He was in the middle of making a light sandwich, when a contraction rocked through his body. He gasped in pain, leaning against the counter. He barely heard Dom stepping into the house. “Think I’m going into labor,” Jesse said.
Dom hurried over, smelling like blackwood and the smoke from their job. “Yeah? How are you feeling?”
Jesse breathed out the pain, leaning into Dom’s chest. They couldn’t even hug properly anymore—his belly was in the way. “Fine.”
Dom snorted. “You’re panting, Sinclair.”
The pain was... not terrible. It still didn’t compare to the time he’d been cut open for the uterus, but that memory had faded some. “We’ll need the overnight bag.”
“I’ll get on that.” Dom rubbed Jesse’s back, holding him until the contraction passed. Then he made Jesse sit, double-checked the bag, and grabbed a shower.
Dom spent more time with him, holding him through the contractions. When Jesse finally said, “We should start heading to the hospital,” Dom went to the minibar.
Jesse stared. Dom grabbed the coffee liqueur and vodka, and stirred that up with some cream in a travel tumbler. “I’m not drinking that,” Jesse said.
Why else would Dom be mixing a white Russian?
Dom sealed the tumbler and slid it into the overnight bag. “It’s for me.”
It took Jesse a moment to realize that he hadn’t seen Dom mix a whiskey sour in a long time. Other cocktails, yes. But not Mal’s favorite drink. And here he was, with Jesse’s.
Dom met his eyes. “You want some decaf coffee?”
Jesse swallowed, his heart pattering. “There a reason you’re mixing my favorite drink?”
Dom cracked a smile. “Aside from the fact that I’ll need to calm the fuck down later?” He wandered over, sliding his arm around Jesse. Then he pressed a kiss to Jesse’s ear and touched Jesse’s hand—where his ring finger was. “Can’t wait to put a ring on you.”
Jesse’s heart skipped; he shoved Dom off. “Quit being sappy.”
“Lies.” Dom grinned, brushing Jesse’s shiny blue nails with his thumb. They’d painted those a couple days ago—Jesse’s toenails, too. Then Jesse had brushed a deep brown onto Dom’s nails, and Dom had worn that to work; Dom didn’t care what people thought about him.
He didn’t have omega parts to worry about, though. Over the past few months, Jesse had turned Dom’s words over in his mind, trying to see himself from Dom’s eyes. Dom loved him. Dom didn’t mind that Jesse was dabbling in nail polish and pretty clothes. He’d only looked at Jesse and smiled, and kissed him.
Slowly, Jesse had come to terms with this—painting his nails, pulling on lacy underthings. Those didn’t make him less. They were just a part of him.
And maybe that was perfectly fine.
Dom grinned and walked with Jesse to the truck. He wasn’t supporting Jesse, but he held Jesse close, just in case. Jesse couldn’t decide if he liked that Dom was this anxious about the birth.
They arrived at the hospital and checked in. Dom squeezed onto the bed with Jesse; it was crowded, both of them being alphas.
“I don’t suppose we can make out in here,” Jesse said.
Dom smirked. “Why not?”
The room had no windows opening into the hallway—they could, technically. But Jesse wasn’t sure he wanted someone walking in on them. Dom shuffled Jesse over to the other side of the bed, so Jesse was further from the door.
“There. Now they’ll just see the back of my head.” Dom cupped Jesse’s face and tipped it up, sliding into his mouth.
Their kisses these days had changed. Sometimes they fought for dominance, sometimes they savored each other’s presence. Sometimes, it was all sweet intimacy, and Jesse loved that, too.
This kiss started out playful, turning scorching in a heartbeat. Jesse had just grasped a fistful of Dom’s shirt when someone knocked on the door.
They broke apart right as the midwife bustled in—they’d met her before on a previous visit, so she wasn’t surprised by them. “Ready for the birth?” she asked.
Jesse’s stomach tightened. He’d discussed this at length with Dom. Without knowing if Jesse’s body could handle a regular birth, their safest bet would be to do a C-section. “Yeah.”
Dom took a swig from his tumbler. He wasn’t keen on seeing Jesse cut open, but they didn’t have much of an option. Jesse didn’t know if he was more afraid, or if Dom was.
A bustle of activity later, Jesse found himself on the operating room table, Dom in scrubs, gloves, and a face mask next to him. The nurse put an oxygen mask over Jesse’s face and gave him some local anesthetic for his abdomen—that was good enough.
Then the bright lights came on, and Jesse glimpsed the scalpels. His chest squeezed. He remembered the operating table from the Facility, he remembered tranq guns and unbearable pain. Dom squeezed his hand, stroking his face.
“You’ll be fine,” Dom said. But he was holding Jesse’s hand too tightly, his shoulders tense. Just before this, he’d taken another two swigs from his tumbler.
“I told you,” Jesse muttered. “I’m not gonna die.”
Dom narrowed his eyes.
The doctor cut into Jesse—he felt the faint pressure of the scalpel. He’d asked for it to be that way so he could be part of the birth. This, at least, was a hundred times better than being at the Facility. For one, Jesse had chosen it. For another, Dom was with him.
Jesse held on to these thoughts, breathing out the tightness in his chest. Things were going to be okay.
Then the doctor cut deeper and deeper, and Dom looked like he might burst from the tension in his body.
“Breathe,” Jesse said. “You know how it’s supposed to go.”
Dom glared. “Not funny, Sinclair.”
“C’mon, breathe with me. Like this.” Jesse sucked in a loud breath.
“If you weren’t pregnant, I might punch you,” Dom muttered.
“Now we breathe out.” Jesse exhaled loudly. “Everyone knows how to breathe. You just need to remember it.”
“Fuck off,” Dom hissed.
“Hush,” the doctor said.
Jesse glared at Dom. Dom glared back. Then Dom squeezed Jesse’s hand and kissed his fingers through the face mask, and he closed his eyes. Jesse felt the tremble of Dom’s hand, he felt Dom’s anxiety, just by looking at him. “I’ll be fine,” he said.
Dom glowered, his grip turning more painful the deeper the doctor cut. It was as though he were the one giving birth, the way his breathing turned uneven, his face going pale.
It was when Dom almost crushed Jesse’s hand, that the doctor eased something out—a tiny human, covered with blood and fluids.
Their baby.
Jesse watched as the doctor suctioned the fluid out of their baby’s mouth and nose. Dom didn’t let go of his hand. Then a loud wail broke the silence, and Jesse stopped breathing. His instincts told him to search out that crying, they told him to find his baby.
The nurse brought him over, laying the little boy on Jesse’s chest. He was small, his eyes squinted shut, his hands curled into tiny fists. Jesse’s heart missed a beat. This was their child. The life he’d spent nine months carrying. And Jesse knew he would always protect this baby, he would always love their son no matter what.
“Owen,” he murmured, stroking their child. “Hey.”
As though he recognized Jesse’s voice, Owen quieted, listening for more.
“He’s lovely,” Dom murmured, kissing Jesse’s forehead. “You did great.”
Jesse’s heart swelled. “Didn’t do nothing.”
Dom huffed, but he cupped Owen’s back, brushing his scent onto their little boy. “You’ve been protecting him all this time, Sinclair. That isn’t ‘nothing’.”
“Yeah, well.” Jesse shrugged. It had been an incredible nine months, spending them with Dom. With their baby inside him that whole time. Jesse hesitated, thinking about the days ahead. “Don’t wanna hurt him.”
“You won’t
.” Dom linked their fingers, brushing Jesse’s wrist down Owen’s back, too. Then he leaned in to kiss Jesse’s cheek, his gaze so bright that Jesse’s throat tightened. “I’m proud of you. And I know you’ll do good.”
He dropped kisses all over Jesse’s face, then Owen’s tiny hand. Warmth spread through Jesse’s body, all the way to his toes.
He hadn’t expected to find an alpha who loved him, and he most certainly hadn’t expected to find acceptance, and love. But Dom had seen him for who he was, Dom encouraged him and taught him to believe in himself. Without Dom, Jesse was sure he wouldn’t be where he was today: happy, with a family who loved him, and whom he loved with all his heart.
As the doctor stitched him up, he pulled Dom closer, carefully cradling their son, too. “Can’t wait to go home with you,” Jesse whispered, kissing his alpha and their baby. “Love you both.”
Dom returned the embrace, his smile a promise. “Love you, too.”
Epilogue
“Here, let me straighten your tie.” Dom caught Sinclair’s hand, turning him around. “You look magnificent.”
Sinclair flushed all the way to the back of his head. “‘Magnificent’? Never heard you say that before.”
“I haven’t? Feels like I should’ve.” Dom smiled, slipping his sturdy fingers under Sinclair’s tie, adjusting it.
“Daddy! I help, I help!” Two-year-old Owen scrambled between them, reaching up for his papa’s tie. He looked so eager that Dom laughed, hefting him up.
At two, he had a mix of both their looks—he had Dom’s paler skin and blond hair, and he had Jesse’s blue eyes and full lips. Sometimes, Dom looked at his son, and he couldn’t believe that they’d actually created this child, that Owen Sinclair-McCoy was made of both their flesh and blood.
“There, help all you want.” Dom kissed Owen on the cheek, breathing in his clean soap scent. Owen dug his tiny fingers into Sinclair’s tie, tugging it to the left, then to the right, loosening it off-center.
Jesse huffed in amusement. “You’re doing great.”
Owen beamed, ‘fixing’ Sinclair’s tie. “There,” he said, patting it.
“Great job,” Dom told him. “We’re so proud of you.” It wasn’t so much the result, as the thought that counted. Lately, Owen had been trying to help with everything around the house—a bit of a challenge when they were in a rush to go anywhere.
Luckily, they’d all woken up early today.
“Make sure you’ve got all the things you need,” Sinclair said, cupping the back of Owen’s head. “Did you forget your water bottle?”
Owen’s forehead furrowed. “I go look.”
He scurried off, a little ball of determination that made them both smile.
“So, what do you think?” Dom stepped closer, straightening Sinclair’s tie for real. “Any regrets having him?”
Jesse punched him lightly in the chest, laughter in his eyes. “Fuck, no. You already knew that.”
“Were you like that when you were a kid?” Dom watched as Owen bustled around the house.
“Maybe.” Jesse scratched his chin. “Mom says I ‘helped’ a lot, too.”
“I bet you were a cute kid.”
Jesse laughed. “Me, cute?”
“Extremely.” Dom had seen some of his baby photos. He’d borrowed a couple to scan and print for their own home, framed alongside the pictures of Owen and their family.
They shared a quiet moment together, Dom straightening Sinclair’s tie. Then he grabbed it and hauled his alpha in, dragging their lips together in a slow, sweet kiss. Jesse groaned—such an exquisite sound. “Jesse,” Dom growled.
Sinclair raised an eyebrow. “You’ve been calling me that a lot more lately. Is that... because you don’t want Owen to think we’re enemies, or something?”
Dom laughed. “Nah. Sometimes it feels more intimate calling you by your name.” He kissed the corner of his alpha’s lips. “I want to be closer. Mine.”
Sinclair grinned and bit Dom’s lip, licking the marking he’d left last night. “Not sure how much closer we can be. You really rather call me Jesse?”
Dom kissed him. “Yeah. But you prefer Sinclair.”
Jesse thought about it for a while. “I do. But you already know why.”
“Looks like we might have to keep disagreeing on this.” Dom dragged his wrist down Sinclair’s jaw, his instincts rumbling in delight when Sinclair smelled even more like Dom’s. “Or I’ll just have to call you by your full name.”
Jesse grinned. “Maybe.”
“Or... Maybe this might be better.” Dom leaned in, nipping at his earlobe. “Alpha.”
Jesse sucked in a slow breath, his eyes lighting up. “Maybe that, too. Feels like you’re spoiling me, Dom.”
Dom laughed, squeezing his ass. “Who am I going to spoil, if not you?”
Jesse elbowed him, but he was smiling. “We should get going. Before we hold up everything.”
“We really should.”
Jesse pounced on Owen in the kitchen, and they hauled him into the new truck—really an old truck by this point—one with a backseat that could hold Owen and all his things. Then they did the drive to the lake, where the team held its barbecue parties.
Technically, Dom wasn’t part of Team A anymore. He’d switched shifts to Team C so Jesse could remain with his station family.
These days, an hour before Dom’s shift ended, Jesse would show up at the station with Owen. They’d carry out their own handover ritual—a quick kiss and some hugs—and Dom would bring Owen home, where they’d spend time together until Jesse got home from work.
They pulled into the parking lot near the pavilion, Dom raising an eyebrow at the number of people who were already there. The wedding organizer had set up rows and rows of chairs in front of the pavilion, with an aisle going down the middle.
At the start of the aisle, they found Ben and Alec—the other couple getting married today. Alec had suggested it; he and Jesse were on the same team, anyway. It made sense to gather all the firefighters, and do both weddings at the same time.
Besides, Dom had plans to let Ben and Alec steal the show. He’d sweep Jesse away for their own private celebration after the wedding—Jesse’s parents had offered to watch Owen for the rest of the day. Dom had already packed some lacy things he would put on his alpha, just for the sake of ripping it off.
“Congrats,” Gareth said, shaking Dom’s hand. “Took a while, but you’re finally here.”
Dom smiled. “We are.”
It had been six years since Dom had met Jesse for the very first time. Before Dom could muse on that, Gareth nodded at the fancy table to one side. Jumbo carrots had been stacked in the middle of the table, flanked by bottles and bottles of honey. All big enough to fit alpha cocks. Above, a banner read Wedding Favors.
Dom coughed. “You and York sure took your kinks to the next level.”
Gareth shrugged, looking innocent. “Hey, carrots are good for your body.”
Dom had used one on Jesse a few weeks ago, dipped in honey. It had worked out surprisingly well. Jesse coughed, turning red.
The team gathered around them—Dom and Jesse, and Ben and Alec. Ben had worn a flowing ivory dress, one that sparkled even more than Jesse’s nails did. Dom caught his alpha staring.
“You rather wear a dress?” Dom asked.
Jesse looked at the dress a little longer, before shaking his head. “Nah.”
“Why not?”
“I like suits too, you know.” Jesse grinned, heaving Owen up into his arms. “‘Sides, Owen’s in a suit. I want us all to match.”
“Pretty,” Owen said, pointing at Ben’s dress.
Jesse laughed. “Yup. Sure is.” Then he kissed Owen on the cheek, looking fondly at him. Dom’s heart melted. It sure had been a journey, Jesse getting to where they were. Loving their son, being there for him. Dom was proud of his alpha.
It wasn’t just that, though. Jesse had opted to retain his omega parts just in case they wanted a second c
hild. He’d had a hormone suppressant embedded in his arm to prevent another heat, too. At least, until he was ready for one.
The wedding organizer ushered the guests to their seats. Dom didn’t have many relatives; Jesse had a number. Then there was Ben and Alec’s family, too.
An omega darted between the chairs—a waif of a man, thin, barely-legal. Dom didn’t know who he was, but the man tripped halfway down the aisle. He lost his balance and flailed in midair, horror shooting through his eyes.
Then he lurched forward onto the grass, face-planting awkwardly with his ass up in the air. Some of the guests had turned to look.
Jesse cringed. “Wilkie, no.”
“You know him?” Dom asked.
“He’s my cousin.” Jesse frowned. “Although I think he’s Alec’s distant cousin or something, too. Maybe our families are somehow related.”
Wilkie turned beet-red and picked himself up, brushing the grass stains off his clothes. Then he scurried down a row of chairs and disappeared behind some other guests.
Seeing another omega now... Dom no longer felt lonely, or as though he was missing something. It reminded him of Mal, though. How Mal had timed when he wanted to leave the world. It had always struck Dom as odd, that Mal had saved Dom the humiliation of breaking in front of all his teammates. How Mal had given Dom the most time he could to recover, before having to go back on duty again.
Mal had loved Dom, in his own way. Dom didn’t doubt that. But by leaving Dom, he had given Dom the option to find someone else. Maybe that had been his intent.
Dom looked up at the sky, wondering if Mal was watching. If Mal had finally found peace. He hoped so. Then he turned his attention back to his family, and the wedding planner waving him to the front of the aisle.
“See you soon,” Dom said, squeezing Jesse’s hand.
Jesse grinned, his gaze dropping to Dom’s mouth like he wanted a kiss. He’d get a good one later. Dom crouched and ruffled Owen’s hair. “Stick with Papa, listen to him, okay?”
Owen nodded eagerly. “Okay, Daddy.”
Dom kissed Owen’s forehead and made his way down the aisle with Alec. Alec squirmed, looking anxious.
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