“And Ian, do you take this alpha, Brad Saxon, to be your lawful husband?”
“I do,” Ian croaked, his hands tightening around Brad’s.
“To seal your vows, you will exchange your rings.”
Brad looked up at Gwen, who had handed her brother to June. Then she skipped forward, presenting them with the same wooden box Brad had given Ian months ago.
When Gwen pulled the lid open, Ian’s gaze softened. They’d had that box on Ian’s nightstand since Xavier’s birth. Sometimes, Brad would step into the bedroom, to find Ian turning it around in his hands, reading the words in the box.
The box cradled their rings now, two steel-and-gold bands. Brad took the smaller ring, slipping it onto Ian’s ring finger. Ian smiled, and the ring looked perfect on his hand.
“Mine,” Brad murmured.
Ian bowed his head, sucking in a shaky breath. He took the second ring from the box, fitting it snug onto Brad’s finger. The ring was cool against Brad’s skin, but it warmed the longer it sat on his hand. Brad’s heart swelled.
Ian stared at their rings, as though he couldn’t believe his eyes.
“I hereby pronounce you husband and husband,” the minister said. “You may kiss.”
Ian glanced up at Brad, his gaze hesitant, delighted. So Brad caught him by his nape and hauled him in. Ian’s lips parted against his, his moan soft when Brad slipped into his mouth.
Yeah, it was a bit indecent. But Brad was laying claim on his omega, and Ian was his, and no one could take Ian away from him.
“That tongue thing is really gross,” Gwen said to the side.
Brad tasted Ian for a little while longer before he broke the kiss. Ian’s cheeks were flushed, his eyes bright.
“You’ll understand when you get older,” Brad told Gwen. Then he hauled Ian close again, just pressing their foreheads together, looking into Ian’s eyes.
Ian was his husband now. That made something in Brad’s chest settle, that he didn’t even know he needed.
“I love you,” Brad murmured.
“Love you, too,” Ian answered, his smile blinding.
The audience clapped. As they came up to congratulate Brad and Ian, Brad hauled his husband close. He took Xavier back from June, making a face at his son. Xavier laughed, the sound bright and burbling.
June chuckled. “Never seen you with that face before, Brad.”
“Now you have,” Brad said, bobbing Xavier in his arms. Xavier babbled, grabbing Brad’s cheeks in his hands. Brad grinned.
“Brad makes that face all the time,” Ian said dryly. “It’s Xavier’s favorite.”
Brad nudged him. “Hey! Don’t tell June all my secrets.”
Ian rolled his eyes, but he was smiling wide.
One by one, the guests shook their hands. Then, as they headed for the breakfast reception to the side, Ian leaned into Brad’s shoulder, breathing in the cool air.
“Do you regret not having your dad here?” Ian murmured, tangling their fingers together.
Brad shrugged. “Nah.”
“And... and your mom?” Ian asked a little more hesitantly.
Brad paused, unsure how to answer that. He still remembered that too-real dream from last year, when she’d said she would attend the wedding. And now he missed her, all over again.
“It’s been so peaceful here today.” Ian glanced around the park, at the lake and the gazebo, and the forest to the side. “It’s... almost kind of mellow, you know? Kind of like how your mom sounds, when you talk about her. I almost think she was watching from wherever she is.”
Brad followed his gaze, breathing in the crisp air, listening to the twittering of the birds. If he thought hard enough, he could imagine her smile, imagine her pulling Ian into a hug. She’d tickle Xavier and tell Ian, Welcome to the family.
“Yeah, maybe she was here,” Brad said, his throat growing tight. “I hope she was.”
Ian pressed his cheek against Brad’s shoulder, giving Xavier his finger to grasp. Xavier gnawed on Ian’s finger. “I hope I meet her expectations as her son-in-law.”
“You have,” Brad said, his heart full. “You’re everything I could possibly ask for. She’d tell you the same, you know. Welcome to the family.”
Ian looked up, his mouth falling open. So Brad caught his chin, kissing him again.
Yeah, he missed his mom. He wished she’d gotten to witness this, wished she’d gotten to meet the omega he’d taken as his own. He wanted Ian to know that there were more people who would love him, too.
But with his mom’s passing, Brad had also learned to treasure life, to savor every moment of Ian by his side.
It didn’t matter who they were, or how old Ian was—Brad had his husband, and the beautiful children they’d made together. After today, they’d go home, and Gwen would enroll in her next school semester. Brad would change Xavier’s diaper, and Ian would feed him and rock him to sleep.
They were his favorite people in the world. With the rings on their hands a promise for the future, Brad held his family close, marking Ian, Gwen, and Xavier with his scent.
He would protect them, and they would be there for him. That, he was certain of.
* * *
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Author’s Notes
Thank you so much for reading Omega Teacher’s Secret! This book has been very personal for me, and I hold a really soft spot for Ian and Brad. :) I hope you enjoyed the ride as much as I did!
Are you curious about Harris’s story? What about Dale’s?
I’ve included a link on the next page to Omega Teacher’s Baby, which is Dale’s book, and Two Alphas, One Omega, which is Harris’ book!
Both books feature age-difference relationships, which I think you’ll also enjoy. :)
Omega Teacher’s Baby
Divorced and shamed for his infertility, Professor Dale Kinney has spent the past ten years proving his worth: by building a solid research lab in his field. With his tenure two years away, everything's finally going right... except he also has a secret.
Dale has a crush on his student—Greg Hastings. Sweet, straight-A alpha, and also the college president's son. Greg has been asking Dale out for coffee since semester began. And it's been taking all of Dale's self-control to turn him down.
Four years ago, Greg lost his best friend in a fire. At eighteen, he'd had ambitious plans: build a home, drive fast cars, live his life. At twenty-two, he's lost his courage to believe. How can he be there for an omega when he couldn't save his best friend? How can he promise anyone a future? The only things keeping him afloat—college basketball, and the cute, awkward professor in his classes, who sneaks glances at Greg when he thinks Greg isn't looking.
When Greg stumbles on Professor Kinney in heat, the spark between them explodes into an inferno. And despite countless failed attempts at pregnancy... Dale conceives. Dale refuses to abort the child. Greg refuses to abandon this omega. With the pregnancy an increasingly difficult secret to keep, will their slow-burning love cauterize their wounds, or burn them down?
Omega Teacher's Baby is a steamy 100,000-word May/Dec Teacher/Student romance, with paper cranes, rabbit onsies and a young alpha who wants to stay by his omega no matter what. There is no cheating, no cliffhangers, but definitely a happily ever after.
* * *
Now available on the Amazon store:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075XJ6B9Q/
Two Alphas, One Omega
A lonely omega. An ageing alpha. Valen's an alpha, too, and he wants them both.
Sam Brentwood had everything... and he's lost it all. At eighteen, he left the love of his life. At nineteen, he miscarried Valen's baby. These days, Sam's hidden his heart away, working multiple jobs to affo
rd a house.
Valen Tolstoy has a secret—two, actually. One: he's never stopped missing his omega. Two: he's dating the station's second-in-command. Harris is two decades older than Valen, richer and better than Valen can possibly be. Sooner or later, Harris will realize Valen's not worth hanging around, and he'll leave.
Ten years ago, Harrison Fields lost his family. Afraid of risking his heart with another omega, he's tumbled into bed with someone just as risky—his subordinate, the fire chief's son. But Valen is young, rough, and they don't always get along. So Harris hires a private instructor, hoping to tighten their relationship.
To Valen's shock, the chef Harris hires... is the omega who left him, the only omega he's ever loved. Worse, Sam's in heat, and it flings Valen into a rut.
When the embers from their steamy night cool, Sam discovers that he's pregnant with Valen's child. Afraid of a relationship, he tries backing away—only to find that the two alphas he met... won't let him go.
Two Alphas, One Omega is a 115,000-word standalone Alpha/Alpha/Omega non-shifter MPreg romance, with dirty jokes, a much-anticipated baby, and two alphas longing for an omega to protect.
* * *
Now available on the Amazon store:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CRMW4JX
About the Author
A huge fan of angst and bittersweet tension, Anna has been scribbling since she was fourteen. She believes that everyone needs a safe place, and so her dorky guys fall in love, make mistakes, and slowly find their way back into each other's arms.
Anna loves fine lines on her notebook paper, and is especially fond of her tiny glass globe. She is currently living on the west coast of the US with her husband and a menagerie of stuffed animals.
For more book information:
https://www.amazon.com/Anna-Wineheart/e/B01KIFJ9S0
[email protected]
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