by Toby Wise
Love’s Unexpected Gift
Toby Wise
Copyright
Love’s Unexpected Gift© 2019 by Toby Wise
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations for book reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Book cover by Cate Ashwood
Beta Services by Kirk Waite from LesCourtAuthorServices
Blurb
Pining after your best friend and roommate is all fine and dandy until you’re faced with tragedy. Then it kinda loses its appeal.
It’s always been me, Hayden, Jeff, and Tristen for as long as I can remember. The four of us against the world. But now that Jeff and Tristen are gone, I can’t help but think about all of life’s ‘what if’s’. Could I risk it all at a shot at love? ~Matt
Jeff and Tristen named us their daughter’s guardians if anything should happen to them. Matt and I have gone from two alphas who live together to a family of three. We love Emma like our own, but my heart longs for more. When I offer to help Matt with his rut, boundaries lose meaning and I fall even harder. What will it take for me to find the courage to tell him my true feelings? ~Hayden
This 26k omegaverse story is a standalone about two alphas finding love in the midst of loss. It’s filled with best friends becoming lovers, only one bed, adopted family, and more pining than a Christmas tree farm. Love’s Unexpected Gift contains knotty fun and therefore is intended for those 18 and older.
Chapter one
Matt
I sit in the uncomfortable chair, my eyes unseeing as I gaze down at the floor. The patterns all merge together, my mind a million miles away. How could this be happening? How could this be real? Tonight was supposed to be like any other Halloween. I should be out at a party, thinking about flirting with a cute omega, making sure Hayden doesn’t drink too much before we stumble home. Instead, I’m sat in a hospital, waiting to see my goddaughter as my stomach ties itself up in knots.
I wipe the tears away, taking in a shuddering breath, trying to get my emotions under control. I run my fingers through my hair as I think about my friends. Jeff and Tristen have been my friends since middle school. Those two, along with Hayden, have always been in my life. I can’t imagine what life will be like now that they’re gone. Stolen away by what the police are calling a freak accident.
I sit back, closing my eyes for a moment, trying to calm the raging storm going on inside my head. As much as I want to sit here and wallow, I can’t. I have to think about Emma. God, I still remember the day Jeff and Tristen told us that Tristen was pregnant. With Tristen being the only omega in our group, all three of us grew over-protective, over-careful. It drove Tristen nuts.
I’ve always been ‘the dad’ of the group, being the serious one that kept the four of us out of trouble. But Jeff and Tristen always helped to balance me out. Where I wanted schedule, they’d talk me into experiencing spontaneity. I knew they’d be great dads the moment they told me. I can’t help but wonder who’s going to remind me to step back and enjoy the present? To stop and smell the roses once in a while?
Fuck. I stand up, stretching my arms over my head before rubbing my face dry. Everything is spiraling but right now I need to man up, put on my best alpha attitude and take care of Emma. She’s what matters. It’s the only thing I can actually control, and I hold on to that.
That wall of seriousness stays in place right up until I hear, “Matty!”
My alpha exterior comes crashing down as I hear his best friend’s voice. I turn around, finding Hayden walking towards me, his steps picking up speed as our eyes meet. I meet Hayden halfway, wrapping my arms around him. My hands clutch the back of Hayden’s shirt as I bury my face against his throat.
“Oh god,” I murmur, letting myself feel even if it’s just for a moment in the safety of my best friend’s arms.
Hayden’s arms tighten. “I know,” he whispers back, his voice just as broken as my own.
I’m not sure how long we stand there, just holding each other, but eventually someone comes and demands our attention.
“Are you Matthew and Hayden?” a nurse asks, her voice kind. The look she gives us tells me she knows why we’re here and my stomach sours.
“Yeah,” Hayden says, wiping his face. “That’s us. Can we see Emma?”
“Follow me.”
My hand finds Hayden’s and we walk hand in hand behind the nurse. My mind is spinning and my heart is racing. I’m not sure what we’re about to find, only that the accident somehow didn’t take Emma like it did her parents. Was our goddaughter going to be okay? Would we find her strapped to tubes and machines? My mind conjures horror after horror as we walk until my hands are shaking. Fuck, I’m not sure I can do this!
Hayden squeezes my hand, almost like he can hear my inner thoughts. It’s enough comfort to keep me going, keep putting one foot in front of the other. I steel myself, taking in a deep breath as the nurse pushes the door open.
I wasn’t sure what to expect, but thankfully, everything I’d feared is the opposite of what we find.
“Uncle Matty! Uncle Hayhay!”
I let go of the breath I was holding, my chest clenching so hard it brings more tears to my eyes. She’s okay. She’s here and she’s safe and she’s alive.
Hayden falls to his knees, wrapping Emma up in his arms, burying his face against her long blonde hair that matched her omega father’s. I follow suit, wrapping my arms around both of them. I can’t even begin to describe how fucking happy I am that Emma’s here, with us.
At three years old, Emma’s lost both her alpha and omega dads. Hayden and I are all she has left and I really hope we’ll be enough.
Someone knocks on the door and I turn to find a woman stepping in. “You must be Emma’s godfathers,” she says, holding out her hand. “My name’s Stephanie. I’ll be your social worker with this case.”
Hayden picks Emma up, sitting on the bed with her on his lap. His big hands hold the back of her head as he rocks her back and forth, whispering soothing things into her ear.
I take Stephanie’s hand. “My name’s Matt.” I nod over to Hayden. “And that’s Hayden.”
Stephanie steps more into the room, holding a file in her hand. “First of all, I’d like to say I’m very sorry for your loss.”
Hayden nods. “Thank you,” he whispers before his focus is back on Emma.
“Now,” she says, opening the file and passing it to me. I stare at the words but my vision is blurry again, the words all running together. “Jeff and Tristen had signed a will. If anything like this were to happen, the two of you, together, would gain custody of Emma.”
I close my eyes, my chest swirling this disbelief. “Why would they do that?”
“Who else would they trust with Emma?” Hayden asks. “They’re-” he clears his throat. “They were our best friends. Emma knows us and we love her.”
I nod. “You’re right. She trusts us. And we have room at our apartment.”
“You can take her home tonight. I’ve already spoken to the doctor and he said he’ll be in to discharge her within the hour. It will take some time to get all the paperwork in order if you plan to formally adopt Emma. I’ll also be planning unscheduled visits at least once a month to make sure you’re both proper caretakers.”
“That all sounds good,” I say because what else is there to add? “Thank you for your help.”
“Of course, Matt. If you ne
ed anything or have any questions, my number is in the file.”
After Stephanie leaves, I sit down beside Hayden. “I know I should put her down,” Hayden whispers, his eyes glued to Emma’s sleeping face where it’s pressed against his chest. “But I just can’t. Not yet.”
“That’s okay,” I whisper back. “Hold her for now, Hayden. We all could use some snuggles today.”
“Yeah,” Hayden says, his voice breaking slightly. “Are we really doing this?”
I shrug before giving him a nod, because honestly I’m not sure what else I’m supposed to do. “We’re really doing this.” I rub my face with my palms before standing up. “Keep snuggling,” I tell Hayden as I walk towards the door. “I’m gonna go find a car seat while you wait here for the doctor to come along. Everything else can wait until tomorrow.”
“There’s the take charge alpha we all know and love,” Hayden gets out, his eyes shining with unshed tears at the teasing remark.
I give him a tiny smile and murmur back, “the one and only.”
Chapter Two
Hayden
I stand in the doorway, the tiniest smile on my lips. I watch as Matt gently tucks Emma into his bed, kissing her forehead before straightening.
“So,” I say gently once we’re both outside of Matt’s room.
“So,” Matt agrees, nodding his head. “I guess I’ll take the couch for now.”
“You can’t,” I argue. “That thing is so uncomfortable. You’ll be complaining about aches and pains for days.”
“What else am I supposed to do?”
“Move your stuff into my room,” I suggest. We’ve been best friends for years. It’s always been me and Matty since before I can even remember. “It’s not the first time we’ve had to share a bed,” I say with a shrug. “Plus, it is a king.”
Matt smiles but instead of it being the carefree smile that lights up his brown eyes, this time it’s sad. “Alright,” he murmurs with a nod. “It’ll have to do for now until we figure something else out.”
“It’ll be like the good ol’ days,” I murmur, nudging my shoulder against Matt’s, trying to coax a reaction from him. Thankfully, it works.
“Right,” Matt says, his face finally lighting up ever so slightly. “Except we can’t stay up all night talking about which omegas we like.”
“Hmm,” I hum. “I don’t know. I wouldn’t mind hearing about some cute omegas. It’s been so long since I’ve felt the sweet and tender caress of someone else’s hand,” I joke.
Matt’s face turns a pretty pink color that I absolutely do not notice. “You’re something else, you know that?”
I smile down at my friend. “You wouldn’t have me any other way.”
Matt gives me a look that makes my heart flutter-- which I shove down as hard as I can. We’re best friends, practically brothers. I can’t have these fluttering, butterfly type feelings. Not to mention the fact that we’re both alphas. There’s no way Matt would ever look at me and see anything more than a friend. So I put a lid on my feelings, locking it down as tight as I can, and walk towards our main living space.
“Come sit down,” I murmur, stepping into the kitchen. “Let me make us some sandwiches before bed. I know you haven’t eaten anything in hours.”
Matt sighs as he sits down at the breakfast bar, his face buried in his hands. My heart aches in a way I’ve never experienced before but I try to ignore it. There’ll be time to cry later, right now I have to take care of my friend and make sure we both eat. I’m not sure if it’s the alpha in me or just me in general, but I love taking care of people, making sure they’re fed and dressed and comfortable. Matt always teases me about being the hostess with the mostest but he’s not wrong.
I take my time making sure Matt’s bread is toasted, just the way he likes it. Then mustard, cheese, ham, and a layer of mayo on top. I slide the plate over, watching as he picks up the sandwich, his lips lifting slightly.
“Thank you, Hayden,” he whispers before taking a bite, moaning around the food in his mouth. “Always exactly how I love it. You’re the best.”
I try my best not to get flustered but I can feel my cheeks heating under the praise. I turn away as Matt shoves another mouthful past his lips, not wanting to get caught staring. I quickly make myself a sandwich before putting all the ingredients away.
“I already talked to my boss,” Matt says. “He said I could have the next three weeks off in order to get things squared away and get Emma used to living here.”
“That’s generous of him.”
Matt shrugs. “I’m not even sure what the hell we’re supposed to do after that. Should I just look into getting a different job so I can stay home with Emma? Do we look into daycare? Could you get night time hours so someone’s here at all times? Should we get her a different bed or is my bed good enough for her? God, I haven’t even thought of any of the practical questions like potty training and babysitters and toys!”
My hand covers Matt’s where it sits on the table. It jolts him slightly before he’s relaxing again. His eyes are wide and frantic as they meet mine. I squeeze his hand before saying, “take a breath.” He does, a tiny bit of the tension falling away. “Most of that we can discuss tomorrow, Matty. Right now, I think we need to get some rest.”
Matt nods his head as he stands, placing his plate into the sink. Instead of going straight back towards my room, Matt pauses. He takes a moment to deliberate before he’s moving. Suddenly, he’s stepping into my space, wrapping his arms around my middle. I’m slightly taller than him and it makes our hugs fit perfectly in a way that has my stomach swooping once more.
“It’s gonna be okay,” he whispers, more to himself than to me.
“It is. We’ve babysat Emma plenty of times. We’ve got clothes here for her. Plus diapers and toys. Her essentials are met and the rest we can figure out along the way.”
Matt nods and it makes his face rub against my chest, marking me with his scent. I try desperately not to think about that. “You’re right.”
“Of course I am,” I murmur with a smirk.
“Okay,” Matt finally says, breaking apart. “Tomorrow I’ll start making a plan.” I open my mouth to comment but he holds a finger up. “And yes, this is the take charge alpha you know and love,” he says, giving me a smile. It’s our little inside joke because Matt’s always been a bit bossy, the ‘dad’ of our group. It’s one of the things I truly love about him.
We walk down to my-- well, our room, at least for now-- in silence. I check in on Emma, finding her blissfully asleep, her little rabbit stuffed animal clutched to her chest.
Matt and I change in silence before getting into the bed. I can sense exactly where Matt is as we both lay there, staring up at the ceiling.
“Hey, Hayden,” Matt says, his voice cracking at the end.
“Yeah?”
“Do you think-” he clears his throat. “Can we?” My heart speeds up in my chest as I wait withheld breath. “Can we snuggle? Just for tonight?”
I don’t say anything. Instead, I open my arms and Matt is just there, laying his head against my chest, his arms going around my waist. “Thank you,” Matt sighs, his body going completely lax against me.
I ignore the feeling of my shirt growing wet with Matt’s tears. I can’t really talk because I too have silent tears falling down my cheeks. My arms tighten around Matt and as we lay there, drawing strength from each other, I try to memorize exactly how Matt feels against me and in my arms. I memorize his scent as it slowly mixes with my own. I focus on Matt, because thinking about the rest of today is just too much.
We cling to each other as we each slowly fall asleep.
Chapter Three
Matt
I wake slowly, warmth making me extra drowsy. There’s a body in front of me and I snuggle closer, groaning low in my throat as my morning wood rubs against them. I don’t remember going home with anyone, but the person in front of me smells so fucking good. My nose runs through their hair an
d I sigh happily.
Suddenly, my eyes jump open as my body freezes because I know that scent! Oh, fuck. My body locks up, tensing as I realize I’m spooned up behind Hayden, my cock rubbing against his backside.
As slowly as possible so as not to jostle Hayden awake, I scoot away from him. Rolling out of bed, I breathe a sigh of relief only to freeze when a hand grabs my wrist.
“Where are you going?” Hayden asks, his voice thick with sleep. I’m embarrassed to admit that the sound has my cock twitching.
“I’m gonna jump in the shower. Go back to sleep until Emma wakes up.”
Hayden grabs my pillow, cradling it against his face before closing his eyes again. I let myself take him in for another moment before rushing to the bathroom, thankful he didn’t notice what was going on between my legs.
In the bathroom, I turn the water on. For a brief moment I debate whether to turn it on hot or cold but decide to indulge myself. I might as well take care of my little problem while I have a chance, who knows when I’ll be able to masturbate again living in Hayden’s room.
I let out a sigh as I step into the shower, the hot water beating against my tense shoulders. I let it wash over me, trying to get myself to relax. I’ve always been jealous of Hayden’s in-suite bathroom but if we’re sharing a room, I plan to use it to my full advantage.
A thrill goes through my stomach as I pick up Hayden’s shampoo. Bringing it up to my nose, I take a deep breath. The fire of arousal going on in my belly intensifies as I make myself smell like my best friend. I feel guilty for enjoying this but not enough to actually stop myself.
I pick up his soap, washing myself quickly before paying attention to my insistent dick. It throbs between my legs, aching for attention. God, waking up pressed against Hayden was a dream come true. I only wish I could be dealing with my morning wood with him rather than just fantasizing about him.