“Can we really?” Ollie asked.
“I don’t see why not,” Eric said, kissing his nape.
Despite their family and their pasts, maybe things could work out. Gods knew Ollie yearned for it.
“I’d like to,” he whispered.
“Then by all means,” Eric murmured, nuzzling Olivier’s neck. “Welcome to the family.”
22
Eric
Over the next few days, the change in Olivier’s demeanor was nothing short of surprising.
Eric watched as Ollie began to open up more around Jenn, pulling her into his lap, playing peek-a-boo with her and her toys. He’d begun to touch his belly a lot more in front of Eric, too, and Eric only understood then, how much Ollie had been looking forward to his child.
Their child.
He couldn’t believe he hadn’t seen this coming, couldn’t believe it had taken him this long to realize he loved his omega.
“I still have some of Jenn’s newborn clothes,” Eric said while they were in the bathroom. “Do you want to use them for the baby?”
Olivier froze, his entire face lighting up. “Yes! I mean, yeah, sure we can.”
He hugged Jenn closer, though, smiling to himself. Eric’s heart soared.
So he left the bathroom cabinet open, wrapping his arms around Ollie and Jenn. “I love you guys. All of you.”
Olivier blushed, leaning into Eric’s chest. “I’m glad.”
Eric buried his nose in Ollie’s hair, tickling Jenn’s armpit. “You thought of a name for the baby yet?”
Ollie scrunched his face. “Not really. I haven’t decided. I’m... kind of nervous about it. What if I mess up?”
He tensed, looking worried. Eric squeezed Ollie’s shoulders. “You’re doing fine with Jenn, aren’t you?”
Olivier squirmed. “But...”
“But you’ll do great,” Eric said, kissing Ollie’s ear. “‘Sides, I’m here. I have some experience.”
Olivier sighed. “Were you this confident when Jenn was a newborn?”
Eric chuckled. “Naw. I was panicking, too. Kind of like you, I guess.” He hugged Ollie close, letting Jenn grab his thumb. “Alice seemed to know what to do, though.”
He shoved away the ache in his chest, breathing in Ollie’s carnation-and-honey scent.
Olivier winced. “I’m nothing like her, right?”
Eric studied him. “You know you can’t compare yourself to her.”
“I guess.” Ollie sighed. “I just... I don’t know. I’m a mess.”
“You are a little bit of a mess,” Eric said, feeling Olivier tense up against him. “But you’re my mess.”
Olivier laughed weakly against him. “I hope that’s a good thing.”
“It is.” Eric squeezed Ollie’s ass. “See, Alice was a friend. I married her thinking I wasn’t gonna fall in love with anyone after you.”
Ollie glanced up, hope flickering through his eyes. Eric couldn’t help cracking a smile. Ollie really did crave Eric’s love, didn’t he?
He needs me, Eric thought, his heart filling with warmth.
He pressed a kiss to Olivier’s nose. “I loved her as a friend. And we’d been married three years, so... it hits hard. Some days I still wish she was around, ‘cuz she was my best friend.”
Olivier’s shoulders sagged. “I’m sorry.”
Eric pictured Alice in his mind, her unruly red hair and her cheerful grin. She’d be happy for him now, wouldn’t she? He’d found his omega again.
About time you did that, she would’ve said. I was starting to wonder about you.
He shrugged, letting her image fade. “So... You’re my omega, and she was my best friend. It’s not something you should try to live up to.”
“I want to be your best friend, too,” Olivier said in a small voice.
A grin crept through Eric’s face. “We’ll get there,” he murmured, nuzzling Ollie’s temple. “It’s not like I have many other friends, anyway.”
Ollie shook his head, smiling exasperatedly. “Always an introvert, weren’t you?”
“So’re you. I guess we make a good match.”
Olivier pulled away, cheering up. So Eric turned back to the bathroom cabinet, scanning the dark wood shelves. He found a second can of shaving cream—there wasn’t one there last week. “I thought I was almost out of this.”
“Oh.” Ollie grinned. “I got some for you the other day, when I took Jenn to the store. And... I bought Jenn some things, too. And the baby.”
“You did?” Eric perked up. “You didn’t show me!”
Olivier blushed. “I didn’t know you wanted to see them. I mean, they were small things. I put them away and we got distracted in the bathroom.”
“Show me,” Eric said, kissing Ollie’s knuckles. “I want to know everything you do.”
“Even the puking?”
“Even that.”
Ollie’s eyes sparkled. He hefted Jenn in his arms, then led Eric to the nursery. There, a pastel green rattle lay on Jenn’s mattress. Eric had seen that, but he hadn’t thought too much about where it had come from. Had Olivier bought that?
“There’s this, too,” Ollie said, pulling open a drawer. He took out a bottle of pink lotion—it looked familiar.
“Highton’s Finest?” Eric took the bottle, turning it over. “This is expensive shit, Ollie. You bought it? For Jenn?”
Ollie looked away, blushing. “Yeah. I figured... you might approve of it.”
He sneaked a quick glance at Eric, watching Eric’s reaction. It mattered to him, didn’t it? Considering how Olivier’s Strings wasn’t back to its former glory, and how Ollie hadn’t turned down the share of rent that Eric slipped him, he wasn’t doing so great on money.
So Ollie buying these things for Jenn, without even trying to show them off to Eric...
“You care about her,” Eric said with a smile, scooping Ollie into his arms. Jenn squealed, and Olivier yelped.
“I just thought you’d appreciate having the best thing for her,” Olivier spluttered, his cheeks pink. “I mean... you grew up with Highton’s Finest.”
Eric kissed him soundly on the lips. “Yeah, well. It was a little pricey, though, so we’d never bought it for Jenn. The Babysaur brand works the same.”
Ollie squirmed. “So... is it really worth all that money?”
“I haven’t tried it in years. Let’s find out.”
He peeled off the plastic seal on the bottle, pumping the nozzle a couple times. Then pink lotion oozed onto his palm, and Eric rubbed it into the back of his hand.
It was decent. Kind of thick, but it smelled like the heavy perfumes the omegas wore back at the Total Sounds corporate office.
For that tiny dab of lotion... the scent was sure strong.
Olivier wrinkled his nose, sniffing. “That’s it?”
Eric turned the bottle around in his hand. As pricey as it was, it should’ve been... better. A little less cloying, maybe. Was this bottle an exception, or was the lotion meant to be like that? I’m not putting perfume on my baby.
To think that Ollie had bought this bottle with the best intentions in the world... Eric hesitated, his stomach flipping. How did you tell your omega you weren’t likely using his expensive gift?
“I don’t remember it being this strong,” Eric said slowly.
“Me neither,” Ollie answered, his face dismayed.
They looked at the lotion, then at Jenn. Jenn stuck her thumb in her mouth, looking curiously at them.
Ollie winced. “S-sorry, I swear I didn’t know it was so bad. I’ll take it back to the store. Maybe I’ll return it or something—is that possible?”
“Maybe.” Eric’s heart squeezed at Olivier’s panic. He set the bottle down, wrapping his arm around Ollie’s shoulders. “It’s fine. I’ll use it. My feet have been peeling in the winter air, anyway. It’ll work for me, right?”
Olivier relaxed slightly. “I guess.”
But he was still eyeing the bottle of lotion, his s
houlders sagging.
“It’s still appreciated,” Eric murmured, nuzzling his ear. “When Jenn grows up, it’s gonna be one of those stories you tell all her friends.”
Olivier laughed then, cheering up slightly. “You think so?”
“Yup.”
Eric turned his omega away from the bottle, trying to remember if the Highton’s Finest brand had been any better in his childhood. Or had it always been like this, and he hadn’t noticed until he’d stepped away from it?
Had his mom only turned snide recently, or had she always been that way?
He hadn’t answered the string of angry texts from her; it wasn’t appropriate to talk this out through text. But he hadn’t had time to meet up with his mom, either, when he’d been so busy with work and Jenn.
“I have these mittens, too,” Olivier said shyly, pulling open another drawer. Then he fished out a tiny, striped pair of newborn mittens, running his thumb over the soft cotton.
Eric’s heart warmed. With the way his mom had treated Olivier, how had Ollie grown up to be this lovely?
“Here, let me carry Jenn,” Eric said, lifting his daughter out of Ollie’s arms. Jenn cooed, grabbing his ear.
The mittens were soft between his fingers, and so very tiny. In another six months, they’d have a new baby joining them—a mix of his and Ollie’s DNA. And maybe Eric was a little bit excited about what that baby would look like, whether it’d resemble himself or Olivier more.
“You didn’t get the matching socks?” Eric asked, pressing a kiss to Ollie’s cheek.
Olivier shrugged. “This was enough of an impulse buy.”
“I’ll get you the socks,” Eric said. “That’ll be my impulse buy, so we’ll have a complete set between us. How about that?”
“I can’t believe you, Eric.” Olivier laughed, and Eric kissed down Ollie’s neck, to his shoulder.
Then he knelt at Ollie’s feet, tugging up Ollie’s shirt with his free hand.
“Eric,” Olivier squawked.
“I’m saying hi to the baby,” Eric murmured, pressing his nose to the slight bump of Olivier’s belly. Ollie’s skin was warm, firm, and he smelled sweet. “Hey, I’m your other dad. I’ve listened to your dad singing to you in the shower. He sounds pretty darn good, doesn’t he?”
“I didn’t know you were listening!” Olivier flushed.
“You took singing classes with me.” Eric kissed Olivier’s belly. “You know you sound good.”
“But that was... I don’t know, fourteen years ago?”
“Yup, fourteen years ago.” Eric cracked a smile, pressing his face against Ollie’s baby bump. “Been a while since we sang together, hasn’t it?”
Olivier chewed on his lip. “Do you think we’ll still sound good together? I mean...”
“You’re the one with a music shop.” Eric squeezed his thigh. “Surely you’ve been practicing.”
“I’ve been playing the violin more, actually. When I had time to.”
“Yeah?” Eric grinned. “You haven’t played for me yet.”
Olivier squirmed, his blush deepening. “Why would you... want to hear me?”
“Because I love you,” Eric said.
Ollie swallowed hard, as though he still wasn’t used to hearing it.
That gave Eric an idea. “C’mon, Jenn. Let’s say, ‘I love you,’ to Ollie. Say I... looove youuu.”
Jenn grinned. “Nana ga laaa eeerrrr!”
Eric laughed. “Close enough.”
Olivier’s forehead wrinkled. “I don’t see how she’d love me.”
“Of course she does. You’re the one changing her diapers more often than me.” Eric nudged his omega.
“That’s it?” Ollie gave a soft, disbelieving laugh. “All I have to do is be good to her?”
“Yup.”
“That’s... That’s almost too easy,” Ollie said quietly, his smile wistful.
“Some things in life are easy,” Eric murmured, pressing a kiss to Olivier’s belly. “Like me loving you. And the baby, too.”
Olivier’s smile grew. So Eric lifted Jenn, turning her to face Olivier’s belly.
“Say hi to your new sibling, Jenn,” Eric said, placing her hand carefully on Ollie’s abdomen. “They’re in there somewhere. You’re gonna be a big sister soon!”
Jenn patted Ollie’s belly, staring blankly at it.
“Maybe next time,” Olivier said.
“Next time, she’ll be calling you Papa,” Eric answered. “Or would you rather be Daddy too?”
Olivier froze, glancing at Jenn. “I don’t know.”
“We’ll wait for you to decide, then,” Eric said. “Plenty of time.”
Ollie’s gaze softened, and Eric leaned in, breathing in his omega’s carnation scent. As long as they were all together, things would turn out okay, right?
23
Olivier
“I’m not sure we should’ve accepted the invitation,” Olivier said, his heart squeezing. “It’s just lunch, I know. But... I haven’t seen your mom in a while.”
Eric straightened his shirt, breathing a sigh. “We can’t keep hiding from them, Ollie. You know that.”
“I know. It’s just...” Olivier looked down at his clothes, smoothing his hand over his belly. At four months, his baby bump was growing ever more pronounced. It was difficult to hide his pregnancy now, even if they’d bothered with scent suppressants. “I don’t think very many people would accept our relationship at all.”
Eric stepped over, wrapping his arms around Ollie’s waist. “If it gets bad, we’ll leave the restaurant, yeah? It’s no trouble for me.”
Ollie leaned into his alpha, his stomach twisting with anxiety. It had been years since he’d visited the family. He’d bumped into his dad or stepmom around Meadowfall, but those had been minute-long encounters. Not an hour of being stuck at the same table, being judged by all of them.
“It’ll be so much easier if it wasn’t your baby,” Olivier mumbled. Not that he regretted the baby at all.
Eric narrowed his eyes. “Even then, I rather it was mine. Because I want you to remember that I love you. It’s not like I’m gonna leave anytime soon.”
Olivier blushed, looking down as he smiled. “Thank you.”
“Thank you,” Eric said. “For all of this. For letting Jenn and me step into your life.”
Jenn crawled over to the corner of their bed, cramming the sheets into her mouth.
Olivier groaned. It had been getting tricky, letting her crawl around the backroom of the store. Jenn had been poking around the dark corners, and Ollie had been forced to put Levi in charge of the store so he could watch over her.
At least, he’d been making enough to afford Levi’s help again.
“I think I’m ready,” Ollie said, checking Jenn’s diaper bag a last time. “Are you?”
“Yup. Let’s head out.”
Olivier squirmed as they left the apartment. They’d gone out together a number of times, but never dressed up, and never holding hands. It always felt as though someone would discover their relationship whenever they were in public.
At the elevator landing, Olivier froze when Kate joined them, her hands in her pockets, thick kohl around her eyes. She was alpha, she lived next door, and she was someone who intimidated Olivier.
Eric nodded at Kate; she nodded back. Then she glanced at Jenn in Eric’s arms, and Eric’s fingers tangled with Ollie’s. Her eyebrows rose.
“Um, this is Eric,” Olivier squeaked. At any moment, she would say, He’s your brother and you have a disgusting relationship.
But Kate shrugged and said, “Right, cool.”
Olivier’s heart thumped anyway.
They all stepped into the elevator, Kate scrolling through something on her phone.
“Told you it’d be fine,” Eric murmured, squeezing Ollie’s sweaty hand.
Olivier squirmed, smiling at Jenn instead so he could think about something other than being judged.
“Wanna hold her?” Er
ic asked.
Olivier nodded eagerly. Eric handed his cooing daughter over.
Jenn stuck her fingers into Ollie’s mouth, giggling when he made a face. And Eric promptly took a picture of them with his phone.
“Hey!” Olivier yelped.
“That’s too good to miss,” Eric said, tucking his phone into his pocket. “Don’t open your mouth too wide, or she’ll fit her whole hand in there.”
“That’ll give ‘fisting’ a whole new meaning,” Olivier muttered.
Kate snorted on the other side of the elevator, and Olivier relaxed. She seemed friendly.
“I hope you aren’t posting that picture on Facebook,” Olivier muttered.
Eric studied him for a moment, his gaze thoughtful. “I was hoping to.”
“But people will see!”
“Let them, Ollie. This is a permanent relationship. Ain’t nothing gonna make me leave.”
Olivier made a face at him. “If you’re so certain.”
“Yup, I am.”
Eric held Ollie’s gaze, his eyes warm and calm, and Ollie’s stomach flipped. He loved this man.
“Fine,” he said eventually.
“Told you,” Eric answered. Ollie elbowed him so he grunted.
The elevator doors rumbled open. Kate turned and waved. “You guys are cute,” she said with a grin. “See you around.”
Then she left, and Eric raised his eyebrows. “See? Not everyone’s gonna judge us, you know.”
“She doesn’t know we’re brothers,” Ollie said beneath his breath.
“Not everyone has to know.” Eric slipped his arm around Ollie’s waist, guiding him out of the elevator. “To them, we’re just alpha and omega. As we should be.”
That warmed Ollie’s face. If Eric was right... that would be nice, wouldn’t it?
He followed Eric to the car, tucking the traveling bag into the trunk. Eric secured Jenn in the car seat, and then they were off.
The streets of Meadowfall rolled by, the roads crowded with weekend traffic. Olivier closed his eyes, trying not to panic. Their relationship wasn’t so bad for Eric, because Eric was an alpha. There was hardly anything an alpha could do wrong.
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