Fucking Jaysan was officially Morris’s new obsession, and his bondmate had no problem with that. After cleaning up, they’d spent a long afternoon exploring a hiking trail Morris liked, before an early dinner and a second round back at Morris’s—no, their house. Their master bedroom. He lasted longer this time, and he managed to make Jaysan come first, which nearly burst his chest open with pride.

The next day, they planned for Aeron to spend a few hours with Orrin and Alec, who were more than happy to babysit when Jaysan’s impending heat struck. Morris and Jaysan spent those few hours in bed, exhausting each other and squeezing out every orgasm possible. Jaysan blossomed under all the physical affection, smiling more, joking more, becoming a different person from the dour, resentful, distant man Morris had first met. And it wasn’t just from the sex they had. A kind of wall had broken between them, and they couldn’t pass each other without a casual brush of hands. Simple touches that strengthened the bond they already shared.

Despite hating saying goodbye to Jaysan and Aeron that morning, Morris walked into work in the best mood of his life. He whistled and hummed while he prepared a brief he hadn’t finished last week. Before Jaysan, Morris would have come in over the weekend to finish his work, so it wasn’t waiting for him. Not anymore.

Now he had a life he treasured and a future mate he wanted to spend time with. He had a family of his own to spoil, love and protect.

At lunchtime, Ronin plunked into the chair next to Morris’s desk. “I don’t have to ask how your weekend went, it’s all over your face,” he said.

Morris beamed. “Jaysan and I are together. We’re going to mate during his next heat, which reminds me. It’ll probably happen at the end of the week.”

“Not a problem. We don’t have any big pending cases this month.”

“I know, but between my bereavement and now this, I feel like I’ve missed a lot of work.”

“You’ll make up for it, I’m sure. Congratulations, Morris, I’m happy for you both.”

“Thank you. I never thought falling in love would feel like this.”

The older alpha tilted his head. “Like what?”

“Like diving head-first off a cliff and laughing with pure joy the entire way down. It’s a free fall and it’s intense. I love him. So much.”

“Believe me, I understand the feeling. Are you guys ready for the heat? Plans for Aeron? I know Kell would love to have him.”

“Thank you, but Jaysan’s guardians are going to watch him. Even though they’ll lose guardianship of Jaysan soon, we want them to stay in Jaysan and Aeron’s life. Honorary uncles.”

“I think that’s a wonderful thing to do. And if you like, I’ll have the mating paperwork drawn up and ready for you guys to sign once Jaysan’s heat ends.”

“I appreciate it.” Morris leaned back in his chair. “Goddess, after Morgan and Brody died, I never thought I’d be happy again, much less in love, about to mate, and full of so much joy I can barely contain it. It seems wrong, considering it’s only been a month.”

“The grief is still there, it’s just being overshadowed by this brand-new, wonderful thing you’ve found. Don’t feel guilty for discovering happiness in a tragedy. I doubt your brother would want that.”

“You’re right. Thanks, boss.”

“Are you ever going to call me Ronin?”

“Not at work. My sire might have been an abusive prick, but my omegin raised me right.”

Ronin quirked an eyebrow at that slip of personal information. “Sounds like your omegin was a good man. So are you going to have the Butler brief for me by two?”

“Yes.” Morris appreciated the switch back to work roles. “I’m tweaking one section, but I’ll be done in half an hour at the latest.”

“Good man. Now take your lunch, then get back to work.”

“Yes, boss.”

Jaysan arrived at Braun’s place fifteen minutes early for the support meeting, and he was grateful to find the people he’d asked to also come early had already arrived: Kell, Liam and Jax. The various babies were already mixing it up in the playpen, so Jaysan deposited Aeron into the fray and turned to face his four curious friends.

“Okay, something is seriously different with you today,” Kell said, eyeballing him suspiciously. “You smell different, too.”

“I should,” Jaysan said, proud of his announcement and a little uncomfortable with all the direct attention. “Morris and I love each other, and we’re mating later this week when my heat hits.”

The sheer amount of squeals and hugs that announcement received shocked Jaysan to his core. Yes, they were his friends. And yes, Jax and Liam had come out of the same hell as him and found mates of their own. But he’d never truly realized how much these friends wanted him to find his own happiness until right now. He’d told Brogan over the phone last night, but seeing their excitement in the flesh?

He kind of wanted to cry.

Jax’s hands flew faster than Jaysan could keep up.

“He says you’ve been double-blessed,” Kell translated. “First your son, now your bondmate.”

“I have been blessed,” Jaysan replied, giving the big, bearded omega’s arm a squeeze. “So much has changed in the fifteen months since we achieved our freedom from that place, and for a long time, I thought a part of me would always be stuck there. Trapped in that hell, unable to truly be happy. Morris freed the last part of me still locked in that room.”

Kell wiped at his eyes. Liam didn’t even try to hide his own tears.

“I know how you feel,” Jax signaled. “Karter freed me.”

“I think in their own ways,” Kell said, “all our alphas freed us from one prison or another.”

“Agreed,” Braun replied. He gave his brother a fond, sad smile.

“Who’s watching Aeron during your heat?”

“The Jensens,” Jaysan replied. “It’s good practice for when they adopt. We told them yesterday about our plans to mate, and it’s funny, because they were sad. Not that I’m happy, but I’ve lived with them for so long, you know? But they’re excited for us, too, and it frees up my bedroom for their new baby.”

“Sounds like everything is working out,” Liam said. “It’s odd to think how we all stumbled over our mates. Mine literally carried me out of hell, while yours has been bonding with your son this whole time.”

Jax made the raspy grumble that passed for his laughter. “Mine thought he’d have to arrest me on sight.”

“Mine defended me from murder charges,” Kell said, not smiling, but also not as upset as he usually got when discussing the past. “And he was there when my son came back to me. Jaysan, I am so blessed to have witnessed you getting Aeron back. It’s truly one of my favorite memories.”

Jaysan gently hugged the older omegin.

“Well, shit,” Braun said. “You guys all have interesting stories. I met my mate because Dex invited him over for breakfast.”

“Consider yourself lucky then, little brother,” Kell said. “Besides, if you hadn’t run from Lawry’s halfway house, if you hadn’t been brave enough to escape, none of us would be here today. We all know that.”

Braun blushed and looked at his feet.

The doorbell rang, signaling a new arrival, and Jaysan was grateful for a reprieve from the serious conversation. He stood near the playpen and watched the little ones playing with toys, laughing and completely unaware of their dramatic births and beginnings. Jaysan wasn’t sure how much he’d tell Aeron when he was older; some version of the truth.

But as the next generation babbled and smiled at each other, Jaysan’s heart swelled with love and pride. All those boys, no matter their gender, would be raised in loving homes, with parents who loved them without question, and with ideals that reflected what they all wanted to see in society: respect for all, regardless of gender.

Change was already coming to Sansbury Province, and Jaysan was eager to see these bright, beautiful young faces lead the way toward a happy, free world for all. Especially omegas.

For the first time in a long time, Jaysan hoped. And hope, he decided, was a wonderful thing, indeed.

Preparing for heat with Morris was all kinds of fun, because Morris was so freaking earnest. Despite fucking Jaysan senseless every chance he got, Morris was still kind of uptight about making sure everything was perfect. Plenty of clean sheets and towels. Bubble bath and massage oil. They went grocery shopping together, and he practically interrogated Jaysan about all his favorite junk food and guilty pleasures.

Jaysan found the whole thing adorable and hilarious, and he loved Morris more for his thoroughness and attention to detail—even if the hourly texts asking if he’d felt symptoms yet started getting annoying as the week progressed. He also officially moved into their house, taking his small accumulation of belongings from the Jensen home in preparation for mating. Leaving the house had been both sad and a huge step for Jaysan. It said he was growing up, taking charge of his life, and about to bond himself forever to a wonderful alpha—not something he imagined ever doing two months ago.

So much had changed so quickly, and some days he had to stop and take a breath. To not allow all the changes to overwhelm him.

The only thing that put any real damper on Jaysan’s good mood was the occasional, odd sensation of being watched when he was out. Whether it was a park play date with Brogan and Peyton, or a quick trip to the corner market for eggs, because he’d used the last of them in a failed attempt at baking a cake that landed him a solid, brown brick.

Leavening agents were important in baked goods, apparently.

Even so, he brushed off the feelings and enjoyed his looming future. His son, his mate, their home. Their friends and family by choice.

Mid-week, Jaysan had an interview with Prosecutor Awless about the pending Rajel trial. Awless was meeting with each of the kidnapped omegas individually to discuss their testimony and any additional details they could remember about Rajel’s part in their captivity. Their collective testimony was key, along with the constabulary’s new evidence, since Awless couldn’t get Dent or Udall to flip on the man. They were both serving life sentences, so Awless had nothing to offer them in exchange for testimony.

Jaysan left Aeron with Alec for the two hours or so he expected the interview to last, and then took the bus to the main prosecutor building at the courts campus. Jaysan truly hated this place, and he’d hoped to never be back after the Haus Iverson trial ended. Maybe this would be the final time he had to dredge up the worst months of his life.

The interview with Awless only took forty minutes, give or take; Jaysan didn’t have much to say. The only times he ever saw Rajel were about a week after his initial kidnapping, when Rajel checked the incision he’d made in his throat to damage Jaysan’s voice, and once about four months later, after Jaysan’s first fight loss. He’d taken a hard blow to the head and was lethargic for several days after.

That got Awless’s attention, and he’d called over to the hospital so Jaysan could get a head x-ray. Proof of injury would help his statements, apparently, so after the courts, Jaysan headed to the hospital for the x-ray. On the bus, he got the same weird feeling of being watched, but a quick look around showed a dozen strange faces.

You’re just paranoid.

Jaysan was on the verge of getting everything he ever wanted, so naturally his subconscious was playing tricks, trying to undermine his happiness. He wasn’t being followed. Nobody outside his circle of friends gave a crap about him.

Unless…Mancini had come after Liam and Layne. What if he wasn’t paranoid? What if Aeron’s sire found Jaysan and knew who he was?

No, that was dumb. Jaysan’s face had been in the newspapers for over a year. If Aeron’s sire had any plans to come after them, he would have. Except Jaysan had only rediscovered Aeron a little over a month ago.

The feeling went away during the twenty minutes he spent in the hospital, getting the head x-ray done, and then he was on a bus back to the Jensen house to collect Aeron. The x-ray results would be couriered directly to Awless, so Jaysan’s involvement was done.

“Is anything wrong?” Alec asked as he handed Aeron over. “You look…stressed.”

“It’s probably nothing.” Jaysan made a face that got Aeron laughing. “I must be pessimistic at heart, because I keep thinking something is going to ruin my happiness.”

“You’ve had a hard life, Jaysan, so a little pessimism isn’t surprising. Just don’t let it sabotage your future, okay? You deserve the life you’ve found with Morris. He’s a good man. He’ll be a wonderful alpha.”

“You think?”

“Orrin and I wouldn’t have given you up this easily if we thought otherwise. You are our family, and we love you. And our future boy is going to need his Uncle Jaysan and Uncle Morris around.”

Jaysan blinked back grateful tears. “Thank you. For everything. I know I haven’t always been the model houseguest, and last summer I was horrible to you guys. But you never gave up on me. No one’s looked out for me like that since Papa died.”

Alec seemed close to tears himself. “You know, for all we were named your guardians, I’m not that much older than you. I was raised by beta parents, too, and I never had a brother. But I do think of you as a little brother, Jaysan. And I’m so glad we’re going to stay in each other’s lives.”

“Me too.” For the first time since they met, Jaysan reached out and hugged Alec. It was brief and one-armed, but it was a real hug, backed up by real gratitude and its own unique kind of love. “Brothers.”

“Yeah, brothers. You guys need a ride home?”

“No, thanks. I’m still getting used to taking the bus, and I need the practice. Falling in love with Morris gave me the confidence to ride the bus again, instead of always taking a taxi. I guess getting recognized doesn’t bother me like it used to.”

“I’m glad. I mean it. I may not understand the alpha/omega bondmate thing, but you’re happy. Peaceful, almost. I remember how torn up you were after Reid died. Orrin and I were worried about you. Really worried. You scared us more than once, but you’re here now. Happy, your baby back, and you’re about to mate a great guy. Most of us don’t see miracles in our lifetime, real miracles, but I feel like we saw one with you.”

Jaysan tried to hide his face in Aeron’s chest so Alec didn’t see his tears. Aeron yanked at his ears and said, “Omi. Omi.”

“He knows you,” Alec said, something like reverence in his voice.

“I know.” Jaysan looked up, not caring he was crying. Again. “You and Orrin saved my life simply by being here for me. You didn’t have to, but you did. I owe you both so much.”

Alec wiped at his own red eyes. “You don’t owe us. Just make us proud by living the best life you can. Be a great mate and a great omegin. Be happy.”

“I can do that.” He relinquished Aeron for a moment so he could blow his nose and mop his eyes. Goddess, but he was so emotional lately. Maybe that was a good sign for his impending heat. Any day now…

“Take care, Jaysan,” Alec said at the front door. “Good luck.”

“Thanks. I can’t wait to meet your new addition.”

“We can’t either. Can we expect an invitation to your mating celebration?”

Jaysan laughed. “Morris and I haven’t discussed plans yet, but you guys are definitely invited to anything we might do.”

“Good.”

He impulsively hugged Alec again, then hefted Aeron’s carrier and headed for the bus stop two blocks over. Time to go home.

Home.

Morris had been so busy planning for heat that they hadn’t brought up the house thing. Buy or keep? Jaysan had no real opinion. He liked their house. Aeron knew that house. But he also saw the argument for starting over fresh, with their place, their things. Their son. Their future as a family.

The bus was crowded, but an older beta man gave up his seat so Jaysan could sit with the carrier in his lap.

“How old?” the man asked.

“Thirteen months,” Jaysan replied, grinning proudly.

“He looks a bit like you.” The stranger regarded him a moment, and Jaysan realized that while he could forget his voice was altered most of the time, strangers noticed. And they paid attention.

Jaysan ducked his head, not interested in being recognized, and he was thankful when the man moved deeper into the bus. He had a fifteen-minute ride, with multiple stops before his, so he relaxed and entertained Aeron, who wasn’t fond of buses. Whenever his face scrunched up in preparation for a tantrum, Jaysan made a face or said nonsense words, and his boy’s brow smoothed out.

One stop before his, two uniformed patrolmen got on the bus and worked their way past Jaysan. The driver, however, didn’t pull away from the curb yet, and Jaysan paid attention. Especially when a vaguely familiar voice said, “That’s him.”

He looked up and shrank into his seat when the pair of patrolmen moved to stand by Jaysan’s aisle seat. “Will you please follow us off the bus, mister?” one of them asked.

“Why?” Jaysan asked, completely dumbfounded, until he saw the older beta he’d spoken to standing by the patrolmen. “I paid my fare, I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“We need to speak with you outside.” The patrolman leaned down and whispered, “Please, don’t make a scene.”

Shocked and confused, Jaysan complied with the request. It wasn’t outrageous, exactly, and maybe he could clear up whatever was going on and get home. He needed to start dinner. The older beta got off with them, and Jaysan shot the man a deadly glare. They were on a suburban street, no one hanging around, so once the bus pulled away, Jaysan asked, “What’s going on? He gave me his seat. I didn’t force him out.”

The patrolman who seemed in charge here—his nametag said Glover—was a young alpha, and he was doing a bad job of coming across as non-threatening. “Can you please hand the minor child over to me?”

“The hell I will, this is my son.” Jaysan took a step backward, and the other patrolman moved behind him. He did not like the bigger man there, and his protective instincts began battling his ingrained fear of strangers—especially strange alphas. “Call my bondmate Morris Danvers. He’ll tell you.”

“Danvers?” the nosy bus beta said. “Morgan and Brody Danvers are neighbors of ours. This is the baby they adopted last year. I don’t know why this omega has him.”

Jaysan blinked. “If Morgan and Brody are your neighbors, then you must know they were killed in a car accident last month. Morris got custody of Aeron.”

“If this Morris has custody of the minor child,” Glover said, “then how did he come to be in your care?”

Frustration rolled through him. “I just told you Morris is my bondmate. We’re going to mate soon. Aeron is mine. Call Morris. Fucking smell us!”

Glover’s nose twitched. “That’s not procedure. We received a complaint that a child had been kidnapped, and we responded to that call, which brought us here. You’re a known person, Mr. Jaysan, we know who you are. And it’s public record you gave up your child after birth, so when a citizen sees you with the child of a neighbor, they’re right to be suspicious.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve done nothing wrong, and I want to go home. Actually, no, I want your names and badge numbers first. One of my best friends is the mate of Senior Constable Higgs, and he won’t be happy about how you’re treating me when all I did was make the mistake of taking a public bus home.”

The name-drop got Glover’s attention. He glanced behind him at the other patrolman, but didn’t seem to get much of a reaction. “I’m sorry, Mr. Jaysan, but this is my first week on the job, and I have to follow procedure.”

Jaysan huffed, grateful Aeron was simply staring at everyone and not pitching a fit. “And what is standard procedure? Harass an innocent omegin and his kid on the street?”

“We have to figure this out down at division.”

“Are you serious? Do you know what I’ve already been through today? I’ve talked to lawyers and I’ve gotten head x-rays. The last thing I want to do is go down to division when one phone call will clear this whole mess up.”

“Unfortunately,” the other patrolman said, speaking for the first time, “when a child is involved, a simple phone call isn’t enough.” He circled to stand by Glover. Older, beta, he was probably mentoring the other guy, and Jaysan decided he hated them both for putting him through this.

“I don’t even have Aeron’s diaper bag.” Jaysan had no other defense left. “I just picked him up from the sitter, who has baby stuff because they’re adopting, so I didn’t see the need to bring his for a fifteen-minute bus ride. Can I at least go home first and get it? Please.” He glanced at the beta patrolman’s nametag. “Patrolman Gibson, please.”

Gibson stared at him a beat. “Glover, call for another car and take Mr. Russo to division and wait for us. And call Morris Danvers and have him join us there. I’ll escort Mr. Jaysan home for the diaper bag. We’ll meet you.”

“Yes, sir,” Glover replied.

Jaysan didn’t cheer the win at all. He carefully strapped Aeron’s carrier into the patrol car’s backseat, then climbed in with him, face burning with anger and shame. After giving Gibson his address, Jaysan didn’t speak again. He raced into the house in a blaze of fury, grabbed the diaper bag, and returned to the car.

Someone was going to get a fucking earful when he got to division, that was for damned sure.

Morris had hours of work left on his current research project, but the clock was inching toward quitting time when the office line rang. Jaycee answered it with muffled words. Seconds later, his voice buzzed over the intercom.

“Morris, there’s a Patrolman Glover on the line for you,” Jaycee said.

“Thanks.” Their office got calls from the constabulary all the time, but the name Glover wasn’t familiar. He grabbed the receiver and clicked the line. “This is Morris Danvers.”

“Mr. Danvers, Patrolman Glover. Do you know an omega named Jaysan Rowe?”

He squeezed the phone, every instinct on instant alert. “Yes, he’s my bondmate. Is he hurt? Where is he?”

“He isn’t hurt, sir, he’s with an associate of mine.”

“Why? What happened to him?”

“It sounds like a bit of a misunderstanding, so we need you to meet us at division to help clear it up.” Glover gave him a meeting room number.

“I will be there right away.” Morris slammed the phone down and let out a deep growl.

Ronin popped his head into the office. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. Jaysan is at division for some reason, but he’s not hurt. They need me down there.”

“Go. I’ll call Tarek, see if someone can’t check on Jaysan for you.”

“I appreciate it.”

Morris truly had the best boss ever. He grabbed his keys and phone, and then bolted out of the office. He might have broken the speed limit by a lot on his way to his mate, but he was worried. Not even the word “misunderstanding” kept his mind from spinning out a million difference scenarios for why Jaysan was with a patrolman, instead of home or running his errands.

And Aeron! He hadn’t even asked about Aeron. Did Alec still have him? Someone else? Was this about Aeron? Morris hated being out of the loop.

He stormed the constabulary and found the correct hall with ease. A patrolman he vaguely recognized was standing outside the assigned room having an animated conversation with not only Tarek Bloom, but also Senior Constable Higgs.

Tarek spotted Morris first and strode up to meet him. “Jaysan and Aeron are perfectly fine. It is a huge misunderstanding with a concerned citizen.”

“I want to see them.” Morris would deal with the why after he saw his family was fine with his own eyes. He bypassed Tarek and yanked open the meeting room door. Another patrolman stood by the door, and at first, all he saw was Aeron’s carrier on the table, Aeron gumming at a cracker.

Then Jaysan stormed into view, his face blazing red, anger lighting both dark eyes. Morris blinked at this pissed-off version of his bondmate. “Will you please tell them I’m your mate and Aeron is mine?” Jaysan snapped. “It is absolutely fucking ridiculous that I even have to prove this.”

Morris pulled Jaysan into his arms, as much to feel his mate’s heartbeat as to try and calm the younger man down. “I know, I’m just glad you’re safe.”

“Minding my own damned business on the bus, and some Nosey Ned decided Aeron wasn’t mine, just because he knew your brother and recognized Aeron.”

Morris had half a mind to find this neighbor and pop him in the nose for doubting his omega. “We’ll clear this up and go home soon, okay? I promise.”

Jaysan grumped, and it spoke to how incredibly angry he was that Jaysan didn’t notice he was cussing up a storm in front of the baby. Morris hugged him a moment longer, then let go so he could check on Aeron. The baby seemed oblivious to the tension in the room, and he squawked, “Papa!” at him.

“Hey, little man,” Morris said.

“Papa!”

He stared at the baby, who seemed perfectly calm and completely aware of who Morris was. Was he calling Morris “Papa”?

Am I Papa now?

His heart melted a tiny bit.

“Morris?” Tarek stood just inside the room with a man Morris didn’t know, and who looked incredibly embarrassed. “This is Mel Russo. He’s the man who called about Aeron.”

“Mr. Danvers, I am so sorry about the mistake I made,” Russo said.

He seemed genuinely sorry, but that didn’t stop Morris from striding over to the man, simply to see the older beta cower. “Do you have any idea what Jaysan has already gone through? And to have someone basically accuse him of kidnapping his own child?”

“I can’t imagine.” Russo looked past him, probably at Jaysan, and Morris resisted the urge to block that gaze. “I am so sorry, Mr. Jaysan, I really am. It was a kneejerk reaction, and I shouldn’t have done it.”

“I appreciate the apology,” Jaysan said as he came to stand next to Morris. Morris grabbed his hand and held tight. Jaysan also didn’t accept the apology, and Morris didn’t blame him.

Russo glanced from Jaysan to Morris. “Ah, right. I’m so sorry about Morgan and Brody. They were lovely people.”

“Thank you,” Morris said. Kind of curt, but whatever. He was angry about this whole mess, too, and he wanted to take his family home.

The silent patrolman took Russo out, leaving only them and Tarek. “I’m really sorry about this,” Tarek said. “It was Glover’s first week on the job, and he did things by the book. If he wasn’t a rookie, it wouldn’t have gone his far.”

“Do I have to sign anything?”

“No, you guys are free to go.”

“Thank you, Constable Bloom.”

Tarek shrugged. “I didn’t do anything except show up.” He looked at Jaysan. “You didn’t do anything wrong, and I’m sorry this happened. People are a little too quick to judge sometimes.”

“Yeah, they are,” Jaysan said in a grumpy tone.

Morris slung his arm around Jaysan’s shoulders. “Come on, let’s get our son and go home.”

Jaysan finally seemed to relax a fraction as he curled against Morris’s side. “Yes, please. Ugh, today sucked. Make me feel better?”

“Anything you want, angel.”

Always.