by Aiden Bates
Paul just cried when he saw his children. The psychiatrist declared him to be temporarily incompetent, and Adrian signed off on the termination of his parental rights without a thought. Cody didn’t understand that one at all, but he guessed he didn’t have to. He and Austin hadn’t talked about the children but it became clear that they would have to.
“Their parents are the ones who tried to keep us apart, and threatened to hurt you,” Cody reminded him.
Austin held the little girl in his arms, looking downright angelic. She grabbed a handful of his hair and yanked. He didn’t seem to care, but pulled the toddler into a one-armed hug. “They’re still family, Cody, and it’s not like we don’t have the room. Besides,” he added, with a blazing smile, “who knows what will happen in the future?”
The nannies came on board earlier than expected, glad to have jobs and income before they’d planned to, and the children were absorbed into the household with ease.
Austin gave birth in August, just as expected. The pregnancy had been easy but the birth was hard, and the doctors had to go to an emergency C-section. Austin was an otherwise healthy omega, though, and he recovered quickly.
They had three children, all under the age of three, and that was a lot. Sometimes it felt like too much. Even with a nanny on duty at all times, there was always someone crying, someone needing to be fed, someone needing a diaper change. The noise was maddening. They got the older babies in to their pediatrician, which turned out to be good because no medical records could be found for them. That meant no vaccines, which sent Austin into a Texas-sized rant complete with cursing and stomping feet.
At the same time, Cody figured that nothing in the world was more rewarding than his little family. His daughter, Elizabeth, was a tiny little angel who liked to hold his finger in her tiny little hand and blow spit bubbles. They had to watch her middle cousin with her; Adrienne was a playful little thing, and she was too little to understand why the other baby couldn’t play with her.
Peter, the boy, was a tough nut to crack. Cody and Austin got the impression that he hadn’t gotten a lot of affection in his tiny life. He was solemn, and he was careful, but he was intensely curious. He had a few words, and he used them to convey a wealth of information. He would point at Elizabeth and say, “You?” and then point up at Austin.
Austin seemed to understand what he meant to say, which confused the heck out of Cody. “Yeah, she came from me, sport.”
Peter would point to himself and say, “You,” and shake his head sadly.
Cody would catch him up in his arms with a giant hug. “You didn’t come from us, no, but you’re ours now and we love you just the same.”
Peter probably didn’t understand all that, and the scene got repeated several times over the months after Elizabeth was born. When Peter hugged back, Cody figured he was starting to get it.
Cody claimed Austin on Christmas day. They’d been together for a little over a year, and it was a decision they’d made together. It would be easier to formally adopt Peter and Adrienne, or Pete and Addy as they’d become, if they had a formal union. More to the point, they wanted it. Austin never wore a high-necked shirt or turtleneck again, either.
Kirby got out of jail a year and a half after he went in, with a counseling degree under his belt. He still had his assets from his time as a high-flier in Texas, but he sold his house there and rented a place in Syracuse to take on his new vocation. He didn’t want to have the temptation of his old associates; he wanted to help young alphas with less than stellar tendencies keep to a good path.
And he did. He made a real name for himself in the social services community. He used some of his assets to create trust funds for Adrian’s kids, “not because I think you’d treat them any differently but because I want them to have that to offset the abandonment from before.” He became a frequent guest of the Howell family and a close friend.
Adrian found prison to be even less of a positive experience than his omega did. Another prisoner, an omega with whom Adrian tried to take liberties in the rec yard, shanked him in broad daylight. He bled out on the cold ground, and he’d been nasty enough to the guards that they watched for five long minutes before stepping in to help. It was too late, of course, and Adrian died.
The guards were, after all, only human.
Austin mourned, at least a little bit. Cody guessed that he could understand that. Whatever had gone on between them, they had been twins. But the couple had to reserve their real concern for Paul. They might not have liked him, but he would die without his alpha. Another alpha could claim him and save his life, but there was a real question about whether or not he could give consent.
They approached him in the company of his psychiatrist. Paul didn’t react to the news of Adrian’s death for several long minutes. Then he tilted his head. “I’m not sure how to feel,” he said in a quiet voice. “I’m free, and I think I would have been happy about that before. But I’m also going to die. I don’t think I like that much.”
Cody glanced at Austin, who shrugged. “There is another option. I’m not sure how you’ll feel about it, though. What if we found you a new alpha?”
“I don’t… I don’t want a stranger.”
The shrink lifted his eyebrows. “He seems lucid.”
Austin sighed. “How do you feel about Kirby?”
Paul shuddered. “Kirby sold us out, all for you.” Then he straightened himself out. “But he sold us out, and went to jail himself—all for you.” He swallowed. “There are worse alphas, I know. I’m willing to try it, if he is.”
Kirby hesitated when they approached him. “I don’t know if I should have an omega who’s that fragile. I don’t want to slip back into bad thought habits.”
“We’ll be there to help you.” Cody understood his friend’s hesitation, and he applauded it. He didn’t know a lot of alphas with that kind of self-awareness. “That’s what friends are for.”
And so Kirby accepted Paul as his omega. It was a little uneasy at first, and Paul never fully recovered from his prison experiences. They had no children together, but as time went on they did come to love one another and their new life in Syracuse. Cody sold them the condo.
The last vestiges of his bachelor life were gone. He and Austin could face their family life together. They were free.
BONUS Chapter Thirteen
Codycarried the platter of freshly carved turkey from the kitchen to the formal dining room and thanked whatever benevolent spirit, probably the mysterious Uncle Colton, that had prompted them to put in a ceramic cooker out back.He didn't think they'd have been able to feed this many people without it, even if half of them were kids.
As it was, Christmasdinnertook every last bit of Austin's logistical planning skills.Today they'd gotten the turkey and the roast beef done together.Austin had done most of the side dishes ahead of time and reheated them as space became available, which only proved that Cody had the most brilliant of omegas on the face of the earth.Cody had resented the endless stacks ofTupperwarein the refrigerator at the time, but now he appreciated his mate's genius.All of that planning hadn't stopped Austin from either fretting over the possibility that one of their guests might go hungry or accepting whatever donations their guests might want to bring.
Their table practically groaned with food now.So did the sideboard, and the wine bar.Oh well.If history was any kind of indicator, most of it would get eaten, and even if not, leftovers were a thing.Pete was going through a "piranha" phase right now, in which he was eating everything in sight, and Cody was pretty sure that his little man was going to grow soon.Lizzy was in the middle of a growth spurt herself and seemed to need constant fuel.
Everyone was already seated at the table.Thefamily wasn’tthe type to dress up for a holiday like Christmas.They didn't do church, not really, and with four kids playing with new toys there didn't seem much point to trying to keep prissy new clothes clean.Christmas Eve could be a day for dressing up and being seen.Christmas Day was a
day for family and for being casual, and none of them would have it any other way.
The kids sat near the head of the table, up near Cody's own seat.Pete sat right beside Cody, as befit the eldest son.He was already the image of his father and his uncle, and he didn't mind the resemblance to Austin at all.In fact, he'd started to refuse to get his hair cut at about the time the resemblance became apparent.Both parents shrugged and went with it.He'd get over it soon enough, once he hit his teen years.For now, both Austin and Pete got a kick out of it.
Lizzy sat across from Pete.She was just four now, and she and her big brother had bonded from almost the day she was born.They were almost inseparable, and they liked to sit where they could see one another.The way they got along made Cody feel more confident in their family than anything else.Pete didn't seem to remember that Paul had once been his father, but he sometimes seemed to remember that he hadn't been born into his current family.The way that he loved his sister, and the way that she loved him back, soothed all of his worries for Pete away.
Addy's jealousy over Pete's adoration of Lizzy hadn't been apparent.Addy was a sweet-natured little girl, only a little more than a year younger than her brother and always ready with a smile for anyone nearby.When Austin had presented the family with a new little member this past June, Colton, she'd found her true calling in life.It probably helped that she was now five and old enough to do things like hold Colton and help feed him, under supervision, but Addy was happy and Colton seemed delighted with her in his infantile way.They made a good fit with each other and even now, Colton's hungry fussing turned into coos as he caught sight of his favorite sister.
Addy sat beside Pete and across from Austin.She'd wanted to sit next to Colton and feed him, but everyone had agreed that it was probably best that she sit where Colton could see her and keep him entertained through the meal. She'd pouted about that, but now she sat where she was supposed to and did her job.The siblings laughed and clapped hands at one another across the table, oblivious to anything around them.
Austin's youngest sister, Amelia, had joined them for the holiday.After flying up to deliver her niece and nephew to her pariah brother, she'd decided to renew ties and gone to school at Syracuse University.She loved the kids, and had been a kindly and consistent presence for all of them.
Paul and Kirby sat together, on Amelia's other side.Paul was doing better than he had been.He still hadn't recovered fully from his ordeal in prison, and he probably wouldn't, but he was in love with his new alpha and he was learning to live a new life for himself.Kirby treated him well, and encouraged him to get out and find things that made him happy.He didn't show more interest in his biological children than any other uncle would, and Cody wondered if he ever had.Adrian would have demanded a lot of attention, and wouldn't have wanted an omega with ideas about how to raise the children anyway.
Cody and Austin employed nannies too, of course.Tom and Mike sat across from Paul and Kirby.They didn't know that Paul was the biological parent of two of their charges.They didn't need to.Tom and Mike had been hired through the Omega Shelter, and while they were certainly off duty tonight they lived at the house and had no place else to go for the holiday.Cody and Austin viewed them more as family anyway, even though they paid them, and Cody had no doubt that both omegas loved the kids.
The same went for Dan and Jimmy.While neither Dan nor Jimmy lived at the house, they were kind of short on places to go for Christmas, and they'd been working for Austin for five years now.Jimmy might find himself with other plans next year; he'd been seeing a new alpha, a handsome guy from Auburn, but he'd always be part of the family.Maybe they'd need to find a way to squeeze another seat around the table.
Larry Wilde took the other end of the long table.It felt weird to Cody to see the lawyer in jeans, but he belonged here just as much as anyone else. He'd stood up for Austin whenno one else had.He'd stood up to Cody on Austin's behalf, and called him out on his crap.He'd been the one to successfully push through the adoption of Adrian and Paul's kids, so they had a permanent and stable home.
Dishes got passed around in a flurry of activity and rapid-fire "what is this?”Silverware clanked against china as adults cut up meat and vegetables for tiny hands.Colton shouted in delight as Austin gave him a pouch of cereal and fruit, his favorite snack.
When everyone had been served, and when all of the adults who were drinking had wine poured, Cody stood up and raised his glass."I'd like to thank you all for joining us this evening.It's a beautiful night out here in the snow belt, and I'd like to remind all of you who drove in from elsewhere that if the weather outside becomes more frightful than your cars — or your drink — can handle, we have plenty of space available for you to bunk down.”
"You can sleep in my room!”chirped Lizzy."I'll stay with my brother.”
"Thank you, Lizzy.Like I said, lots of room available.”Cody smiled down at his daughter and ruffled her head.Lizzy was a generous soul, and he kept finding reasons to be proud of her."Anyway, it's been a long year, but I think it's been a good one.I'd like to wish you all a very merry Christmas, and I hope that your New Year is even better than the last.”
The people drinking wine clinked glasses.The kids who could lift their cups clinked glasses of cider, with only enough sloshing of cider to make it fun.Austin took a bottle of formula, put it into Colton's hand, and clinked it gently against his wine glass.It was a silly gesture.Colton had no idea what was going on, but he gave a gap-toothed grin and giggled when the guests cheered and clapped their hands.
Then people dug into their dinners.It wasn't a perfectly decorous meal.Those didn't happen in a household with four kids.Lizzy decided, halfway through her meal, that carrots were the fruit of the devil and she would have no more of them.Colton tried to eat his oatmeal with his fists, getting it into his hair.Addy called her brother a poopyhead when he laughed at Colton for his messiness, which prompted Lizzy to get mad at Addy for calling Pete a "bad name, you meanie!"
Thechildfreeadults watched on with amusement.Larry, whose children were all grown, watched with sympathy.
"I was never that vocal," Amelia said, affecting an angelic look and folding her hands primly in front of her plate.
Austin pointed his fork at her."She stabbed Kendall, her older sister by two years, in the hand with a fork because she said Grover was annoying.”He shook his head."She was three.”
Amelia tried not to grin.She wasn't successful."Well she shouldn't have sad that about my fuzzy blue superhero.”
Eventually the kids got calmed down.Desserts were served, and the children were cleaned up and parceled off to bed with varying degrees of enthusiasm.The adults hung around for a little while, sipping wine and chatting, before they drifted off to bed or to their cars.For all the offers of a place to stay for the night, no one wanted to get caught when the storm got truly bad.The beds might be comfortable, and the food excellent, but small children have no sense of privacy.
Once they were alone, Austin and Cody got the mess cleaned up, or at least under control.By the time that was done and over with, Austin put his hands on his hips and stretched his back."That was nice.Long day, but very nice.”
Cody kissed his omega's neck."How long?"
"Long enough that what you're doing feels even better than usual.”Austin tilted his neck, a sly smile on his face.
Cody pulled Austin's hips closer to him."We should probably move this upstairs," he said with a little laugh, grinding himself into Austin's denim-clad ass.
Austin laughed quietly and pushed back into him, but nodded."That is a conversation I'm not ready to have with any of our kids yet.”He took Cody's hand and led him up the back stairs, just as he had on their first night together.
Once they were upstairs, with the door shut and firmly locked behind them, Cody put himself back into position behind Austin.He nipped at Austin's stubbled jawline as he unbuttoned his omega's button-down shirt."Been wanting to do this all day," he murmured."I love the kids, don't get me wrong.Best
thing we ever did.But what I really wanted to do was unwrap you like aChristmaspresent and screw you right there under the Christmas tree.”
"Mmm.”Austin held his arms out so that his mate could strip his shirt off of him."That's funny, because you know what I was thinking when I was getting dressed this morning?I was thinking, I wonder if we could get Larry or Amelia or maybe Jamie to take the kids, and maybe then I could wrap myself in wrapping paper, go lie down under the tree with a bottle of lube and wait.”
They both laughed.They couldn't get away with that kind of thing anymore.The thought was nice, though.
Cody stripped off every inch of Austin's clothes.He left the lights on, because he wanted to get a good look at his omega.Austin was just as beautiful now as he'd been the day they'd met, or the first time they'd made love.There might be a couple of gray strands in his long, chestnut-brown hair.The perfect washboard plane of his abs might be marred by a C-section scar, but Austin wasn't ashamed of that scar.He treated it like the badge of honor that it was.
His cock stood up proudly from its thatch of dark curls."See something you like, there, Alpha?" he asked, meeting Cody's eyes with a little smirk.Austin loved it when Cody stripped him.He loved it when Cody looked at him, even if they never had a chance to touch.
"I always do.You going to let me touch?”Cody stepped toward his omega, mouth watering.