I had just finished packing up the last box of PBF Bombz for a large order, when Tom came flouncing through the swinging door. Kent hadn't been able to work today, so I'd had to beg Tom to fill in. It didn't matter. Soon, I wouldn't be able to afford hired help anyway. I'd be lucky to pay myself a wage after I lost the rights to Nana's recipe.

“Milo. Listen to Tom. It's important.” He stood there with a hand cocked on his tilted hip, waiting to get my full attention before he continued. “Milo has a visitor. No matter how much that Milo may wish to hide, Tom is sending Rafe back to see Milo. Tom just wanted to give Milo a moment to prepare.”

“What? No! It's been six weeks, Tom! He could have texted, called, come by my apartment, or even sent a message by carrier pigeon! He couldn't be bothered to come crawling with an apology before now? Fuck him. No. I won't see him.” My heart raced with excitement though. The thought of seeing my alpha was too thrilling. Wait. No. Strike that. He's not my alpha. He'd proven that, hadn't he? I turned my back to Tom to hide the emotion that I knew was easy to read on my face.

A familiar voice replied: “I can crawl if you want me to, and I will if it means that you'll give me a chance to apologize. But first, let me give you this so that you can save your business.”

I spun around to see Rafe standing there holding my Nana's recipe book in his outstretched hands. Tears filled my eyes as I raced over to accept the enormous gift that he had brought me. I traced my fingertips over her familiar, spidery handwriting. The tears flowed as I hugged it to my chest. Not because I was going to be able to save my business and protect a usurper from stealing my Nana's recipe, but because I was holding a piece of Nana in my arms.

Rafe held his arms out, as if wanting to hug me but too ashamed to try. Fuck it. I threw myself into his arms, crying against his shoulder. Crying for my beloved Nana. Crying with happiness for my business. Crying for Rafe and how much I'd missed him. My emotions were all over the place, and it was several minutes before I calmed down.

Rafe was running his hand up and down the length of my spine, murmuring in my ear. “It's okay, Milo. I'm here now. I'm so sorry that I was just an unforgivable ass. Don't cry, baby. Everything will be okay.”

I sniffed, and pulled away. Looking up at him, I knew that my vulnerability was written all over my face, but screw it. I was past worrying about what people though of me. If there was a chance for us to reconcile, I was going to grab it with both hands and not let go.

“Do you mean that, Rafe?” My voice was raspy and rough. “Is there a chance of us finding a way back to each other after all this time and the words that were said?”

He looked at me, his soul laid bare. I could see the heartbreak in his eyes, and the desire for forgiveness. “Yes, Milo. I mean it. I'm sorrier than words can ever say. But if you accept my apology, and forgive me, then I will spend the rest of time proving to you how much I care. I didn't know what I had until I lost it.” He stopped, looking to the side as he chuckled bitterly. “Well, not so much lost it as threw it away like it didn't matter.”

He looked back at me then, and took a step closer to me. “But you do matter, Milo. In this entire world, I don't think that anything matters as much as you do. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me? To give us another chance?”

I opened my mouth to say Yes, Yes, All of the Yes! when a wave a nausea came over me. I thrust Nana's book into Rafe's hands and raced for the bathroom that was just off the kitchen. I dropped to my knees as I made it through the door and slid from the momentum over to the toilet like I was hitting home base.

I bent over and puked my guts out. I could smell Rafe's familiar scent standing in the doorway, but when I turned to look at him another wave hit. I turned back and bent back over the toilet. After I finally finished puking, I scooted back until I hit the wall. I looked up at a very worried Rafe and said: “Yes. I forgive you. That's what I was about to say when the nausea hit again.”

“Again?” Rafe's eyebrow flicked up as his worried eyes roamed my face. “How long has this been happening?”

“Milo has been getting sick the past couple weeks.” Tom squeezed around Rafe and grabbed a paper towel. He ran it under the sink, and then passed it to me to wipe my mouth. “Tom has begged Milo to see the doctor, but Milo refuses.”

“Because it only happens once or twice a day, Tom. It's no biggie. It's probably just stress or something.” Even I wasn't buying that one, but I didn't have time to worry about my health right now. First I had to save my shop.

“I disagree.” Rafe said calmly as he tapped the screen on his phone. “Your health comes first, Milo. It's very much a biggie. If you're not healthy, nothing else matters. Now, let's get you to the doctor.”

I started to refuse, but Tom was already talking on his phone. “Yes, thank you Stacy. Yes, this is about Milo again. 2:30? He'll be there.” I clenched my jaw and tried to interrupt, but Tom just swept out of the room to complete the call.

Rafe's phone pinged. He looked at the screen. “That's Ian. He's on his way over. He will take the recipe book to your attorney's office, while I take you to the doctor. Tom can be trusted to watch your shop for an hour or so, right?”

“What?” I screeched, unable to stop myself. “Ian's father is opposing counsel, Rafe! I can't involve him!”

Tom came back in. “Is it because Milo doesn't trust Ian, or because Milo doesn't wish to cause problems for Ian?”

“I trust Ian, Tom. I do.” And I did. Over the past six weeks, he'd shown himself to be a true friend while he and Tom continued their flirtatious little mating dance. “But I can't involve him. That's his father, you know?”

Rafe smiled kindly. “Trust me, babe. There's no love lost there. Ian will be happy to help. He hates corporate greed, in case you haven't had a chance to hear him on the subject yet.”

I grinned. It was impossible to know Ian without knowing his anti-corporate views and how he rooted for small business. “Okay. I'm guessing that I don't have a choice anyway, so let's just do it.”

“Attaboy, Milo. Tom has trained Milo well.” Tom tapped his phone and turned to Rafe. “Tom sent the deets to Rafe's phone. The doctor will see Milo this afternoon at 2:30, in case Rafe didn't hear Tom's call.”

“Tom,” I asked suddenly. “How did Stacy at Doctor Andrews office know that I needed to be seen?”

“Duh.” Tom smirked at me. “Tom has been in conversation with Stacy several times already. There are three things to rule out, based on Milo's symptoms.”

“Do I want to know?” I asked hesitantly.

“Well, knowledge is power.” Tom shrugged. “Milo could have an ulcer. Milo could have had food poisoning, but it has gone on too long. Milo could have cancer or a stomach problem like GERD. It could be stress, but not likely. Or,” Tom dramatically paused for effect. “Milo could be pregnant.”

“Well, I know it's not the last one, and I hope it's not cancer. So I guess I root for GERD?” I laughed humorlessly.

Tom shrugged. “Is Milo sure it's not the last one? I mean, you did have sex, right?” He looked at Rafe's blank face and back to mine with a wicked gleam in his eye.

“Tom. Stop teasing, Rafe. If you must know, we used a condom. Besides, it was just the once and it was six weeks ago!”

Tom smiled wider. “That is the correct amount of time according to Stacy for Milo to be experiencing morning sickness. Now, who supplied the condom? Did it break?”

Rafe covered his face with both hands and groaned at Tom's nosiness. “Tom, you are embarrassing the alpha. Chill out with that pregnancy shit. Besides, I had condoms. You know, the ones that I got when I got my first omega physical.”

Tom looked at me then with complete shock on his face for the first time ever. I'd never seen him so completely floored. When he recovered himself, Tom said with a gasp of horror: “Milo! That was seven years ago! Are you mental? Condoms expire after five years! They teach you that in seventh grade health, for God's sake!”

Hearing Tom slip out of speaking in the third person for the first time in over ten years did more to shock me then the possibility of pregnancy. Tom looked at his watch. “Fuck this shit. It's only 1:15. I'm not waiting another two hours for an answer. I'm going to the pharmacy across the street. Don't move, I'll be right back with a piss test.”

Tom left in a rush, as Rafe and I looked at each in stunned silence. After several moments, we both started laughing. The more he laughed, the harder I laughed. We were still laughing five minutes later when Tom came rushing back in.

He pulled a box out the paper bag he was carrying. I was still giggling as he ripped open the box and muttered under his breath about stupid virgins and baby daddies or something along those lines while he read the directions.

He turned and imperiously held out a hand to help me up. Turning to Rafe, he said “Step out, please? This is an omega only zone for the next few minutes.”

Rafe huffed. “I don't think so. If he's pregnant, then it's my baby too. That gives me more right to be here than you.”

“Fine, Rafe can stay.” Tom waved a hand at Rafe as he slipped right back into third person conversation. He took the cap off the white plastic stick he held before thrusting the stick into my hand. “Milo, piss on the end of the stick. Then after three minutes, there will be a plus sign in the window of the stick if Milo is expecting Tom's niece or nephew.”

“No.” I said firmly. I pointed the stick at first Tom then Rafe. “I don't care if you guys fight over the right to handle my piss coated test after I'm done spraying it, but I do not need an audience to do my part in this fiasco. Now both of you, shoo.”

Rafe stepped out without argument, while I had to shove Tom through the door. I shut the door in his face while he was winding up for a classic Tom diva-tantrum. Nope. Not today, Tommy boy. Not this time. I locked the door with satisfaction and turned back to the toilet.

I lowered my zipper and pulled out my penis, nervous now that the moment was at hand. It took me a moment to get my stream flowing, since I was so nervous. Once I finally started peeing, I put the tip of the stick in the stream for moment then set it aside while I finished. I put the cap over the piss-soaked test strip, and slowly washed my hands before I opened the door again.

Tom and Rafe were sitting at my big work table, waiting for me to come out. I held up a hand to Tom before he could speak, then held a single finger to my lips. “Ssh. Let's just wait and see. No more arguments, okay?”

Tom nodded reluctantly, and Rafe just patted his thigh in invitation. I happily went over and sat down on his lap while we waited for the test to read the results. Ian came pushing through the doors right then, but before he could say anything, Rafe held out a hand. “Come on over, we're about to find out if Milo is pregnant.”

The look on Ian's face was priceless. He recovered quickly and said: “Well done, Rafe. When you make up with your man, you do it up right!”

“Shut up, Ian,” I giggled. Rafe reached for the test and held it up for us all to see. I sobered quickly as a feeling of awe settled over me. There in the window was a solid blue plus symbol. Rafe dropped the stick and wrapped his arms around me, burying his face in my neck.

“Well done, alpha.” Tom said happily as he rubbed his palms together. “Tom has so much shopping to do!”

Ian looked at us all curiously. “Wait. Does that mean that you guys are seriously going to have a baby?”

I nodded. “I guess Tom suspected it because I've been ralphing so much lately. He made me take a preggo test right before you got here.”

Ian staggered over to an empty stool and sat down heavily. He blinked at Rafe and me with a blank look in his eyes. “Damn. Rafe! You're gonna be a dad?”

Rafe looked up then, his chin resting on my shoulder. “Yep. Apparently if you use an expired condom it doesn't do much for birth control.”

I giggled then, and everyone else laughed along with me. I would probably be embarrassed about my condom snafu later. But right now, I was too happy to care. I'd always dreamed of having a child. Even if Rafe hadn't come and apologized, I still would have been happy about the baby. And I would have done my best to be a polite co-parent once the baby arrived if we'd stayed apart. The fact that we were together again just made it perfect.

“Wait.” I said a few minutes later. “Does this mean that I don't have to go to the doctor now?”

Rafe shook his head against my shoulder. “No. It means that we will be seeing the doctor to confirm the pregnancy and find out what we need to do to take care of you. And see if there's anything that can be done for your nausea. That didn't look fun, babe.”

I sighed softly. I looked over at Ian. “And you really don't mind taking that to my attorney's office?”

Ian smiled and answered: “It will be my pleasure, Milo. And don't worry, I'll make sure that they give me a receipt so that you can get it back later.” He rolled his eyes. “Trust me, I know all about lawyer's offices.”