August 30th, 1890 — The Miller Home

A week.

A week of sitting and stewing on Odina and Toby had Beau ready to snap. He hadn't told Eva yet, how could he? The first thought to pop into his head with Odina was 'I would've married you,' which was, admittedly, not the best thought to have when he'd only recently married his pregnant lover. What was worse was that Beau had no frame of reference to know how she'd take it. He had no way to gauge her reaction, as the worst fight they'd ever had had still resulted in comforting touches.

A kid, though. A kid changed everything. A kid had already changed everything.

Beau was outside hammering his frustration on a broken fence post. The force of his swings was reminiscent of his early years, back when he fought his way out of every negative emotion. When he'd sooner break someone's bones than face his anger. He couldn't fall into that pattern again, not as the father of two, but the frustration had to leave him somehow. Keeping this bottled up would only cause an explosion of epic proportions sooner or later.

A final swing and the post sunk back into place. One down, nineteen to go.

  

Something was off. Eva knew Beau well enough to know that much. What it was, she couldn't tell, but it was something big. What she couldn't figure out was if she should ask about it, or if it would blow over. It had been a week though and he was outside slamming fence posts into the ground with such force she wasn't sure how they didn't split wide open.

Never one to walk on eggshells, she ventured out, hands cradling the barely-there baby bump she was now sporting, only visible in her cotton dress when she held it like that. "I've made some dinner, Love," A skill she was still working on, had never been very good at, but was willingly striving to get better at. She could cook better over an open fire than she could in the kitchen, which was sort of still where they were at, so she could only go up from here.

"If you don't ease up, you'll split the post," She teased lightly, hoping not to anger him, but still hoping he might open up.

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baby stamp ~15 weeks

  

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The second post was only midway in when Eva called for him. For a split second, Beau was tempted to ignore her, to continue on hammering as if a solid fence would solve his problems. Toby was his son, Beau was sure of that. Whatever bullshit store Odina crafted was for her survival, a fact could accept. She was living in a decent house and of some money, after all.

Odina was certainly doing better for herself than he was doing for Eva anyway.

Beau couldn't ignore his wife. Not when she was standing there in a dress so thin he could see the product of their love. He'd have dinner with her, try and bury the feelings, and then head back outside until it was too dark to see. The exhaustion would surpass any swirling thoughts by then, or at least that was his hope.

Her comment was innocent enough, but it still made his already steaming blood boil. Burying thoughts and feelings wouldn't be possible if she pushed him tonight. "Yeah," he replied. Beau had never been grateful to have an excuse to keep from looking at her before now. However, the gratitude left such a sour taste in his mouth. "I'll try to go easier."

  

Oh, it was going to be like that then.

Pushing forward, Eva knew he was in a mood, but since he wasn't going to be forthcoming with information, she was going to have to pull it out of him. Maybe a good row would make him feel better. She could certainly handle it.

Placing herself right on the post, she put a hand on his arm to prevent him from swinging again. "What's wrong. I can tell something's got you reliving your demons." It was probably coming in a little too hot, but she didn't know what else to go for.

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His fist tightened around the hammer as she moved between him and the post. An unconscious move, but one he recognized and became immensely ashamed of near immediately. He would never strike her, but to have that base instinct frightened him.

Sighing heavily, Beau dropped the hammer to the ground. Of all the ways he envisioned having this conversation, her pestering it out of him wasn't his chosen option. Then again, none of the options were so maybe this was for the best. "I have a son," Beau announced bluntly. "Or, I think I do. His mom wasn't very forthcoming with the details."

  

Maybe she could have kept her mouth shut.

Maybe not.

It took a moment for his response to catch up with her. Of all of the things he could have said, that had not been a something she would have been able to come up with herself.

A son. Alright. And his mother of course. Was it a shock? Yes. Was it really a surprise? No. Considering the nature of their relationship before this, Eva clearly knew she wasn't the first, but she had thought she might be alone in bearing his children.

Eva took a deep breath, trying to think of a response, but came up short. "How did you find that out, all the way in Scotland?" Of all the places. Was the world really that small? Seeing Dina had certainly shrunk it, but she supposed an all-magical community would draw in people from everywhere. Subconsciously, she squeezed both the hand on his arm and the one on her own belly, trying to keep her thoughts straight.

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Beau withdrew from her grasp, stepping back until an unnatural distance existed between them. He had had a week to process and the news hadn't even begun to sink in. The bubbly little boy was his, Beau knew it undoubtedly, but Odina had refused to admit it. He didn't know why Odina's refusal shocked him.as terribly as it did, given she hadn't thought to tell him he had a son to begin with.

"Because they're here. In Irvingly. Have been for months," he grumbled. Not that Beau had known about their presence or that it would've changed anything. In the end, it was still Eva he wished to be married to. Whether or not she'd want to though was another story entirely.

  

He seemed hell bent on getting some space and so Eva let her hand fall, wrapping her arms around herself. From what (little) she did know about his time before Arizona, this was how he coped with things that he couldn't control. Eva had handed him the reigns when she found out about the baby, but clearly that hadn't been the case here.

"What would you like to do about it?" She asked quietly, barely resisting the urge to go wrap her arms around him instead. It was unexpected of course, but what he really wanted to do with the information determined what happened next.

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That was the question, wasn't it? If Beau had his way, he'd pursue custody of the kid, force Odina to have limited access as he had. However, even Beau knew in the height of his fury to tear the boy from his mother was a selfish act and one that would cause the kid trauma. Short of that, there was nothing to be done, really. Odina refused to acknowledge him as the father and Beau wasn't about to reveal her lies.

He was fucked.

He huffed. Beau had grown up without any real sort of fatherly guidance. To have a child out there wondering where that guidance was themselves was a special hell designed solely for him. "Nothing to be done." Were he not married to Eva he'd go and propose to Odina now. Granted, that marriage would be only to have access to the kid and not out of any sort of love for her. "She won't even fucking admit he's mine."

  

Eva sighed quietly, a sympathetic frown tugging her lips downward. She could see this was truly bothering him and that at least, was not news to her. He had automatically tried to make things "right" by her (as if it weren't half her fault as well) and he would want to do the same by this child, naturally, but if his mother wasn't willing to work with them, or acknowledge Beau as the father, it would be more difficult than necessary.

"Of course there's something to be done," She wondered if he thought she would disagree, but Eva knew better. If it was important to him, if he was convinced the boy was his, it was now important to her, too. "If he's yours, you have a right to be in his life. Just like you chose to do for this one." She motioned down to her tiny bump and the little life growing within.

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"Eva," he nearly growled, "there's nothing to be done." His reaction was yet another reason why he hadn't been ready to approach her with this. Beau was too caught up in the betrayal (because Odina had, in fact, betrayed him by not sharing her secret) to think clearly. What were they to do? Kidnap Toby? Scar him for life? Beau would never.

Beau ran a hand through his hair (more tempted now than ever to chop it off). "Odina is posing as some wealthy widow. I can't out her."

  

It was frustrating to say the least, that he already seemed so defeated about the whole thing. She didn't have any right to be frustrated by it, so she let it simmer below the surface. That he hadn't told her sooner also stung a little, but she could see he wasn't settled on anything which was definitely not what he preferred.

That all flew by the wayside, when he mentioned the woman's name. "Odina Harper?" It had been a little culture shock to see her old friend from school at the zoo last month, but now everything was starting to fall into place. They'd been here a couple months, the boy had looked about five or six. Though Eva wasn't entirely certain on where exactly she would fit into Beau's history, it would more or less line up with the end of the circus, perhaps. The little boy that had been so enthralled with her diricawls, was Beau's son. Oh.

"Small world," She breathed out, not sure if this was good or a complication. "I," Should she? "I went to school with her. I saw her- met the little boy last month." What were the odds?

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"Of course you did," he muttered. Now, any negative turn of phrase he had against his son's mother had to be considered as a friend of Eavan's. Beau didn't dare risk his wife growing upset with him and running off with yet another child of his. Having one out there he didn't know was hard enough, two would cripple him.

"Toby, his name is." A bitter laugh escaped him. His own fucking namesake was a stranger to him. "She also gave him some Native name...Mess...something," Beau explained. Honestly, he'd stopped listening as soon as the boy announced his name was Toby. "Cute kid."

  

Casting him a look, she scowled slightly. "We weren't incredibly close and what she did by not telling you was not fair." She didn't think she'd have to say anything so explicitly, but her loyalties obviously were with her husband, not her former schoolmate. Odina likely had her reasons and though Eva knew better than to say she respected them; had Dina not made those choices, they would't be here today.

"I know," It was kind of a low blow, naming him after Beau. Though Eva had only called him by his given name once in their entire acquaintance, when she'd been flat out pissed at him. Now was not the time to dwell on that. "I'm sorry you weren't able to be there for him," She looked at him briefly before looking down. Eva couldn't entertain the thought that perhaps Beau still had feelings for Dina, but the thought was there. Had they resurfaced given the predicament if he did? "Or her." She added quietly, because he would have done for Odina, exactly what he'd done in their current situation, of that Eva was certain.

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Fair. Nothing in his life thus far had been very fair, had it? It was always one horrible thing after the next and the next. Happiness for Beau was meant to be fleeting, a taste of the sweet wine only fo forever chase it. "No, it wasn't." Odina was wrong to not place her faith in him, for even then Beau would've done his best for her. He wouldn't have allowed her to go through it all alone.

Which was exactly what his wife was thinking. Beau closed the gap he'd created, placing both hands securely on her waist. "Hey," he murmured softly. Regardless of how furious he was, Beau would always melt for her. "I wouldn't change a thing if it meant not having you." Eva had blown through his life like a hurricane, sudden strong winds nearly blowing him away with his feelings. "And I'd have married you months ago if I thought you'd agree."

  

Any doubts she'd had melted away as he pulled her in. Eva knew it had been silly, he'd always been far more open and honest about his feelings along the way. She had to chuckle at how ready he'd been to take the next step, even though she'd been oblivious. The nature of their marriage, though not proper, suited them and they could hopefully withstand whatever else life had to throw at them.

Feeling his hands on her waist, she looked up at him and then closed the gap between them entirely, wrapping her arms around him and snuggling in. This little emotional storm would pass, they'd be stronger for it and hopefully everything would work out. "Good, because I don't share well." It was mumbled softly against his shirt. She would though, she could share him with his son, if Dina would let them. The baby she was growing had a sibling they deserved to know too.

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