But embark on it they would, because nothing was keeping Ronan from a future with Teal, Sorcha, Niall, Jax, and their boys. Enjoying Teal’s heat together had been the best possible way to cement their bond. Now, they just needed to work out the rest of the logistics and make a plan. He’d asked Dayson to keep the boys until the afternoon, hoping he and his partners would be able to have a conversation today.
Ronan smiled. Of course, this meant his sleepy partners needed to get out of bed.
Jax was the first to join him. The beta walked into the kitchen, hesitating a step at the threshold, before pouring himself a cup of coffee.
Ronan wasn’t tolerating any nonsense. He came up behind Jax, bracing his hands on either side of him along the counter, boxing him in.
Using a deft hand to pull Jax’s hair back, Ronan nuzzled into his neck before planting a lingering kiss there. “Morning.”
Ronan felt the tension leave Jax as the beta relaxed into Ronan. “Hey.”
Keeping one hand on Jax’s hip as he doctored his coffee, Ronan asked, “Is everyone still sleeping?”
“They were all awake when I came down. Just having a slower time getting out of bed.”
Ronan sat back down at the table, gesturing for Jax to join him. “Even Teal? He seemed okay?”
“More than okay. I think he had a pleasant heat.” Jax offered a sly grin.
Ronan barked a laugh. “I think we all did.”
Face turning serious, Jax added, “He seemed…hopeful.”
Ronan nodded. They were all optimistic it had been a successful breeding. But he crossed his fingers that Teal wouldn’t be too disappointed if it didn’t take. His breeding orgasm had sounded definitive, but Ronan could admit it hadn’t been as strong as Sorcha’s. That was likely because Teal was almost ten years older than the other omega, but still. Nothing was guaranteed.
Niall walked in with Sorcha. Sorcha wore a robe with joggers underneath, looking wrecked. Niall, as usual, looked perfectly put together. His dark jeans and expensive-looking navy sweater fit like a glove.
Ronan greeted them both with kisses as he said, “We need to talk. Do you think Teal is feeling well enough to come downstairs, or should we head back up to the bedroom?”
“Teal is okay coming downstairs, although he may have seriously overestimated his ability to remain upright,” Teal said, appearing rough and wheezing in the doorway.
His family jumped immediately to Teal’s side. Ronan squatted and hoisted the omega in his arms, carrying him effortlessly into the living room before laying him down on the couch. The other men followed.
“You shouldn’t have gotten up on your own!” Sorcha admonished. “I told you I’d help when you were ready to come down.”
“That’s where you went wrong,” Niall teased Sorcha. “Teal saw that as a challenge, didn’t you, sweetheart?” he asked, turning to Teal. “Did you misinterpret Sorcha’s offer to help as a throwing of the gauntlet?”
Teal smiled through his fatigue. “Maybe.”
“Well, if you’re being this stubborn, then it must mean you’re feeling better,” Niall concluded.
“I am,” Teal said. “In fairness, I probably shouldn’t have navigated the stairs on my own, but I wanted to try. I feel so much better than I have in weeks.”
Ronan ran a hand over Teal’s back to reassure himself that his husband spoke the truth. The color in Teal’s cheeks looked good, and his honey lavender scent was pure and strong. He certainly appeared well past the worst of it.
“Do you feel up to talking a bit about us?” Ronan asked Teal, moving his head in a circle to show he meant this was a conversation for all of them. “We should discuss what comes next before your post-heat slumber comes on.”
Teal propped himself up in a seated position against Ronan. Sorcha sat on Teal’s other side while Niall plopped down into an end chair. Jax rested his backside against the chair’s armrest.
“I would love to talk about what comes next,” Teal said.
“Us too,” Niall said, motioning to Jax. “We’ve been talking, and we have some ideas about how we could make this easier for you, Teal, with your job and everything.”
“Oh, really?” Ronan raised an eyebrow. “What were you thinking?”
“Well, we’re totally open to playing this however you want, whatever makes sense. We realize Teal is a public figure and will be for a while. Especially since the poisoning and Ronan’s little speech outside the courthouse, there is a lot of interest in you guys as a couple—”
“Yeah.” Jax picked up the thread. “There is a lot of interest in you. Luckily, most of it is positive. Everyone rooting for Teal to be okay. Niall and I don’t want to do anything to make things harder on you or jeopardize Teal’s position. We want to help make sure you guys don’t have any undue stress on you, but we love you and still want to help take care of you and the boys.”
