The Polar Bear's Baby (Honeypot Babies Book 1) by Sophie Stern

will.
    “What would you like to know?” I ask.
    “What would you like me to know?” He shoots back.
    “Well,” I say. I run my palms across the glass countertop, then I take a deep breath. “It’s Mia. I’m in love with Mia.” 
    “I know,” he says, and my jaw drops. “Was there something else?”
    “We’re going to have a baby.”
    “I thought as much. Shall we have a drink? I’m parched.”

Chapter 12
     
    Aidan
     
     
    I grab a bottle of whiskey I keep in the back, then Richard and I sit at one of the little tables in my shop. Once we each have sip our drinks, I wait for him to tell me what’s really going on.
    “How did you know I was dating your sister?” I have to know. “She told me she hasn’t had a chance to talk with you yet.”
    “You know I work in Honeypot, right?”
    “Right.”
    “I was going to stop by on Friday after my last therapy appointment. Her car was here. It was late.”
    “That doesn’t mean anything.”
    “It does when it’s my little sister, Aidan. You know as well as I do that Mia doesn’t do serious relationships. She doesn’t just jump into bed with people. She certainly doesn’t do that with people she doesn’t care about. When did the two of you get together?”
    “At your birthday party.”
    “I thought that might be the case,” he smiles and takes another sip of whiskey. “Congratulations, friend. I’m sure the two of you will be very happy together.”
    “You aren’t worried about me dating your sister?”
    “Aidan, please. I’m sure you already have your entire wedding planned down to the last layer of your wedding cake.”
    “Really?”
    “You’re a serious person, Aidan. For you to get together with Mia, for you to actually tell me about it, I assume I’ll have an invitation to the ceremony in the next month.”
    I down the rest of my whiskey quickly. This definitely wasn’t what I was expecting when Richard walked into my shop today.
    “This does explain the cravings,” Richard says. “Once I figured out the two of you were together, I started paying attention to the things she complained about. She’s been commenting on feeling sick a lot, on struggling to sleep. Coupled with the weird things she’s been eating, it made sense she’s pregnant.”
    “You aren’t mad?”
    “For you and Mia? Of course not. You’re going to make wonderful parents.”
    “I feel like you’re taking this really well.”
    “I’ve had some time to think about it.”
    Now it’s my turn to raise an eyebrow. I thought he just found out about us. How long has he been thinking about this? As if reading my mind, Richard laughs.
    “I saw the way you two looked at each other at my party. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out you two are attracted to each other.”
    “I’m going to be good to her, Rich.”
    “I know you are. If you aren’t, I’ll beat your ass. Shifter or not, I don’t care.”
    We clink our glasses and chat for awhile about life in Honeypot and the direction he wants to take his counseling here. Right now he only works in Honeypot two days each week, but Richard is actually thinking of moving here permanently and working full-time in shifter town.
    “What gives?” I ask, and now it’s his turn to be secretive. “Is there a special someone in your life?”
    “Something like that,” he says. “But it’s complicated.”
    Complicated.
    It’s such a simple term that can encompass just about anything. Your car broke down? Your day was complicated. You’re having a baby and you hadn’t planned for it? Things are complicated. You want to date someone who won’t look twice at humans? It’s complicated.
    “I’m here if you want to talk,” I tell him.
    “Thanks, man. I appreciate that.”
    He gets up and I walk him back to his car.
    “Do me a favor,” he says. “Don’t tell Mia we talked. I want her to tell me when she’s ready. This is tough for her and I don’t want her to feel like she’s being judged or like I