“Game point, asshole.” I grabbed the ball before it bounced off the court and tossed it hard into Jax’s chest. “Pizza’s on you, as usual.”

He tried to glare at me, but he couldn’t keep a straight face. He knew I was right. We grabbed our bags and headed to the pizza parlor just off campus. “Fine, I’ll buy. But I want to hear more about this family that you’ve acquired over the past three days.”

A huge grin covered my face, and Jax just rolled his eyes. “Oh, shit. You’re not gonna be one of those, are you?”

“One of what?” But I knew exactly what he was talking about. We’ve had this conversation a hundred times about those obnoxious alphas who find their mates and go gaga in love and are completely useless to anything else. “And no, Jax. I’m not going to be one of those. In fact, we decided that Ash is gonna stay at his place until the end of the semester while I look for a job.”

He stopped walking and grabbed my arm. “You’re leaving the program?”

I shrugged him off and kept walking. “Not permanently, but I think I only stayed in school to buy time until I knew what the hell I wanted to do with my life. And now I know exactly what I want to do with it. I dunno. I guess staying in school seems like a waste of time now.”

“I guess,” Jax said, falling in step beside me again.

“Besides, how much education does one person need before they get out in the world and start living their lives?”

Jax was quiet for a few minutes, which was not like him at all. It was still light out but the evenings were getting cool so I stuck my hands in my pockets to warm them up. “I’m gonna miss you.”

“I know. But with Ash being a professor, it’s not really worth the risk of him losing his career when we can just chill for a few months.”

Jax raised an eyebrow with a disbelieving look on his face. “Really? You’re going to just chill while your baby and omega live someplace else? ‘Cuz if that’s the case, then you’re definitely not like any of those other alphas who can’t stand to be separated from their family for more than five minutes without getting anxious.”

Fuck, he was right. Even as I said the words, I knew how miserable I was going to feel every night that Sylvia and Ash weren’t with me. But it was the smart thing to do. The responsible thing to do. And now that I had a family to take care of, I needed to be smart and responsible, which meant I needed to focus on getting a fucking job that paid real money. “I’ve got an interview set up with StarX next week. They promised me a job after my internships.” I should have just stayed. I wouldn’t have missed any time with Ash or Sylvia. “I wasn’t ready then, but I’m ready now.”

“So, you’re moving?”

I glanced at my friend and hoped he understood why I needed to do this. “If that’s where the job is, then that’s where we’re going. But Ash is really happy here, so I’m gonna see if I can work remotely. They have a lot of employees who work off-site, so if they really want me, which they’ve said they do, I’m hoping they’ll let me just travel in a few times per month for meetings. But we’ll see.”

Jax placed his big hand on my shoulder and gave me a little shake. “It’s a good plan, man. I’m proud of you. Sure, it makes me a little jealous.”

I chuckled at his honesty because I knew he was more than just a little jealous. Jax wanted a family desperately, and I knew he’d give anything to trade places with me. “You’ll find yours, Jax. And then we can buy houses next door to each other with white picket fences, and our kids and dogs will play together forever,” I said teasingly.

His gentle shake of my shoulder turned into a squeeze. “Yeah, make fun of me now, but I hope it happens soon.”

He slipped both of his hands in his pockets as we reached the front door at the pizzeria. I opened it so he could pass through, completely unapologetic about making me hold it for him.

* * *

Living apart from my new family was harder than I expected. On the nights Ash and Sylvia didn’t show up at my door, I found myself at theirs, begging to come in so I could hold them throughout the night. I never understood what Killian was talking about when he’d go on and on about not being able to function well when he wasn’t with Marcus. But now it made perfect sense. Ash was like my other half. And even though I didn’t even realize I had a family just a week earlier, I already felt like my entire world revolved around them. And that’s why I’d been avoiding the conversation I needed to have with Ash.

“Why can’t you stay inside me forever?” Ash curled into a ball against my chest so I could wrap my body around his, cocooning him in my arms and legs. “I hate when you eventually slide out.”

My balls liked the sound of that, but my dick couldn’t even twitch after the night we’d already had. “I hate it too...but my cock would fall off if I didn’t give it a break now and then. You feel too fucking good. It’d explode right off me.”

Ash chuckled softly. “Well, it felt like it did that a few times tonight. But I guess we can let the little guy get some rest.”

“Little guy?” I slid over Ash’s hip and side so I was on top of him, pressing my weight against him. “Are you saying you want more?”

Ash’s smirk grew as he shrugged one shoulder. “He’s perfect as he is but…”

Now I was intrigued...and just a little concerned that I wasn’t fully pleasing my omega. “But what?”

“I heard about a knot enhancer that will make it stay full for like...an hour.”

“Seriously?” I dropped my forehead to his temple and blew out a relieved and slightly amused sigh. “You’re such a knot whore. Doesn’t it start to hurt after a while?”

“It does...but I like when you move and it tugs against me. It’s like… I don’t know. I guess I Iike knowing you’re literally stuck to me.” His voice dropped to a whisper, and he turned away so I had to pull back. “I like knowing you can’t leave me again.”

Fuck. I would never forgive myself for what I put Ash through over the past year. “I’m so sorry, baby.” I dropped to the mattress beside him and pulled him into my arms again. “I will never leave. Ever. And I hate myself for not being there for you when you needed me. But, we have to look forward and plan for the future. We can’t keep looking back.”

Ash nodded and pressed his lips to mine for a soft kiss. “I know. And I believe you. I won’t always feel this way...but for now, I just love having you knotted to me.”

“Me too.” I kissed him back more intensely, trying to soften what I had to say next. “And speaking of looking ahead to our future…”

“What?” Ash looked worried, and I hated that I put that insecurity in him. “Is it good news or bad news.”

I smiled and kissed him again, hoping to reassure him. “It’s good news. But it’ll be a bad few days.”

“Why?”

“I have an interview back in the city. I have to go there on Thursday morning and I’ll be there until Friday afternoon. If everything goes well, I should be able to telecommute most of the time so I won’t be a student and you won’t have to leave the university. We can stay here and I’ll be able to take care of you and Sylvia.”

“Really? You think they’ll let you telecommute full-time?” A glimmer of excitement was in Ash’s eyes and my anxiety melted away. We both knew this was the best-case scenario for our family. We just had to suffer a little bit longer before it could be a reality.

“I hope so. They’ve been bugging me to go back since last summer so we’ll see if they put their money where their mouth is. And if not, I’ll keep looking until I find a company that will be flexible. I don’t care where it is. I’m just ready to start taking care of my family the way I should.”

Ash shook his head with a frown. “Babe, you know you don’t have to quit school to take care of us. We’re fine. I can take care of us for as long as needed. Even if I do have to leave the university, there are plenty of companies looking for Omega Resources managers. I’m sure I can do that if the university has a problem with us.”

“I know you can. And I love you for being willing to change your entire career for me.” I nuzzled into his neck and took a deep breath, needing his scent to keep me grounded. “But this is something I want to do. I haven’t been happy for the past year and school is just a distraction at this point. I don’t want a distraction. I want a way to provide for you and our baby. I hope you can understand that.”

“Of course, I can.” His smile was sincere, and I knew he would support anything I want to do with my life. “And even though we’ll be miserable while you’re gone, I’m proud of you for taking this step. No matter what happens, we’ll be waiting for you when you get home.”

Home.

I’d always had a strong and loving home, but the word took on a whole new meaning now that I had Ash and Sylvia in my life. But that reminded me about my mom and brother. They would be heartbroken if I didn’t introduce them to my family soon.

“Speaking of home, I usually have dinner at my brother’s place on Sunday nights. Can you and Sylvia join us? My mom is going to flip when she meets you both.”