Hidden Hearts: A M/M MPreg Non-Shifter Romance (Snow Falls Omegas Book 3)

by Esme Beal

  I couldn’t see the exit though. There was so much smoke that I lost where I was heading.

  Dammit…

  “Bryce!”

  I heard a voice coming from the other side of the black smoke. I moved forward and saw movement behind it.

  “Uriah!”

  I shouted out and he suddenly appeared from the smoke.

  “I got him,” he said.

  He wrapped Cade’s arm around his shoulder and we worked together to help my brother out of the warehouse.

  “Keep going! Get away from the building! It’s going up!”

  The firefighters were doing their best with all of the hoses pointed at the building but the flames continued to burn up into the night sky.

  Uriah and I moved Cade until we were finally far enough to get him away. We set Cade down on the ground. I took my mask off and let the oxygen tank clank against the pavement.

  “Get me some help!” Uriah shouted. “I need help! Now!”

  Uriah pressed his hands down on Cade’s wound just as the paramedics arrived. Everybody worked together to put Cade on the stretcher and haul him off. Just as Cade disappeared into the back of the ambulance, he looked back at me and smiled.

  My brother…

  I held back everything inside of me and smiled softly back at him.

  “Do you think he’ll be all right?” I said.

  “I’m sure he’ll be just fine. Cade is a tough man… Just like his brother…”

  I slowly turned toward Uriah and he eyeballed me like a parent about to scold me.

  “That was stupid,” he said.

  “I couldn’t just let Cade stay in that building. I had to do something.”

  “I was already going in there to save him. You’re in no condition—”

  “No. You’ve already done too much for me. It wouldn’t be right for you to put your life on the line for me again. I had to do it. Knowing my brother, I don’t think he would’ve left that building if he was with you. He would’ve refused.”

  “Why would he have refused? I would have carried him out kicking and screaming if it came down to that.”

  “I know. But my brother…”

  I looked back toward the burning warehouse. The firefighters’ efforts were futile. A great ball of fire burned bright in the middle of the West Bay for everybody to see.

  “…He did it for the money,” I said. “It was always about the money. All of that effort… for nothing.”

  “I’m sure Cade is fine knowing that you’re safe. You’re all that matters to him.”

  “Yeah… I know that now.”

  “Come on. Let’s get to the hospital. Your brother needs us.”

  Chapter 26

  URIAH

  One week later…

  Brickstone was quiet. All of the patrons kept to themselves while they enjoyed their beers. It was the middle of the day and workers from the docks were just enjoying their breaks. It was the perfect kind of atmosphere to relax in.

  Nobody was relaxing more than Bryce was.

  “Yeah… That’s it… Right there…”

  He moaned softly. I worked harder and he groaned even louder.

  “Take it easy,” I said with a laugh. “You can’t be enjoying it that much.”

  “Believe me, I am. It feels so good…”

  “We’re in public…”

  I couldn’t see the enthusiasm on Bryce’s face but the sounds he was making were enough for me.

  I dug my hands into his shoulders. No matter how hard I squeezed, he was still moaning with a pleasure that made you wonder just how much he was enjoying it.

  “This baby,” he sighed. “It’s like my whole body is getting exhausted just carrying it around. Two weeks pregnant and I feel like I’m carrying a stone in here.”

  “You’re halfway there,” I said. “It’s to be expected you’d get a little bigger.”

  “I expected getting bigger. I figured I could handle the weight. There’s something about it being all centered in your stomach though. It’s like my center of gravity is off. My shoulders. My back. My feet. Every inch of my body is sore. I might need a massage all over me…”

  “Either that or you can take a day off work.”

  “Can’t take a day off. I’ve been sitting around too much. Besides, you like fast food just as much as you like my cooking.”

  “Yeah… I need to stop spending so much time around Sanders…”

  “Don’t try to change the subject. Keep going, Mr. Kennedy.”

  “I’m going, I’m going…”

  Bryce lounged in his seat while I continued to massage his shoulders. The mostly silence in the bar was broken when the front entrance opened up. A familiar-looking gang walked in. The man in front of them looked at us with a big smile on his face.

  “The Chargers are back,” Cade announced.

  The bartender got to work serving Cade’s boys while Cade walked right up to us. Bryce finally gave me a break from having to massage and walked up to greet his brother.

  “How are you doing?” Bryce asked.

  “Doing just fine. The cops questioned me and all of my boys. But there was nothing they could do. Rivera was the biggest fish they wanted to fry and they got him.”

  “That’s good to hear.”

  “I told ‘em I was doing my part to take Rivera down. They were skeptical. And they’re not a big fan of rogue justice but sometimes you have to do whatever it takes. It helped that they didn’t have much evidence on me…”

  Cade looked at me and winked. I gave him and nodded in understanding.

  Bryce hugged his brother again.

  “What about this?” Bryce asked as he put a hand on his brother’s shoulder.

  Cade looked down at his arm in a sling and shrugged.

  “What? This? Just a flesh wound. I lost a little blood.”

  “And a little bit of money…”

  There was some disappointment in Bryce’s voice when he said it. He couldn’t look his brother in the eye.

  “What were you thinking?” Bryce said. “Why would you tell me to leave you behind like that?”

  “Because I was doing all of this for you. Rivera. Uriah. I was working all of them. Once I convinced Rivera to give me the money for killing Uriah, I knew I had everybody right where I wanted them to be.”

  “I was just a pawn in your plan,” I said. “This whole time, you were setting me up.”

  “I needed you to play the part. If I was really setting you up, I would’ve checked you for weapons and taken your piece off you.”

  “Funny why you didn’t do that…”

  “If I could convince Rivera that I was loyal, then I could get close to him. But there was only one person I was loyal to.”

  He looked at Bryce right in the eye and smiled.

  “I was always listening to you,” Cade said. “You got through to me a long time ago, brother.”

  “It’d be nice if you told me about it,” Bryce said. “What I don’t like about it is you taking that kind of a risk. A man like Rivera is capable of anything.”

  “Rivera might be rich and powerful but that’s exactly what led him to his downfall. He got arrogant. He thought he could just throw money at everybody and make them loyal. That’s why he did what he did. He panicked. I shot his men and he decided to burn the whole place down. Went running like a coward.”

  “He should’ve never come to Snow Falls.”

  “He should’ve never tried to mess with me or my brother,” Cade added.

  Bryce squeezed his arms around his brother again. I watched in silence as the two of them shared their moment together, just happy to see that everybody was all right.

  “The money,” Bryce said. “I’m sorry you had to go through all that for nothing.”

  “The money would’ve been nice. I should’ve taken a few bucks and stuck ‘em in my pockets.”

  “No. You don’t want that money. Knowing where it came from. Knowing how much blood was shed for it. Dirty m
oney. We’re better than that.”

  “I was with you on the streets this entire time. We’ve made it through everything. What’s a million dollars gonna do for us that we can’t do for ourselves?”

  “There he is. There’s the Cade I’ve always known. The Cade I’ve always loved.”

  “I’m not going anywhere, bro. I’ll be on your side forever. And speaking of that…”

  Cade looked up at me.

  “I need to talk to you for a second,” he said.

  “Now what?” Bryce said.

  “Don’t worry. Just wanna set the record straight.”

  “Fine,” Bryce sighed. “Don’t do anything stupid now.”

  “Hey, you know me.”

  “Exactly. Don’t do anything stupid.”

  Bryce got up from his seat and helped to serve Cade’s gang while Cade and I moved over to the side of the bar. I leaned up against the wall and crossed my arms.

  “What’s up?” I said with a shrug.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you anything. I’m sorry I put you in danger like that. But I was never planning on shooting you.”

  “That’s good to know,” I said, smirking at him.

  “Rivera offered me all of the money in the world. The best way to get the money from him was to show him how truly loyal I could be.”

  “There’s no more loyalty than killing a cop.”

  “I never cared too much for the bastard. Thanks for taking him down.”

  “Sorry you didn’t get your money.”

  “Me, too…” he sighed.

  He looked over at his brother on the other side of the bar.

  “…But all of this made me realize what’s really important. The Chargers will get more chances and more opportunities. We’ve never backed down from a challenge.”

  “Good. Then I have one for you.”

  “Is that right? What you got for me, cop?”

  “In two weeks, Bryce is becoming a father. It’s a big responsibility. Not just for him. Not just for me. For you, too.”

  “I’m ready to be the best uncle I can be.”

  “The best uncle you can be is one that makes this place better for him. Snow Falls has a lot of problems. It’s not perfect but I like it here. It wouldn’t be fair to my child if they weren’t surrounded by all of the love they could get.”

  “I get what you’re saying… The Chargers and I plan on cleaning up this place. It won’t happen overnight. We might not even get there at all. But you can count on me to do my job.”

  Cade held his hand up toward me.

  “For Bryce.”

  I looked down at his hand and smiled before shaking it.

  “For all of us.”

  Chapter 27

  BRYCE

  Two weeks later…

  The pregnancy of a fully-healthy male Omega only lasted a month. I’d known a few other Omegas who’d gotten pregnant and saw it with my own eyes. But seeing it didn’t prepare me for experiencing it myself.

  Every day, my belly grew another inch. My stomach bulged so much that all of the definition I once had was gone, replaced by a small boulder resting comfortably underneath my chest.

  All of the soreness that came from lugging around my child was too much for me to handle. I was a bit embarrassed about it, being a man that couldn’t stand up for long periods. I had all of the support I needed though. Cade and the rest of his gang were in charge of the bar. Uriah was able to take some time off now that his major case had been solved.

  Now I had to deal with the biggest part of my pregnancy.

  I thought it was unimaginable that my body could stretch as much as it could to accommodate a child. But there was a child on the way from where Uriah had planted his seed. Now had come the time to deliver it.

  I needed all of my focus. Unfortunately for me, my brother was doing everything he could to take that focus away.

  “You need anything? How about some water? A towel, maybe?”

  “Cade—”

  I cut myself off and grunted when another involuntary contraction made my body tighten up.

  I was soaking wet with sweat on the bed. All of my muscles were tight. Just when I thought I had a chance to breathe, another contraction would interrupt me.

  “What is it?” Cade said. “What do you need?”

  “Cade… P-please…”

  “What? What do you want, bro? Anything you need.”

  “Go…”

  “Go…”

  “Away…”

  “Go away? Where’s that?”

  Uriah put a hand on my brother’s shoulder. My boyfriend had a big smile on his face despite how much agony I was going through.

  “I think he’s telling you to step away,” Uriah said.

  “What?” Cade exclaimed. “But I’m here for my brother. I’m trying to help.”

  “You’re not helping,” I gasped.

  “But—”

  “Cade… Please…”

  I said it with the last breath in my lungs, hoping that he would understand.

  “It’s all right,” Uriah said. “I’m here for Bryce. Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.”

  The look of disappointment would’ve made me laugh if I wasn’t so distracted.

  “All right,” he sighed. “If there’s anything he needs, I’ll be in the waiting room.”

  “I’ll take it from here,” Uriah replied.

  My brother stepped out of the delivery room but it wasn’t much of a relief. I cried out as another contraction made my body tense.

  Uriah reached out and took my hand in his. He didn’t say anything. He just looked into my eyes and smiled at me. The kind of look every Omega dreamed of seeing from an Alpha. The look that told me he truly was the man I was meant to be with.

  “You’re doing just fine, Bryce,” the doctor said. “The baby looks healthy. They’re almost out. Just keep pushing.”

  I was so distracted by everything going on that I didn’t have much time to do the exercises and stretches I knew I needed to do. With only a month to prepare, my pregnancy was more demanding on me than anything I’d ever done in my life.

  I squeezed my hand tight around Uriah’s and shut my eyes tight with another hard push.

  “There you go,” the doctor said. “You’re doing great. Just keep going. Just like that.”

  I could almost feel my child on the verge. My body was stretched to its limit. But I knew I was close. I kept pushing with all of my strength. If it was the last thing I did, I would give this baby the freedom it wanted.

  “Come on,” Uriah whispered. “Push.”

  I peeked my eyes open just enough to see the focus on Uriah’s face. With that kind of confidence looking back at me, I felt like I could do anything.

  “Almost there, Bryce,” the doctor announced. “Keep going.”

  I yelled out and pushed with the last ounce of strength left in me. My body stretched apart more than I imagined a male body could until suddenly I felt something come out of me.

  My vision was blurry. Sweat dripped down my brow. I was light-headed. But through it all, I could hear something. The loud cries of what sounded like a child.

  The wailing only increased in strength. I blinked my eyes to clear my vision then looked up toward the doctor who stood between my legs. A small child writhed in his arms. Covered in red, the baby had its mouth wide open as its screams echoed through the delivery room.

  “Congratulations,” she said. “It’s a boy.”

  “A boy…” I sighed.

  “A boy…” Uriah repeated me.

  The doctor slowly placed the small squirming child into Uriah’s hands and he immediately started to quiet down.

  “Our child,” Uriah whispered.

  He marveled at the tiny baby then slowly placed him into my arms. I sat up straight and cradled him. His eyes were shut tight. His mouth was open. He moved a little bit but he was so quiet suddenly. The kind of peace I saw on his face brought the same peace in my chest.
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  “He’s beautiful,” I said.

  I closed my eyes as a sudden rush of emotions washed over me. I still managed to feel embarrassed about the tears leaking from the corners of my eyes. But it wasn’t enough to stop me from smiling.

  “Our baby,” I said.

  I looked up at Uriah.

  The Alpha was always as proud as always. So tough. So strong. So intimidating. A man who was handsome and inspiring. But now, he was none of that. He was just the other father to my child.

  And tears leaked from his own eyes as he smiled down at me.

  “I love you,” Uriah whispered.

  “I love you, too.”

  He leaned forward and pecked me on the lips. Another wave of relief washed over me once again. I’d never felt a peace like I did now.

  The doors to the delivery room suddenly burst open.

  “Where is he? They just told me!”

  Cade stood there like he’d appeared out of thin air.

  “Sir, you’re not supposed to be in here if the patient asks you to leave,” the doctor said to my brother.

  “It’s all right,” I said with a laugh. “He’s family.”

  Cade calmed down as soon as he laid eyes on the child in my arms. He walked up to the bed slowly, his eyes wide with wonder.

  “Is that…”

  “A boy,” I responded. “A beautiful, baby boy.”

  Cade looked up at Uriah and patted him on the shoulder.

  “Congratulations,” Cade said.

  “Thank you,” Uriah responded.

  We all stared at my child while I held him gently in my arms.

  All of the most important people in my life were here with me. The kind of happiness in my heart was like nothing I could describe. I was the luckiest man in all of Snow Falls. And nothing could change the way I felt.

  Chapter 28

  BRYCE

  One week later…

  “He’s asleep.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure.”

  “Are you really sure?”

  The concern on Uriah’s face made me smile. I put my lips to his and kissed him but he kept pulling away from me.

  “Yes, I’m sure. He’s been up all night. He doesn’t have much energy left.”

  “You certainly seem to have a lot of energy…”

  “It’s been a long time since we’ve… I think it’s time to make up for lost time.”