I remembered drifting in and out of consciousness, hearing Reece speaking in hushed tones to my mother somewhere else in the room. When I finally woke up fully, I saw Reece holding our son in a chair beside the bed, humming an off-key lullaby as he gazed down at the sleeping infant in pure adoration.

There were flowers and balloons all over the room, and the bright glittery sign taped to the baby’s bassinet that read “Levi Elliot Roman” told me that Anika had fulfilled her part of our bargain.

I yawned, still feeling like I’d lost a fight with a giant gorilla as I sat up in bed. Reece was on his feet immediately. “You should be careful, you’ve got stitches.”

“I can tell,” I murmured, looking up at him. “How long was I asleep?”

“Most of the night. You were in and out for a while,” he said, sitting next to me on the side of the bed. “How’re you feeling now?”

“Tired, but good. I don’t remember much,” I admitted, reaching out to touch our son’s face. I’d been sure I’d dreamed up his perfection, thanks, to the cocktail of painkillers they had me on for the surgery. “Just him.”

“Are you up for holding him?”

“Please,” I said eagerly, holding out my arms. As Reece carefully placed the newborn against my chest, my heart melted all over again.

When other omegas talked of longing to become parents, I’d always assumed it was just some instinct that I didn’t possess, or maybe a gene that had skipped a generation. Levi filled a hole in my heart that I hadn’t even known was there until he was, and I didn’t want to look away from him. “He’s ours,” I breathed, awestruck by the realization.

“And you’re mine,” Reece said, kissing my forehead. He gazed down at me, his eyes softening. “Do you have any idea how sweet the sound of your voice is?”

I smiled tiredly, leaning against the back of the bed. “You haven’t heard me barking orders during an audit.”

“Still sweet,” he said, kissing me. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and for a few minutes, we both just sat there, staring at the little wonder we’d somehow created from the chaos of our reunion.

“I can’t believe we get to take him home,” I murmured.

Reece laughed. “That’s the deal. You’ll find it a little easier to believe when he’s kept us up for three nights straight crying.”

“I don’t know, he seems pretty calm to me,” I said, counting his little fingers for the dozenth time. “Where’s Anika? Has she seen him yet?”

“She has, and she held him too. Your mom took her home to get some rest. You’re in luck, there was a line earlier.”

I laughed. “He is pretty amazing. Can’t say I blame them.”

When I looked up, he was staring at me like he’d just seen me for the first time. “What are you doing?” I asked.

“Just trying to convince myself that you’re here.”

I let out a slow breath and took his hand in mine. As unnerving as the whole ordeal of giving birth for the first time had been for me, I knew it had to be even more terrifying for him after what he’d been through. “I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere,” I promised.

“I know. It might take a while before my heart catches up to my head and I stop treating you like you’re made of glass.”

I smiled. “Considering that I feel like I’m made of shattered glass right now, I think I can be patient.”

* * *

It turned out that Reece was right about the sleepless nights, but after a week at home with Anika and our newborn son, I was still every bit as enchanted as I’d been at the hospital. Now I was just enchanted and exhausted.

The fact that Reece actually knew what he was doing was a load off my shoulders, and by the second week of parenting a newborn, I was beginning to have hope that we were actually going to be okay. It helped to have a massive family, even though the other Roman Alphas had new babies of their own to care for.

My mother had been staying with us for the last couple of days since there was an urgent matter with a company out east that only Reece could deal with. I appreciated the extra rest I was getting, but between her and Anika, I’d hardly gotten to hold my own baby all morning. The look on mom’s face as she cooed down at her grandson made it worth the wait. I hadn’t seen her smile like that since the funeral.

“He’s got the same dimples your father had when he was a baby,” she said with a wistful sigh. “I’ll show you the pictures sometime.”

“I’ve seen them, and you’re right,” I said, sipping my herbal tea. Even though I was technically allowed to drink now that I was no longer pregnant, the temptation wasn’t there. I had nothing to escape from, not anymore. There were still days when the old fears got to me, but my heart had finally come to accept the truth that Reece wasn’t going anywhere.

She looked up at me with knowing in her eyes. “So, are you going to let that man mark you, or are you going to wait until Levi graduates?”

I sighed. “Subtle, mom.”

“Well, it’s been about a year. I was as doubtful as anyone else when you told me who it was, but I’d say he’s proven himself.”

“He has. That’s not the problem,” I admitted.

“Then what are you waiting on?”

“It’s nothing, I just… what if it changes things?”

She gave me a patient look. “It’s supposed to change things, sweetheart. But it changes you for the better. That’s what mating is all about. Besides, you’re already living together as a couple. How much of a difference could it really make in the day-to-day?”

“We’re not exactly a couple right now.”

“You’re not even… you know?”

“No. I wanted to slow things down.”

“Oh, dear. He really does love you.”

“Mom…”

“Well, I’m just being honest,” she laughed. “Move at your own speed, but just don’t get so comfortable being ‘friends’ that you forget how to be what it is you were destined to be.”

“Yeah,” I said, considering her words. They stayed with me long after it was time for Reece to get home. The moment he walked in through the door, the way my heart responded to the sight of him told me that I wasn’t actually preserving anything by putting off the mark, just putting more unnecessary distance between us.

“Reece!” I cried, running to greet him at the door. He pulled me into his arms and kissed me like he’d been gone a whole year. It felt like he had.

“Maybe I should go on more business trips,” he said breathlessly when I finally pulled away.

“Please don’t.”

I heard rapid footfalls coming down the steps and Anika ran to leap into his arms. “Daddy! What did you bring me?”

“You know you don’t get a present every time I go out of town,” he said sternly. She stared at him, expectant. He sighed, setting her down to open his duffel bag and pull out a small wooden figurine. “It’s a nutcracker.”

“Like the play?” she asked excitedly.

“Yes, only if he starts walking around at night, you come tell us and we’ll call a priest.”

Anika laughed, running off to show my mother her new prize.

I smiled. “Is it any wonder she thinks you’re bringing something every time you go on a trip?”

“You know I can’t resist.” He pulled out another package and handed it to me.

I cocked an eyebrow and stared down at the perfectly wrapped present. “I hope you didn’t get me a nutcracker, seeing as how I’m allergic and those things give me the creeps.”

“Just open it,” he laughed.

I did, and the blue leather box underneath raised even more questions. I was already wearing his ring, since I didn’t want other Alphas getting the wrong idea even though we were still not technically mated yet. This box was a bit too large, at second glance, and when I opened the lid to find a gold watch that had undoubtedly cost a small fortune, I stared up at him in shock. “Reece…what’s this for?”

“Tomorrow, it’ll have been one year since we met at that restaurant,” he said, smiling. “I just couldn’t wait to give it to you.”

My eyes widened as I realized I’d forgotten. It just didn’t seem like it had been a full year. Time with Reece passed so quickly. “I didn’t get you anything.”

“Yes, you did,” he said, taking me into his arms again. “Besides, I figured you could use it now that you’re going to be a high-profile consultant.”

I smiled, shaking my head. I couldn’t believe I had actually taken Lionel up on his offer, but the chance to make a difference when it came to the corporation’s less-than-favorable business practices didn’t come along every day. If I couldn’t stop larger companies from spreading their tendrils everywhere, I could at least become part of one so I could advocate for small businesses and try to make a positive change from the inside. “You’re sweet. But I do coincidentally have something you might like for an anniversary surprise,” I said, running my hand down his chest.

“Oh? What’s that?” he asked, following me over to the stairs.

“I’ll have to show you in our bedroom.”

He blinked. “Our bedroom?”

“I spend most nights in there anyway. Besides, there are so many other things we could turn the extra room into.”

“So many things,” he agreed earnestly, pushing me up against the bedroom door the moment it was shut. “A gym, storage, a second home office…”

“A second nursery,” I purred.

His eyes widened. “But we haven’t —“

“No,” I laughed. “I’m not pregnant again. But I was thinking tonight, we could change that.”

“Really?” he asked doubtfully. “Are you sure? Because if you’re not ready —“

I leaned in to kiss him. “I’m so ready,” I whispered against his lips, already unbuttoning his shirt. He started on mine and we stumbled our way over to the bed. As I gazed up at him, the last of my reservations fell away. “I’m ready for everything, Reece.”

“You mean…?”

“I want you to mark me,” I murmured, pulling him down on top of me. As he finished undressing us, I ran my fingers through his hair and over the thick scruff on his jaw. “I love you, and I’m tired of waiting. I’m already yours, and it’s about time the rest of the world knew it.”

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited for you to say those words,” he said, his voice rough with need. I felt the same in abundance. “Worth every second.”

“Then let’s not waste any more,” I purred.

“Wait.” Doubt tinted the reckless adoration he’d shown a moment earlier. “Before we do this, there’s something I need to tell you.”

The seriousness in his tone made my heart flutter in apprehension. “What is it?” I asked, searching his face. “You know you can tell me anything.”

Guilt filled his gaze. “I told myself I wasn’t going to tell you at all, but I can’t do this in good conscience without you knowing everything there is to know about me. Without knowing what you’re getting into.”

“Okay,” I said, trying not to sound as nervous as I was. “I’m listening.”

He cleared his throat. “About the reunion, and the accident. Ellis, I —“

“I don’t need to know,” I interrupted, caressing his face. The surprise in it filled me with relief. I’d thought he was telling me something I didn’t already know.

“How do you—“

“Ah-ah,” I said, pressing my finger to his lips. “The less I know.”

“I’m starting to think there’s a chance you’re a lot more levelheaded than I am.”

“Oh, you’re starting to think that?” I asked dryly, grinding up against him. “You’re starting a lot tonight. Got any plans to finish something?”

His eyes darkened with lust as he kissed me again, bringing his body down hard on mine. I arched my hips up to let him in as he pressed against my entrance. It had been so long since he’d last been inside of me, and I craved it with every fibre of my being. I needed him inside of me, his knot, his seed, everything. When he kissed me, the pain faded to a perfect ache as my body accommodated his and I found myself moving in time with each thrust, begging him for more with my greedy hands and greedier tongue.

There was something different about this time, and it wasn’t just how long it had taken for us to get here. I knew, as I felt the bond that had only strengthened between us over the last year, that there was no going back. There was only going forward together, and while that thought would once have terrified me, I couldn’t imagine a way I’d rather spend my future than with this man. The Alpha I loved. The one I’d once hated only to discover that I could no longer live without him. That I didn’t even want to try.

He bent his head as his knot eased into me and brushed his lips over my neck. The spot surged with heat as a primal need to be marked and claimed by my mate overtook me. I took pride in being strong and fiercely independent to the rest of the world, but in his arms, it felt safe to give myself over to the need only he was capable of arousing.

A surge of fear filled me with adrenaline as his teeth pierced my skin, but it was quickly replaced with pleasure. Our link swelled and grew with his knot inside of me, binding us together both spiritually and physically.

“You’re mine,” he whispered. From anyone else, those words would have hit my ears as a challenge. As a threat. From him, they were a sweet reassurance of all we had overcome and all that was yet to unfold in the life we now shared.

I could feel his mark scarring my skin even as he kissed my lips and I tasted my own blood on his. I had never needed someone so desperately, so fully, but it thrilled me rather than terrifying me the way I’d assumed it would.

I was his, and there was no going back, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

As Reece moved inside of me, whispering words of adoration and gratitude for the claim I’d allowed him in my ear, I was filled with the kind of ecstasy I’d imagined was only able to exist in dreams. As he filled me, I came for what felt like the dozenth time, and he captured my lips for another breathless kiss.

That night, I slept more peacefully than I ever had, and even as I dreamed, I remained conscious of the mark that had linked us physically the way our hearts had been linked so long ago.