I wasn’t sure what I’d expected after our non-wedding, but I felt lost now that we were back at Austin's house—our house? Whatever you called it, the home was like a showplace. I wandered around after Austin had immediately disappeared into his office, closing the door behind him while mumbling something about spreadsheets not updating themselves.

Walking from room to room, it occurred to me that this was legally my home now. Rubbing my thumb against the inside of my naked ring finger, I didn't feel all that married. Then again, was a marriage of convenience meant to leave a person feeling warm and cuddly? No, of course not. I just needed to wrap my brain around the fact that Austin had married me to provide me with insurance.

This isn’t real, Owen!

I bit my lip as I remembered Josh telling me that I deserved to find an alpha who would love and adore me. Glancing down at my protruding belly with a sad smile, I couldn't help but wonder if maybe I just wasn't the kind of guy who was meant for that. Maybe this marriage of convenience was the best offer I'd ever get. Soon enough, I'd have a little boy to love and cherish—maybe that would be enough to fill the empty space in my heart.

Enough of the pity party, I told myself as I blinked away my maudlin tears. It was silly of me to be feeling so emotional right now. It was probably the damn hormones at the root of it, not my freshly inked, sterile marriage. Although, there had been something about that brief kiss we’d shared back at the courthouse. When Austin's lips brushed mine, I'd been unprepared for the spark of electricity that zinged down my spine.

I stopped in the pristine, white living room to admire the glass shelves that lined the walls on either side of a large, white brick fireplace. The shelves had obviously been specially made for the space. I liked the way they seemed to float free-form out of the wall. Small lights lit each shelf from below, highlighting the rows of figurines that adorned them. I kept my hands behind my back, afraid to touch anything as I leaned forward to admire Austin's collection.

Each shelf seemed to have its own nerdy theme. There were shelves dedicated to both the Marvel and DC franchises, with little porcelain figurines of all the various characters. I recognized the more mainstream ones, but more than half of them were a mystery to me. The bottom shelf seemed like an afterthought, but it was the one that made me smile. Kid Coyote memorabilia was carefully displayed, along with a copy of the original game, protectively enclosed within a Lucite case.

After I admired the Kid Coyote collection a little longer, I felt much better about the choice I'd made. I’d gotten so caught up in the finality of my new marriage that I'd forgotten the adorable nerd I'd tied myself to. Tied myself… I blushed at the thought, despite the fact that I was alone in the room and even if I hadn't been, it wasn't like anyone could read my mind. But still… an image of actually being tied to Austin—or knotted, to be more precise—had flitted into my mind.

I heard Josh's voice chuckling in my head. Yeah, you always did love a good knotting, didn't you? But marriage or not, don't forget about your thirty-day rule. No nookie allowed. Blue balls must reign supreme until the next full moon, am I right?

Laughing to myself, my steps were much lighter as I walked into the bright, well-equipped kitchen. Hearing Josh in my head had warmed my heart and for just a minute, I’d forgotten to feel so terribly alone. Even if it was my own mind replaying old conversations, it almost felt like Josh had been with me for a second there.

I rubbed my belly, leaning over to whisper as I remembered my promise to Josh all those months ago. "Hey little guy, I want to tell you that your alpha daddy loved you." Blinking back tears, I decided I’d explore the kitchen and all its glory later. Right now, I needed a nap.

Running my hand up the smoothly polished wooden banister as I climbed the stairs, I was struck again by Austin's obvious wealth. Now that my pity party had passed, my heart fluttered with gratitude for the gracious generosity the wealthy alpha had displayed by bringing me into his lovely home. It wasn't ostentatious, but anyone with an eye could see how much care had been put into Austin’s decor.

My feet didn't make a sound as they sank into the plush carpeting along the second-floor hall. Simple landscapes by artists with names I instantly recognized hung on the walls, interspersed between candid family snapshots and old school pictures. I liked that he didn't take himself so seriously that he wouldn’t mix expensive paintings alongside shots of a group of younger boys taken at various stages of childhood.

I smiled as I walked into my room and quietly closed the door, noticing for the first time the pleasant beach cottage feel of the room. I’d been too tired and nervous over the past couple days to really pay attention, but the white furniture balanced nicely against the light aqua colors that dominated the room, creating a pleasant little oasis for me. Before I went to lie down, I walked over to Miss Ferngully and gave her a half turn on the table so that both sides could equally enjoy the autumn sunlight streaming through the window.

My head was spinning as I settled into bed. Gratitude for Austin's generosity, loneliness, excitement for the life that grew within me, and grief for Josh mixed and swirled through my mind. Closing my eyes, I rolled onto my side and hugged my belly, pulling my knees up as I curled around myself and gave in to tears as I slowly slid into a dreamless sleep.

*****

When I emerged from my room a few hours later, refreshed and rejuvenated after the best nap I'd had in months, I noticed that Austin was still shut away in his office. I wandered through a large dining room, wondering if the long table with its many chairs was enough to fit a large family like Austin's. I smiled as I ran my hand over the curved back of a dining chair. What would it be like to truly be part of a family like his?

The way his brothers had gotten so nosy and insisted on staying for our non-wedding had told me everything I’d needed to know. The Logans were a family who supported each other and actually gave a shit about the happenings in each other’s lives.

Hell, his brothers had seemed almost hurt that Austin had planned to get married without them there—even if it was just a simple marriage of convenience. And Kyle had been the sweetest. I could tell that he was an omega right off, even if he was taller, thicker, and more muscular than even most alphas I'd met. And yet, he'd reminded me of an overgrown puppy.

I'd been startled by his immediate show of affection, until I’d realized that it was genuine. The guy was just that nice and openhearted. I couldn't wait to meet Dallas' twin now, and his two husbands. I'd heard of triads, but had never seen one in person. I wondered how that would work and couldn't wait to see it for myself.

Quit being hungry to be part of a family that's not yours, Owen. Haven't you been over this enough times in your life? Shaking my head at my own neediness, I wandered into the kitchen with half a mind to cook a nice dinner for Austin. That would be an appropriate way to thank him, right? I opened the fridge, figuring that whatever foods it held were obviously things he liked. I was pondering a package of stewing beef, wondering whether Austin would enjoy a pot of my famous five-alarm chili or a hearty stew, when the doorbell rang.

I closed the fridge and headed for the foyer to get the door, but Austin had gotten there first. I took a step back, bringing a fist to my mouth as a flood of people poured inside. I recognized Houston and Cody, along with Kyle and Dallas, of course, but the other three men were strangers to me. The big guy bringing up the rear could only be Beau, Dallas' twin. A pair of golden, twinkie-dink omegas walked on either side of him. The one with curly hair was cuddling a newborn—Rose, I remembered suddenly. The other slightly tougher-looking one was herding three children.

"There you are." I looked up to see Kyle approaching with a toddler on his hip and an adorable little girl at his side. "Owen, I'd like you to meet my son, Sage, and my daughter, Sammy." He bent to set the toddler down and whispered loud enough for me to hear. "Sammy, say hello to your new uncle. This is Uncle Owen, he's Uncle Austin's new husband."

The little girl hugged into her dad, peeking around his firm bicep to stare up at me. Her eyes zeroed in on my baby bump and lit up. "Oh, do you have a baby in your belly, Uncle Owen? I love babies. Have you met baby Rosie yet? She’s my cousin."

Stick a fork in me, I was done the moment that sweet voice called me uncle. Kyle's understanding smile told me that there were layers to the man I hadn't suspected when I'd taken him at face value.

"Hellooooo," Houston yodeled dramatically as he flitted over to join us with a chubby baby on his hip and a cute little boy who was definitely Cody's mini-me at his side. He moved in close enough to buss my cheek. "I wanted you to meet my babies. This little missy is Ramona the Great, and the handsome young lad here is my son, Baxley." He shifted the baby and crooked a finger for the others to come meet me. "Gid! Lukey! Get your cute little butts over here and meet our newest Logan. You too, Beaumont. Don't you go getting all growly on me either." He smirked playfully when the big, tougher-looking version of Dallas looked back with a nearly menacing gaze.

The tougher-looking omega, if you could really describe a delicate twinkie-dink as looking tough, came striding over first, still herding the children. He flashed a smirk at Houston’s beckoning finger. "Honey, put that silly little thing away. You should know by now that it takes more than one finger to make me come."

Houston snickered. "I don't know that all, actually. It seemed to work just fine for me since you're standing here. Now hush up and let’s pretend we're civilized for a hot sec. I want you to meet Austin's Owen." My heart fluttered at being called that, but I kept my face impassive as I smiled politely. "Owen, honey, I want you to meet Lukas. He's married to Beau—I have to warn you, he’s the fugly-looking brother. Lukas’ other hubby is our sweet Gideon who came straight from his laboring bed in the paternity ward today just to meet your fine ass."

Lukas rolled his eyes before turning to me with a warm smile. "Ignore Houston, he's prone to exaggeration. Gid got out of the hospital this morning and has been resting all day. Beau and I never would've allowed him to leave the house if he weren't up to it."

He smiled easily and hovered a hand over each of his children's heads as he quickly introduced them. "These are our oldest three. This is Annie, and these rascals are Sandy and Tony. Guard your valuables when they're around, because these brats have no couth." He flashed me a wink then bent between the boys, wedging his face between their heads as he warned them to behave. "You can go play, but do not touch any of your Uncle Austin's special toys on the glass shelves or I'm telling Santa."

As the kids raced off, Baxley and Sammy along with them, I looked up to see the missing Logan brother. Holy wow. He looked like Dallas, but the resemblance stopped there. His alpha aura was so overwhelming that it suddenly made sense why he'd need two omegas. He startled me by gently taking my hand and bending from the waist as he kissed the back of it like an old-fashioned gentleman. "It's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, Owen. Welcome to our family."

Lukas snickered. “Down, boy. You're gonna need to turn down the charm before you give the new kid a heart attack," Lukas said as he playfully dug a finger into Beau's side.

The angelic-looking one appeared at Lukas' side just then, winding his arm around his husband's waist as he rested his head against his shoulder. "Sorry I didn't greet you immediately, I really had to visit the little boy’s room before I could do anything." A pair of dimples appeared on his cheeks when a sweet smile spread across his face as he held out a hand for me to shake. "I'm Gideon, and I'm also pleased to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you guys, too." I was surprised to know how much I meant that. Usually, it took me a little longer to warm up to people, but damned if I didn't feel right at home with this crowd. "I don’t want to be rude, but would you like to sit down? You must be worn out if you gave birth a couple days ago." I eyed the exhaustion on his face with concern.

Beau must've seen the same thing I did, because he casually scooped Gideon up in his arms, cradling him against his chest as he headed for the living room. "Come on, angel. Let's get you off your feet and see who's got custody of Rosie."

"That would be Uncle Cody, since nobody would give him a turn at the hospital," Houston called after them. "Come on, honey. I think everyone headed to the living room."

Lukas snorted. "If the kids are in there, I guarantee that's where Uncle Austin's going to be found—he's got to keep an eye on all his breakable shit in there."

I froze in the doorway to the living room, pulling a hand up to cover my mouth as I took in the sight in front of me. Austin was on all fours, crawling around the floor and bucking his back while Sage rode him like a horse. The more he bucked, the more the toddler giggled. His chubby little fists were clutching Austin's shirt, pulling it so hard that I wondered how Austin wasn't being choked.

Dallas and Cody were sitting on the couch cooing over the newborn, with a large golden retriever at their feet. The five older children were fighting over the controllers to an old gaming system, and it hit all at once that I was really part of a family here. A closely connected family who obviously cared about each other. I had to grab the doorway and brace myself for a moment when my knees threatened to buckle.

"Are you okay, honey?" Houston asked softly from my left.

Blinking back tears, I gave a clipped nod and waved vaguely at my baby bump. "Damn hormones, I'm sure you know how it is."

Houston flashed me a wink. "Sure, honey. We'll go with that. But for the record? You became part of this family the minute you married my brother—you’re part of this crazy mess now too."

I gasped, wondering if my longing to be part of this family had been that obvious by the way I’d reacted when I walked in on this amazing scene. Kyle slid an arm around my shoulders and gave me a hug from the right. He was so much taller than me that he had to stoop a little just to rest his cheek against the top of my head. "Before you ask, no, Houston's not a mind reader, and no, I didn't tell him any of your backstory that you shared earlier. Let's just say that we all know what it's like to be alone in the world and you obviously need to be exactly where you're standing."

Houston nodded sweetly. He leaned closer to speak in a confidential tone. "I also know what it's like to lose the father of your child. Cody is here, live in the flesh, but I didn't know he was alive until Baxley was six months old. He was deployed and went MIA when I was pregnant. Trust me, honey. We've all had a taste of the same shit stew life’s been feeding you lately. All of this happiness you're looking at was hard-fought, and we couldn't be happier to welcome you and your baby into the fold."

"Speaking of the baby, do you know what you're having?" Kyle asked as he gently guided me farther into the room to sit on one of the couches with him.

"A boy." I smiled proudly as I rubbed my belly. "I have absolutely zero idea what I'm going to name him yet, but I'm definitely having a boy."

"Hey, Austin," Houston called across the room as he settled down beside us on the couch. "You need to make an appointment with Dr. Hunt for Owen. You know he's the only one that delivers our babies."

"Already done, brat." Austin sat back onto his knees, reaching behind himself to help Sage dismount. "The guy at the emergency room gave us Dr. Hunt's number, as if I needed it." He rolled his eyes comically. "I'm pretty sure you've all got him on speed dial, the way you keep popping babies out around here."

"Listen up, bucko. You were obviously pretty hungry to have someone popping one out for you too, if you went off and married yourself to the first cute pregnant omega to cross your path, so you have no room to talk." Houston snickered.

"You know what, speaking of my omega—what's up with you guys insisting on crashing our wedding day like this? What if we'd been wanting to have a private moment instead of entertaining your asses?" Austin glared playfully around the room at his brothers and their husbands.

As the room fell silent for a beat, Gideon wagged his finger. "Language, Uncle Austin. Little pitchers have big ears and don’t need to hear about your private moments." Everyone stared at Austin for a long moment, then burst into laughter.

After he'd quit laughing, Houston waved a dismissive hand at his brother. "If I thought that were the case, I'd be opening a bottle of the most expensive champagne money could buy and toasting your happiness while I collected my money from Lukas who said that you'd never loosen up enough to get laid, let alone get married."

"Hey, don't be putting words in my mouth," Lukas was quick to respond. “I never said anything about Austin getting laid. What I said was that if Austin intends for this to be a business type thing to help Owen, then you can bet your bottom dollar that he meant it. Our dear little uptight Austin isn’t the type to have hidden agendas."

Beau lifted a brow as he suspiciously looked back and forth between Houston and Lukas. "But you did make a bet though? I thought we talked about you not letting Houston hustle you anymore, tiger."

"Whatever." Lukas grinned. "Hey, are we gonna feed the varmints soon? They look hungry."

"Real nice, Lukey," Houston retorted humorously. "Use the kids to change the subject, why don't you? But while you're at it, why don't you go ahead and whip out that twenty bucks you owe me?"

"I don't owe you jack crap, princess." Lukas discreetly flipped Houston off after making sure none of the children were looking. "The bet has barely begun. Trust me, I'm playing the long game here."

Houston leaned back against the cushions, crossing his arms over his chest as he thoughtfully looked back and forth between me and Austin before glancing back at Lukas. "I'm aware of the terms of our bet. But I also know my brother—and believe me when I say that you're going to owe me that money."

"I really think I need to hear the terms of this bet," Austin said as he playfully glared at both of them. I couldn't help but be charmed by them all. Even when they started arguing a few minutes later.

Kyle excused himself and motioned for Dallas. I vaguely noticed the two of them carrying coolers through to the kitchen, but I was absorbed by the tableau still unfolding around me. Beau was cradling Gideon on his lap, whispering in his ear while Gid softly giggled. Austin, Lukas, and Houston were still arguing over whatever that odd bet thing was about, while Cody sat quietly snuggling the baby.

The evening went by in a blur of laughter, children chattering, and the adults talking loudly over each other—and I was loving every moment. Kyle had somehow managed to cater a beautiful dinner for all of us, served in the large dining room on a fine set of china.

When I started to get up to help as Kyle and Lukas began clearing the table, Lukas firmly shook his head. "Nope, keep your butt in the seat. Not only are you pregnant as hell, but you're the guest of honor—this is your wedding dinner, after all."

Dallas and Cody rose to help them, the four of them quickly clearing the dishes away while Houston poured champagne and sparkling cider. Once everybody had their appropriate drinks in hand, Houston raised his glass in a toast.

"I don't care whether it's a love match, or simply a marriage of convenience. Our brother got married today, and I want to raise my glass to celebrate this momentous occasion and wish them both luck—especially Owen. Because as we well know, our dear Austin is so uptight that he creaks when he moves."

As everyone clinked their glasses together, the children giggling as they banged their plastic glasses against each other's before taking a sip, Cody and Dallas walked in and set a pile of gifts on the table. My eyes bugged out when Houston picked one up and handed it to me. "Here you go, honey. Go ahead and open it—I got this one especially for you."

"I wasn't expecting gifts." I looked at Austin in confusion, wondering what to do.

Austin shrugged his shoulders. "I warned you my family was nuts. Just go with it, it usually works better that way."

Houston leaned forward, practically bouncing in his seat as he motioned for me to open the gift. When I pulled out an old-fashioned oil can labelled LUBRICANT and full of, well, lube, everyone started laughing while Austin flipped his brother the bird.

I looked at the can in confusion, wondering why they’d give me that, especially in front of the kids. Houston was giggling as he turned to explain. "When we were younger, I used to call Austin the tin man, because he’s so stiff, get it? I figured an oil can was the perfect wedding gift so the tin man can have lubrication when he gets… well, stiff." When my eyes bugged out, Houston held up his hands with an innocent expression. "Hey, I didn't say where you needed to apply the lube, but it doesn't hurt to have some on hand, am I right?"

"Children are present! Language, Uncle Houston. And Uncle Austin, no vulgar finger motions either," Gideon chided.

Lukas just chuckled and turned to the kids. "Hey, don't use your middle finger to point like Uncle Austin did, okay? It's not polite, but apparently, your uncle never learned that lesson."

I started giggling, biting hard on my cheeks to keep from being heard when the kids started flipping each other off. Austin turned bright red, probably still stuck on the whole lube insinuation. Changing the subject, I caught Austin's attention. "It's just now dawned on me that all of you are named after Texas cities. Were your parents really into being Texans or something?"

Austin looked almost relieved at the subject change. "How do I put this politely?" He looked at Beau with a grin before turning back to me. "Our parents had a tradition of naming us after the cities of our conception. Sandy, Tony, and Annie are all loosely named after San Antonio, because Lukas and Gideon wanted to carry on that tradition. Dallas and Kyle did their own variation with Sage, since Texas has its fair share of sagebrush. As for the other kids, those are examples of their parents going rogue because we couldn't have every kid in the family named after San Antonio, and apparently none of us have the same affinity for traveling as our parents did."

"That makes sense, except for one thing." I looked back and forth between Beau and Dallas in confusion. "How were twins conceived in separate cities that are roughly three hundred miles apart?"

Beau winked across the table. "The story goes that they were on a road trip when Mom got pregnant and she simply picked two of her favorite names from the places they passed through."

The conversation came to an abrupt halt when Kyle came in, pushing a cart with a three-tiered wedding cake. It had yellow roses cascading down the front with a figurine of two grooms kissing as a topper. I gasped and brought both hands to my mouth, blinking away tears as I stared at the beautiful confection.

"But… I mean… how?" I was stumbling over my words, trying to figure out how they'd managed to pull off a beautiful wedding cake in a matter of hours.

Kyle shrugged like it was no big deal. "Hey, anytime there's an excuse for cake in this family, we get right on it," he joked. "Seriously though, we wanted you to know that we support your marriage, Owen. No matter the reasoning or how long you've known each other, we all want you to know that we are behind you one hundred percent. You're one of us now and we wanted to celebrate the day you joined our family."

I gulped, my eyes blurry with tears as I waved a hand toward both the cake and the pile of gifts that still waited to be opened. "But how? You pulled together a fully catered meal, and a fancy cake, and gifts—and you somehow did it all in a matter of hours?"

"Bitch, please." Houston winked as he waved his hand dismissively. "We have skills around here, babe. Stick around, you'll see."