"What did you say when she said all that?" Wes asked with wide eyes when I told him about the lunch craziness with Tareq's mom.
"Nothing. I left." I looked over at Tareq who had set up his laptop on a table near the window. He was into his work and half-listening while I rehashed the drama for Wes.
He'd gotten us a suite at a hotel built on a resort island off the coast. The suite had two bedrooms so Wes was going to stay with us. Tareq had the workers bring over our things.
"So awkward. What do you want to do? Do you think you'll make up with her?" Wes asked.
"We will get apartment here. When baby is born we can move where Dylan desire, but the medical care he need is here. I will keep him separate from my mother." Tareq answered for us.
Wes and I were sprawled out on the couch flipping through tv channels.
"I don't know. I really want this baby to have the best doctors. What if something goes wrong? I don't want something bad to happen to the baby just because my feelings got hurt." I shook my head.
"True... do you want me to stay here with you? I wouldn't mind. I can make sure I am always with you when you're around her. I'll put her in her place. Plus... I really like Ishaq. He's so different from Tucson guys. He's like... everything I want in a guy. I can't go back," Wes cooed with a blissful smile.
"Yes! Please! This would go so much better with you here. You have to stay." I leaned over and put my head on his shoulder. He put his arm around me and made me feel better.
"Wes should speak with his family before make decision like this. Is big thing to commit," Tareq called from his work table.
"You don't get a vote. I need my friend." I was still angry with him.
"He's right though. My parents might not be cool with it, but at least they've seen the family. They really loved your engagement party. I'll call and talk to them." Wes tried to calm the situation.
I thought about the engagement ring Tareq had given me. He'd put it in his zipper wallet when we'd left the coffee shop. We hadn't discussed it, and I hoped he'd let it go.
A knock on the door to our suite revealed a very worried Reyk.
"What is going on? You were so happy when I helped you get ready this morning. How are you feeling? This is not good for the baby." Reyk looked at me with concern.
Wes filled him in on the drama. I didn't want to rehash it. Reyk looked at me with compassion.
"Ok... We'll take a break for a few days here, but the Zakar compound really is the best place. You have the private gym and the chef who knows your nutrition needs. And Mr. Zakar adores you. I'm sure he can keep distance between you and the grandmother." Reyk started.
"We do not speak of this right now. My Dylan needs rest. If you speak of it, you will leave. I need my Dylan to settle. The boys want to watch a movie and relax." Tareq stopped him.
Since the coffee shop, he'd turned into a guard dog ready to destroy anyone who threatened my calm.
"Of course. Rest and relaxation. Did you look at the menu of spa treatments they have here? We can go for a massage. They're supposed to be world-class at this place. That will help recenter you." Reyk moved towards a leather book propped up behind the tv that showed all of the services.
"I don't want some stranger touching me." I shook my head. Massages creeped me out.
"Of course not. I do not want this either. I will touch my boy as he needs." Tareq agreed.
"Ok. I guess we'll watch a nice movie then. I'll check your vitals. Did you at least eat lunch during this whole thing?" Reyk asked as he went for his backpack.
"No. I did buy a pastry at the coffee shop," I told him.
"You can't eat that kind of sugar, sweetie." Reyk was annoyed with me.
"I didn't eat it. I just ordered it. It looked good though." I shrugged.
"Dylan! You haven't eaten since this morning, and you barely touched your breakfast. Your body needs nutrition. It is working double-time right now. That's why you don't feel like getting off the couch." Reyk turned into a mom on a rampage.
"Do not upset him. The menu is there. Let's order food for everyone." Tareq stood and went for the leather book.
"He's just doing his job." I reached for Tareq as he passed me. Reyk wasn't the enemy.
Tareq was intent on showing me he could protect me from people upsetting me. It was completely misguided, but sweet. He opened the leather resort book to the dining page and handed it to Reyk.
Soon the living room was filled with salads and meat and a big bowl of popcorn for the movie we were going to watch. Tareq signed off on the receipt and came to sit by me on the couch.
"Ok I can get into this. Food, movie, friends. It's not too unhealthy. But I ordered a special breakfast according to your plan. Tomorrow we are going to do a good workout before your checkup." Reyk poured a glass of wine for himself and one for Tareq. Wes and I got watermelon juice.
Wes got to pick the movie so we ended up watching the latest action movie where King Kong fights Dracula while a high school football player is the key to getting rid of them both. Titan Swift plays the high school football player who helps the Navy Seals defeat the monsters. Wes is super in love with Titan Swift.
"Titan looks just like Ishaq! Doesn't he? So cute! Ishaq has his mannerisms too. He's so smooth, no Cap." Wes gushed.
Tareq scoffed with an audible "pft!"
"You don't think Titan is hot? I like when he fights." I pointed to the screen where Titan was punching a bad guy.
"This is a child! He has gym muscles but terrible form. He will cry if any hit him! He is little soft boy who plays dress up." Tareq put is arm around my back and pulled me into his strong chest.
"I am soft boy?" I asked him as I rubbed my cheek against his chest.
"You are my boy. You are as soft as you need to be." Tareq was being extra sweet.
"You'd be surprised to find out how strong I can be." I shot back.
"You do not need to be strong. I will fight to my last breath for you." He kissed up my neck and rubbed a hand down my back to squeeze my ass.
I settled into his arms and quickly drifted off to sleep.
+++—+++
The next morning I woke up to Wes using my pillow and sleeping in our huge bed. He had his mouth slightly open and a little line of drool had dried on his cheek.
I stared at him from across Tareq's chest. Wes was hugging squishy cactus and facing us. I don't remember him coming to our bed, but I guess Reyk was using the other bedroom.
I sat up and looked down at Tareq passed out underneath me. He started to stir when I wiggled out of his hold.
"How did Wes get here?" I whispered as Tareq blinked up at me.
"You fall asleep in second movie so I carry you to bed when it finish. Wes follow me when I lift you. I think he was too sleepy to think. Reyk use other bedroom. I thought was ok so I let him sleep there." Tareq yawned.
"It's fine. We should wake up though." I said this but then laid back down against his warm chest.
"Few more minutes to hold my baby. You have bad day yesterday. I feel hurt that she hurt you. I do not sleep well. Is much to think about." Tareq kissed my hair and held me.
"It just got to me. She acted like I planned all of this. Like I schemed my way into her perfect family. They all think that. No one defended me. I felt like some scheming gold digger and I didn't know how to respond." I sighed.
"Is not for you to respond. You are gentle boy who does not attack." Tareq rubbed my bottom and rubbed his nose against my hair.
"I just hate that they think that I did this. I didn't do this and I can't even tell them the truth or it would get you into trouble. There's no way to win here and it sucks." I shook my head.
"Is time I am a man and stand up for you. I will speak to her. She will know the truth that you do not plan this. I can not allow that you take the anger for my deception. A man does not let his love take the blame. They will know the truth. I trick you into this baby. You do nothing wrong." Tareq kissed my forehead.
"You tricked him?" Wes had woken up and heard everything.
I raised off of Tareq's chest. We'd forgotten he was there and we weren't exactly whispering.
Wes looked at me with concern as things started to click together in his brain.
"I knew it! You never wanted to have kids. I knew it! What did he do to you?" Wes was wide awake now.
"I did it. I give him pills for start the process and he did not know until the pregnancy arrived. He think was pill to help him sleep." Tareq sat up and started to explain.
He told Wes the whole process and even told him how he'd found me in the DNA database and tracked me down.
"What is wrong with you? That's fucked up! You're an asshole, dude!" He got out of the bed and glared at Tareq.
"He's not an asshole. He just..." I started, but Wes wasn't finished.
"And you're just ok with this? Why didn't you tell me? I'm your best friend!" Wes turned his rage to me.
"Is not Dylan fault. He does nothing wrong. He try to protect me from everyone. He is good boy who is tricked." Tareq put his hands up to try and calm Wes.
"I'm sorry Wes. I should have told you. I didn't want you to hate Tareq." I had no good reason for lying to him.
"You always make excuses when people hurt you, but this is really bad, Dyl. He drugged you and got you pregnant and then pushed you right into the line of fire with his family so you wouldn't want to stay here. He's prepping you to be worn down and give in to what he wants. He'll send you home and keep the baby for himself. We need to get a lawyer and sort this out." Wes paced around angrily.
"I'm not getting a lawyer. He's not going to steal my baby. He made a mistake and he's going to fix it. I just want to have my baby. I don't want a big crazy drama." I got out of the bed and went towards Wes.
"Bro, he lied about everything. You really think he's going to let you leave here with the baby after it's born? What's to stop him from kicking your ass out once you give him a son? There's literally like 30 movies with this same scenario. He's done nothing to earn your trust. You are way too trusting." Wes worked up a big conspiracy theory. He loved those.
"You think I will do this?" Tareq looked at us with wild eyes.
"Well neither of us thought you'd drug him and get him pregnant. So... yeah! Your honor is pretty much shit to us. Don't be stupid, Dylan. You want this baby, you need to be smart about it. My dad knows a good lawyer back home. We need to call him and get things rolling. And we need to get you out of here." Wes started looking for his phone.
"Wait, wait. Let's just take a breath here and calm down. This is spiraling." I pulled on Wes' arm.
"We should get to the embassy! That's the first step or he'll try to keep you here like in that movie we watched with the Italian guy." Wes alluded to a movie we'd seen where an Italian guy kept a lady hostage until she fell in love with him. He had all the local cops on his side.
"Of course I will not do this! I am not even Italian! I go to tell my family the truth today. I will prove I can earn your trust here. I want to marry Dylan. I want that we raise our baby together." Tareq got out of bed wearing a pair of black boxerbriefs that showed off his ample bulge.
I lost focus for a minute, my body needed him. We hadn't had sex since the day before yesterday and I was on edge with need.
"You can understand why we need a little more than that, right? Dylan needs to know his child won't be taken away. You've given us every reason to think that could happen. Your word here means nothing." Wes found his phone and swiped it open.
"I will give you proof then. Give me today to fix things. I will make this right. I will prove I can be good man for Dylan and my baby." Tareq reached for me.
I looked at Wes and he paused and looked back at me.
"Let him do this first, ok?" I pleaded with him.
"Fine, but I have some conditions." Wes looked between us and shook his head.