Maya

I hastily stood up, startled to see Stella and Kael right outside my door.

Fuck! This was bad news. 

“Hey, what the fuck are you two doing here?” Nate, ever shameless, rose to his feet, his expression more angry than flustered or embarrassed like mine—how come he wasn’t even a little bit embarrassed? “Aren’t you two supposed to be cooking breakfast today?”

“We've already finished preparing breakfast, buddy,” Kael chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned against the doorframe, eyeing us with amusement, “But it looks like you two were on your own extraordinary cooking mission. What were you actually cooking? A sibling for Jackson?”

“Kael, shut up!” My eyes widened, and my cheeks burned with embarrassment.

“Oh, don’t shut him up,” Stella interrupted. “You can secretly fool around, and you expect us to say nothing? We have our rights.”

Right? They had to be kidding me.

Jesus! These two had no boundaries at all.

“What are you saying?! We did nothing!” I let out loud, deep down wishing I could just disappear, melt into the floor,  “And lower your voices. Others might overhear and misinterpret everything! Why are you causing trouble for us for no reason?”

“Then why is he shirtless? How do you explain that? You two must have done something,” Kael cocked an eyebrow, his facial expressions reminiscent of an '80s movie, where the cop would have a suspicious expression while investigating a fucking obviously stolen case.

“Hey, he hangs around half-naked all the time. It’s his thing! Everybody knows about it”

“That doesn't explain it,” he tsked.

This guy…..Argh!

“And why do we need to explain anything to you two shitheads?” Nate shot back. “Just fuck off! We can do whatever we want.”

“Are you fucking serious right now? Why are you giving them the wrong impression?” I looked at him in disbelief, “This will give them the green card to go around and tell everyone that we…we did something.”

“Just because we didn’t do it today doesn’t mean we won’t do it forever. We are going to have sex, it’s natural,” he shrugged, scratching the back of his head. “So it’s only fair that I warn them beforehand, or else they’d be standing at our doors for hours trying to figure out if we had sex or not,” he turned his gaze back to Kael and Stella. “So you two, don’t bother us. Get lost.”

“So you two can fuck again?” Stella chuckled shamelessly. “No way. We still need to know how this—“ She gestured between the two of us, “happened.”

God! I wanted to bury myself. These were the very two people who were so loud that even a whisper of a secret would become the hottest topic in the entire pack. I was more than sure they would spread the news like wildfire.

“We’ll tell you guys later!” I blurted out. “Just please don’t breathe a word of this to anyone else. Please! I request.”

A laugh slipped past Nate’s lips, and my eyes darted to him. He quickly added, noticing my expression, “You’re so naive, Maya. Do you really think any of them will keep quiet? They’ll even bring a fucking microphone if needed to spread the news.”

“How far have you taken it?” Kael asked, scratching his jaw. “Judging by the way you’re talking, it seems like you two definitely did the deed.”

“Kael, we did not have sex. I am telling you the truth. Trust me and shut up!” I cried out. “Please, guys, for God’s sake!”

“You idiots! Stop bothering her and leave. You want the details, right? I’ll give you the details. Now leave,” Nate interjected.

“Ooh, possessive, huh?” Stella whispered lowly. “Okay, fine, we’ll leave. You two can do whatever you want, but be downstairs in half an hour. Everyone’s waiting.” She left, followed by Kael, who bothered to give us a sarcastic 'congrats on the first fuck”, and just like that, both of them left.

Nate slipped his hand around my waist as they departed, shocking me.

“What?” I asked.

“Nothing, I'm just admiring you,” he chuckled, kissing the bridge of my nose, then my cheeks, and a smile unintentionally broke out on my face. “Anyways, get ready. We have to join them at the breakfast table, or else they’ll start causing a scene again.”

“Okay.” 

***

It was at the breakfast table when things became even more obvious. The hidden smiles of Ivy and Tyrone, the whispers between Liam and Kael, and Stella's unmistakable smirk every time she glanced at me made it painfully clear that Kael and Stella had already spread the word.

God, I wished I could strangle those two.

Why couldn’t they just keep it to themselves? I guess I’d never know.

I shot Stella a glare as she mouthed a question to me, undoubtedly asking, "When did you two actually start fucking?"

Nate, on the other hand, seemed unfazed, spending his morning time with Jackson, either fist-bumping him, engaging in arm wrestling, or simply showering him with a thousand kisses on his cheeks, just like he did to me this morning.

I took a cautious bite from my pancake, hoping no one else would be as shameless as Stella to ask me such questions, although deep down, I knew they were. Seven years had been enough for me to understand that. The only reason they refrained from bombarding us with questions was out of consideration for Jackson.

I guess I'd have to keep Jackson with me the whole time!

"Mom, is it true that Nate is going to be my dad from now on?" The innocent question from Jackson suddenly shattered the silence of the room, causing me to choke on my food. My eyes widened as they shot to look at him, and Nate seemed equally taken aback.

My gaze shifted to glare at Stella, and she quickly blurted out, “Hey, it wasn’t me!”

Forget it. She wasn’t going to spill the beans anyway, even if it was actually her.

I turned to Jackson, keeping my voice gentle, “Who told you that, baby?”

He innocently pointed at Kael, who froze on the spot, pressing his lips together, looking like a deer caught in headlights.

Before I could teach Kael a lesson, Jackson spoke again, “Is it true, Mommy? Will Nate be my dad from now on?”

His voice brimmed with excitement, as if just the thought of it filled him with joy. As I looked at him, his doe eyes shimmered with anticipation, as if he hoped I'd say yes.

God! What should I say? I did want to say yes but…

I hesitated, finding myself at a loss for words. Then suddenly, Nate spoke up.

“Would that make you happy, buddy?” he asked Jackson with a smile. “Would you be happy if I became your dad?”

A smile lit up Jackson’s face, and he clapped his hands together, “Yes!”

My heart…

Even if I weren’t in love with Nate, I still would have agreed to be with him just to see that smile. I wanted nothing more; just watching my son smile was enough.

“Then I will become your dad,” Nate smiled, leaning in to pinch Jackson’s cheek. Normally, my son would protest being touched on the cheek, but today he didn’t even flinch. His radiant smile remained, his eyes full of excitement. It was as if he was living a dream he never dared to ask for. His smile today told me that Nate was exactly the father figure he wanted, and I knew Nate would love him as much as my own father loved me.

“But, all you have to do is to make your mom agree.”

Jackson immediately turned his gaze to me, “Mom, won’t you agree? Please! Please! Please!”

I opened my mouth to speak, but he continued, “Please, Mom, I want Nate to be my dad! Please!” He pleaded until I finally pressed my finger to his lips.

A chuckle escaped my lips as I wiped the crumbs from the corner of his mouth before I spoke up, “Yes, Nate will be your dad. I agree, okay?”

“Yay!” Jackson stood on his chair and jumped up and down, clapping, and his clapping was soon joined by the other members.

So, within the span of one night, Nate and I were now official…

I just hoped nothing would ruin it for us.