Niall emitted a low chuckle. “When I ended things between us, I needed to leave, to go out into the world and find Jax, to find myself. You and Ronan needed the jolt that me leaving caused.”
“It made us understand better when Sorcha came along. We knew we needed to put ourselves out there. See things as they are.”
Niall eyed Teal directly. “And do you? See things as they are?”
The heartbeat hammering its way out of Teal’s chest signaled to him that he did. He glanced at Niall’s captivating face, his strong, angular jaw and intense steely gaze. He thought about how Niall’s uninhibited laughter softened his severe features, like a gift he only gave to those who made him smile.
“I see you,” Teal replied simply.
“And I see you.” Niall rose from his chair. “I’m going to go check on Sorcha and the kids.”
“Niall?”
“Yes?”
“You called me ‘sweetheart.’ That was the first time you’ve done that since…before.”
“Did I?”
With that enigmatic response, Niall left the room.
Teal smiled after him. He'd missed hearing the endearment on the beta's lips.
He needed to hear it again.
Chapter Thirty
Sorcha
Sorcha had to keep reminding himself he wasn’t dreaming.
His entire life, he’d been made to feel like a burden. His fathers, brothers and uncles had made their acceptance—he’d never call it love—contingent on what he could do for them. Now he understood what family truly meant. With Ronan and Teal, he felt valued beyond what he could bring to them through his labor.
All his life, he’d barely let himself imagine meeting a loving alpha one day. Now he had so much more. He was surrounded by love, enveloped by it. For the first time, he had a place he could breathe and feel secure.
On Sunday night, Sorcha sat on the large sectional in the living room watching a movie with his family. Ronan stretched his legs out on the chaise end of the sofa. Teal lay on top of him. The usually-imposing omega appeared wan and listless, struggling to stay awake.
Teal’s stomach had been hurting all weekend, if the many antacids he’d been downing were any indication. Sorcha sat on Ronan’s other side, rubbing soothing circles over Teal’s back.
“Thank you, my darling,” the older omega murmured. “That feels nice.”
From the opposite end of the couch, Niall smiled at Sorcha while also directing worried eyes at Teal.
Even with the stress of the tribunal hanging over their heads, spending the weekend in the house together had given everyone a chance to connect, including the boys. They’d been snappish and grumpy all week, so it was good for them to be with Teal, Sorcha thought, even if he was sick.
Sorcha had spent a lot of quality time with Zayne over the past few days, and he’d worked hard to get to know the twins better. They were polite to him, but their age and, frankly, theiralphanessmade them more wary of the situation than their little brother. But they were trying.
They were sweet boys too, easy to love. Garin and Kino sat on either side of Niall, shoving handfuls of popcorn into their mouths and pretending not to be upset about how run-down their daddy seemed. Jax sat crisscross-applesauce on the floor with Zayne in his lap. The tiny omega’s eyelids were fighting a losing battle with sleep.
Suddenly, Teal jumped up from the couch, rushing into the downstairs bathroom. Sorcha saw the alarm on Ronan’s face but knew he didn’t want to upset the boys. On the large flat screen, two teenaged characters appeared to have entered an enchanted maze.
Before Ronan could get up, Sorcha put a gentle hand on his thigh. “Let me,” he told the alpha. Ronan gave him a grateful nod.
“Garin, why don’t you bring me that popcorn bowl so we can share?” Ronan asked. The little alpha had noticed his daddyhurry to the bathroom but took the cue from his papa not to make a big deal about it. He sat down on Ronan’s lap with the bowl.
Sorcha made his way down the hallway, tapping on the outside of the bathroom door with one knuckle.
He spoke softly so no one in the living room could hear. “Teal, it’s me.”
