Ronan spun around playfully with four-year-old Wyn and two-year-old Mesa. Unlike Zander, who still appeared to be Sorcha’s mini-me, the little betas looked exactly like Ronan. But as with Zander, Sorcha had delivered both boys easily.
The year after Mesa was born, the five men received the shock of their lives when Teal had a breeding heat. No one expected Teal to get pregnant at the advanced age of thirty-four, but he’d done so. (Because of course he had, exceptional to the end). The pregnancy had been difficult, sapping his energy and requiring near-constant bedrest. Teal had just begun to establish his independent legal practice, representing omegas fighting back against employers and public places that weren’t following the decrees. He’d had to take a step back to focus on his pregnancy.
When Reign, a healthy alpha with bright eyes and a gentle spirit, was born, everyone had been overjoyed, and since the delivery brought back Teal’s milk, he and Sorcha could again share chest-feeding duties for Mesa, Reign, and their latest addition, Shyla.
Sorcha had barely interrupted his day to deliver Shyla the previous month. The precious omega was already a tiny tyrant who seemed to understand implicitly that, as the youngest of ten kids, he’d need to be pretty vocal to ensure his voice was heard.
At that moment, Ronan heard Shyla’s voice loud and clear from the office, a mighty squall demanding to be fed.
“Sorcha, you should probably come in here and save me,” Teal called out. “Shyla and Reign are having a contest to see who can make my nipples bleed first.”
Sorcha laughed. “Coming, love.” He winked at Ronan. “Thank goodness I already fed Mesa.”
“Thank goodness we added on that extra room,” Jax said.
Ronan and Jax had turned the back patio of the second unit into another bedroom. It was perfect for Garin and Kino, who were needing space from their younger brothers. Over the past five years, the men had made a number of changes to the inside of the duplex, transforming it into a home big and comfortable enough to accommodate a family of fifteen. Ronan shook his head. They were a family of fifteen.Fifteen!Every time he thought of it, his brain whirred. And Sorcha was still a few years away from thirty, meaning their family could grow further.
Despite the changes and additions, the exterior of the duplex maintained its appearance as two separate units. Because most of society still frowned on their relationship, choosing awe know this is happening but we don’t mention it attitude, the McGinns saw no benefit in antagonizing the neighbors. The structure still had two front doors, two porches, and technically, two addresses. From the outside, it looked like it always had. The gesture seemed a small price to pay to buy some privacy and good will.
After Zander, Nino, and Jay’s births, Ronan and Teal looked for ways to codify their family legally. There wasn’t much they could do short of updating everyone’s wills, which they did, but other than that, they agreed to address each issue as it arose.
The husbands also spoke with the other men and offered to get a divorce, to symbolically put the five of them on equal footing.
Sorcha, Niall, and Jax objected strongly to the idea.
“You and Ronan are husbands,” Sorcha said to Teal. “I want to honor that. All the years you were together before the rest of us came into your lives.”
“You mean all the years we were waiting for you three and just didn’t know it,” Ronan corrected.
“See, that’s what we mean,” Niall interjected. “How could we ever feel less equal in this relationship when you say beautiful things like that?”
Jax hadn’t spoken. He’d simply grasped Ronan’s shoulder to signal his agreement.
Behind the scenes, Ronan and Teal remained husbands and honored one another with the title. But in public, the five of them referred to each other as “partners,” to make sure the people in their lives, from the boys’ teachers to Ronan’s employees, understood that it was an equal relationship between them all. Over time, most people forgot that Ronan and Teal were married.
There would always be ultra-conservative folks who turned their noses up at the McGinns with pinched faces and judgmental stares, but they certainly weren’t the majority. Of the kids Garin and Kino invited to their party, only one family had sent Ronan a nasty reply, stating that their son would not be permitted into a house of “lasciviousness and shame.”
Garin and Kino had been disappointed because Pete was a good friend to them at school. But they’d let it go fairly easily, knowing in the end it was Pete who his fathers were harming, because the boy was missing an epic party the rest of their classmates would talk about.
His strong alpha twins had the right attitude, and Ronan knew they’d help ensure their little brothers did too.
One thing the men had done legally was change everyone’s last name to McGinn. Sorcha had been ecstatic about signing the papers, eager to free himself of his previous family moniker.Niall and Jax were less enthusiastic about severing that tie to their first families but ultimately agreed they’d do whatever was best for their children. Sharing a last name seemed important.
On rare occasions when teachers or coaches insisted that Ronan, Sorcha, or Teal attend the boys’ functions, or balked at Niall and Jax being listed as guardians, Teal threatened legal action. The prospect of being sued by Teal McGinn was enough to change people’s minds.
The five men raised the children together, sharing duties equally and loving fiercely. Garin and Kino maintained vague memories of a period when they didn’t have five fathers, but Zayne’s recollection of that time faded.
The only nod to biology was in how the boys addressed their omega fathers. Ronan was always “Papa,” and the betas were always “Daddy Niall” and “Daddy Jax,” but Teal’s biological children called him “Daddy” and Sorcha “Daddy Sorcha,” and Sorcha’s biological children did the reverse.
No one seemed to notice but them, though, and the older boys were very protective of their family. When the party guests arrived earlier that afternoon, Garin and Kino made a point of introducing all five men to their friends, referring to each of them as “our father.” Last week, Ronan overheard a boy in Zayne’s dance class ask him who his “real” omega daddy was. Zayne, usually the most easygoing of the children, gritted his teeth and hissed out, “both of them,” giving the boy a glare meant to ensure the question would not be asked again.
Ronan figured his children drew strength from their exceptional omega daddies. Sorcha the brave survivor, and Teal the warrior sage.
As though Ronan had summoned them with his thoughts, Teal and Sorcha walked in from the office holding sleeping, well-fed babies in their arms.
Jax took Shyla from Sorcha, undoing the first few buttons of his shirt so he could rest the little boy’s cheek against his bare chest.
Sorcha gave Jax a lingering kiss as they made the transfer. “Did we get the order for the new library?”
