Zayne promptly fell asleep as though he hadn’t just dropped the mic.
Ronan squeezed Teal tighter as they smiled at Sorcha.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Niall
Niall made it his mission to get the household into a workable rhythm for the two weeks Teal would be in High Court. He’d been the boys’ nanny for a long time and knew all the McGinns’ foibles. By the second day of the tribunal, they had a routine.
A natural early riser, Niall woke an hour before everyone else. He exercised, made coffee, and started the laundry. While it was quiet, he set up and organized the twins’ lessons for the day and developed a game plan for keeping Zayne occupied. Besides his more traditional nanny duties, he’d functioned for years as the de facto household manager. He’d kept the central schedule, planned and cooked most of the family’s meals, and although Ronan and Teal handled the bulk of the cleaning and maintenance for the duplex, Niall was always happy to assist where he could.
Now that he and Jax had moved into the house, Niall relished the opportunity to be even more helpful. He prepared Ronan’slunchbox and made sure the boys were up in time to kiss their Papa goodbye before he left for work. Teal’s guard and town car arrived promptly at eight, and Garin, Kino, and Zayne gave their daddy fierce hugs before he left. Teal never ate breakfast at the house, maintaining his habit of eating a bagel at Fontaine’s, the same thing he’d done during the big tribunal the previous year, Niall recalled.
As the first week progressed, each day of High Court began the same way as the first, with angry protestors shouting derogatory nonsense at Teal as he entered the courthouse. Niall hated that Teal would need to endure that for the remainder of the tribunal, but if any omega could withstand the onslaught, it was him. The tribunal was broadcast each day and Niall monitored it from a small TV in the kitchen, out of the boys’ view.
Once Ronan and Teal cleared out in the morning, Niall helped the twins tackle their schoolwork while Zayne opened his Pre-K-level puzzle book. Jax and Sorcha came in to grab breakfast after this process was underway.
Niall knew both men were slightly uneasy about their places in the household, although Sorcha seemed to have reached some sort of new understanding with the husbands. He was less tentative about showing affection. Niall had seen the three men exchange soft touches and kisses on multiple occasions.
Sorcha still occupied the third bedroom, but Niall doubted it would be much longer before the omega was permanently in Ronan and Teal’s bed.
Niall acknowledged a twinge of jealousy about that. But as he'd told Jax, he didn’t begrudge them their happiness. Regardless of Niall’s relationship with the couple, it was obvious Sorcha was a necessary part of their family, that they were made for one another.
And because he wanted them all to be happy, Niall took it upon himself to do what he could to further integrate Sorchainto the household. Sorcha had realized immediately that Niall knew everything about the McGinns, from where they kept the spare toilet paper to the fact that Kino was left-handed and used a special pair of scissors.
Niall didn’t want Sorcha to feel like Niall was more connected to them because he knew things. So he made a point to keep Sorcha close to him as he cooked and did chores. He brought Sorcha in on conversations with the boys and ensured Sorcha had his own to-do list, which usually included keeping Zayne busy.
Zayne had already gifted Sorcha with the moniker of “Daddy Sorcha,” and while his older brothers hadn’t gone that far yet, they seemed comfortable with the man’s presence and were opening up to him more each day.
Niall wasn’t surprised. Sorcha was likeable and unexpectedly funny. Niall also felt a gentle pull toward him, as he always had, and on more than one occasion he’d clocked Sorcha giving him appreciative glances as well. Niall smirked inwardly whenever he caught the young omega man’s eyes on him. Between his past relationship with the couple, Sorcha’s current one, and Niall’s with Jax, it was certainly a horny household. Good thing everyone liked each other. They’d been on solid enough footing after the barbeque, but the events of the past week had brought them together in ways none of them could have predicted.
Even Jax appeared to have found his footing, although he still hesitated. Niall suspected his boyfriend had been a goner ever since Zayne’s “G’night. Love you, Jaxey” the day of the aquarium incident.
On the third day of the tribunal, Niall peeked in on Jax at lunchtime to find his boyfriend staring blankly at the computer.
“Tough day?” Niall asked.
Jax pinched the bridge of his nose. “Nah. You just caught me spacing out. Too many emails, I guess.” He looked down at his lap.
“You sure?”
“Mm-hmm.” He wasn’t very convincing, but Niall didn’t push it. “Where is everyone?” Jax asked.
“Sorcha is in the backyard with the boys. The twins finished all their schoolwork for today, so I told them they could set up the mini-golf set and play outside.”
“Ah.” Jax linked his fingers together and stretched his arms up over his head, hitching his neck from side to side and rolling his shoulders.
Niall moved to stand behind him and began massaging his upper back. “Maybe you need a break from the computer.”
“Maybe,” Jax hummed, leaning into the massage but still seeming distant.
“Sure everything’s okay?” Niall tried again, working out a knot with his thumb.
A deep sigh escaped Jax, echoing in the quiet room. “Everything’s fine. Only…”
“Yes?”
Jax tilted his head back to look at Niall. “Nothing’s wrong. Just something that’s been on my mind.” He exhaled again. “I guess you could say that Ronan and I sort of…had a moment.”
