The last few months of holding himself away from the couple had been disorienting. Awkward and unnatural. Niall knew it had hurt Ronan and Teal as well. Even the boys had asked several times if he was mad at Papa and Daddy.
Staying at arm’s length couldn’t continue. And although Jax had told Niall he didn’t want him to quit his job, he’d still been considering it, thinking perhaps the only way to improve the untenable situation was to leave it.
But he wouldn’t consider that option any longer. Garin, Kino, and Zayne needed him. That had become crystal clear tonight.
“I’ll always protect those boys,” Niall said fiercely into Ronan’s shirt.
“We know. They’re your boys too,” Teal affirmed, breathing into his back, rubbing his cheek between Niall’s shoulder blades. “In every way that counts.”
Niall closed his eyes and pictured the last nearly seven years of his life. He remembered holding the twins as tiny babies. Teal had still been in law school and Ronan was just getting his business up and running. Niall had practically lived with the couple because the twins’ sleeping and eating schedules were so daunting. Two years later, Niall put his mouth to Teal’s stomach and said hello to Zayne before the boy had even been born. He’dbeen there for the birth, the second one to cuddle the newborn after Ronan. Niall had helped two-year-old Garin and Kino hold their brother as everyone fell in love with the tiny omega. It had been a happy time for the family, and a few months later, when Ronan and Teal invited Niall into their bed, it became even happier.
How had he ever convinced himself they were casual?
Niall pulled himself out of the husband sandwich and gave Ronan and Teal a smile before slipping into his car.
“You’ll be okay getting to your apartment?” Ronan asked. “The construction on First Street must really be impacting your neighborhood.”
“I’m actually, uh, living with Jax now,” Niall said, running a hand over the steering wheel. “On the other side of town.”
“Oh.” Teal’s gaze dropped to the ground. “I didn’t realize. That’s great.”
“It is,” Niall said. “He’s been away a lot recently, and I spend so much time at your house, so it’s nice for Jax and me to have the same home base.”
“That makes sense,” Ronan agreed. “But if he’s gone and you’re ever needing some company, don’t forget our home is your home.”
“I know.”
Niall drove away before they could say more. He was still tense from Benso’s tirade, but mostly he thought about the husbands. How should they navigate their bond moving forward? Keeping his distance hadn’t worked, and he wasn’t leaving his nanny position. What would Jax be comfortable with? Would he consider the tight embrace the three men just shared to be crossing a line?
With a weary sigh, Niall merged onto the highway.
Chapter Twelve
Sorcha
Sorcha looked down at the tiny pink tablets in his hand. The ones he’d spat out an hour ago. He’d been doing his uncles’ bidding for months, but didn’t think he could anymore.
Everything hurt. His body ached from the inside out. The cramping in his womb at night made him vomit. He had headaches all the time, and he’d lost weight he could ill-afford to lose.
At least most of the work this week was sanding and staining. Those tasks were easier to endure. He dreaded next week because they had chairs coming in that would need a lot of intense labor to repair. He didn’t know if he’d be able to do it. His arms felt heavy. His feet dragged like they were made of bricks.
He’d pretended to take the pills while Dale watched, tricking the stern beta by hiding the tablets under his tongue. Luckily, his uncle hadn’t done a full mouth inspection like he had last time.
Sorcha sighed as he walked through the kitchen into the garage. He put the pills in a little paper cup and placed it on his workbench. The cement walls felt claustrophobic today, hot as a sauna. Sorcha opened the garage door to get some fresh air.
Dale and Abe wanted him to finish staining a large dining table today. He was trying to psych himself up for the task when Teal appeared in the driveway and waved.
Sorcha’s neck heated at the sight of the older omega. He’d been cleaning the bathroom in his uncles’ room early that morning when he'd heard the couple next door making love through the wall. Teal’s moans had been lustful and loud.
Sorcha had gone still, listening like a creeper. He couldn’t help himself. He could only imagine the heady feeling of getting fucked by a perfect specimen of an alpha like Ronan. Or running his hands over Teal, the most beautiful omega he’d ever seen. As Teal had cried out his ecstasy, Sorcha leaned closer to the wall, hypnotized, feeling himself growing horny and wet. Afterward, he’d had to sneak off to his bedroom to finger himself and jack his cock until an intense orgasm swept over him, the pleasure temporarily easing his body’s debilitating ache. But shame followed almost immediately. He was coveting another omega’s alpha, and he had an intense attraction to an omega. Both things were wrong. Yet he couldn’t deny that nothing turned him on like thinking of Ronan and Teal.
And now he and Teal were face-to-face.
“Hello, Sorcha,” Teal greeted him from the garage entrance.
Sorcha pulled a rolling stool out from under his workbench and sat down. He willed himself not to think of the sounds Teal had made that morning. “Um, hey, Teal.”
“I’ve been wanting to come check on you for a while. It seems like you’ve been avoiding me and Ronan.”
