by Fel Fern
Daniel then whipped out something from his jacket. I almost expected it to be some kind of weapon, a knife or gun maybe. He was holding onto a syringe that contained some kind of clear liquid.
A cold sweat broke out all over my body. Whatever that liquid was, it couldn’t be good.
Daniel was an Omega. He knew an Alpha like Marco could easily overpower him. If Daniel injected Marco with that strange liquid, who knew what would happen?
I shuddered.
Daniel ran at us. Marco tensed, probably readying his body for a fight. At that same moment, Gary, who I thought was unconscious, lashed his leg out.
Daniel tripped, falling face-first into the floor. The syringe rolled away from his fingers. Marco easily kicked it aside before Daniel could retrieve it.
In seconds, Marco was on Daniel. Marco wrapped one muscled arm over Daniel’s neck. Daniel gasped, clawing and punching at Marco to no avail. The Omega’s face started to turn purple.
Daniel eventually stopped fighting him. The other Omega slumped to the floor, eyes closed.
I drew a sharp breath. “Marco is he alive?”
I knew Marco could be overprotective when it came to my safety. My Alpha only acted in self-defense but I was sure as hell worried Marco killed Daniel by accident.
I was already thinking two steps ahead. My aunt Marissa was an amazing self-defense lawyer. If I could get her to defend Marco—
“He’s just unconscious for the moment,” Marco said.
“Oh, thank God,” I uttered.
By that time, a small crowd had gathered behind me. Marco was now tending to Gary. I joined them and knelt right next to my assistant.
Gary met my gaze. “I tried to stop him, Todd. I knew you locked the dressing room before going out for lunch. When I saw him picking the lock and noticed the flowers he was carrying, I knew something was up.”
“Gary, why did confront him?” I asked, a little worried.
Marco was already on his phone. He called for a paramedic, then he phoned the police.
“I wasn’t thinking,” Gary admitted.
“Well, thank you. What you did was stupid but you were also incredibly brave,” I told him. “I’ll be right here until the paramedics arrive.”
“Okay,” Gary whispered, then closed his eyes.
I traded a worried look with Marco.
“I’m no medical expert,” Marco said. “The cut on his forehead looks bad but it's not too serious.”
“I hope you’re right.” I looked over to where Daniel was.
The Omega was still unconscious. Someone must’ve called security, because Barry, the forty-something head of security came bumbling in.
For a second, I was almost worried Barry would misinterpret the situation. To my surprise, Barry slapped cuffs on Daniel.
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
Everything was going to be alright after all.
12
Marco
“What happened next, Todd?” Nestor demanded.
I sipped my beer, amused. Todd had finally invited me to one of his family’s mythical weekend barbecues. He introduced me as his mate.
I had to admit, I was a little overwhelmed at first. Numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins had stopped me to chat. They all asked me how Todd and I met.
I could tell right away that Todd’s family was tight-knit. Each one of them cared about my Omega and I was happy to indulge them.
I answered all their questions as best as I could. I’ve already met Todd’s Alpha dad. Vince was quiet and seemed like a private person.
Todd and Aaron took after their Pa. Since Vince didn’t seem to have any objections with me dating his son, I took that as a good sign. Todd’s Pa, Heath, wasn’t here at the barbecue yet.
Aaron warned me that their Pa wasn’t easy to please. Honestly, I wasn’t too worried.
Todd was surrounded by a couple of his cousins in the yard. He held their rapt attention.
“Well, not much. The police arrived and they put Daniel in jail. Marco and I surrendered all of Daniel’s letters and gifts.
Someone took a video of Daniel running at Marco with the syringe. It turned out the syringe contained a deadly formula that could incapacitate and even kill an Alpha,” Todd said with a shudder.
An entire week had passed since the incident. I knew Todd had more or less, recovered from the initial shock. My Omega was just playing his role as a great storyteller for his captive audience.
“With all the evidence stacked against him, Daniel is going to stay in prison for a very long time,” Todd finished.
“I’m really glad you took this job,” said Clark, who joined me.
Needing to get away for a little bit from Todd’s family, I decided to stand under an ancient maple tree. I quietly sipped my beer.
It was a lazy Saturday afternoon and I was honestly getting a little sleepy after all the steaks and sausages I consumed. The Bright family took feeding all their guests seriously.
“I gained a mate in return,” I told my friend. “You and Todd weren’t kidding about your family.”
“Oh yeah. Everyone here is obnoxious and loud.” Clark sounded distracted.
Amazing was the adjective I was looking for. I didn’t have a family to call my own for years but things had changed.
Todd was my family now but in the process of claiming Todd as my mate, I’ve also inherited the rest of his big family.
I followed Clark’s gaze. Clark was looking at his Omega, Dusty, who was trying to get one of their triplets to sleep. Clark’s other two babies were being fawned over by Everett and Nestor.
Clark then returned his attention to me and grinned. “So. Todd’s saying you’re going to propose to him sooner or later.”
I downed the rest of my beer and regarded my friend. I imagined Todd and I going to a hundred, a thousand more barbecues like this one. Our kids could play with Todd and Dusty’s triplets.
Our kids would always have playmates. They’d never be lonely.
“Soon,” I said with a smile.
A dark-haired Omega in his early fifties approached us. He was short, perhaps five-foot-six, and slender as a reed. The Omega’s height and size didn’t make him any less formidable.
“Uncle Heath,” Todd said quickly.
My friend spared me a pitying look. Clark looked a little taken aback when Heath beamed at me. The older Omega pulled me close to a hug.
“Thank you for assisting me the other day, sir,” I told Heath.
“You guys met already?” Todd asked, dumbfounded.
“Of course. I wanted to one-up Aaron and Todd,” I said.
There were a couple of times I was baffled by the practical jokes Todd, Aaron and their cousins played on me. I didn’t mind it so much, because I loved seeing Todd in his element. Todd really enjoyed his brother and cousins’ company. This time, it was my game Todd was playing.
Earlier this week, I reached out to Heath.
Todd’s Omega dad was downright scary at the start. Todd and Aaron weren’t joking about Heath being a force of nature to be reckoned with.
Once we got over the initial awkwardness, Heath warmed up to me quickly. I told Heath how much I loved Todd. Heath also seemed delighted when I told him I was going to marry Todd and we planned to have plenty of babies.
“Marco’s been such a sweetie,” Heath said, patting my arm. “He took me out to lunch the other day and we went shopping.”
“Sweetie? Shopping?” Clark raised an eyebrow.
“Pa!” Todd bounced his way to us.
Heath and I quickly parted and pretended to be strangers who just met. Todd stopped short of us. My Omega eyed me suspiciously.
“Todd, honey. Marco was just introducing himself to me. I don’t think this will work,” Heath said. “You shouldn’t have invited a strange Alpha to the family barbecue.”
If Heath and I hadn’t concocted this evil plan earlier, I would’ve been downright terrified of him. Heath truly d
elivered those words with such icy precision that numerous heads turned towards us. Todd stared at his Pa, shocked. He quickly recovered.
“Pa, I’m a grown adult. I can date whoever I want. Marco’s my mate. I’m not interested in anyone else,” he said.
Heath crossed his arms. Aaron joined us.
“Yeah, Pa. Why don’t you give the guy a shot? Marco’s a great guy and he saved Todd from a crazy stalker,” Aaron said.
“You think I’m a great guy?” I asked Aaron. I had a hard time keeping my face straight. I wasn’t sure how long I could continue playing this gig.
“And you.” Todd turned his heel and looked me in the eye. “Aren’t you going to say anything to convince my Pa that you’re a keeper?”
Heath and I shared a look. This game had gone long enough. Besides, I couldn’t bear to keep lying to my Omega. Aaron understood what was happening first because he groaned.
“Oh my God, Todd. Pa’s just pulling your leg,” Aaron said. “He’s not mad at Marco. Marco’s in on this joke.”
Todd crossed his arms and glared at me.
“This is real though,” I told Todd.
I took a knee and pulled out the black velvet box from the back pocket of my jeans. Todd gasped, covering his mouth with his hand. Aaron widened his eyes. Heath looked at me with approval. I opened the box, revealing the two gold bands inside.
“Todd Benjamin Bright, will you marry me?” I asked.
“This isn’t a joke?” Todd asked me in a whisper.
Todd’s family members were cheering us on but I could barely hear them. The world had narrowed down its scope to just the two of us. Tears welled in Todd’s eyes.
“Dude, those rings don’t look fake,” Aaron said.
Todd knelt in front of me and hugged me tightly. “Yes, yes a thousand times,” he answered.
Grinning, I took out one of the rings and slipped it over his finger. A perfect fit. Heath knew his stuff.
“When you went out the other day to have lunch with Clark, you actually met my Pa, didn’t you?” Todd asked. He took the other ring from the box and slipped it into my finger.
“That’s right.” I stood up and pulled Todd back to his feet. Not caring who was watching, I tugged my Omega close for a long and searing kiss. I couldn’t wait to marry this man.
Epilogue
One Year Later
“Marco, will you sit down and relax?” Clark chided.
I shot my friend a glare, then resumed my pacing. Clark sighed.
I kept sneaking glances at the NICU, where my Omega was giving birth. The nurses had thrown me out after I kept fussing and worrying over my mate.
My fault, I knew, but I couldn’t help myself. Todd was at his most vulnerable at this stage.
“I have triplets,” Clark said. “Believe me, I’ve gone through this. Pacing won’t help you one bit. So sit.”
Clark nodded to the empty plastic chair next to him. I sat, realizing he had a point. I couldn’t wear myself out so soon.
I was acting like a crazy Alpha and I knew it. Todd and I had prepared for this moment a dozen times.
We never missed a baby class and we’ve read through a ton of baby books. Todd and I even babysat Clark and Dusty’s triplets a couple of times.
Let me tell you they were a lot of work. Thank God, Todd and I were only having one kid. For now. Todd expressed having more in the future.
Todd already made arrangements with his agent and the directors. He was going to halt working for a couple of months to spend more time with our babies.
The writers of the show had rewritten some of his storylines. Dave Hill was going to be in a coma but he’d resurface again in three months.
As for me? I’ve started working for a private security firm.
My hours were flexible. I’ve told the CEO outright that my husband and I were expecting. Being a husband and father himself, the CEO agreed to my terms.
Daniel was still rotting behind bars and it didn’t look like he was getting out anytime soon. Gary was fine and was still Todd’s assistant.
Over the past three months, Todd and I baby-proofed the entire apartment. His place was large enough to raise a couple of kids and the neighborhood was safe so it was only logical we kept it.
I must’ve dozed off for a little while, because the next time I woke, Clark was shaking me. I blinked because the waiting room was suddenly crowded.
I spotted Aaron, Nester, and Everett in one corner. Heath and Vince were also there, along with Todd’s other cousins and aunts.
“Hey,” Clark said. “The nurse said you can see Todd now. There were no complications. They delivered your baby safe and sound. I’ll keep the rest of the family away for a little bit, so you guys can have a private moment.”
Hearing the delivery went smoothly calmed me immensely.
“Thanks.”
I entered Todd’s room and shut the door behind me. A nurse was monitoring his vitals. Todd had our son in his arms.
He looked up when I entered. I walked up to him and kissed him on the mouth, then beheld our little bundle of joy.
Our baby looked sleepy. I stared at him in wonder for a few seconds, unable to believe Todd and I created this little treasure.
“Hold him.” Todd urged.
My Omega transferred our baby to my arms. I held him close to my chest and smiled down at him.
“So which name should we go with? Mac or Harry?” I asked Todd.
“I like the sound of Mac,” Todd said.
“Me, too.” I agreed, smiling. “Hey, little Mac. You don’t know this yet, but you’re one lucky baby boy.”
As soon as I said those words, Aaron burst right into the room. He was followed by Vince and Heath.
The nurse sighed as she exited the room and began yelling at Todd’s cousins to keep the noise down.
I was pretty certain this wasn’t the first Bright baby she’d delivered.
“Oh my God, look at that little cutie,” Heath said, stepping right next to me.
Aaron and Vince started talking to Todd.
“So,” Heath said after I let him hold Mac. There was a twinkle in his eyes. “Maybe Mac would like a brother or sister.”
“We’ll see,” I told him with a wink.
“Hey, what are the two of you whispering about?” Todd demanded.
Heath and I traded knowing looks.
“Yeah, share,” Aaron said with a pout. “Dang it, Pa. Why is Marco suddenly your favorite? If you’ve forgotten, your two real sons are right here.”
I choked back a laugh. Todd looked expectantly at me. I could never keep anything from my Omega.
“I’ll tell you later,” I told my mate and husband.
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The End
About the Author
Felicia loves writing sizzling MM romances with hot Alphas, sassy Omegas and happily-ever-afters.
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Maple Hart Series
Winning Gideon
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Always Denver
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Chasing Clark
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Taming Todd