Pregnant With Alpha’s Genius Twins

#Chapter 208 – Hard Lines

When Victor and Evelyn come down the stairs ten minutes later, Rafe is sitting at the kitchen table looking down at his folded hands. Evelyn doesn’t say a word, barely glances at him as she instead goes to her boys, who are standing by the open front door.

“Mama!” Ian says, breathless with excitement. “Did you see it!?”

“See what, baby?” Evelyn says, coming to put a hand on his back between his shoulder blades and see what the excitement is about.

“The house,” Alvin says, leaning against the door and looking up at her with wide eyes. “The car house!”

“Oh,” Evelyn says laughing and looking at the driveway. “It’s called an RV, boys – a Recreational Vehicle. Apparently,” she smirks and looks over her shoulder at Victor, who pulls out a chair to sit across from Rafe, “your dad buys the newest model every year. Just in case.”

“It’s awesome,” Ian says, his wide eyes eager. “Can we go travel in it?”

“Can we go live in it?!” Alvin shouts, clasping his hands beneath his chin in excitement.

“You’d want that?!” Evelyn asks, laughing and gesturing towards it. It really is beautiful but…live in it!? “You’d want to live in that thing, like living in a can of sardines?”

“Well, our other house did burn down,” Ian says, pouting, “we should get a new one and this one is already here.” Evelyn can’t stop the laugh that starts to spill from her at his earnest kid logic.

“Yeah,” Alvin says, as if it’s obvious. “And we can take this one to the beach.”

“Okay, okay,” Evelyn says, reaching for the coat hanging on the peg by the door. “Let’s go explore it, and then we’ll decide whether or not we should move in.”

The boys run out the door, happy with this deal, and Evelyn looks over her shoulder at Victor before following them. Victor gives her a deep nod as Burton hands him a fresh cup of coffee.

Thank you, Victor says into her mind, for distracting them. I’ll handle this in here.

Anytime, Evelyn replies with a wink. Then, she pulls the door shut behind her, following her sons to the RV.

When the house is quiet again, Victor turns his attention to Rafe. “Evelyn told me what she knows,” he says, his deep voice rumbling with disappointment. Hearing his tone, Burton quickly makes himself scarce.

gone, Rafe lifts his eyes to

fall a little to the side, giving Rafe a look that suggests what he has

says ruefully. “I get it. It’s not like I don’t already know that what I did

asks, starting to get genuinely confused as he sits down at the table. “That I’m going to repeat back to you your actions in the past few months? And you’re going to have to face what you did, instead

looks at his

the details and pin you to the wall for each one. I’ll skip right to telling you what a rotten piece of work you

chase. “What the f**k is wrong with you, Rafe?” Victor growls, leaning across the table and glaring at his brother. “That is a good woman, who by all appearances loves you – or loved you, at

head in his hands. “I just got so wrapped up in it, Victor,” he says, his voice muffled against his palms. “In all the s**t after the wedding – in all of the s**t before the wedding. You weren’t there – you didn’t hear everything Dad was saying about you bringing those boys into your life. About how you

excuse?” Victor says, sitting back in his chair, a little further disgusted.

Rafe says, taking down his hands and glaring at Victor. “I did it. I’m man enough to take responsibility for my choices, even if…well, if

as Rafe

my life, seemed more

Victor sits quietly, listening.

after all that I did – to you, to Evelyn, to Bridgette – I realized that…dad was just using me, as he does all of us. He’s just like John Walsh in that way, do you know?”

whatever the hell you want, and shape the world into the image you want it to fit. But

sitting back in his chair, studying his brother. “How did you get out of it, Victor?” he asks. “How did you…not become them, like dad and Walsh? Like

escape it,” Victor murmurs, holding his coffee tight. “I think I only

sentence on his face though. “Evelyn?” Rafe says, leaning forward in his chair, a little disbelieving.

I treated her, Rafe, at the start of all of this. I have trouble even thinking about the things I said to her. But I was the Alpha, I

Rafe asks, genuinely

She forced me to start seeing her as a person. Not as a Luna, or as a surrogate, or as my kids’ mom. But as a full person, who loves and fights and speaks and breathes. And the way she loves,” he shakes his head, still bowled over by it. “I had to become a different

a little at that. “You certainly blew up

his brother would laugh. Rafe

what,” Rafe asks after a moment, shrugging. “Is that how I have to change? I have to find

the upbringing in an Alpha household that told her her entire life that she deserves more. Are you