The Seahorse Who Loved the Wrong Lynx (6 page)

with his doubts. Morgan’s situation had been in the forefront of

everyone’s minds recently, and Layton didn’t want to be selfish and

add his own problems to the mix.

Of course, this whole thing had been going on for quite a while

now, even from before Layton’s family had found out Alexis was

pregnant with Morgan’s child. Now, Elian was born, and Layton still

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hadn’t reached a decision with regard to his own issues. It was

childish and his treatment of Preston had quickly become unfair.

Morgan frowned at him, obviously thinking the same thing. “All

right. I’m not going to pressure you to talk to them until you feel

ready. So what happened after that?”

“Well, I left Preston’s the next day, and I eventually came back here. I haven’t seen either of them since then. We talk on the phone, but…It’s awkward. He hasn’t mentioned us having sex, and I think he

must believe it was a one-time thing.” Layton gave Alexis a pleading look as he finished his tale. “What should I do?”

The incubus seemed thoughtful. “Well, you definitely need to talk

to them again. Like I said, my powers couldn’t have influenced

something that was meant to be, like your mating.”

Layton rubbed his eyes tiredly. “I know. You already said that.

But…I’m still stuck.”

Alexis’s son, Elian, cooed in his crib, interrupting their

conversation. Alexis took the young boy in his arms, rocking him

lightly. They made a beautiful picture, and Layton couldn’t help but be a bit jealous of his brother’s good fortune.

As if guessing his thoughts, Morgan walked to Alexis’s side and

kissed the incubus’s cheek. “You know, brother, there’s one thing

about this situation that strikes me as familiar. Alexis and I fucked up.

That’s clear. You know it as well as we do.”

“Because of that, we nearly lost Elian,” Alexis added. “We nearly

lost ourselves. So you need to think about what you really want. If

you stay here and hide, you’ll never figure it out.”

They were right, Layton knew that, and he felt guilty for his own

selfishness. Alexis had almost been killed, and it was only the

incubus’s bond with Morgan that had saved him and their son. Just

earlier that day, Alexis’s would-be killer, Sophia, had finally left the United States, sent to her own kind, where her elder would deal with her madness. Shortly after her yacht had disappeared into distant

waters, Alexis had approached him. Unexpectedly, he’d grabbed

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Layton’s arm, pulled him away and said,
“Now, tell me what’s on

your mind. Hiding won’t help, but maybe I can.”

Layton had jumped at the occasion. As he and his family had

returned from the harbor, he’d told his tale, reliving everything that had happened after Alexis’s seduction. Simply having it all out,

telling it to his twin and his twin’s mate, made it seem much more

real.

Alexis had been correct in his assessment of the situation. Hiding

didn’t help, and in the past two months, it was what Layton had done.

He’d found refuge in trying to fix his relationship with his twin and his brother-in-law. But he could no longer deny that he had a big

problem, and every day that passed made him feel more and more

miserable.

“You’re right, of course,” Layton told Alexis. “I just don’t know

how I can face them.”

“I need to ask you something, Layton,” Alexis said seriously.

“You…You did use protection, right?”

Layton’s mind went blank. When Preston had taken him, Layton

had been too focused on his ongoing personal drama to think about

anything else. Now that Morgan had mentioned it, he finally realized how irresponsible he’d been.

Like his dad, Layton was a seahorse. If from his shark father,

Byron, Layton had inherited strong powers, his dad, Skylar, had given him the ability to give birth. Sadly, Layton had completely forgotten about it. This meant that he might be carrying Preston’s child now and not even know about it.

“I…I didn’t.” Preston’s mind whirled. “But surely, I’d had

realized it if something was different. I mean…I remember Dad gave

birth to Morgan and me in a couple of months. I should have at least gained some weight in two months.”

“Yes, but you’re not a seahorse, Lay,” Morgan explained. “You’re

half-shark. That’s bound to make any pregnancy last longer. God only knows how the lynx genes would mix up into this.”

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Oh, fuck. Oh, shit.
Morgan was right. Thinking back, Preston could objectively identify certain mood swings he’d assumed were

connected to the dismal state of his love life. Foods he’d liked before now made him sick, and he couldn’t quite get his stomach to agree on what he wanted to eat.

“Jesus, Morgan.” A baby was the last thing he needed in such a

complicated situation. “I really messed up.”

It occurred to Layton then that Alexis wouldn’t have asked the

question just because. Incubi had strange powers, some of which

Layton still couldn’t fully understand. “Alexis? Do you…? Am I…?

Can you tell?”

“I can’t be sure now,” Alexis replied. “It might be just my own

mistaken impression. But…There seems to be something there. I’d

advise you to check, just in case.”

Layton didn’t have to check. All of a sudden, he knew that Alexis

was right, and he truly was pregnant with Preston’s child. He buried his face in his hands. What was he going to do now? The situation had already been complicated enough with him not being able to figure

out which one of the two brothers was his mate.

He felt Alexis’s and Morgan’s gazes on him and, almost absently,

reached for his belly. Renewed decision coursed through him. Alexis

was right. He could no longer stay here and hide behind his family.

He owed it to his unborn child, and to Preston and Corbin, to figure things out. Preston in particular deserved to know he was going to be a father.

Shaking himself, Layton got up. “You’re completely correct. I’m

going to find out if I’m truly pregnant. And then I’ll talk to them.

They deserve that much.”

Morgan nodded, his expression somber. Alexis’s look was,

however, gentle. He handed Elian to Morgan and made his way to

Layton’s side.

Layton looked at the incubus, a bit confused. He’d long ago left

behind Alexis’s seduction of him, knowing it had been a product of

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43

misguided emotions and self-doubt from Alexis’s part. Still, the

relationship between the two of them was still somewhat confusing

since they couldn’t exactly settle on a balance of emotions.

Then Alexis wrapped his arms around Layton, engulfing him in a

tight embrace. “You’re a very brave man,” Alexis whispered in his

ear. “I know you can do whatever you set your mind to, and we will

be here for whatever you need.”

Layton tentatively hugged Alexis back. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

Alexis released him from the embrace and beamed. “Go on. Talk

to your parents. I’m sure they’ll want to know they might be

grandparents again.”

Layton smiled back and, with a wave toward his brother and

Alexis, left the room. It wasn’t hard to find his parents. His senses could easily detect their familiar presences. Layton headed toward his father’s office, and he was not surprised when the door opened just as he reached it.

“Hello, honey,” his dad told him. “Something wrong?”

His parents always had an uncanny knack of knowing whenever

he had a problem. In fact, they’d called him just shortly after his one time with Preston, or rather, they’d called Preston because they hadn’t been able to reach neither him nor Corbin. They’d also realized

something weighed heavily on his mind these past weeks, although

they’d allowed him his privacy.

“I wanted to talk to you about something, if you have time.”

“Of course,” his father said, gesturing him inside the office. “We

always have time for you.”

Layton sat down on the couch, fidgeting uncomfortably as he

struggled to find a way to begin. It wasn’t that he feared his parents would not accept his baby. He knew better than that. But the situation didn’t imply only his child. It also involved the baby’s father, and on that side, things could get messy.

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Layton shook himself. If he and Alexis were right, hiding it would

soon not be an option, and his parents needed to know. “I’m

pregnant,” he blurted out.

For a few moments, his parents just stared at him. “Pregnant?”

Byron repeated at last. “Did I hear that right?”

Layton nodded. “I’m not sure, to be honest. But…it’s very

possible.”

“Who was it?” Skylar asked softly.

“I can’t tell you that.” Layton would have liked to come clean and

confess, but it would just complicate things further, especially since he himself wasn’t sure of his own feelings.

Skylar looked very pale. “Did someone…Did someone force

you?”

Layton gaped at his seahorse dad. It had never occurred to him

that they could interpret things that way. “No!” he said, far more vehemently than he even intended. “It was consensual.”

His shark father slammed a fist into his desk. “Then it must have

been Corbin. He might be Garth’s son, but that son of bitch will take responsibility for what he’s done.”

“No!” Layton shouted again. “It wasn’t Corbin. There’s someone

else…”

Comprehension dawned on his dad’s face. “You said that once

before, didn’t you? That you cared for someone other than Corbin.”

Layton nodded. “I’m really not sure about anything right now, but

I need to know if I truly am carrying a baby, and if that’s true,

whether or not you’ll support me in this.”

“Oh, honey.” His dad embraced him tightly. “Of course. A baby is

a gift in any circumstances.”

“But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”As always, Byron was the

voice of reason. You’re coming with us to the clinic right this

moment.”

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His tone came out quite curt, and Layton couldn’t help but wince.

He hated disappointing his parents. They’d been his idols all his life.

The baby he carried might be a gift, but obviously an unwelcome one.

“Byron,” his dad snapped at his father, “calm down. You’re not

making things any easier.”

A sigh sounded, and then Layton’s father made his way to

Layton’s side. “I’m sorry, son,” he said. “It’s just…” He seemed to be struggling for words, something that Layton understood quite well.

“What your father means is that we’d have liked this moment to

be flawless, for you to have your mate by your side and enjoy these

months together,” Skylar explained. “I wanted that for both you and your brother. But whether that happens or not, we’ll always be here

for you. Okay?”

Layton barely managed to suppress his tears. “Thanks.”

His dad waved his gratitude away. “Now come on. Your father is

right about one thing. You need to see a doctor.”

* * * *

Layton left the car in front of Corbin’s auto shop. “Are you sure

you want to do this alone?” Morgan asked from the driver’s seat.

Layton nodded. “I’ll be fine,” he said. “Go on to the dorm. I’ll call you if I need you to come pick me up.”

Morgan didn’t look convinced, but nodded. Layton closed the

door of the car and headed inside the building without looking behind.

He heard his brother drive off and suppressed the irrational desire to run after him.

In a way, he felt guilty because he’d allowed Morgan to come

with him. Morgan should be at home with Alexis and their son, not

holding Layton’s hand while he attempted to sort the mess that was

his love life. But both Morgan and Alexis had insisted. For his part, Layton had drawn the line before his twin decided to be there when he talked to the two lynx brothers as well.

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He dragged his feet into the auto shop, half wanting Corbin not to

be there. He just wanted to get this visit over with and then go see Preston. Wasn’t that telling?

But there were so many questions in Layton’s mind, the most

important one being whether or not he was using Preston as a crutch

because Corbin had betrayed him.

He didn’t see Corbin in the main part of the shop, but the door to

the side office opened just after had Layton taken a few more steps.

“Hey, Layton.” Corbin’s expression was one of relief, guilt, and

apprehension. “How have you been?”

Layton studied Corbin’s handsome face, mentally comparing him

to Preston. He frowned. What had he seen about Corbin that was so

irresistible? True, Corbin was gorgeous, and his handsomeness

reached out to Layton’s libido. But thinking back, remembering

Preston’s kisses, that feeling of dim arousal was empty.

“Fine,” he said. “I’ve been with my family. You know Morgan is

a dad now.”

He didn’t mention he himself would have a child soon. The doctor

had officially confirmed it. After they’d gotten over their slight

dismay and shock, his parents had become thrilled and doted on

Layton like crazy. It was only at Morgan’s insistence that they’d

allowed him to come here in the first place.