Buried Passion: M/M Mpreg Alpha Male Romance (Never Too Late Book 1)

by Aiden Bates

  Through it all, Ryan and Nick continued to build their lives together. Nick's family were delighted to have them back together, and made an extra effort to make sure that Ryan knew that he was included in all invitations and family activities. The children of the family, the nieces and nephews, adored him instantly. He seemed to find that surprising, but Nick didn't. Nick just smiled and let them have their fun and cuddles.

  Their search for a house continued. They wanted to stay relatively close to Framingham, since they both worked there. They wouldn't mind coming a little farther east, given that most of Nick's relatives were closer to Boston. And they wanted someplace big enough to host the family for get-togethers. Ryan preferred places with a lot of natural light, and wasn't interested in renovating. Nick wanted an older place with potential for improvement.

  Finally, they found a place up in Maynard. The house had been built in the 1890s, and while the infrastructure of the house had been updated, the bones of the house were intact. Ryan pronounced it to be "beautiful, providing that a master bath could be added." Nick agreed to that in a heartbeat. They had more than enough time for a master bath to be added on.

  They closed on the house, and started the move-in process.

  Ryan's body started to change as his pregnancy advanced. He wasn't thrilled about that, and Nick could understand why. It looked distinctly uncomfortable, and sometimes like it had to be almost painful. He made sure to provide as much comfort as he could, with massages and careful attention to things like dish washing.

  In August, Ryan went to the hospital and delivered a beautiful baby boy. Their son had a full head of wild, dark hair and wide dark eyes that he opened exactly never, preferring to close them against the bright lights of the world. He shook his little fist at any loud sounds that agitated him, but only cried if he was wet, cold, or hungry and was perfectly happy to cuddle either parent.

  It was Nick's idea to name their baby Dan. Ryan stared at him for a good, solid minute after he made the suggestion, and Nick wondered if he'd made a mistake. "That's not a little thing," Ryan said, after a long moment.

  "No," Nick agreed. "It isn't. But Dan's still part of your life. And you love him. I love him too, even though I never met him, because he was good to you. And I think it's good to name our son after someone we both love, and who was someone we can both hope that he grows up to emulate."

  Ryan cried, but agreed to the name, and Daniel James Robles became the latest addition to the family. The rest of Nick's family cooed over him, and made a fuss, and all of the cousins promised to teach him things like how to walk and read and get into trouble.

  His cousin Olivia, older by two weeks, was unimpressed. They were both small enough that they could share a crib, and so they did.

  Rosa, who had become a fixture in their lives, was enthralled by the newborn who carried her brother's name. She met him not long after he was born, in the house in Maynard where she'd brought her children for a small celebration. She teared up when she saw the photos she'd given them up on the wall, in positions of honor right alongside family portraits and a picture of Dan, but they were tears of joy.

  Rosa ultimately decided that she did want to go and meet Leanne again, now that she knew everything. It had been long enough, she decided, and she was willing to forgive. Forgiveness was something that Leanne wanted as well, so they agreed to meet up at Holy Cross Church in South Easton since it was about equally inconvenient for each.

  The meeting was difficult at first. Leanne was dealing with a lot of guilt, and Rosa hadn't lost all of her resentment. Nick personally thought that all of the guilt and resentment was perfectly justified, but no one had asked him.

  Then the ice started to thaw. Leanne took Rosa's hand, looked her in the eye, and said, "I'm sorry. I had reasons for acting, or for not acting, the way that I did. They were the right thing for me, at the time, but they weren't fair to you or your family and I'm sorry."

  Rosa closed her eyes and squeezed Leanne's hand. "I forgive you," she said in a quiet voice. "I was angry, at first. But your reasons, they were valid for you. And I think that if you'd spoken out you probably would have been hurt. Other people getting hurt wouldn't have brought my brother back."

  The women hugged, and turned their attention to the baby in Ryan's arms.

  When Will O'Neal was finally convicted, it was almost an anticlimax. The case was airtight, O'Neal's fate a foregone conclusion. Ryan and Nick celebrated by leaving Dan with Nick's parents and heading out to a hotel for the night. It had been long enough since Dan's birth that they could finally complete what they'd spent so long building.

  The claim was perfect, a golden moment that could never be repeated. Part of Nick wished that they could stay in the hotel for a few more nights, but that wasn't the point. The claim was just the final seal on the life that they'd been building together—a life that didn't stop because they'd made it legally official. And they wouldn't have it any other way.

  They drove back into Brighton the next morning to grab their son, and keep living their life.

  <<<<>>>>

  Bonus Chapter Sixteen

  Nick glanced over at his omega before pulling the covers up over their son's shoulders. He was getting big now; almost four years old and beautiful just like his father. He still resisted bedtime like there was no tomorrow, though, even though he was usually asleep even before his head hit the pillow.

  Ryan let a hand drift over the small of Nick's back as he eased his way out of the bedroom. Nick shivered. Something that had changed since he'd claimed Ryan was the way they understood one another now. Oh, sure, they still had their issues from time to time, but there was never any doubt that one loved the other. And Nick never wondered if Ryan was in the mood.

  He could feel his beloved's sexual energy, a swirling mass of heat and nerves just underneath the skin. Oh, he wanted, all right. It had been a long week down in Abused Persons. Ryan had spent the week working some intense cases, and preparing for Lt. Frisk's retirement. Now she was retired, the ceremony had come and gone, and everyone could rest easy. Well, maybe not everyone. The new department head, Lt. Tran-Robles, had more on his plate than ever before. They'd work that out over time.

  Nick followed his omega into their bedroom. He was proud of the work he'd done in here. They'd taken out a wall and expanded into an office space next to the master bedroom, which gave them a walk-in closet and a master bath that anyone would have been proud to show off. He'd let Ryan have his own way with the decor, though. Ryan was better at that sort of thing, and a lot more particular about it.

  He locked the door behind them. While DJ, as baby Dan liked to be called, was generally the soundest of sleepers, sometimes he did wake up looking for the bathroom or a drink of water and neither of them needed that at this particular moment, thank you.

  Ryan was already taking off his clothes, shucking his black henley like it had personally offended him. The scars from his youth were still there, of course. They'd be there for the rest of his life, but they no longer drew Nick's eye the way they once had. Nick got rid of his own polo shirt and chucked his jeans, too. Eventually, Ryan would be annoyed by the fact that he'd missed the hamper. For now, though, Ryan only had eyes for him.

  He strutted right up to Nick and all but draped himself over Nick. "Have I told you how amazing you looked n your uniform today?" he asked, pulling him down for a kiss.

  "Seriously? You think I look good in the uniform?" Nick ground their clothed cocks together, relishing in the way that he could feel Ryan's solid dick even through the worn denim of his jeans. "I thought everyone looked like a dork in their uniform."

  "Not you. You looked amazing. I couldn't think about anything but you while I was up there." Ryan palmed him through the thin cotton of his briefs. "Can I?"

  "Man, you know I'm never going to say no."

  Ryan sank to his knees and gently, almost reverently peeled Nick's briefs off of him. He didn't have more than a moment to enjoy the feel of the air cond
itioning, though, because Ryan lavished kitten licks all over his already stiff cock. After a moment of this, though, he stopped playing and took him into his mouth for real, swirling his tongue around the crown of his cock. Nick grabbed onto Ryan's hair, not tugging or pulling but holding on for dear life.

  Ryan knew how to apply suction, just how much and when to back off. He knew when to take Nick deeper, too. He rarely deep throated. He said it was uncomfortable, something that Nick could certainly understand. It was still something that he was good at, though, and Nick enjoyed every second that Ryan chose to indulge him.

  He almost lost himself in the rhythm that Ryan set. It would have been so easy, and so incredibly nice. Ryan would have let him, too, but he didn't want to. Not today, the day that Ryan had been promoted. He disengaged gently, pulling back from Ryan's mouth and kissing his spit-slick lips. "I want to be in you," he whispered. "Will you let me?"

  Ryan's eyes shone up at him, full of adoration. "Always," he said.

  Nick helped him out of his jeans and tossed them aside. Ryan was naked now, proud and erect before him. "God, you're beautiful," Nick gasped, stepping back to look. "Have I told you today that I love you?"

  "Not since dinner." Ryan winked at him.

  "I love you." He gave Ryan a playful swat on the behind. "Hands and knees, babe. Up on the bed."

  Ryan scurried to obey while Nick fetched the lube.

  After so many years together, Nick knew how to get Ryan ready without wasting much time. Sometimes they drew it out; in fact, that could be a lot of fun, every once in a while. Tonight was not one of those nights. Ryan's need bled through their bond, and Nick thought he might actually combust if he didn't get what he wanted. Maybe there was something to that whole "man in uniform" thing after all.

  When Ryan was stretched out just right, slick and open and rocking back onto Nick's fingers, Nick knew that it was time. He slicked himself up and worked his way into the tight, hot caress of Ryan's body. It didn't matter how many times they did this; each and every time was like coming home.

  Beneath him, Ryan choked out little moans and buried his face on the mattress. He was speaking, babbling away, but his words were so muffled that Nick couldn't understand any of it. Ryan didn't expect him to. Nick dropped a kiss onto the back of Ryan's neck, and Ryan picked his head up. "Move," he said.

  Nick obliged him. He set an enthusiastic pace. It wasn't hard to figure out what Ryan wanted tonight, and Nick certainly had no qualms about giving it to him either. He liked the frenzy, liked to drive all other thoughts from his conscious brain until nothing remained but Ryan.

  He reached around Ryan to give him a few tugs, and that was all it took to send him over the edge. He came with a shout that he barely remembered to muffle, his whole body clenching and quivering with the force of his orgasm. That, in turn, carried Nick over with him.

  They lay together for a moment, sweaty and panting. Then Nick helped Ryan to his feet. "Come on," he urged. "Let's go."

  He guided Ryan over to the master bath. He was proud of the master bath. They'd saved money by doing a lot of the non-specialized labor themselves, and Ryan had done a lot of the design. The end result was an oasis, a mix of modern and Victorian that warmed Nick's heart every time he stepped into it.

  He ushered Ryan over to the teak bench and drew a bath in the oversized, two-person air bath. This had been a bit of an indulgence when they'd been putting in the master bath, but it had been worth every penny. Ryan's blissed-out smile deepened when he processed what Nick was doing, and he slipped into the warm water with a happy sigh when the bath was ready.

  They cuddled in the bath for a little while, just enjoying one another's presence and a little peace and quiet. They couldn't stay all night, of course. DJ tended to wake up early, after all, and they didn't want to be groggy when dealing with him. They'd learned their lesson after the Great Shelf Climbing Incident, and the fight after the Great Shelf Climbing Incident. It was nice to just spend a little time just like this, relaxing together in a different way.

  They left the door unlocked when they went to sleep, and just as he did every morning DJ came running into their bedroom at seven o'clock the next morning full of energy, enthusiasm, and ideas for a brand new day. "I wanna go look at the duckies in the river! And the fishes and the froggies!" He bounced up and down on his fathers' bed, eyes and hair wild.

  Froggies were of prime importance to little DJ. Nick mock-tackled him and wrapped him up in a huge bear hug. "We'll see if we can find you a froggie or two," he promised. "And I'll tell you what. We'll even cook outside on the grill tonight, so you can have hot dogs if you want."

  "Hot dogs!" DJ cheered and waved his arms. "Hot dogs! This is the best day ever!"

  DJ was very easy to please. Both of his dads loved that about him.

  Nick took their son to go pick out some clothes for the day so that Ryan could get dressed, and Ryan took DJ downstairs for breakfast so that Nick could get dressed. It was a system that worked for them, and by the time that Nick got downstairs the coffee was brewing and breakfast was on the table.

  They sat down to eat and talked about some of the things that they would do that day. Before there could be any search for river life, froggies or other, chores had to be done. Ryan ran a tight ship at the house, though, so they weren't all that onerous and they got through the worst of it by ten o'clock.

  They'd just finished backing away from scrubbing down the kitchen counters when the doorbell rang. Nick rushed to answer it, only to find a man in a dark suit and tie. "Can I help you?"

  The man scratched his beard. "I hope so. I'm looking for Ryan Tran?"

  Ryan stuck his head around the corner, eyebrows drawn together. "It's Ryan Tran-Robles now." He stepped into the entryway. "What can I do for you?"

  The stranger cleared his throat and indicated his briefcase. "My name is John Berman. I'm an attorney from up in Lowell. I handled your family's wills."

  "Wills?" Ryan drew his eyebrows together. "What do you mean?"

  Nick didn't share his omega's confusion. "I think you'd better come in." He let Berman into the building and showed him into the more formal living room.

  DJ's eyes widened as he took in the room. "I'm never allowed to come in here!"

  "No, you're not, sport." Nick ruffled his hair. "How about if you go and get Mr. Froggie and come right back, okay?"

  DJ hurried off to go get his stuffed froggie, little feet beating out a rapid tattoo on the hardwood floors. Ryan stepped into the parlor and sat down on one of the couches. Berman sat on a nearby chair and opened up his briefcase. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Ryan, your mother and your uncle were killed in a car accident several months ago."

  Ryan paled. "I... I have no idea how to respond to that." He massaged his temples.

  Nick put a hand on his shoulder. "They abandoned him after he was shown to be an omega," he explained. "Ryan hasn't had contact with them since he was ten."

  "I see." Berman looked up as DJ came tearing back into the room. "Well, I can't speak to what happened there. I wasn't involved with that decision, and they never explained it or spoke about it with me. In fact, they spoke about you, Ryan, like you were still very much a part of their life. Like they had a son who they saw on a regular basis." He squirmed. "I did wonder why you weren't at the funeral, and didn't come to ask about the will."

  Ryan looked pale. "I'm still... they had a will? They had assets?"

  "They absolutely had a will." Berman nodded. "They owned several properties in Lowell, and they left them all to you." He passed Ryan a stack of paperwork. "It's all in there. I'm sure you'll want to inspect the properties yourself, but they're in surprisingly decent repair all things considered. They're not luxury apartments by any stretch of the imagination, but they weren't slumlords either. They produce decent income; they could produce more if you decided to raise the rents, but I'm not sure that most of your current tenants could afford that right now."

  Ryan blinked slowl
y at the paperwork. Nick took it out of his hands. "Sorry," Nick said to Berman. "It's a bit of a shock to him."

  DJ crawled into Ryan's lap, and Ryan wrapped his arms around his son. "Are you sure there isn't some kind of mistake?"

  "No mistake. I drew up the will myself. Just sign here, please." He produced another document.

  Ryan signed with a shaky hand and shook the lawyer's hand. Berman apologized again for bringing bad news, and he left. Nick escorted him out, and came back to find his omega and their son still in the same position.

  "You okay?" he asked.

  "I honestly don't know." Ryan turned to him. "I feel like I should be sad. Or angry. Or something. Instead I'm kind of... confused. They got rid of me more than twenty years ago. Why would they suddenly leave a pile of properties to me? Why would they leave anything to me? Why reach out now that they, you know, can't reach out?"