by L. C. Davis
Devon rolled his eyes.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “So, you’re the one I need to get all the embarrassing baby stories from.”
“Oh, I’ve got plenty of them,” Tyler assured me, looking mischievously over at his brother. “Mom and Dad are driving in. They said they’d be here in a few hours.”
“Same with ours, except they’re flying in tomorrow,” said Chase. “Jeff wanted to be here, but we couldn’t find a sitter at the last minute.”
“Trust me, I don’t think he’s missing anything,” I sighed, running my hand over my rounded belly. “Wouldn’t be surprised if it was a false alarm.”
As if to prove me wrong, I felt another hard contraction that put all the others to shame and grimaced. At least I managed to hold back the profane words on the tip of my tongue.
Most of them, anyway.
“Sawyer?” Devon asked worriedly, putting a hand on my shoulder.
“I’m fine,” I said through gritted teeth. “But...maybe you should get the nurse.”
“I’ve got it,” Chase said, already out of the room. I wasn’t sure if he was worried, or had just been through this enough times to know he didn’t want to be around when the action started.
“I’ll be outside,” Tyler said, heading toward the door. “Sawyer, it was nice to meet you.” He turned to Devon with a wink. “He’s a keeper, brother.”
“Oh, I know,” Devon said, taking my hand even though that came with the risk of it being snapped in half. He took it like a champ and kept stroking my hair as the nurse and doctor came in to check my vitals and the baby’s once again.
I was so focused on breathing through the contractions that I didn’t even care some beta I barely knew was poking around inside me with my feet in stirrups. I used to think wounded pride was worse than physical pain, but I’d gained a vastly different opinion since going into this labor.
“Well, we’re definitely not going to have to induce,” the doctor announced, changing his gloves. “You’re already fully dilated, and I’d say your daughter will be here in a couple of hours max.”
I gulped. I’d never imagined two hours would sound like nothing, but suddenly, I wouldn’t have minded being in labor for longer. The contractions sucked, but now that I was about to give birth, I was having an internal meltdown.
“You’re going to be okay,” Devon said, stroking the hair from my face. His gaze was full of certainty and love, and his touch soothed me in ways the medication couldn’t. “Everything is going to be fine.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” I muttered.
He smiled and leaned down to place a kiss on my forehead. “You’re doing so good. I love you. More than anything.”
I clenched my jaw as another wave of pain washed over me. His words didn’t stop the pain, but they dulled it. They made it bearable, and so did his hand around mine.
As Devon coached me through the next set of contractions, the panic turned into resolve. One way or another, our daughter was on her way. The idea of finally holding her and getting to look into the eyes of the little creature who’d captured my heart over the last seven and a half months had me more excited than anything.
As the pain reached a climax, and I was sure I couldn’t handle it anymore, her cries filled the room and made it all seem like the distant past. I had never seen Devon cry before, or even thought the calm and collected alpha was capable of crying. When he looked down at our daughter as they placed her in his arms, I saw a side of him I didn’t even know existed, and I fell in love all over again.
“She’s beautiful,” he said, his voice hoarse with wonder. He looked back at me, his eyes shining with adoration and the same disbelief I felt in abundance. “Look, Sawyer. Look what you did.”
He leaned down to place her in my arms, and as I took in everything from her perfect gray eyes to the little tuft of brown hair on top of her head, I fell in love in a different but no less powerful way.
“Look what we did,” I murmured, letting her fingers wrap around mine. She had already stopped crying and was staring at both of us, like she recognized our voices.
My heart felt like it was going to explode, and not just because it was racing. I only realized tears were coursing down my face when Devon reached to brush them away.
“She looks so much like you,” he said gently.
“She has your eyes,” I said, leaning against him as he sat next to me on the bed. I looked up at him. “Should we introduce her to the rest of the family?”
“In a minute,” Devon said, his arm around us both. “I just want to enjoy this moment for a little while longer.”
I nodded. He was right. It was perfect.
Chapter 14
Devon
As I walked into the house with Sawyer and Brittany, I felt like I was stepping into a dream world. Everything about the last day had been surreal, but having them here at home, in the place I could happily spend the rest of my life, was too good to be true.
At least, it would be if Sawyer said yes. In all the chaos since he'd gone into labor, I still hadn't been able to find the right time to ask him.
Right now, the more pressing issue was getting Brittany to bed, since she had obviously chosen the middle of the day as her preferred time to sleep.
"We'll have to put together the bassinet until we can order a crib," Sawyer said with a tired sigh, taking the newborn out of her car seat. She cooed softly in her sleep, resting peacefully in the safety of his arms.
"About that... there's something I want to show you," I admitted. His tired eyes turned curious as he followed me down the hall. When I stopped in front of the nursery, it turned to confusion.
"The man cave?"
I pursed my lips, trying not to laugh. "Don't be mad, but I lied." Before he could ask, I opened the door and watched him closely, savoring the look of surprise that came over his face. He was usually so stalwart; it was a victory any time I could make him react so visibly.
As Sawyer stepped into the room with our daughter in his arms, looking around the nursery, I watched him intently. I realized I wasn't breathing; I was so fixated on his reaction. At first, I couldn't read anything other than surprise on his face, and when his eyes finally met mine, my heart clenched in my chest.
What if he hated it?
"What is this?" he finally asked in disbelief.
"It's our nursery," I answered, giving him a wary smile. "At least, it is if you like it."
"But you're selling the house," he protested.
I cleared my throat, turning to face him. "Sawyer, I wanted to do this earlier. The night you went into labor, actually," I admitted with a dry laugh.
"Do what?" he asked. Brittany was still sleeping soundly against his shoulder, her little hand curled into a fist by her face.
I wasn't used to being tongue tied, but I should have been. Around him, at least. I realized if I tried to do this the way I'd planned, with my speech and everything, I was just going to make things more confusing.
His eyes widened as I sank to one knee, reaching for the small blue box in my pocket. There hadn't been any way to get his opinion on rings without making my intentions painfully obvious, so I had to hope I knew him well enough that he'd like the simple engraved band I'd picked out. There was a modest diamond in the center, set flat in the band. I knew he didn't have the tastes of most omegas, but I wanted it to be something special.
"Devon," he breathed in disbelief.
"I wanted to do this the perfect time and the perfect way, but I can't wait another second," I admitted, holding his gaze. He gasped softly as I opened the box, revealing the ring inside. "I love you, Sawyer. I love you, and I want to share the rest of my life with you. Raising Brittany, merging our families... everything we've already built together, including this house, and everything we could in the future."
"You planned this," he said, as if he was realizing it aloud. He looked around again, like he was seeing the house for the first time. "How long?"
"From the beginning," I confessed. "I wanted you to make this place your dream home." I gave him a sly smile. "Guess I thought it would increase the odds that you'd say yes."
"Say yes to what?" he asked, looking back at me, his expression still blank with shock.
I couldn't help but laugh. I'd definitely succeeded at catching him off guard.
"Being my mate," I said, looking down at the ring. I took it out of the box and reached for his hand as he held Brittany close to his chest with the other, securely wrapped in her sling. "I know none of this turned out the way you planned, but I'd be lying if I said I could have planned anything better in a hundred years. I need you, Sawyer. As whatever you'll have me as, even if that's just a business partner and co-parent. But I want it to be as your mate. I want that more than anything."
For the first time, I saw tears in his eyes. I wouldn’t have thought it possible, but somehow, it made him even more beautiful.
"Well?" I asked anxiously after a few moments had passed.
"Yes," he finally said, his voice strained as a couple of tears spilled over. "Yes, I'll be your mate."
It felt like my heart was going to explode with relief and joy at the same time. The feeling of surreality washed over me more strongly than ever as I stood to slip the ring onto his finger and took him into my arms. I pressed my lips to his and kissed him until we were both breathless. When I finally pulled away, his eyes were glazed with a look I recognized all too well.
"There's something I've been meaning to tell you, too," he said hoarsely. There was something soft and intimate in his gaze. Vulnerable.
"What is it?" I asked, cupping his face gently in my hands.
His eyes searched my face, a soft smile on his lips. "I love you."
Those words drove into my heart with joy so intense it bordered on pain.
Love.
He loved me.
It had taken so long for him to say those words, and I had come to the decision that it didn't matter if he never did. If he was never able to say those words out loud because another alpha had torn them from his heart. I knew he loved me. It was in his gaze. In the way he laid his head on my chest at night and sighed contentedly as he listened to my heartbeat. It was enough.
But hearing those words out loud was just the bow on the perfect gift he'd already given me. The family I was holding in my arms now and forever.
"And I love you," I said, brushing my lips against his forehead as I held them both close. "Both of you. More than anything."
The End.
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About the Author
L.C. Davis is a queer transmasc author who enjoys writing mpreg romance and sharing tales from his “imaginary friends.” He also writes MM romance under the pen name, Joel Abernathy. He lives with his partner and their furry companions in beautiful coastal New England, and loves hearing from readers!
Email: [email protected]
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