They’d started doing things the way they were supposed to; like they were muse and client rather than close and intimate friends. For a few weeks, nothing seemed amiss, but then Harper… changed. Overnight, he went from opinionated and energetic to quiet and introverted, as if someone had taken the battery out. William was tempted to ask Beckett to talk to Zac, to see if anything was amiss, but it seemed against the spirit of their newly ‘professional’ relationship.
William was working late, fielding yet another set of ‘minor’ adjustments requested by his least favorite client. The knock on the office door surprised him. It was a little late for deliveries.
But at the door was Harper, bundled up in a hat, scarf, and gloves.
“We need to talk.”
William held the door open and waved him in.
“Of course. Is something wrong?”
Harper stepped inside, tugged off his hat, and turned to him.
“Things have been weird between us lately, don’t you think?”
William was a little blindsided by that. He stared at Harper, who shivered and rocked on his feet.
“Uh, why don’t you come upstairs? You can sit down and warm up.”
He turned off the lights and shut the door to the office, leading Harper up to his apartment.
“Did you walk over? It’s freezing out.”
“Needed some fresh air. I have a lot on my mind.”
“How about some tea to warm you up?”
He made the hot drinks while Harper sat at the kitchen table, and then carried them over to join him.
Harper made a face when he saw William’s coffee.
“I know, I shouldn’t be drinking caffeine so late, but I’ve been burning the candle at both ends trying to make these project deadlines.”
“It’s not that. I’m just… not a coffee person right now.”
“Good thing I made you tea, then, isn’t it?”
His smile wasn’t returned as Harper ran a tired hand through his hair.
“Things have changed.”
William blew out a breath. “Yeah, they have, haven’t they?”
Harper trailed his finger around the rim of his teacup. “I should never have asked you to share my heat.”
William winced. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have taken you up on the offer. I should have kept some professional distance between us. I’ve been trying to fix that.”
Harper laughed mirthlessly. “That explains a lot.”
“Look, I’m sorry. It was wrong of me to take advantage of you like that. If… if you want to bring a halt to this whole arrangement, there’ll be no hard feelings.”
He thought that would provoke a straight yes or no from the omega, but Harper just sighed and stared down at his cup.
“Harper?” he prompted gently after almost a minute of strained silence.
The omega looked up, his eyes sad and lost.
“I’m pregnant.”
William sat back in his chair and stared at Harper. Another minute passed before he managed to find his voice.
“That’s not possible. We took precautions; I helped you take your meds every day.”
Harper swallowed, his fingers playing with the handle of his cup. “They, um, they were new pills the doctor gave me. She said they worked just like my old ones, but she was wrong.”
It sounded too improbable to be true.
“And you didn’t realize this? Didn’t double check for yourself?”
The omega shrugged, his tone defensive. “She’s the doctor. They’re always telling us to listen to the medical professionals and not the internet. How is that my fault?”
“And you’re sure? You’ve seen a doctor?”
“Three positive tests told me all I needed to know.”
It was too strange, too much of a coincidence, that now that William was trying to bring their relationship back to a more professional footing, Harper was at his doorstep declaring himself pregnant. The story was too similar to Dante’s for William to swallow.
“Look, I don’t know what it is you’re trying to do here, Harper…” He got to his feet.
“Trying to do?” Harper stared up at him incredulously. “I’m not trying to do anything, I’m just telling you our situation.”
William took a step back, shaking his head. “No, we took sufficient precautions to make sure there’d be no complications from your heat. I don’t know what idea you’ve got in your head about how this is going to go, but you’re wrong. I think you should leave.”
Harper pushed back his chair, looking at William like he’d never seen him before.
“What, you think this was my plan? Get knocked up by the awkward, aloof alpha who’s been paying me money to keep him company for the past few months?”
His anger was so apparent that William had to turn away, afraid of his own emotions.
“You should go.”
Harper scoffed.