Jax’s cheeks reddened before he dipped his chin. Satisfied he’d made his point, Ronan left the office and headed upstairs to check on Sorcha.
The warm, familiar hug from Niall had soothed his soul, and the conversation with Jax had ignited his mind, but it was the picture of Sorcha snoozing with Zayne in the middle of Ronan’s bed that nearly made his heart stop.
Sorcha must not have been sleeping deeply, because his eyes opened as soon as Ronan entered the dimly-lit room. Zayne, on the other hand, let out a giant, honking snore.
“I hope it’s okay we’re in your bed,” Sorcha whispered over Zayne’s head, absently running his hands through the tiny omega’s curls. “I brought him up to his room to play, but he was too restless, so I figured reading might calm him. But he still seemed out of sorts about his daddy.”
Ronan rubbed a small circle over Zayne’s back. “Yeah. This little guy is so happy and silly and sweet all the time. It’s easy to forget he’s just as worried as the rest of us.”
“I figured laying on Teal’s bed might help soothe him. I hope I didn’t overstep by coming into your room.”
“Little one, you could never overstep. This isn’t just mine and Teal’s bed. It’s yours now too. Any bed where we are, you are always welcome. I know you’re more comfortable staying in the spare room for now, and that’s fine. But whether you’re in our bed or not has nothing to do with whether you’re welcome there.”
“Thank you,” Sorcha said simply.
Ronan appreciated that they hadn’t needed to have a longer conversation about it. That was progress, having Sorcha accept his words at face value.
He gathered up the books scattered across the bed and placed them on the nightstand. Scooping up Zayne, he carried the boy to his own bed, hoping it would facilitate a longer nap. Ronan sighed. No one in this house had been sleeping well. Normally, he wouldn’t want his four-year-old napping so close to dinnertime, but these were special circumstances.
“Thank you for helping with Zayne today.” Ronan said as he stripped off his work shirt, grabbing a fresh tee from the dresser and slipping it over his chest.
Sorcha’s audible breath evinced his enjoyment of the impromptu show as he replied, “You don’t have to thank me. It was my pleasure.”
Ronan lay down on the bed, pulling the smaller man into his arms. “It will be good for Zayne, having two omega fathers.”
Sorcha froze in his embrace. “Is that how you see me? As a father to your children?”
“Maybe not yet,” Ronan answered honestly. “But that’s the natural course of where this is headed.” This conversation felt like the one he’d just had with Jax, trying to clarify where they stood. Some things weren’t ready for a label. “We don’t need to worry about putting a name on it, if that feels like too much. The only thing that matters is that Teal and I love you and you love our boys.”
“You…love me?”
Ronan pulled Sorcha tighter to him and pinched the omega’s chin lightly between his thumb and forefinger. “Have I not been clear enough? Sorcha, there is a part of me that has loved you from the first moment I saw you. I didn’t know we belonged to each other then, but that didn’t stop the seed from planting. When I smelled your blueberries and jasmine scent, I knewthere was something between us. When we brought you to the hospital, I was out of my mind with worry. It took everything in me to respect your space. But I knew you needed it. Because I think you knew what Teal and I were also coming to understand—that everything had changed. Destiny decided. And that bit of restlessness stayed inside me until last weekend, when I discovered the part of me that needs to be inside you, soothing you. And the part that loved watching you make love with Teal. I need that too. My love grew five minutes ago, when I came upstairs to find you resting with Zayne. Every minute, I find a new thing to love, so our love gets bigger and stronger. And it will never stop growing. Even if I know I will spend my whole life finding new parts of you to love. I will find them. And then, I’ll love you more.”
Sorcha pulled his face away and stared at Ronan. A single tear ran down his cheek. “I love you too, alpha.”
“And I love both of you,” Teal said, leaning against the doorway, grinning, his face radiating with joy.
“You’re home!” Sorcha squealed.
Ronan and Sorcha jumped up and pulled Teal into a three-way hug before they fell back onto the bed, rumpling Teal’s suit.
Teal rolled over onto Ronan’s chest, burying his face in his neck. “I can’t believe I missed you coming in,” Ronan said, so relieved to have Teal safe in his arms. “I didn’t hear the door.”
“I’m guessing that’s because you were too busy making declarations to our partner.” Teal chuckled.
The older omega draped an arm over Sorcha. “I doubt I could come up with a speech as pretty as Ronan’s, odd since I’m the famous lawyer, but for the record, I love you too, my darling,” he said.
“I love you, too, Teal,” Sorcha replied ardently. “I never thought I’d love another omega, never even considered the possibility, and now I can’t imagine ever being without you.”
“Me too.” A small voice sounded from the doorway.
The three men looked down at the foot of the bed in time to see Zayne hop up on the mattress. Since Ronan and Sorcha were both on their backs, and Teal was lying on top of Ronan, Zayne took the most logical available spot and spread himself out over Sorcha, sticking his thumb in his mouth as his eyes began drifting shut again.
“You too, what, sweet pea?” Teal asked.
“Me too I love you, Daddy…I love you…and Papa…and Daddy Sorcha.”
Sorcha’s eyes popped open.
