Father Figure: M/M Mpreg Gay Romance (Never Too Late Book 4)

by Aiden Bates

  ***

  Sam waited on pins and needles for word. First he waited for word to come from the lab. He was disappointed when the word came from Nina instead of from Oliver, but he reminded himself that this had been his own choice, undertaken for Oliver's own good, and he needed to stop complaining about it.

  Of course, there had been a time when Oliver would still have called. Oliver would have given him a kind of early heads-up and let him know what to expect. That would have been too much, though. He used to do that for everyone in the department. It would be too much to expect Oliver to continue to give him that kind of treatment when he had to take a step back from everyone, because of Sam's behavior.

  Well, Sam's and Devlin's. He held his temper about that, until the time was right. He wasn't going to get into it with Devlin about it until he'd dealt with the case.

  Once he had that report, he waited for the warrant. Then he had to wait to serve the warrant. Fortunately the warrant came through quickly. It only felt like an eternity, since Sam had lost so much on this case already. Should he go to Human Resources? Or should he simply go to Devlin and see what he had to say?

  Did Oliver know?

  He brought Langer with him again, so that it would be a familiar face. He decided to go in with a soft approach and give the brothers an opportunity to voluntarily donate their DNA for the cause. All three showed up at the family compound for the meeting, just as asked. Sam had no illusions about who was really calling the shots. If Isaiah hadn't ordered Charles and Dale to be there, Sam and Langer would have had to go hunting.

  Sam decided to go with a slightly modified version of the truth in his pitch to the Marstens. After all, they were far from stupid men. They could read the warrant for themselves, if things got that far. "Gentlemen, thanks for coming out today. Listen, I'm going to be honest with you. We're looking at another fire on the same scene, and we found some blood on the scene. Now, the property owner, he's screaming the name Marsten. That's not proof of anything. Frankly, I'd like for him to stop, you know?"

  "Can't you just shoot him?" asked Dale, with a nasty little chuckle that made Sam's blood chill.

  "Not legally," Langer told him with a shrug. "It's the little things. Anyway, we were able to pull a little bit of DNA from those samples. If you guys would give us a voluntary sample, it would go a long way toward shutting him up, you know? He'd have to stop screaming Marstens! every time he stubs his toe, and we wouldn't have to bother you about it anymore."

  Isaiah Marsten caught and held Sam's eye for a long minute. Then, the paterfamilias stood up. He limped over to the two detectives. "I don't see what harm it could do," he said with a jovial grin. "I mean seriously. I know none of us has been there since we put a bid on the place, and no blood samples could have survived a fire anyway. He opened his mouth and let a technician swab the inside.

  The process was repeated for the two brothers, and then Langer and Sam headed home. The technician had his own vehicle and rode alone; he'd get the samples right to the lab and make sure that they got top priority.

  "Do you think that they'll actually get top priority?" Langer asked, watching the cars pass by out the passenger side window.

  Sam grunted. "I don't know. I mean, they're just as eager to put this mess to bed as we are, so maybe." He paused. "Did you know that Devlin did it on purpose, Langer?"

  "Did what?" Langer stared at him with guileless green eyes.

  "Put me and him together. To try to move things along, like some kind of romantic laxative."

  Langer clutched at his stomach. "Please don't ever combine those two words again. And I think you're being paranoid."

  "He admitted it to the head of the lab. And to Pretty Boy." Sam tightened his grip on the wheel.

  "That's…” Langer blew out a long whistle. "That's hugely unprofessional. Why would he do that?"

  "I have no idea. But I mean to find out."

  "I hope so." Langer shook his head. "I'm so sorry. I mean, I know we've had our differences but that's beyond the pale. Whatever happens, I've got your back."

  "Thanks." Sam hated how choked up his voice sounded. "I appreciate that."

  Langer let a moment go. Then he spoke again. "So what are you going to do, though? About Oliver, I mean? Now you know where he stands, and all that."

  "He's better off looking for an alpha who'll still be with him fifty years down the road." Sam sighed. "I wish it were me, but it can't be. Maybe my Joey could do it, if he likes our family so much, but I'm just too old."

  Langer frowned. "Does he want Joey?"

  "I have no idea. But he's got to get over the idea of me." He shifted. "And anyway, he can't be too attached. I haven't heard from him in weeks."

  Langer frowned. "Probably for the best, then."

  Sam nodded. It was absolutely for the best, even though he woke up with the memory of Oliver's lips on his. Oliver needed more, even if he didn't know it.

  Once the samples were brought back to the lab, there was more waiting. Sam had hoped to get results back immediately, but he knew that real life wasn't like TV. He wouldn't see anything until Monday at the earliest, and that assumed that there would be someone working on those samples over the weekend. He headed home and prepared to watch a lot of baseball.

  The next day, the sound of a key in the lock startled him in the middle of the second inning. He pulled his service weapon and spun around. Had Tran come back to take him to task again? But no. The person standing there, with a perfectly legitimate key in his hand, was Joey.

  Sam hadn't seen Joey in years. He'd pushed Joey away. Joey hadn't wanted to be a cop. Sam had demanded that his alpha son follow in his footsteps, even though it would never be acceptable from the omega son. When Joey continued to refuse, Sam had demanded that he leave the house, and that had been the last that Sam had heard of him.

  For a moment, he thought that Joey might be a ghost. Then he snapped himself out of it. "How the hell do you still have a key?"

  Joey snorted and walked in. He sprawled out on the couch and turned off the television. "Still the same old Sam Nenci. Some things never change, I guess."

  "What the hell do you think you're doing? I was watching that!" Sam didn't want to yell at his son. He wanted to throw his arms around him. He wanted to ask where he'd been, what he'd been doing. Had he claimed someone? Did he have children yet? Was he happy doing whatever it was that he was doing other than being a cop?

  Instead, his controlling side came out. Maybe it was the attitude, smug and a little bit angry. Maybe it was the way that he'd just waltzed back into Sam's life, as though he'd never left. Maybe it was Sam's own issues, demanding that he build up a good defense now.

  Maybe it was just the fact that Sam was the parent, and he would always need to establish his authority with his children.

  "Some things are more important, old man. And anyway, there's still plenty of baseball left to play this year. Don't worry; the Sox will continue to break your heart. Assuming, of course, that yours wasn't surgically removed sometime between the last time that I saw you and now. From what I'm hearing, I'm not too sure."

  Sam saw red for a moment. "Why is it that everyone in the MetroWest area thinks that they're qualified to comment on my love life?"

  "Well, probably because we're all friends of Oliver. Well, except that boss of yours. He can go to hell." Joey gave him a bright, cheery, and utterly false smile.

  Sam rolled his eyes. "Oh, poor Oliver. Okay. I could have handled that better, but it's not like he's some fifteen-year-old kid. That would be gross. He's an adult, for crying out loud. He agreed to everything that we did. I never lied to him or pretended that anything was going to happen that wasn't."

  "You took a guy who was a virgin, and you treated him like a throwaway. You made him a throwaway." Joey shook his head in disgust. "I'm kind of shocked at you. I mean, you always raised me to be respectful of the omegas I was with. Take care of them, treat them well, make them feel like a million bucks. Oh, and always us
e a condom. But hey, do as I say and not as I do, huh, Dad?"

  Sam froze. "I didn't think that Oliver would be the type to kiss and tell." Joey couldn't be suggesting what he thought he was suggesting.

  "He didn't have to be. You can smell him. Also he's been throwing up and miserable for weeks, but hey—that's what omegas are for, right Dad? I mean, he was dumb enough to sleep with you without a claim, why would you have any concern for him now?"

  "You watch your tone," Sam growled. He clutched at his head. This couldn't be happening. "You're making this up. You're making this up to try to guilt trip me about him or something."

  "No. That guy, he used to have dreams. He had a job he loved, and he was saving himself for an alpha who would appreciate him. Instead, he got you. He dreamed of having a family, you know? He dreamed of raising up a nice little family with a loving alpha, maybe two or three kids. He wanted kids, Dad. Now he's pregnant and we can't leave him alone. We're afraid."

  "So claim him yourself." Sam looked at the floor. His heart was in his throat, but he couldn't show that to Joey. "You're the right age, you can take care of him."

  "Are you honestly suggesting that your child be raised as your grandchild?" Joey shook his head and moved away from his father. "What is wrong with you? You have no interest in your own child?" He stood up. "Were you interested in us?"

  Sam stepped into Joey's physical space. "I told you to watch your tone."

  "It's a legitimate question. This child is our brother or sister. It's no different from us." Jake met his eyes. "Look. You do what you're going to do. But don't pretend that you're being noble by abandoning that man, or your child." He walked out the door.

  Sam sat down on the couch and buried his head in his hands. Joey couldn't be serious. He couldn't become a father, not at his age. Whoever heard of such a thing?

  Of course, the alternative was Oliver alone. Maybe Oliver could have moved on and found an alpha who would have been better for him, in time, but he'd never find someone with a kid attached to his hip. Not if the kid was conceived outside of a claim. Maybe Oliver should have been firmer in his resolve to wait, but it had been on Sam to make sure that this didn't happen. He was the alpha. He was the one with experience, for crying out loud.

  It didn't make sense for someone who never had sex, and never intended to, to carry condoms around. Sam, on the other hand, was no monk. He had condoms, for crying out loud. He just hadn't used them, hadn't suggested them, and now it was too late.

  He took out his phone and flipped through it until he found Oliver's number. Once he'd pulled that contact up on his screen, though, all he could do was stare. What was he supposed to do now?

  Oliver was with Jake. Jake would help him get through the initial shock. The last person that Oliver would want to hear from right now would be Sam, who had single-handedly ruined his life. What comfort could Sam offer, anyway? Now instead of an alpha who was too old to claim him, he had an alpha who was too old to claim him and a baby on the way whose father would be seventy on his twenty-first birthday. Awesome.

  He hid his face in his hands. He'd already screwed things up with his sons anyway. He'd chased them both off. What the hell good could he possibly be to a new baby?

  A new baby, one that he and Oliver had made together. It would have Oliver's dark skin and his silver eyes, but it would have Sam's nose and chin because Sam's nose and chin were awesome and they tended to breed true. It would have Oliver's brains. It would have Sam's courage. It would have a heart as big as the sky itself.

  Sam stared out the window at the lake for a long while. Maybe Oliver would let him see the baby sometimes. He'd explain himself away as an old uncle. If he could convince Joey and Oliver to get together, maybe he could be the little angel's grandpa. It would hurt. As he stared out over the shimmering water, he had to admit that he wanted that baby. He didn't want to see another man raising it, even his own son.

  What choice did he have, though? He couldn't have Oliver. Oliver probably wouldn't let Sam anywhere near him anymore, and even if he did that didn't change the age difference between them.

  He couldn't stand to hear Oliver's voice right now, but they did have to talk. They were adults. They were about to become parents. They couldn't just not speak for the rest of time.

  He decided to send a text. We need to talk.

  Oliver texted back ten minutes later. Not sure if that's a good idea, Dad.

  Jake? Sam covered his eyes with his hand. The whole scenario had a kind of comic quality to it, with his sons getting so involved with his sex life.

  Yeah. He's real shaken up.

  Okay. Sam sighed. Look. He and I need to talk about this. You can be there with him if you want. Of course Jake would want to play chaperone. Nothing good ever came of leaving Sam and Oliver alone together.

  Jake went silent for a moment. Fine. Yeah. Tomorrow at the Natick Mall. California Pizza Kitchen, 1:30.

  Fine. Sam ended the conversation. His hands shook. Tomorrow he'd face the consequences of his own idiocy.

  Chapter Eleven

  Oliver rolled his shoulders, shook himself out, and tried to find his center as he got out of the car. Jake glanced over at him. "You okay?"

  Oliver moistened his lips. "Yeah. Yeah, I think I am. I'm as okay as I'm going to be." He took stock of himself. "I mean, I'm not thrilled about this meet up, but he was right. It needs to happen, I guess. Might as well get it over with."

  "You're coping awfully well, all things considered." Jake stuck his hands into his pockets and started off through the parking lot.

  Oliver followed. "I mean, I'm still reeling, if that's what you mean. I'm always going to be reeling. It's not going to kill me, you know? Breaking down isn't going to solve the problem. I've got a lot to do before March, and it's not going to get done if I'm cowering on the floor."

  "That's disgustingly healthy." Jake led the way into the restaurant.

  Sam was there. Oliver's breath caught in his chest, but he managed to hide it from Jake. At least Sam had the good grace to look upset. That was something. It wasn't much, but it was something.

  He kept his pace up as he made his way over to the table. Jake sat across from his father, and Oliver sat beside Jake. This was not some kind of reunion. It was just a meeting, no more. Sam's warm, enticing scent was just an illusion, one Oliver would do well to learn to ignore. He picked up the ice water that had been left out for him and sipped from it to cover his distress.

  Sam nodded. "Jake. Oliver. Thanks for coming out."

  Oliver swallowed and let Jake answer for him. "We figured it was important to talk this out and figure out what the way forward is, where you two stand." Jake pressed his lips together, and Oliver hunched in on himself. "Like it or not, it's not all about the two of you anymore."

  The waitress approached, and they agreed to table the discussion until the food arrived. That didn't take long, and once she returned Jake cleared his throat. "So. Like I was saying. Before, it was just an issue between the two of you. And I was pissed, Dad, because Oliver deserved better. Now, though, there's someone else. And you can argue with me about how maybe Oliver should have said no, or how he should have made you use protection, or whatever. I mean, it would make you a bigger dick than normal, but you have that right. That baby, on the other hand, isn't at fault for anything. And it's my sibling."

  "I'm sorry." Oliver looked over at Jake. "I should have said no, you're right. Everything that I believed in went right out the window, and it's my fault."

  Jake glowered at him. "That's not what I meant. You going to let him off the hook?"

  Oliver snorted. "Show me the alpha who gives a crap about what comes after he finishes." He hadn't meant to say that. He hadn't meant to be quite so bitter. He'd still spoken from the heart.

  Sam's jaw dropped. His son's face mirrored his expression. "Oliver, I never said that. I've been telling you from the beginning that I love you, that I can't be with you because of the age difference. When have I ever told y
ou that I didn't care what happened after the sex act?"

  Oliver's lip curled. "Oh yeah. You were just so loving. You couldn't wait to get rid of me after that first time. And then you all but burned a hole in the carpet trying to get out the door the second." He pushed his food away. "You make these big speeches about how it's 'for my own good,' but that's just because you don't trust an omega to know what's best for himself. I should have known better. I should have stayed away from you."

  Sam looked away for a moment. All of the color had drained from his face. His eyes shone wetly when he looked back, but his jaw was clenched. "Look, you've said yourself that you have no experience with alphas."

  "No. I said that I was a virgin. It's not because I didn't have opportunities, Sam. It's not because I didn't have plenty of alphas sniffing around and looking for a roll in the hay. I wasn't waiting for some jerk to come along and show me what I'd been missing, I made a conscious choice. And when I gave that up, I wound up losing everything." Oliver closed his eyes.