Felix, 3 months later
Felix looks up at the mansion looming above them, drawing a deep breath. This visit is long overdue, and he’s been putting it off for... what, almost a year now? Perhaps that has added to his growing dread, but he can no longer put this off.
“You’re sure about this?” Kade asks, parking the car at the end of the driveway, by the circular stone fountain. He reaches over for Felix’s hand, cradling it in his own. He smooths his warm, callused thumb over Felix’s ring. “I’ll talk to him alone if you want.”
Felix shakes his head, smiling fondly. “It’s about time I did things myself, isn’t it? Grow a spine and all that. Besides, you can be the backup muscle.”
Kade mulls over it, narrowing his eyes. “Fine.”
They step out of the car. Felix unstraps Bethy from the car seat, smiling when she grins toothlessly at him. “We’re going to meet your grandpa,” Felix says, kissing her on the nose. “And hopefully we’ll all come away intact.”
“I’ll punch him if he disses you.” Kade locks the car doors, stepping close to slip his arm around Felix’s waist. His eyes dart over the rows of windows along the first floor, and the turrets at either corner of the mansion.
Felix leans into him. Years ago, Kade had thought that he needed to provide a sprawling house like this for Felix to be happy. It’s taken him a while to shake that impression. “I like our home,” Felix says quietly. “It’s feels like family.”
Kade looks back at him, a tiny smile curving his lips. “I believe you.”
They walk up the stone steps together. Shifting Bethy to his other arm, Felix unlocks the door, pushing it open.
Inside, the butler looks up at them, raising his eyebrows. Then his gaze flickers over Bethy and Kade. “Mr. Felix,” he says, dipping his chin. “Your father was not expecting you. You’ve caught him just as he was about to leave.”
The butler glances to the side. Felix finds his father standing at the foot of the grand stairway, briefcase in hand. Felix swallows. This was less time than he had to prepare.
Alastor Henry scans them over—Felix, Kade, the baby girl in Felix’s arms. His eyes widen.
“Father,” Felix says, his pulse jumping in his throat. “I apologize for not dropping by. We’ve been caught up lately.”
By lately, he means the past half year, but his father doesn’t answer. The mayor of Meadowfall steps forward, his forehead crinkled. “You birthed a child.”
“A daughter,” Felix says. “Bethy Brentwood.”
His father stops two feet away, staring at the blond curls on Bethy’s head, her mahogany eyes. For a long moment, he stares at her, lips pressed thin. Then he sags, ever so slightly, and in that moment, he looks old.
Felix thinks about handing the wedding invite over and leaving, but his father reaches up, and pauses. “She reminds me of your mother,” he says, his voice barely audible. And Felix’s heart quickens, because his father has never talked about his mother. She’d died when he and Taylor were infants.
“She’s a great child,” Felix says, his voice shaking a little. Anytime now, his father will tell him what a failure he still is. And it will hurt again. “We’ve been reading books to her. Her favorite is ‘Big Rabbit and Little Rabbit’.”
Alastor Henry drops his hand, his shoulders sagging. “Your mother would have raised you better,” he murmurs haltingly. “She was far kinder than I am.”
Felix stares at his father, his eyes stinging. His father has never acknowledged the way he treated Felix, either.
“You could have shown him some kindness,” Kade says, eyeing Felix’s father. “That’s all I ever hoped to see from you.”
That, and a proper acknowledgement. But Felix knows Kade won’t ask for it.
Alastor glances at Kade, nodding. Then he looks back at Felix, his eyes dark and contemplative. “I raised you in the hopes that you would take over my businesses someday,” Alastor says. “Taylor did well with that. I wondered why you didn’t. And I hope you won’t make the same mistakes I did with your children.”
Felix gulps, his throat tight. It sounds like forgiveness, and he hasn’t thought he needed to hear it that much. “I’ll try not to.”
Kade lifts the ivory envelope in his hand, glancing at Felix. Do you want me to hand it over?
Felix nods. So Kade presents their wedding invite to Alastor, meeting his gaze. “We’re getting married in June. Thought you might like to be invited.”
Alastor takes the envelope from Kade. “You can expect me to be there.”
Felix smiles. It’s a victory, that his father would even want to witness their marriage.
And a heartbeat later, Alastor adds, “I regret my decisions about the estate, sometimes. For the impact that they caused the people of Meadowfall. My wife—your mother, Felix—I think she would have thought the same you did.”
It’s the closest he’ll get to apologizing for the bankruptcy. Kade breathes out, dipping his chin. Fine.
Felix doesn’t know what to say to all this, himself, how to even respond to the man he’d grown up fearing. So he nods, holding Bethy closer to himself. She gurgles. “We’ll be leaving,” he says. “See you at the wedding.”
His father nods solemnly. “See you then.”
Their wedding takes place on a balmy morning in June.
At Meadowfall park, children run and shout and play in the shade of spreading trees. Swans glide across the distant lake, and ripples spread through the water’s surface. Under an intricate iron gazebo, Felix and Kade join hands before their families, facing each other, and their audience holds its breath.
To Felix’s left, Taylor cradles Bethy in his arms—she’s six months old, dressed in bright yellow overalls—and next to him, their father watches on, the butler James at his side. Felix swallows. His father’s presence isn’t enough to make him tense, though. There are other people around, family and friends who have been kinder to him. Kade squeezes his hands, and Felix shifts his gaze to their other guests.
To his right, Mrs. Brentwood smiles, her eyes shining. Kade’s brothers stand with her—Chris and Sam—and just past them, Susan grins, mouthing, Go on, kiss him.
Felix smiles. He looks back at Kade, and his breath catches again.
“You always look so handsome,” he murmurs, warmth settling in his chest. For the past months, Kade has been taking a day off work each week to help with Bethy. Together, they’ve taken turns staying up through the nights, changing her diaper, feeding her, playing with her when she doesn’t sleep.
Sometimes, Kade’s mom steps in to babysit, and they get a day to themselves—time they spend idling with each other, kissing on the back porch, tangled amongst the bedcovers.
Sometimes, they take Bethy out on strolls to the park, looking at the swans, the laughing children, the rustling leaves.
“She’ll grow up coding the computer games,” Felix will say.
“She’ll start doing crayons and oil pastels,” Kade will say.
They’ll end up looking at Bethy, and she’ll fling a dried leaf into the air, giggling.
Kade rubs his thumbs over Felix’s hands. Felix focuses on him again; Kade’s dressed smoothly in a blue-grey suit, its lapels curving gently over his chest, his pants clinging to his thighs. Felix’s suit is a shade darker, and from the way Kade’s gaze trails over his body, it won’t be staying on long after the reception.
“I never thought this would happen,” Felix murmurs. After all that they’ve been through, and after all the times he doubted they’d ever get together again, this still feels a little like a dream.
Kade rubs a gentle thumb over his wrist. The new bonding mark has become a silvery scar, matching Kade’s and that is a reminder in itself. They’ve lost some, gained more, and Felix can’t regret the things that have blossomed between them. They have a beautiful daughter now, a cozy home with warm smiles and joyful laughter.
“And the most important questions of them all,” the minister says, an elderly man wit
h twinkling eyes and half-moon glasses. “Kaden Brentwood, will you take this omega to be your husband, to love and to cherish for the rest of your life?”
“I do,” Kade says, his eyes locked with Felix. Felix’s breath hitches.
“And Felix Henry, will you take this alpha to be your husband, to love and to cherish for the rest of your life?”
“I do,” Felix says, and it’s the easiest promise he’s ever had to make. He’s always loved Kade, and he’s Kade’s for the next twenty, forty, hundred years.
Kade’s face lights up. He leans in, brushing their lips together, and in that moment, there is only them, and the brightest future ahead.
Author’s Notes
Thank you so much for reading The Omega’s Secret Pregnancy! If you enjoyed the book, I’d really appreciate it if you could leave a review on its Amazon page.
Also, I might be writing a couple of bonus chapters: snippets from Felix and Kade’s childhood. :)
For series updates, subscribe to my newsletter:
http://eepurl.com/cske55
Book 2 of the Men of Meadowfall series will be about Taylor, and an enemy agent he meets on a mission.
In the meantime, I’ve included links to a handful of my books - includes some angst and lots of bittersweet tension. Do take a gander!
Sincerely,
Anna
About the Author
A huge fan of angst and bittersweet tension, Anna has been scribbling since she was fourteen. She believes that everyone needs a safe place, and so her dorky guys fall in love, make mistakes, and slowly make their way back into each other's arms.
Anna loves fine lines on her notebook paper, and is especially fond of her tiny glass globe. She is currently living on the west coast of the US with her husband and a menagerie of stuffed animals.
For more book information:
@AnnaWineheart
annawineheart.author
https://www.amazon.com/Anna-Wineheart/e/B01KIFJ9S0
[email protected]
Forbidden Blood
Since he killed a vampire eight months ago, Oriel has been on the run. The coven wants him dead, and the feds want his blood to eradicate the vampires. Exhausted, he sneaks into an obscure mansion, rummaging for food. What he doesn't know: a vampire lives there.
Three centuries ago, a human lover betrayed Seb, selling him to the hunters for some quick gold. When his chef quits, Seb is left hanging... until he finds the thief in his garage. He captures Oriel, only to discover that Oriel needs protection. And the one thing Seb wants? A purpose to his life again.
Oriel sets one condition when Seb hires him: Seb cannot drink his blood. Except Oriel's blood tempts him from a distance, tempts him in bed. If he tastes it, he'll be addicted, completely dependent on Oriel. And the hotter Oriel kindles his desire, the harder it is for Seb to stay away.
Forbidden Blood is a standalone erotic gay romance novella. No cliffhangers, no cheating. But there definitely is a Happily Ever After.
Now available on the Amazon store:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07124X153
The Wizard by the Sea
On his tenth birthday, Connor trips over a wizard on the shore. Amidst glowing clovers and roses drawn in the sand, the wizard shelters him from the rain and promises to teach him magic. Three years later, they meet again, and Connor becomes his student.
Yates has never been a mentor—he doesn't deserve the privilege. But Connor comes to him after a tragedy, broken and helpless, and stays for years. Without realizing it, they fall in love. Yates knows he shouldn't: he has shaped this boy into a man. At a loss, he pretends not to notice Connor's affections... until his nineteenth birthday, when they celebrate a hard-won victory and give in to desire. Ashamed, Yates banishes his student, leaving a hole in both their hearts.
Four years later and still lonely, a tidal wave sweeps Connor back into Yates' life. When they meet again, he discovers that Yates has withheld secrets from him, secrets that could change his life. Their past is fractured, their future uncertain. But the one thing Connor knows is that he's always loved the wizard by the sea.
The Wizard by the Sea is available on the Amazon store:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XGYRQZM
The Wizard’s Desire
Kei has had enough of wizards and magic interfering with his life. A terrible accident in his childhood left his parents' memories ruined: they no longer remember him. In the years since, Kei has lived a normal life as a firefighter, keeping his relationships distant so he can't be hurt again.
But magic destroys and injures. On the run from his mistakes, Orion will do anything to escape his past—even isolate himself in a magical snow globe. When a desperate situation arises and Orion uses his magic to alter the walls of his snow globe, he accidentally opens a pathway to the outside world. Orion can't risk anyone entering... but he can't risk using his magic again, either.
Orion isn't prepared for the firefighter who falls into his snow globe. Kei is a balm to Orion's loneliness, and despite Kei's distrust of wizards, he begins to see the real person behind Orion's flirting—a brave man who protects those he loves. Unable to help himself, Kei falls in love... until he discovers that Orion's secrets may have everything to do with his own difficult past.
Slow-burn! Friends-to-lovers! The Wizard's Desire is a 100,000-word steamy, standalone gay romance novel. Domestic. Includes monster trees, whistling wood, magic theory, and a headstrong goat named Billy. Also includes some angst. HFN. No cliffhangers.
The Wizard’s Desire is available on the Amazon store:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NBI2R45
The Omega's Secret Pregnancy (Men of Meadowfall Book 1) Page 34