by Toby Wise
“It’s okay,” I say gently. “Our babies are almost here. And you’re going to be a great dad. They’re going to love you so much, Rhett. Just as much as I do if not more.”
Rhett’s eyes grow glassy as he stares back at me. “I’m not sure that’s possible,” he says with a wide smile. “Because you do such a great job of letting me know I’m loved, Wyn. I’m not sure anyone can love me more than you do.”
“Damn straight,” I say with a snort.
“Not really straight but I understand your point.”
I shake my head at him, fondness overcoming me. “Such a fucking brat.”
“But I’m your brat,” he whispers, leaning in and kissing my lips gently. The softness of the kiss makes me smile against his lips. What a stark difference this kiss is compared to our first which was all passion and teeth. Now our kisses have a purpose, they tell of our love and our feelings instead of just lust.
I pull away only enough to kiss each of his cheeks, making him huff in amusement. The sound of tapping draws our eyes back to the egg. Another crack is forming down the side. The way the light plays against the egg makes it look unearthly, almost like the reds and oranges are glowing, tiny flames flickering.
“Do you have names picked out?” Star asks.
I nod my head. “Yeah. If they’re girls I get to name them. And if they’re boys, Rhett has names picked out.”
Rhett lifts his fingers, showing Star the way they’re crossed. “Please Lady Fate let them be boys!”
Star shakes her head at Rhett but her eyes are fond. Star’s always been a mystery to me, unable to be read. She’s old, older even than me or anyone I’ve ever met in all my years. Like my egg, she also strikes me as otherworldly, something so beyond my understanding that when she looks at me and sees, it sends a chill down my spine.
Rhett’s hand finds mine and we hold onto each other as we wait. I hear shuffling behind the door and know our family is waiting for us, waiting for their newest arrivals. Our family. Will that phrase ever stop making me feel so much wonder?
“Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit,” Rhett whispers under his breath as the egg cracks even more. We both suck in a sharp breath as an appendage breaks through the side. The tiniest claw I’ve ever seen in my life pokes out, waving at us. “Oh shit.”
“Everett,” I say, using my sternest voice. “Language.”
Rhett rolls his neck before nodding, his face serious. He leans over, kissing my cheek and whispers, “sorry.”
Just then, on the opposite side, the egg cracks again. I hold my breath and wait. I’m rewarded with another claw poking out. So far they look identical. Anticipation builds up in my belly as we wait, knowing they need to get out of their egg without our help despite how much I’d like to pull the top off this egg already.
My leg bounces as we wait. I lean forward and tell my beautiful children, “come on! Hurry up already.”
Rhett smacks my arm with the back of his hand, making Star snort. “Yeah,” Rhett adds, “do as your Daddy says. He’s the boss around here.”
Almost like they agree, two wings spring forth, breaking the top of the egg clear off. Two little squeaks ring out, making my face split into a wide smile. “Oh,” I breathe, unable to say anything more as two little dragon faces rise up and blink slowly at us. They’re perfect.
Their eyes are so unique. The twins match each other while their eyes do not. Their left eyes are red and their right are yellow. “Woah,” Rhett whispers. “That’s cool.”
I lift my hands up, waiting for one of them to step out of the egg. The one on the left steps out gingerly, the bottom of the egg shattering around their feet. As they walk I take their dragon form in, smiling in wonder. Their back is as black as Rhett’s dragon form, both of them. But when I pick up my baby, I see the way their belly is so bright. The scales at their throat are bright red and the color morphs as it goes down to their tail, becoming a bright yellow color, their belly an orange. Gosh, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything more beautiful in all my life.
“Look at you,” Rhett murmurs, picking up our other baby. This one has the same gradual shift on their belly but the tone is barely there, almost black compared to their sibling.
“This one,” Star says, nodding towards the baby in my hands who’s currently nibbling on the side of my thumb and making me giggle. “Is a girl. And that one is a boy,” she tells Rhett. “Both of them are omega.”
“One of each,” I say with a smile. “Just like me and my sister.”
“Damn it,” Rhett whispers, his eyes wide. “They’re gonna have me so whipped so fast.”
“Just like their daddy,” I say back, loving the way it makes Rhett’s cheek pink. He rolls his eyes, trying to play it off.
“What’s her name?” Rhett asks, touching our daughter’s head. Our son lets out a huff and the whelp in my hands looks over at him, her eyes widening as his nostrils puff out smoke.
“Grace.”
“That’s beautiful,” Star says with a smile.
“That’s perfect. It goes well with her brother’s name.”
“Which is?”
Rhett looks at me, his eyes serious. “His name is Gideon.”
A noise leaves my throat without my permission, my eyes watering. “You asshole,” I grit out through clenched teeth. “You’re not supposed to make me cry!”
“Language,” he teases back.
“I love you,” I tell him, leaning over our squirming whelps in order to kiss their dad. “I love you so much, Rhett.” My hand finds his cheek, my forehead against his. “You’ve given me everything.”
“It was nothing I didn’t wanna give,” he says back, kissing my lips again.
Grace nips at my hand again, demanding my attention. “Oh boy,” I say, looking down at her. “This one is gonna be just like you, I can already tell.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I think we both know.”
Gideon makes another squeaking noise and it makes us both coo at him. They’re perfect, completely and utterly perfect. Star walks over to the door, letting everyone inside.
Dad storms in and I can’t help but laugh at him. He’s wearing goggles over his eyes. “I am not losing an eyebrow this time! I am prepared!”
Ivory comes over, flopping down beside me. I kiss her cheek. “I can’t believe you flew all the way here.”
“Like I would miss this, little brother.”
“It was literally seconds, Ivory. Stop calling me little.”
She shrugs. “I’m taller. And older. It fits.” She touches Grace’s chin and the little whelp practically purrs, tilting her head back and demanding more scratches. If I didn’t know any better I’d think she had some kitten in her. “Tell me my niece’s and nephew’s names.”
“This one is Grace,” I tell her. Just then, Grace and Gideon both shift to their human forms. I cradle Grace in my arms carefully, holding her little head in my palm. She opens her eyes, eyes that match my own. I look over at Gideon, only seeing a carbon copy of Rhett. These two are so different and my heart soars, taking in their differences, wondering what their personalities will be like.
I clear my throat, nodding to my son. “And this is Gideon.”
“Oh, Idris,” my sister breathes, her hand covering her mouth.
“I named him,” Rhett says softly. “Gideon lives on in our hearts. His legacy is still going. He loved you, I can tell by the stories you tell me, Wyn. His memory will keep living with us.”
Dad steps forward. “I hate to break up this moment but--” then he reaches out with grabby hands. I snort, handing Grace over to him. “Hello, beautiful.”
I realize the mistake as soon as I pass her over. We haven’t had time to diaper either baby. Before I can give a warning, she’s peeing all over her grandpa’s arms. He holds completely still, his eyes wide. “Well,” he says slowly. “At least I brought my goggles.” And then to add salt to the wound, Grace sneezes in his face. But unlike her cousi
ns, she apparently takes after me, sneezing ice instead of fire.
Pops carefully takes Grace from Dad with a wide smile. “Maybe you’ll have better luck with Gideon?”
Dad’s face scrunches up and his voice gets all high as he whines. “Maybe you’ll have better luck with Gideon.” Then he looks over at me. “Can I use your bathroom? I’m a bit…. wet.”
I point him in the right direction, only barely keeping my giggles to myself. Elwood sits down on the other side of Rhett, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. His face is so openly joyous, smiling down at his nephew. “I’m so proud of you,” Elwood tells his brother. “Gods, I always knew you had it in you.”
Rhett snorts, nudging his twin with his elbow. Elwood lays a diaper onto his own lap, taking Gideon from Rhett and easily strapping him in. Then he lays Gideon across his thighs, Gideon’s head in his palms. “He’s got your eyes,” Elwood says softly. His thumb gently caresses Gideon’s cheek.
“Our family’s eyes,” Rhett tells him. “I feel like this is all a dream and at any moment I’m gonna wake up back in our dorm room.”
Elwood shakes his head, not even looking up from taking Gideon in. “Nah. This is real.” Then he reaches over and pinches Rhett’s arm.
“Ouch!”
“See. Very real.”
“You’re an effective asshole.”
Elwood’s face breaks into a wide smile. “Thank you. I love you, too.”
“Are they always like this?” Ivory whispers to me.
“Yeah. Aren’t they cute? They pretend they’re tough alphas but melt at every little thing.”
Rhett turns towards me, narrowing his eyes. I just shrug, making us both snort in amusement. Right now only a portion of our family are here, not wanting to overwhelm us. I’m ready for the whelps to meet everyone and for everyone to meet them.
“I’m back!” Dad declares, stepping back into the room. He comes over, picking up Gideon from Elwood’s arms. He takes his goggles off. “Won’t be needing these since we apparently have ice babies.”
I flinch as Gideon hiccups, a small spark leaving his lips. Dad opens his mouth and then closes it several times. “Lady Fate give me patience and fire proof eyebrows, please.”
Star stands up, dusting off her knees as she does. “Thank you,” I tell her, trying to convey my feelings through my voice. She smiles back.
“Of course,” she murmurs. “Anything for my children.”
“What?” But instead of answering, she just gives me that smile that tells me not to worry about it. I’d question her further but just then, Tony is walking in the door, stopping to pick Dog up. Dog hisses and bites Tony the moment he’s in the living area and Tony’s forced to drop him.
“My baby,” I coo as Dog jumps onto my lap.
“Demon baby,” Tony says under his breath.
“Where’s Yasha?” Rhett asks with a raised brow.
Tony rubs the back of his neck. “He’s back home. I uh, I ran into him.” Then he shakes his head. “I’ll tell you about it later,” he says before giving us a shrug and stepping over to Pops and cooing at Grace. Yeah, he won’t be getting away with that for very long if I have anything to say in the matter.
But for now, I’m content to sit back and watch as everyone fusses over my babies with my alpha at my side.
Chapter Sixteen
Rhett
“I need to warn you,” I say slowly. “Cameron’s gifts are hilariously awful. I love them. But don’t be surprised if he gives you something really ridiculous, okay?”
Wyn rolls his eyes at me. “Baby, it’s fine. I can take anything your brother wants to throw my way.”
“Okay,” I answer, letting the word stretch out. I hold my three month old son against my chest, shielding him as best as I can from the snow that’s falling gently from the sky. The house is beautiful, the woods framing it, snow lining the trees. I miss it here and I wonder how much it’ll take to convince Wyn to move into a little cabin in the woods with me and our whelps. Probably not a lot since he’s already been hinting at moving somewhere bigger before the babies get too much older.
Taking a steadying breath, I open the front door, stepping inside. Wyn smacks my arm. “Don’t act like you’re going to your death or something so sinister. It’s just your family,” he hisses at me.
“Oh, just you wait.”
Just then, Sam goes running through the doorway wearing his long blue wig, Levi and Lucian giggling and chasing him. Dad steps through the kitchen doorway, a wide smile on his face. “I’ve got cookies!” he announces, making Levi, Lucian, Jessica, and even little Charlotte all come running, their little hands raised in the ‘gimme’ motion.
Venturing through the house, I find a giant tree in the corner of the living room and most of my siblings all piled together on the couch or sat in various places around the room. Sam has tossed his wig off and sat himself in Isaiah’s lap. Frankie and Elwood are sat together, snuggled up tight. Mandy is holding Delilah, making baby talk to the little alpha. I take a deep breath, just taking it all in and feeling at home.
There’s a playmat to the side, out of the way of traffic where little Alexandria is laying down. We set Grace and Gideon down beside their cousin, one on each side of her. She’s just shy of a year old and able to sit up and crawl. She sits on her butt, staring down at the twins in fascination while they lay on their backs, their little legs and feet kicking away.
Wyn sits on the floor to keep an eye on them as I drop our bundle of presents to the side of the tree. This year we decided to do a secret Santa instead of getting a gift for everyone. Though I still got some extra stuff for Elwood and Frankie. I can’t be blamed, he’s my freaking twin after all.
Cameron comes into the living room, a giant smile on his face. “I love Christmas,” he declares, giving Jace a mischievous smile.
“No. You love giving gifts, you little shit,” River says as he walks into the room holding a tray of hot drinks. He passes them around. When I get mine, I take a sip, sputtering a bit.
“Ah, these are adult hot chocolates. Got it.”
“Oh, I want one,” Wyn says in delight and I pass one over. As he sips, I watch as his cheeks turn an adorable pink color under his beard. Huh, now that I think about it, I’ve never actually seen my omega drunk before. I save my drink and as he finishes his, I hand mine over as well.
All of the kids open their presents first. Jessica gets her very first bike. Gods, it’s hard to even believe she’s big enough for a bike already. Today’s extra special for her since it’s not only Christmas Eve but also the day before her birthday. I hand her the gift from Wyn and I, laughing in delight when she runs up and hugs me around the neck. “Love you, Rhett.”
“Love you too, Jessie.”
Levi and Lucian tear through their presents. At one point, Lucian sets some wrapping paper on fire. A total of none of us are surprised and River is ready with a bucket of water.
Charlotte is pretty as ever in her pink dress and pink bow tie. She keeps tugging at the bow saying ‘pretty, pretty, pretty’. It’s adorable. It’s even more adorable when she opens a box filled with different bows. She coos and oos and awws.
Alexandria isn’t quite old enough to open presents and when I look over, I find her and the twins out cold. Fondness fills my chest as I gaze down at them, they’re perfect.
“Why don’t we take our grandbabies to bed and the adults can open their presents?”
“Sounds good,” I whisper, picking up Gideon as Pops grabs Alexandria and Dad picks up Grace.
I go to my old room, the one I used to share with Elwood. I’m filled with nostalgia. The same pictures are on Elwood’s desk but now there’s a crib instead of beds. I set Gideon down, watching as Dad sets Grace down beside him. They sleep better together, just like Elwood and I when we were little. I smile down at them as they reach out for each other in their sleep, clasping hands between them.
“I didn’t know it would feel like this,” I whisper, looking over
at Dad.
“No one ever really knows I don’t think.” He shrugs, putting his arm through mine and leaning his head against my shoulder. “But when you realize they’re yours something just takes hold. It’s how I felt when I met all of my kids. Isaiah, Mandy, Cameron. You and your brother were a bit of a surprise but once I saw you in my ER, I just knew.”
“Thanks for that,” I say, overcome with emotions. “I don’t say it enough but, thank you. And I love you.”
Dad turns, pulling me into a hug. “I love you, too Everett. And I’m so incredibly proud of you. Seeing you grow, seeing you come to trust Lady Fate? It’s everything a parent can hope to happen to their child.”
I pull back, wiping at my face. “I’m a mess.”
Dad snorts. “Good thing you’ve got a good omega to help take care of you.”
“Yeah. I really do, don’t I?”
As we walk back to the living room, Pops joins us, wrapping his arm around Dad and pulling him off to the side. Dad looks up, his cheeks turning pink at the sight of mistletoe. I look away as they start kissing. For a split second I think about how much more grown up I’m being by not saying anything. But then I shrug, realizing I don’t have to act a certain way, calling out, “ewww, get a room you two.”
Dad gives me the finger, his forehead falling onto Pops’ chest with a huff of laughter. Yeah, I’m a brat, and I’m learning that’s okay.
“Finally,” Cameron whines as we walk back into the room. He’s sat beside the tree, a wide smile splitting his face. I look over at my omega with a look of trepidation but he just smacks my chest with a snort. Yeah, he’s a bit tipsy and incredibly adorable. “Present time, present time!”
I sit on the floor beside Wyn and he puts his arm through mine, lacing our fingers together, and laying his head against my shoulder. I look down at him with a little smile, kissing the top of his head.
“Alright, whoever had me for Secret Santa, raise your hand,” Cameron says, looking around in delight. I raise my hand. But so does Wyn. I look over and find everyone in the room with their hands up in the air.