by Esme Beal
“Cake,” I sighed. “That sounds nice.”
“After everything you’ve been through today, I’m sure anything sounds nice,” Noah said. “Let me go get you a slice.”
“You’ve already done too much for me.”
“It’s getting you a piece of cake. It’s not too much trouble.”
“In that case, do you think you can get me more than a slice?”
Noah already knew what I was getting at, having been through a pregnancy himself. He gave me a smirk and winked.
“I’ll see what I can do.”
He got up from his seat and walked over toward the exit where Ashton and Marshall were watching this entire time.
“Come on,” Noah said to Ashton. “Let’s get the man some cake.”
“You always let him boss you around like that?” Marshall asked.
“He’s the Omega of my child,” Ashton replied. “I give him a little leeway.”
We all shared a laugh before the couple finally left Marshall and me alone. Marshall walked up to me and observed the small pile of gifts by my side.
“It looks like you’ve got enough to last a long time,” he said.
“Noah thought of everything. I won’t have to worry about the essentials for a few months.”
“That’ll be nice. You can focus all of your attention on the baby.”
Marshall took a seat down next to me. I looked down and rubbed my hand on my stomach but Marshall put a hand on my chin and forced me to look up at him.
“Your face,” he said.
“I’m all right,” I said with a laugh. “Just a slight bruise. I’ve had worse dealing with some of the assholes at Paradise. Punks who’ve had too much to drink can get pretty violent.”
“Is that right? Don’t they have security at that place?”
“Security handles it when things get out of hand but that doesn’t mean I don’t take care of myself. Sometimes I take matters into my own hands.”
“I see that now…”
He smiled softly at me. His eyes still as striking as ever, Marshall made me feel more comfortable than anything. No matter where I was, I knew that I would be safe by his side.
“It’ll probably be a little bit before I get back to work there,” I said. “The first few months are going to be crazy taking care of the baby. I’ll need to be by their side at all times, if what Noah is telling me is true.”
“That’s where you should be.”
“Right…”
“And that’s where I’m going to be, too.”
“…Wait… What?”
Marshall gave me a knowing smirk. I guess I couldn’t hide how surprised I was.
“I was just talking to Ashton,” he said. “He talked about potential assignments out there for me. People want to hire me. After all of my exploits in Snow Falls, it appears I’ve made a name for myself.”
“I’m happy for you.”
“I know you are. That’s just the kind of person you are, Spencer. But my exploits everywhere else are done. I’ve done everything I can.”
“What do you mean?”
“You and I saved Amy. I met you. We’re bringing a baby into this world together. The exploits in Snow Falls that everybody else is hearing about will be the last chapter in my book.”
“Wait… Are you saying—”
“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be here for you, Spencer. I’ll be here for our child. I already decided that before but after what happened today, I know there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. You… You’re what I’ve always been working for. You were always my destiny. I understand that now.”
I swallowed to keep all of my emotions down but it didn’t do much to stop the tears building up in my eyes. I blinked to stop them from glazing over. They were undoubtedly getting just as red as my face. All the same, I couldn’t help but smile. Seeing Marshall do the same filled me with an immeasurable happiness that made me feel like I was flying.
Marshall leaned forward and wrapped his arms around me. I sighed a deep breath and let my body go. I knew that I was safe in his embrace. So warm. So comfortable. There was nowhere else I’d rather be. Here with him, I knew that there was truly nothing more for me to worry about.
“I love you, Spencer.”
“I love you, Marshall.”
He pulled away from me and gave me a soft kiss.
“Got a whole cake for you.”
Noah and Ashton interrupted us. Even though my face was bright red, I didn’t care. I looked up as Ashton approached me with the cake. He set it down on the table next to me.
“What’s wrong?” Noah asked me, confusion on his face. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” I said with a laugh. “I’ve never been better actually.”
“Good. Because there’s one more present left for you to open.”
“Oh?”
Ashton walked to the entrance and called out to someone.
“It’s okay,” he said. “Come on. Don’t be shy.”
I raised an eyebrow at the entrance, curious as to who it was. Then I saw her.
Amy walked in, a wrapped present she had to hold with both hands. She had the biggest grin on her face as she walked up to me but she wasn’t looking at me straight.
“Oh, Amy!” I said.
“I made this for you,” she said.
“She worked for a long time on it,” Noah said.
“Let’s see what it is…” I said as I started to unwrap it.
I peeled away just a strip of the wrapping paper and saw what was underneath it. That was enough to make me stop. I looked up at Amy, my mouth half-open as I struggled to find the words to say.
“…Amy…”
I opened the present the rest of the way and found what was underneath it.
“It’s you,” she said. “There’s me. And there’s the baby.”
Amy pointed everything out to me. I swallowed again, trying and failing to hold back all of my emotions.
“Amy… This is beautiful.”
I pulled her into me and wrapped my arms tight around her. I squeezed her like I didn’t want to let her go.
“I love you, Amy. I love you so much.”
“I love you, too, Spencer.”
Amy was such a cute little girl. Those innocent brown eyes of hers. Just looking at them was enough to make me want to do anything for her.
“I think she deserves a reward for how hard she worked,” Noah said. “How about a nice big slice of Spencer’s cake?”
“Yeah!”
Amy’s enthusiasm got a laugh out of everyone. She jumped up to her feet and walked over to the table. Ashton got busy cutting the cake up while we all gathered around it.
All of the people I cared about most were here with me now. These were the ones I would do anything for. And it was easy knowing that they felt the same way about me.
I looked over at Marshall. He had a tender smile on his face. Gone was the rough and rugged mercenary I met just a few weeks ago. He was just the man I loved.
“All right,” Ashton said. “Better get to eating, Amy. If Spencer’s appetite is anything like Noah’s when he was pregnant, this cake won’t be around for long.”
“You’re rich,” Noah said. “If Spencer inhales this thing, you’d better buy Amy another one.”
“If Spencer inhales this thing, I’ll buy another one,” Marshall said.
Everybody at the table was all smiles. All of the drama was finally over. Now, all we had to do was celebrate.
Chapter 25
SPENCER
One week later…
Belly swollen, I laid in bed and sank deeper into the mattress.
“You know, I never realized how hard it’d be?”
“How hard what would be?”
“Being pregnant. I’d seen people walking around with big guts before but I didn’t think having this kind of weight on me would make such a big difference. It feels like I can hardly move.”
“That’s because y
ou have a small frame. All of your weight is right here.”
Marshall tickled me, trailing his finger along my skin and around my stomach. The sensation made me giggle because of how sensitive I’d become.
“Are you calling me little?” I said. “You know Omegas aren’t built as big and strong as you are, Mr. Alpha.”
“I’ve met a few big Omegas in my time. Back in my unit there was a guy called Tank. He was bigger than me. He was bigger than everybody. Nobody messed with him.”
“Well, Tank might be big but he’s special.”
“Aww… The poor Omega’s so big and pregnant he can’t even move…”
Marshall’s mocking voice got another laugh out of me. Lying naked in bed with Marshall, I felt so free. The cool rush of the wind blowing in through the window made me more comfortable than I already was.
Marshall leaned next to me and propped himself onto his elbow. He gave me a smirk, his eyes unblinking.
“What are you up to?” I said.
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re up to something. I can see it in your eyes. Don’t even think about trying anything—”
I gasped when he suddenly moved on top of me. A deep kiss cut me off.
“You really can’t move, huh?” he whispered.
“I can move but I’d rather not put in the effort.”
“Good. Because I’ve got you exactly where I want you.”
“And where’s that—Oh!”
I suddenly felt his hard cock pushing its way between my ass cheeks. Despite my immobility and my comfort lying here, my desire for Marshall was always strong. My asshole was dripping wet for him. It was all the invitation he needed to push his thick length inside of me.
Having someone like Marshall on top of me was indescribably wonderful. Hard muscles. Masculine grunts. The scent of sweat. Everything about him made me want him even more, and that wasn’t even considering the intensity in his stare.
“You’re so handsome, Spencer.”
“S-stop…”
I blushed with embarrassment. Even in the middle of him pounding me, my cheeks somehow became even redder.
I reached up and gripped his muscled arms to brace myself. I held on tight to him while his strokes became harder and deeper.
“Damn, Spencer… You feel so good…”
“Yeah?” I sighed. “You gonna come for me.”
“Yeah, I’m gonna come.”
“Come inside of me. Come inside of your Omega…”
“No… Not so fast… I wanna enjoy this…”
He put his lips on mine. Tongues tangled, our mouths smacked and wet kisses filled my apartment bedroom. The squeak of the mattress grew louder, my pregnant body moving to the forceful rhythm of his strokes.
Marshall might’ve said he didn’t want to come so quickly but I knew he could hold out for much longer. With how wet I was and how much harder he was getting, there was nothing he could do to stop himself.
I squeezed my asshole around his length just as he pulled out of me. He gasped into my mouth.
“You like that?” I whispered. “You like it when I squeeze myself around you?”
“I love it.”
“Oh, then let me do it again…”
I tightened myself around his cock again and made him grimace in ecstasy. Back and forth, we quickly found our rhythm. I’d open up as wide as I could for him to plunge deep then squeeze as he pulled out.
“Come on,” I sighed. “Give it to me already.”
“Beg for it, Omega.”
“Gimme your cum! I need it!”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Please… Damn, you feel so good…”
It didn’t even matter whether or not Marshall came. At this point, his hard, sweaty body was rubbing against my cock. I was so stiff that I was on the verge of bursting.
My grip on his arms firmed as I felt myself going over the edge. I shut my eyes tight and held my breath just before losing control.
“Oh, God… Marshall… Ahh…”
My mouth hung open and a soft whimper escaped my throat as I started to come. Small spurts of seed spilled out of my tip. Marshall pulled out and rubbed his cock with mine. My dick coated his shaft with cum.
“That’s it,” Marshall sighed. “I’m gonna come on you just like you came on… me…”
He held his breath then let out a loud, masculine grunt.
“Oh, Marshall…”
I looked up at his face, gasping in surprise when I felt a thick dose of cum beginning to spill on my dick. Marshall gritted his teeth, his stared focused on mine as he proceeded to lose himself. Pulse after pulse of his seed covered me up until both of our cocks were covered in a thick, sticky mess.
Marshall trembled softly one last time underneath my grip until the final drop of him spilled out.
He rolled over onto the side of the bed. We both stared up at the ceiling, hearts racing, bodies sweating, gasping for breath, trying to recover from the ecstasy of yet another love-making session.
I sighed a deep breath of contentment. The smile on my face was tattooed on me at this point. I enjoyed the sound of Marshall breathing softly next to me. A few minutes had gone by until I’d fully recovered.
I opened my eyes and rolled my head to the side. Marshall was standing next to my window, his proud body glistening underneath the sunlight while he observed the city.
I pushed myself off the mattress with all of my strength and waddled over to him. My belly had gotten so big that I felt like I had to hold onto it to stop it from exploding.
“I thought you said you couldn’t move,” Marshall said.
“I can move,” I said with a smirk. “Maybe I just wanted you to think I couldn’t.”
We shared a laugh then both turned out toward the window. I leaned up against him, my head resting on his shoulder.
“It’ll only be a couple of weeks,” I said. “If that. Male Omegas don’t gestate for very long.”
“Are you gonna miss being pregnant, since your pregnancy is so short?”
“Being pregnant is nice but only because of what it means. Finding an Alpha. Bringing a life into this world. I wouldn’t mind if it was longer but it’s only just a reminder of what’s really important.”
“And what’s really important, Spencer?”
“You. Our baby. The shelter. You already know the answer to that.”
“I suppose I do,” he said with a soft laugh.
“What about you?” I asked. “What’s important to you, Mr. Marshall?”
He didn’t answer me immediately. I closed my eyes and listened to him breathing softly. It didn’t matter what he said because I knew it wouldn’t take away the smile on my face.
“Snow Falls,” he said. “This city isn’t like any place I’ve ever been to.”
“You’ve only just arrived.”
“But I’ve seen so much of it with you. Even under the worst circumstances, I can’t imagine being anywhere else.”
I looked up at him and he stared back down at me, his eyes filled with the kind of passion I knew was deep inside of him. At this point, I knew Marshall as well as I knew myself.
“That’s what’s important to me,” he said. “That’s why I don’t need to take another assignment. That’s why I don’t need to go looking for something else. With you by my side, I’m complete.”
I swallowed, ignoring my emotions the best I could so I could instead focus on him.
“I love you,” I said. “I’m your Omega. I always will be.”
“As long as you’ll have me, I will be your Alpha.”
“I know. You don’t have to tell me.”
He leaned forward and kissed me softly again.
“I love you…”
His breath warm against my cheek, his whispered words made my heart beat twice as fast inside of my chest. Yet I’d never been more relaxed than I was now.
My pregnancy was already nearing its end. But for my own happiness, the
re was no end in sight.
Chapter 26
SPENCER
Two weeks later…
Spending enough time around Noah meant that I was as prepared as I could be for everything. I would never know what it was actually like to go through a pregnancy besides going through it, but no matter what I faced, I knew that I would be ready.
Of course, that all went out the window as soon as I felt the pain from my contractions. A small child kicking itself out of me was nothing short of excruciating.
I’d been through a lot in the past month or so. Searching desperately for Amy. Dealing with Hudson. Struggling with my feelings for Marshall. But nothing compared to the physical pain I had to deal with now.
My eyes closed, I steadied my breath and calmed myself the best I could. The bright lights of the hospital room seemed a lot hotter than normal. Beads of sweat cascaded down my brow like an endless waterfall. Every part of my being was pushed to its limit.
“It’s all right… I’m still with you…”
Marshall’s words of encouragement filled my heart with the determination I needed to deal with everything.
I blinked my eyes open and looked up at him. He stood to the side of the bed, his eyes wide with a tender smile on his lips. It was the kind of confident smile you could expect from someone like him. He’d been out there. He’d lost men in his unit. He’d put his life on the line. But he was here with me, still smiling despite how much I was going through. If he could get through all of that to get to me then there was no way I couldn’t get through this.
“Do you need anything?” he said. “Tell me.”
I swallowed but my throat was so dry that I couldn’t even speak. I shook my head softly and smiled to let him know that I was all right.
“How is he doing, doctor?” Marshall said.
“You’re doing great, Spencer,” she said.
“We’ve been at this for hours now. How close are we?”
“Every pregnancy is different. Spencer just has to go at his own pace. Don’t worry. I don’t see any complications. Spencer, just keep pushing and breathing.”
My water broke in the middle of the morning. Thankfully Marshall was around, so I could be ushered to the hospital as quickly as possible. I spent the entire day in the hospital. I lost track of time but I knew that I’d been giving birth for hours.