The day finally came when I received a note at my doorstep. It wasn’t big or very long, but it told me all that I needed to know. “When we find you, you’ll deal with the consequences,” the note said.

I held it in my hand in the very early hours of the morning. I glanced back, keeping the front door to my flat open, speechless. Piper was sleeping soundlessly with a pleasant smile on his face. Fuck.

We hoped this day would never come. Of course, we knew it was a possibility. I never wanted to see any of those people again. They could keep their kooky cult-shit to themselves.

Piper and I were building a new life together. In the middle of the small flat, our baby’s new cradle stood. A plush teddy-bear sat in the middle. Draped underneath it was a soft, purple blanket.

Every single day, I pictured our child, Peter, laying in that crib. I imagined the sounds he made. I was even excited to wake up to his horrible cries in the middle of the night. There was nothing I didn’t want to experience as a family together.

The only problem we had was Jacob. My father’s legacy was one to be reckoned with. They had a whole town on their side and a bizarre set of rules. They had “normal” policemen, judges… you name it. It wasn’t going to be pretty, but we were going to put up a fight.

I took the note and quickly ripped it into pieces. I threw it into the trash, hoping Piper wouldn’t see it. It wasn’t my best decision, but I didn’t want Piper to fear any more than he already had.

Piper heard the soft noise of the trash can and opened his eyes. “Hey. What’re you doing up so early, baby?” he asked, blinking his pretty eyes.

I cleared my throat. “I got a burst of inspiration,” I lied. In a way, I felt horrible. I never wanted to lie to him, but the more pregnant he got, the less I wanted to put on him. I’d have to figure this out later.

“Liar.” He smiled and lifted his back up against the bedpost, groaning quietly. “You’re hiding something.”

“Well, a lot has been on my mind,” I admitted. I crawled into bed and curled up next to him. “One month, Piper. Can you believe it?”

Piper looked completely exhausted. Lately, he had been testing his limits. I was so proud of him, but my nerves were stretched. Becoming a new parent was not an easy ticket to handle. It required so much planning, so much learning, that it seemed to consume every second of the day.

Truth be told, we were both tired, but at least we were happy.

“I’ve been having insane dreams,” Piper said, laughing. “I dreamt we were in Prague. Piper was with us, and we were standing in that square you showed me, the one with the giant clock. Do you know which one I’m talking about?”

I nodded my head, furrowing my fingers into his soft hair. He was changing in so many ways, and it made me so grateful to be a part of his life journey. “The Prague astronomical clock. Prague Orloj. It’s beautiful,” I said.

“Can we go there someday? After Peter is born, of course,” Piper asked.

I looked into his wanderlust eyes. “Of course we can, Piper. We’ll go there once Peter is able to fly on a plane,” I said. “Our baby is going to be a little traveler. There’s no way I’m not taking you around the world and back.”

“I’d love that so much,” Piper said before yawning. “It was such a vivid dream. I could smell the food around us. I felt the warm sun against my shoulders. The water in the big river looked so beautiful. Oh, I want to go so freaking bad.”

I hated that Jacob deprived him of seeing the world. Piper had such a natural ability to consume the world’s beauty that it felt like a shame he hadn’t already gone to these places.

Someday, I would give him that and more. I’d let him have everything in the world. All we had to do was wait a little while. Except, now that I found that note, it was becoming more and more apparent that “a while” meant a long fucking time.

I kissed Piper’s smooth lips, tasting him. I felt around his stomach, just like I always did. I held my hand there, really feeling our son’s kicks. It was the most incredible thing I have ever felt.

“I’m going to miss feeling this sensation,” I said. “Like, how is this even possible? How can you grow a human inside of you? God, it’s like my mind is blown every single day.”

“Imagine if you were the one with the baby inside you. It feels one hundred percent totally insane,” Piper said.

I scooted my body to the foot of the bed so I could hold my head against Piper’s stomach for a few minutes. I used the morning to get my fill since Piper was usually pretty tired by the early evening.

The sloshing sounds inside of Piper were the sounds of life. It was nature mixed with nurture, as Peter was already starting to mimic our rhythms. I held my head there, closing my eyes.

Somehow, we both fell asleep. In the morning, I woke up and snuck out of the house. There was a lot on my mind. Mostly, I wanted to propose to Piper in the right way. He already said yes, but the surprise was missing. For me, that was important.

So I gently closed the flat door and ran to the metro station. There was a local jeweler I used to always walk near on the way home from writing. I just knew they would have the perfect ring for Piper.

“Hello?” I called out when I walked into the shop. The store was dusty and smelled of old antiques. An old man walked out from the back.

“Welcome, welcome!” he said with a smile on his face. “What can I do for you?”

I timidly walked up to the counter and glanced at the glass full of antique rings and diamonds. I gulped. This was going to be harder than I thought.

“Um, hi,” I said.

“You’re looking for an engagement ring. Aren’t you?” The clerk asked.

I nodded my head, feeling my face turn red with embarrassment. “Yeah, but I’m a little out of my element,” I admitted. “I thought this would be an easy process, but now I can see that there are so many options to choose from.”

But then my eyes darted toward one in particular. It was hidden in a sea of glimmer, poised below the others. It looked like it had a soul. It was as if someone once found it incredibly special. “Oh, that one,” the clerk said sighing.

“Sorry, did I do something wrong?” I asked.

“No, no. I’m sorry. That ring is just special to me. Though, I know that I need to let it go sometime,” he said.

“Was it yours?” I asked.

The man took off his hat and set it on the coat rack behind him. “It belonged to my omega,” he said. “He passed away four years ago, unfortunately. We lived forty wonderful years together.”

I felt my heart sink. It was the perfect ring for Piper, but I didn’t want to take it away from this man. “Well, you shouldn’t sell it then,” I said. “It’s important. You need to keep it.”

The man’s eyes changed. He smiled wistfully. “Memories come from here,” he said, pointing to his heart and then to his head. “In the end, you have to learn to let go of the physical things.”

I took in a deep breath and exhaled. “Yeah. I guess you’re right,” I said.

“Plus, we never had any children. Who would take it after I’m gone?” he asked. “It’s better this way. If I sell it, I can at least see the person who takes it. That’s good enough for me.”

“It’s a lovely ring. It immediately caught my eyes. Can I see it?” I asked.

“Of course.” The man opened the case slowly and took the ring into his hands. I knew that there were a lot of moments spent with that ring. I imagined all of the things Piper and I were going to do together. Life was such an important thing, and I was just glad that we got to experience it with each other.

The clerk handed me the ring delicately. I held it into the sunlight, entirely in awe. “It’s beautiful,” I whispered.

“Isn’t it? Three carats of pure beauty, that thing is,” the clerk said. “Round-brilliant cut shape. Set in yellow gold. It’s very unique.”

“I love it, but how much would you sell it for?” I asked him, feeling my heart race. I needed to buy Piper this engagement ring so badly it hurt.

“You seem like a nice man,” he said. “So I’d be willing to give it to you at a fairly reasonable price point of fifteen thousand.”

My stomach dropped to the floor. Fifteen thousand?! I looked at the ring again before responding. It was a fair price, but shit! I didn’t have enough money for it yet, and though I had been trying my best to save and work my hardest, it would take me months of slaving away to get anywhere near that price point.

I handed the ring back to the clerk. “Okay,” I said with tired eyes. “Thank you for your time. I might have to look at some of these other rings.”

“We can work out a payment plan if you’d like. I can give you two years,” he said.

That offer was a little more doable. I bit the inside of my cheek and weighed my options. It was either I came home with nothing, or I’d come back with the best ring ever.

“You’ll hold it for me here?” I asked. “Just for a few months? We’re having a baby, so I think I have some time. It’s just such a perfect ring. I know he’d be absolutely floored to receive it from me.”

The man set the ring in an open black box. “Don’t worry. If you can pay me monthly, I’ll save it here,” he said.

“I can do it. I have to do it,” I said. “Piper means so much to me.”

“With this ring, he’ll know,” the man said.

I left a form of ID with the man before leaving in a hurry. Piper would be awake by now, and he’d most likely wonder where I’ve been. I ran to the metro station and climbed down the steps, feeling on top of the world.

I found the ring for Piper. It was wonderful. But shit, I was going to be so broke. At the time, I didn’t care. Any amount of money spent on Piper was well worth it.

The subway train came to a screeching halt. With a smile on my face, I pressed the button to open the doors. I was floating in heaven. Life was so wonderful, so great, so—

“Hello, Cole.” Jacob’s cruel face seemed to darken the whole station. My high emotions went plummeting to the floor. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been in the city. What a terrible place.”

“Jacob, what the fuck are you doing here?” I asked. I already knew the answer.

“You have my fiancé,” Jacob said.

I had feared this moment for a while now. I knew he would catch up with us at some point. It was a shock to see him, but seeing him out of his element made him seem weaker than usual. He was in a different world here, one that didn’t rely on prejudices to claim power.

“Oh, God,” I groaned. “Jacob, save it. People are allowed to break up with their partners. I know that you grew up in a tightly closed community, but it doesn’t mean anything to the people around us right now.”

“Do you think I care about these people?” he asked.

“You’re outnumbered. Give it a rest,” I said, stepping into the subway car.

But Jacob’s firm hand pulled me back out. “The baby,” he said.

I felt my muscles tighten and my fists instinctually clenched. “What about our baby?” I asked, gritting my teeth.

“It’s almost time?” Jacob asked.

“Say one more word, and I’ll break your fucking jaw,” I said. My anger got the best of me, but sometimes, that had to happen. I wanted him to know where he stood in my mind.

“If you touch me, I’ll have the authorities here faster than you can run,” Jacob said.

I took a deep breath and quietly walked away, saying, “You have no idea about the beauty of the world.”

I’m sure Jacob snickered, but I didn’t turn around to find out. I walked all of the way home, lost in thought. If only he knew that his community leaders were nothing even like him. But he didn’t know. He didn’t read the letters or see the pictures of my two fathers, so incredibly happy to be near each other.

He couldn’t comprehend that type of love. For him, love relied on a tight set of conditions. For Piper and I, love was an emotional bond built between two people. It was based on passion and respect.

I wanted to do something for the world like my omega dad Peter did. After that encounter, it felt like I was stuck. My passion was writing books about omegas. I wanted to show real love, to describe what I felt for Piper. In a way, that felt like enough.

When I got home, I slowly opened the door. I set my things quietly down, assuming Piper was still fast asleep. He wasn’t. Unfortunately, he was standing in the kitchen. On the table was the ripped up note from Jacob.

“Shit,” I whispered.

“Yeah. Shit is right,” Piper said.