by Tammy Knight
“This isn’t exactly a drive-into-the-sunset moment, but…I guess this is the start of the rest of our lives. I love you, Jamie. I love you so much,” Craig murmured, reaching out to caress the alpha’s cheek.
“I love you too, baby. Now let’s get going. Life isn’t going to magically fall into place without any effort,” Jamie chuckled, kissing the omega’s palm before drawing away and making his way towards the truck.
“Jamie, wait…,” Craig called out before the alpha could get too far away. Jamie turned around raising a brow. “I just…you mean so much to me, and I know you love me so dearly that you wouldn’t get too terribly angry at me for a little hormone-driven mistake,” Craig rambled a bit as he tapped his fingertips together. Jamie narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest and striding towards the car.
“What did you do?” He demanded gently, meeting Craig’s nervous gaze. He was glad the omega wasn’t crying at least--it couldn’t have been as bad as Craig was making it out to be, whatever it was that worried him so much.
“Uhm. I may or may not have gotten into a police chase on the way to stop you from… uhm… apparently, buying stationary for baby shower invitations,” Craig said with a sheepish smile. Jamie’s eyes widened, and Craig sputtered for a moment before trying to amend his statement. “I was just…I was worried, and I thought you were going to… and… that is to say…,” he paused as Jamie cracked a smile. “I’m definitely getting a ticket at the very least,” Craig muttered with a sigh.
After a moment, Jamie couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst into laughter. Craig frowned, not looking particularly comforted when Jamie leaned in to kiss his forehead.
“Don’t worry, baby. We’ll just frame your dad. The terrible two aren’t dead, after all.”
EPILOGUE
“Peek-a-boo,” Craig cooed, removing his hands from his face and grinning at the bright-eyed two-year-old sitting in the high chair in front of him. The baby girl giggled and squealed, clapping her hands together before reaching out to grab Craig by the nose. The omega male made a face, huffing through his nostrils until his little girl released him with another squeal. “Little Jeanie, don’t you know that I’m the one who is supposed to get your nose?” he asked seriously, and Jean blinked at him before erupting into giggles again.
“Da! Da funny!” Jean smiled, wiggling in the high chair. Craig grinned, reaching out to take her in his arms. He bounced her up and down, although she was getting a bit large for him to easily carry. He was determined to keep her in his arms for as long as humanly possible. Kissing the child’s forehead, he strode towards the living room with a bit of a swing in his step.
“I’m glad someone appreciates my comedic genius. Your dee-dee is a lot more critical. I’ve tried to explain that he’s just not the target audience for my hijinks, but you know how he can be,” Craig carried on, grinning cheesily as their child nodded seriously. “Speaking of Dee, he should be home soon. I know you don’t know much about grown-up stuff, but he’s up for a promotion at his job! That means he’ll get more money, and can buy us more toys to play with,” the omega male continued, flopping onto the sofa and keeping Jean in his lap. He bounced her on his knee, and she cackled as she clung to the leg of his sweatpants. They both looked up as the door opened, and Jamie walked in, dressed to the nines with a pristine suit and tie. His hair was impeccably combed, and though he didn’t entirely look like the same person Craig had fallen in love with, that tired smile was unmistakable.
“Honey, I’m home,” he announced, tossing his briefcase aside and making a small victorious grunt when it landed on something soft--a pile of freshly-folded laundry. Craig rolled his eyes a bit, unable to keep from grinning as their child screamed in excitement.
“You don’t have to announce your presence like that every time you come home, baby,” Craig pointed out, rising to his feet and carrying Jean over to the other man. Jamie pouted, kissing Craig on the lips first before pressing a smooch to Jean’s forehead.
“You love it when I do that,” Jamie said self-assuredly, taking Jean from the other man’s arms and looking at her with the same serious expression Craig used when speaking about ‘grown-up things’. “You and Da should be especially happy to see Dee-Dee today, squirt,” he paused, glancing to Craig from the corner of his eye. His lips curled into a cheeky smile before he returned his attention to his beloved child. “Not only did I get a bonus today…I got the promotion! There were at least a dozen of the other security consultants up for the job, but no one does the job like Dee!” Jamie announced proudly. Craig cheered, leaning up to capture the alpha’s lips in another kiss.
“I knew you could do it, baby! You probably blew those other guys out of the water,” the omega cooed, stroking a hand along the other man’s chest. The alpha chuckled, adjusting his grip on Jean as he shuffled further into the home.
“Yeah, well, the security systems in this town were severely lacking before I got into the gig. Anyway,” he paused, grabbing a soda from the fridge and handing a squirming Jean her sippy cup. He turned her to face him, waiting patiently as she greedily drank from her cup. “Aren’t you just voracious today? How’s my little hell-raiser been?” Jamie asked good-naturedly. He winked at Craig before the other could admonish him, not expecting much of a response from their young child. Jean stared thoughtfully at the alpha male for a long moment, juice dribbling down her chin.
“H-huhhhh,” she sounded out, and Jamie’s eyes widened in alarm as his whole life flashed before his eyes. Two years was such a short lifespan for a grown man. “Hell-raiser,” she said proudly, clapping her hands together with delight. Jamie groaned, and Craig swooped towards the two of him before he could even flinch away.
“Jamie! You idiot! I told you to stop calling her that,” Craig hissed, gathering their child in his arms and staring sternly at her. “We don’t say words like that, baby girl. Those are bad words, grown-up words. You’re just a little baby. You’re supposed to say sweet things like Da, and Dee, and ba ba, and--” Craig cut himself short as the child spoke again.
“Hell-raiser!” she said as if agreeing with him, nodding her head seriously. Craig glared at Jamie, who was pretending to be entirely absorbed in the newspaper. The omega rolled his eyes, well aware that Jamie didn’t even read the paper. He was going to get his ass handed to him once Jean was put down for her nap. He was drawn from his thoughts as Jean poked him square in the chest. “Da! Hell-raiser!” Jean squealed with delight, looking all too pleased with herself as Craig stared at her through wide eyes. Jamie cackled from his place on the couch, lowering the newspaper from his face and grinning at Craig.
“She’s not wrong, babe,” the alpha mused aloud, rising to his feet and stepping towards his loved ones once more. The omega glared at his mate as he stroked a hand through Jean’s short locks of hair, as if daring him to press the issue. Craig belatedly realized that he should have known better than to expect Jamie to do anything remotely in his favor. “Your da sure was a hell-raiser, runt. That’s how the two of us met after all,” Jamie began, his eyes alight with mischief. Craig bared his teeth, swinging away from Jamie and marching in the opposite direction.
“You are not going to traumatize her with our life story, Jamie. I’m still suffered the post- traumatic stress myself. She’s a baby, you giant ass,” he called over his shoulder, taking Jean toward her room to settle her down for a nap.
“Ass,” she repeated astutely, and Craig groaned loudly. Jamie chuckled from behind him, pressing a kiss to his mate’s shoulder.
“She’s not wrong on that front either, to be honest,” the alpha murmured soothingly, kissing along the expanse of Craig’s shoulders, to the back of his neck. “Come on, she’s our kid. You can’t expect her to be like every other baby in the world. She’s the culmination of the relationship between the terrible two,” he said grandly, peeking over Craig’s shoulder at their child. “Your da is right though. You shouldn’t be saying naughty words. Dee Dee is a bad influence on
you,” Jamie murmured. Jean yawned, reaching out to grab his finger. Craig breathed a sigh as he carried their child further into her room, settling her in her crib. He knew it was only a matter of time before she started trying to crawl out of the damn thing, but he was enjoying the last bit of peace before it occurred to her to make an escape. Right then, at least, she looked too tired to even consider it.
“You’re right too, you know. I shouldn’t have expected her to be an average child by any means. After all, it’s like you said. The terrible two didn’t die, not entirely. It seems that we’ve now become the terrible three,” Craig chuckled, reaching down to tickle Jean’s chin. She sighed contently, staring up at her fathers with all the adoration that every child held for their parent.
“The terrible three, huh? That makes it sound like we’re going to get into some serious hijinks again,” Jamie mused. Craig chuckled, glancing between their child and the man he loved. Though he would never want his child to be subjected to the life he and his lover had endured, he could picture in his mind’s eye a plucky little teenager with the vibrant eyes of her omega father, and the luxurious locks of her alpha father. He could imagine her knocking down mailboxes with a friend of her own, lost in their own worlds and never considering the day that they may settle down. He could see so much of himself in those bright and intelligent eyes as they stared up at him.
“Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Kids have to be kids, and…well, that’s how we found each other, isn’t it?” Craig mused aloud. Jamie barked out a laugh, cringing as their snoozing child jolted awake a bit.
“I’d send her to the most expensive private school in town if it meant keeping her away from scum like I was,” the alpha mused in a hushed voice. Craig frowned, cuffing him on the side of the head. “Come on. Things could have gone a lot worse. I was terrible to you. I’d hate to imagine our little girl getting on the bad side of some ne’er-do-well like little Jamie,” he murmured. Craig chuckled, shaking his head a bit as Jamie pulled him in for an embrace.
“You never know. We might have a little Jim Jam Junior on our hands--and in that case, you’d definitely want her to find someone who could show her the light,” the omega said lightly, drawing Jamie away from the crib. Jean’s eyes had fluttered shut and her breathing had evened out, giving the two older wolves a moment to themselves. Those were so few and far between since they’d had Jean.
“She could never be like me. She’s going to grow up loved and cherished--something neither of us really got to experience,” Jamie said confidently, yelping a bit as Craig pressed him against the wall of the hallway and nipped the side of his neck.
“Maybe. I’d like to think I’m the luckiest man in the world having found you. It would take the luckiest in the world to win our daughter’s heart, wouldn’t it?” he whispered against Jamie’s ear, and the alpha sighed a bit, tilting his head to look back at his lover.
“I guess. So, what are we going to do while the terrible third takes her daily nap? You want me to make lunch, or we could catch up on our shows,” Jamie hummed, sliding out of Craig’s grip and striding towards the living room. Craig captured him by the wrist before he could get too far, guiding him towards the stairs. Jamie tilted his head, his lips curling in amusement as Craig offered him the sexiest look he could muster.
“Don’t laugh. I’m seducing you,” the omega muttered, dragging Jamie the final distance to their bedroom. “You can’t tell me it’s not working. How long has it been since we actually had a moment to ourselves?” Craig asked airily, working the buttons on Jamie’s jacket. As much as Jamie had changed, both in looks and in his perspective on life, Craig knew he could still press the man’s buttons just so. After all, the opposite was true for him.
“I’m laughing because you’re due for your cycle, and I can’t imagine you’re anywhere near ready to have another child,” Jamie teased, leaning back against the wall and allowing Craig to continue undressing him. The omega didn’t reply for a moment, too caught up in disrobing the alpha he so adored. It actually took him a moment to process the words, through his hormone- laden mind. Then, when it hit him, he actually gave pause. He was settled on his knees between Jamie’s thighs, his hands curled into the waistband of his mate’s slacks. He drew away for a moment, allowing himself to think and breathe.
It had been two long years since they had Jean. Things had changed so dramatically in that short time, and now they had a beautiful home, a beautiful child, a beautiful life. They had come so far from being those rowdy kids tearing down the neighbors’ mailboxes and placing flaming dog turds on their doorsteps. They had grown so much, and it had taken the addition of a new dynamic to their relationship to really live their lives to the fullest. Craig could still vividly remember nights where he’d wanted to die, changed because he had love and a family now. They had fallen on hard times every so often, like every fledgling relationship was doomed to; but all the same, they only came out stronger for it. It took Jean coming into their life for Jamie to finally get the nerve to pursue a career in the security field. It had taken Jean coming into their lives for them to leave that rundown apartment of the alpha’s and move into a beautiful home with a white picket fence. It had taken Jean coming into their lives for them to truly be reborn.
He knew another child could never hope to make such dramatic changes in their lives. They were happy now. It seemed impossible that their lives could even improve any more than they already had. Yet…Something about the idea of expanding their family spoke to him. He’d never realized his life could be better until Jean was born, hadn’t even known there was a whole world for him to explore with the man he loved and their only child. Their only child, for the time being. It seemed almost ridiculous that he was even considering the notion of having another child. For every fantastic moment that had been borne of Jean’s conception, there had been a share of missteps as well. Now, however, he knew Jamie loved him. There was no drama to come between them. There were still a share of fights, but at the end of the day, they always came out on top. So really, was it so strange an idea, for him to consider a second child?
The question lay in whether he was ready. Was he ready to put his body through that torment again? Was he willing to change double the diapers, take care of double the feedings, and lose twice the sleep? It all seemed so difficult, like major bumps in the road. It could put a strain on their relationship. Maybe he wasn’t ready. Maybe he was getting ahead of himself. But, ultimately, was he willing to have another child with Jamie Briggs, his Jamie…?
“Call me crazy, Jim Jam, and I’ll be inclined to believe you. But do you think it would really be that bad to turn our terrible three into a fabulous four?”
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