.

Ooh! Or maybe individual Cornish game hens with herbs de provence and couscous. Or... possibly a filet mignon and twice baked potatoes would be the better choice. I’d just have to see what the local market had in stock, and decide from there.

Fifteen minutes later, I was pushing my cart with the one janky-ass wheel that wouldn’t quit squeaking as I’d made my way through the market. After a quick stop at the butcher counter, I went with the filet mignon option. Running the menu through my head, I charged off toward the produce aisle.

As I went around the corner, I was looking down at the front left wheel and trying to kick it straight so the cart would turn, when another cart rammed right into me. I looked up to apologize for not paying attention, only to see… Luke.

“I’m so sor—“

“Excuse me, I wasn’t paying atten—“

We both paused, and chuckled as we realized we were talking over each other. I held up both hands with a chagrined smile.

“Allow me, I’m so sorry—I was fighting with this damn cart and didn’t see you coming.”

Luke was uncharacteristically skittish, his eyes darting back and forth between me and the baby who was sitting up in the front of his cart. “No, you’re fine. I wasn’t paying attention either. So I guess we can say it’s all good? No harm no foul—and more importantly, no injuries.”

I wondered at his uneasy smile, and decided to press a little. “Are you babysitting today? I thought you weren’t working anymore. But, hey. Shopping with a baby must be difficult, can I help?”

Luke’s eyes bulged a little at the mention of the baby, and he shook his head quickly as he spoke with a brittle laugh. “No, no. It’s fine, I’m the Omega Manny, remember? If I can’t shop with a toddler in tow, I don’t deserve my title.”

Red flags were going off all over the place from the way he was acting. I didn’t know what his deal was, so I decided to push a little. Casually, I pulled my cart backward and turned it to let him by, then proceeded to walk beside him.

“So, what’s next on the shopping list? Is all this for you, or your boss? I only ask because that narrows down whether we need the baby aisle or not.”

Luke stopped his cart abruptly and turned to look at me. “Weren’t you headed into produce? I see you have meat in your cart; I’d hate to be responsible for it getting warm while I tie up your time.”

Oh, this guy was good. Rather than walk into that trap, I opened my mouth to reassure him that I had all the time in the world when the baby suddenly turned bright red and started screaming at the top of her lungs.

Luke forgot about me immediately as he turned his attention to the child. Her finger had been pinched in between two of the metal bars on the front of the cart, and she’d somehow managed to get it wedged there.

The little girl was crying hard while Luke freed her finger. Big watery tears ran down her face, her little rosebud lips trembling while she cried Da! Da! Da!

I smiled at that, remembering how my former charge had also called everyone and everything Da or Dada at this age. I was about to comment on this phenomenon when Luke lifted her out of the cart and held her against his shoulder.

As he cradled her head against his shoulder, Luke murmured into her silky chestnut brown curls. “Shh, Sammy love, Daddy’s here. You’re okay, you’re okay. Daddy’s got you.”

My head spun as I heard her name and recalled the conversation at Slow Grind. All of a sudden, Scott’s comments and Luke’s reaction to them made much more sense.

Scott had been in on the joke, and I hadn’t been. Not that Sammy was a joke, but the situation itself and my mistake. Obviously Luke hadn’t wanted me to know he was a father now, for whatever reasons.

“Wait. This is Sam? Okay. Yeah... your buddy’s laughing at my concerns makes sense now. And I suppose he’s right—you probably can’t take a piss in peace or sleep unless she lets you.”

I grinned and waited for him to laugh along, but Luke looked more skittish than ever now.

The baby was still crying, but not nearly as hard now. Her cries had quieted down to heart melting snuffles and hiccups. Luke was flustered, as evidenced by his flushed face while he continued to murmur into her hair.

I remembered suddenly that every reference to Sam I’d heard had mentioned Luke being alone.

“Where’s her alpha dad, Luke? Or, should I not ask? Too many years as a detective, I guess. I tend to be nosy–hazard of the job, I suppose. Don’t mind me if you don’t want to talk about your personal life.”

Luke looked up at me hesitantly, biting his lip for a moment as if weighing something in his mind before he spoke.

“Look, Grazer. Remember back at Slow Grind when I said I should explain a few things to you that were a long time coming? Well, Sam is the biggest part of that… I just—,” his voice trailed off for a moment as if he were still conflicted about what he wanted to say to me.

He finally spoke in a rush. “Listen, tomorrow is Samantha’s first birthday. We’re having a party for her at Hollydale Grove; Ian and Cecil are both on the guest list. Why don’t you come with them and get to know her when she’s not in meltdown mode, and I’ll try to explain why I didn’t tell you about her sooner.”

Before I could make sense of that statement or accept his invitation, Luke turned and rushed off with the baby, leaving his half-full cart behind as he made his escape. I stared after him in confusion, while my mind raced over his statement.

Wait. She’d be a year-old tomorrow? So… A year ago minus nine months, huh? That would mean he got pregnant... when, exactly? Not quite two years ago. Late May or early June of that year, at the latest. But… we’d been dating then!

Was Luke actually seeing someone else at the same time as me? No, that wasn’t his speed at all. So who was the father? Oh, fuck. Was she possibly mine?

Yeah, I needed to finish my grocery shopping so I could get back to Ian’s. I had some friends to grill and apparently a gift to pick out for a one-year-old girl. The more I’d thought about it, the more it cemented in my head that Sam was mine. There was no way I’d be missing that party tomorrow. No way in hell.

I finally got through check out, and grabbed my bags in a rush to head for my car. As I was walking through the parking lot, the image of Samantha’s chestnut brown curls and big gray eyes haunted me.

Those eyes that were suspiciously the same shade of gray that ran strongly in my family. I was torn between wanting to shout from the rooftops that I was a father, and confusion as to why Luke had kept it from me.

As I approached my car, I saw the the same brown and white bunny that I’d seen at Ian’s house running between my car and the one beside it. I smiled as I watched it race out of sight, weaving through the cars as if on a mission.

After I loaded the groceries into the trunk, I spotted it. On the ground beside the driver’s door of my car was another one of those beautifully painted eggs. I bent down to pick it up, and this time I had to smile at the timely image.

Two men were shown sitting under a tree on a red and white checked blanket while a little baby girl dressed all in pink clapped chubby little hands as she watched a butterfly float by.

The men weren’t detailed enough to make out their faces, the artist had left them in the shadows, having chosen instead to put the focus on the child. I couldn’t help but think the baby looked a lot like Sam, but then I suppose all baby girls probably look pretty much alike at this age.

I got in the car, and pulled out my Swiss Army knife after I shook the egg to make sure that it contained a scroll like the first one I’d found.

After I carefully retrieved the scroll from inside the egg without damaging anything, I folded my knife and put it back in my pocket.

Setting the egg down on the passenger seat, I turned my focus onto the scroll. I carefully unrolled it to find another message that had been beautifully written in calligraphy.

No shit, egg. You think? I shook my head as I folded the message carefully and tucked it into my wallet to put away with the first one when I got back to Ian’s house. I didn’t know why I felt such a strong need to keep these, but they just felt special for some reason.