As the boys laughed, the five of them fell onto the grass in a group tackle.
From the corner of his eye, Teal noticed movement behind the curtains of the unit next door. The duplex had a shared backyard, although only the McGinns ever used it.
He imagined Sorcha watching from the shadows. He knew it was the young omega spying on them, since he’d seen Dale and Abe head out for the weekend on his way to the office.
Teal kept glancing toward the window, but the curtains didn’t move again. Eventually, they all went inside and changed into dry clothes before Ronan prepared dinosaur chicken nuggets and cucumber slices for lunch.
“Kino’s pick?” Teal asked, glancing at the food.
Ronan nodded. “Yep. Garin tried to talk him into grilled cheese, but he wasn’t having it. I swear Kino is gonna turn into a chicken nugget.”
“I kind of like that they’re his favorite,” Teal said. “He’s usually so serious about everything.”
“Are you implying chicken nuggets aren’t serious?”
“I’m pretty sure this one is a T-Rex with an enormous penis. So as far as foods go, they’re a whimsical choice.”
Ronan chuckled. “Well, Garin’s favorite food is steak. What does that say about him?”
“That he’ll need to watch his cholesterol." Teal swatted Ronan with a dishtowel. "I wasn’t trying to psychoanalyze our six-year-olds via their preferred cuisine. It’s just good to see Kino actinglike a little kid. Sometimes it’s like having another adult in the house.”
Ronan laughed again.
Teal had always known Ronan would make a great papa, but the alpha had surpassed his highest expectations. He loved their three boys fiercely and completely, never holding himself apart the way some alphas did.
Teal reached for a second nugget and thought about how his heat should arrive soon. He needed to discuss the possibility of breeding with Ronan. Because of Teal’s intense situation at work the past few years, they’d used condoms for his last two heats. But did his husband feel like their family was complete?
Both Teal and Ronan were only children. One thing they’d agreed on when they’d gotten married was that they wanted more than one child. The question was how many more.
There was certainly no lack of love in their home. They had each other and three amazing boys. They also had Niall, who’d been in their lives since the twins’ birth. As Teal watched Ronan pile cucumbers onto the boys’ plates, he thought to himself that more people could only mean more love. No matter how busy and chaotic their lives were, he wanted to try for another baby. He hoped Ronan felt the same.
Garin, Kino, and Zayne filed back into the room and sat down at the kitchen table to eat.
They hadn’t been seated more than a few moments when noise arose from outside the front door. First a faint knocking, followed by athud, then the sound of something sliding against the wooden frame.
Teal and Ronan looked at one another with alarm. They’d been receiving more threatening messages as the High Court proceedings for the Bannon case drew closer. But no one had ever come to the house before.
Ronan stood and walked to the door, motioning for Teal and the children to stay back.
The alpha looked through the peephole first, turning back to shrug at his husband. “I don’t see anything.”
“Maybe a bird flew into the door?” Teal suggested.
“Oh no! A birdie! Is it hurt?” Zayne cried.
“We don’t know anything, sweet pea. Just stay behind Daddy,” Ronan said.
Carefully, the alpha opened the door. As he pulled it back from the frame, Teal watched in horror as Sorcha’s slumped-over form fell into the entryway.
Blood covered Sorcha’s face and the front of his shirt.
“Oh my stars!” Teal shouted, rushing over and kneeling next to the younger omega.
Ronan squatted down behind him. “Sorcha! Sorcha!”
At first, the husbands couldn’t tell if he was conscious. But after a few seconds, Sorcha wheezed out with his eyes closed, “Ronan…Teal…need…help.”
Teal turned to his sons, all straining to get a glimpse of the bloody omega.
