Getting used to the rhythm of baseball season was different from getting used to Spring Training. In most ways, it was easier. Carter was around more, and having him around made Ty’s life better by several orders of magnitude. On the other hand, the times when Carter did have to travel or had too much to do to make it over to Ty’s place, the loneliness hurt more than it had before, when Ty was just lonely all the time and he didn’t know the difference.

Those were the times of Ty’s greatest insecurity. Carter could have anyone he wanted, and Ty knew it. Why would he be with Ty, if not for the contract? He said he was willing to stick around, and he even played along, but Ty couldn’t shake the nagging question of why. Why him? What exactly did he have to offer?

When Carter was around it was different. Ty could relax. He never felt insecure when Carter was right there in front of him.

They still lived separately, and that was what they’d agreed to in their contract. Ty hadn’t been over to Carter’s place. Sometimes he thought Carter was ashamed of him. Sometimes he thought Carter was just choosing the easier option, since it wasn’t as though they had a lot of free time to go from place to place. Sometimes Ty figured Carter just wanted to hang out with the cats.

At work, life went on pretty much the way it always did. Ty worked hard and did the best he could for his clients. The firm had spent a lot of time and energy prepping for the Bencivenni case, but when the trial finally happened it took all of a week and a half. It started the week after Opening Day. The prosecutor got up and gave an impassioned speech about the rule of law, due process, and about all of the good the deceased had done in his community. He emphasized the good the deceased had done to advance women.

Ty got up and described his client’s life with her husband. He described her hospital visits, incidents of abuse people had witnessed, long-term effects of abuse people had not necessarily witnessed, and her behavior after the incident. He showed images of her face immediately after the shooting, with all of its bruises.

The trial only took a week and a half because of the overwhelming amount of evidence Ty brought to the table. The jury took three hours to acquit. Ty’s client, Mrs. Bencivenni, broke down in tears beside him at the defense table. He let her cry into his shoulder as the court adjourned. Media had followed the case because of the husband’s prominence in the business world. He was acutely conscious of the photos being taken of them, but he tried to shield her. She’d always been a private person, and he hoped to help her keep her privacy as long as he could.

He got a call from Carter after the game that night. Carter was in Detroit for a game, not that he wanted to be in Detroit. Detroit was under a foot of snow at the moment, thanks to the helpful effects of the Great Lakes. They still had to play, though. “I have no idea how they’re keeping the field clear, but they’re doing it,” he groused. “I’m telling you, it’s impossible to field the ball when your fingers are frozen stiff.”

“I can think of a few ways for you to warm them up, but that’s probably not helpful right now.” Tyler blushed at his own boldness, but Carter brought it out in him. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry.” Carter spoke quickly, warming Ty right up. “Please. I like it when you’re enthusiastic. It makes me feel more confident, okay? I know I’m doing something right.” He took a deep breath. “Anyway, I saw on the news that you won your case.”

“It made the news out there?” Ty chuckled. “Well, I’ll be. Huh.”

“Yeah, well, that dirtbag was always being held up as some kind of example of guys who were Doing It Right, you know? Anyway, congratulations. I’m really proud of you.”

Ty warmed under his praise. It wasn’t like Ty didn’t win court cases all the time, but this was Carter. His praise meant more, somehow. “Thanks. I appreciate that. Did I tell you I watched last night’s game?”

“No, really? That’s awesome. I know baseball isn’t really your thing.”

“It’s getting to be my thing. I’m getting there, I promise.” He laughed. “I’ve got someone to watch now, for one thing. You were totally robbed on that call at second.”

“Right?” Carter’s voice rose an octave. “That ump has had it out for me for years. I said something knuckle-headed to him when I was a rookie and he’s never forgotten it. Never. I guess I made my own bed and I have to lie in it, but it still kind of sticks in my craw a little.”

“It would bug me too. I’ve got a judge like that. The firm transfers me off cases that wind up in his court. It’s wrong, his dislike of me shouldn’t affect how he rules on cases, but he’s also human.” Ty shrugged. “We can plan around that, we’re a big enough firm.”

“I guess.” Carter’s scowl came through in his voice. “I’d be happy to go over and have a little chat with him, if you wanted.”

Ty blushed. “You don’t have to. I’m okay. But thanks.” He toyed with a piece of paper on his desk. “You’re a great alpha, you know that?”

“Me?” Carter laughed weakly. “Not so much.”

“No, really. You are. You stick up for me. You make me feel safe, and taken care of.” He bit his tongue. He didn’t want to say too much. He didn’t want to make Carter feel uncomfortable.

It was all true, though. Carter was a fantastic alpha. Ty couldn’t remember a time when he felt so safe, so protected. Someone had his back. Someone was willing to stand by him, pick him up and support him when other people wanted to tear him down. Maybe it wasn’t real, but it felt real and it would keep being real for the time being.

He tried not to focus on making a baby. He still wanted the baby, of course. He wanted to be a parent as much as he wanted to be a law partner. He just knew it came with a price now. Being a father would mean the inevitable end of his relationship with Carter. Carter was only here to give him the baby, and to provide “respectability” for Ty’s single parenting in a deeply conservative field. He didn’t particularly want children, or a husband. Once they’d covered their bases with prurient interests, he would leave.

At the same time, when he noticed he was feeling a little seasick in the morning, he couldn’t help but feel a little hopeful.

He tried to hold back. He shouldn’t get excited. It could just be a sinus infection. He went about his business for the next week, and then the next. He was already living according to early pregnancy protocols, so he didn’t have to worry about hurting a baby if he was pregnant. If he delayed taking the test, he could hopefully avoid getting his hopes dashed if he wasn’t pregnant.

Two weeks later, his symptoms hadn’t gone away. Carter was back in New York, and he’d picked up on Ty’s symptoms. It was time for him to take the test. Fortunately, he’d ordered them in bulk online, so he had plenty of them on hand. No reason to arouse pity in the lady who worked at the checkout counter at Duane Reade, after all.

He headed into the master bathroom while Carter sat in the living room with the cats. What was Carter thinking right now? Was he hopeful? Nervous? Worried? Was he hoping for a negative result? Was he hoping for a positive result so this whole long nightmare could be over? Was part of him, at least, hoping for a negative result so they could enjoy their time together a little longer?

The timer beeped, loud in the perfect silence of the bathroom. Ty crept up to the counter to check. Twice before, he’d done this only to have his heart shatter. What if the results were negative again? Would he be able to handle it?

He held his breath and looked at the tiny screen on the dipstick.

Pregnant.

He dropped it. Elation, like electricity, rose up from his feet. His fears about his relationship with Carter disappeared for the moment as all of his dreams came true. This, the little collection of cells coalescing in his belly, was the very thing that had been missing from his life all these years. He’d waited, and he’d hoped, and he’d dreamed. Now it was going to be his. Ty was going to be a father.

He cleaned up from the test and raced out into the living room. The only person he could think of to share his joy with was Carter, and all thoughts of their arrangement vanished from his mind as he flung himself into his husband’s arms. “I’m pregnant!”

Carter paled, and his eyes widened. “You’re sure?”

Ty nodded. “Those tests are the same ones they use in hospitals. They’re as accurate as accurate can be.”

Carter’s answering smile lit up his whole beautiful face. He pulled Tyler into his lap and kissed him, thoroughly. Ty couldn’t find any evidence of hesitation in his embrace, or his kiss. “I am so freaking happy for you, Ty,” he said when he pulled back. “So happy. We’re going to be fathers! This calls for a celebration.” He paused and looked down for a second. “Wait. Are you up for celebration sex? Or are you too, er, delicate or something?”

Ty laughed and kissed Carter instead of using words. “You don’t know anything about pregnancy, do you?”

“Not a thing. But I’m going to learn.” Carter tugged Ty’s shirt over his head. “I’m going to learn everything I can. And I’m going to be the best damn alpha husband the world has ever seen, Ty.” He picked Ty up in his arms and carried him back to the bedroom. “I want to make sure this is an amazing experience for you, every step of the way.”

Ty threw his arm over Carter’s shoulders and held on for dear life. Carter might be the single most amazing alpha to ever walk the earth. He didn’t really love Ty, but he faked it well. Ty would take it.

He reached for Carter when he put him on the big bed, but Carter stilled him with a kiss. “Hey. This is for you, okay? We’re celebrating you, and your dream. We’ve got all the time in the world for other stuff later.” He grinned and unbuttoned Ty’s pants. Then he pulled them down.

Ty had always been a little shy about his body. Carter chased any of those thoughts away. He parted his legs just a bit, giving Carter access to anything Carter might want. He wanted Carter to see everything, to have access to everything. Carter couldn’t share his joy in pregnancy, but Ty could do his best to make sure he felt something.

“I’m yours, Carter,” he told him. “I’m all yours. I just want to make you as happy as you’ve made me.”

Carter’s eyes lit up at Ty’s words. “Seeing you smile like this? That’s what does it for me.” He was already taking his clothes off as he spoke. Now he climbed on top of Ty and kissed him. As he kissed him, he dragged his lips down Ty’s torso until he got to Ty’s lengthening cock.

It wasn’t exactly a surprise when Carter took Ty into his mouth. The hunger he showed in it, though, that was a little more shocking. He devoured Ty, sucking him right down to the root like a starving man. Ty could only grab the sheets as desire ratcheted up to need in a few seconds. Carter’s mouth was soft and hot, while Ty was so hard now that he ached. He couldn’t help but buck his hips a little, although he tried to hold back.

Carter took it all. His little laugh sent the most delightful waves up into Ty’s body, and Ty cried out in his pleasure. This was incredible, and there was nothing else in the world but Carter’s mouth, the bed, and the pleasure coursing through Ty right now.

He tried to signal to Carter before he came, but Carter kept at it until Ty exploded. He sucked until Ty had gone completely soft, and then he lay down beside Ty and pulled the covers up over them. Ty reached for him, but Carter just pulled him close. “I already finished,” he said. “Watching you was the hottest thing ever.”

Ty marveled at the amazing man beside him. “I have to be hallucinating you.”

“Nope. I’m a hundred percent real, baby. Speaking of babies.” He yawned and stretched his free arm. “Who do we want to tell, and when?”

Ty bit his lip. “I’m so excited that I want to tell the world, but I don’t like to showboat like that. And I’m not sure we should tell much of anyone until the first sonogram, at least.” He squirmed. He hadn’t wanted to get into any negatives yet, but the subject had come up. “If there’s anything wrong, I don’t want to deal with people’s pity, you know?”

Carter winced. “I hadn’t thought of that, but you’re right. We should probably tell Keegan, though. He’s trustworthy.”

Ty snorted. Keegan was generally about as trustworthy as a hyena, but he was probably viewing through the lenses of a little brother here. “If you want. I don’t want to deal with Seb on the subject. He’s creeping me out, and I don’t think him knowing I’m pregnant will take away from the creep factor.”

“Probably not.” Carter shuddered. “I’ll have to tell Tracy soon. He’s my coach, and he’s basically the second most important man in my life. I can’t not involve him.”

“Second?” Ty scratched his head.

Carter looked down at him. “You’re the first, Ty. I know we didn’t exactly plan for it, and we didn’t get together the normal way. But I do care for you. I’m pretty sure I love you. I’ll only leave if you want me to leave, Ty.”

Ty blinked back tears. “Now I know I’m hallucinating you.”

Carter chuckled softly. “Seriously?”

“It doesn’t make sense.” Ty shook as he spoke. It was all too much. “I love you too, Carter. I didn’t expect to be as happy as I am with you. And I still can’t quite believe it. But Carter, you’ve made me happier than I ever thought I could be.”

Carter kissed him again, and they drifted off in one another’s arms.

* * *

Pride beyond measure filled Carter when Ty told him the good news. He could feel good, damn good, about the pregnancy. He’d done the job he’d been hired to do, and technically his obligation was finished. More than that, he’d brought an immense degree of joy to his husband. Ty was a good man, a sweet omega who deserved happiness. Carter was proud to be the one to give it to him.

He knew Ty was insecure about their relationship, and there wasn’t much he could do about it. He wasn’t exactly feeling secure about it himself. They’d come together through odd means, and Ty could be forgiven for having doubts about their staying power. Carter hadn’t intended to fall for Ty, but he had anyway. Ty would get it, eventually.

After they’d made love, they dozed in each other’s arms for a little while. Carter couldn’t stay forever. He had to get up and go to the game. Ty had tickets, of course. He had tickets to every home game, not that he was able to make all of them. Carter hated to leave, but Ty understood.

“The world doesn’t stop because we’re having a baby,” he said with a shy little smile. “Go on ahead. I’ll be in the stands tonight, watching.”

“You won’t be too cold?”

Ty laughed, little golden bells that lifted Carter’s soul. “I wasn’t last night.”

Carter sat up, his mouth a perfect round “o.” “You were at the stadium last night?”

“It was Friday, I had a ticket, and all of my cases were in good places to leave off for the night.” Ty snuggled up closer to Carter, in contrast to his alleged understanding of Carter’s need to leave. “I wanted to see you, even if it was only on screen.”

Carter kissed him. “Thank you. It means a lot to me, you know? I know you’re learning, and you’re enjoying it, but it means a lot that you’re learning about baseball for me.”

Ty’s cheeks turned pink, but he smiled. “You’re worth it, Carter.”

Carter wasn’t a hundred percent sure of that. He was a good baseball player, sure, but he was also the nimrod who’d gotten caught up in a finance scam. Then again, he made Ty happy. That was worth a lot to him.

He got dressed and headed up to the Stadium. He wasn’t the first to arrive, but he wasn’t the last either. Tracy was paying attention, though, and he did pick up on the fact that Carter showed up later than he typically would. “What’s the matter, Bowman, caught in traffic?” he asked, scowling.

Guzman, the shortstop stepped in. “Ah, coach, cut him a little slack, would you? He hasn’t even been married for a year yet! He’s still got a new husband at home and it ain’t like he’s late.”

Tracy glowered at Guzman. “Yeah, yeah. Okay. Bowman, come see me in my office. Pretty please, oh you adoring groom, you.” He rolled his eyes and stalked off toward his office.

Carter followed, a pit growing in his stomach. Was this what Ty felt like? No, the only thing growing in his stomach was joy. No one felt joy going into the coach’s office, especially not right before a game. He couldn’t get out of it though, and he wouldn’t show weakness. He squared his shoulders and went where he was supposed to go, head held high.

He closed the door behind him and sat across from Tracy. “What’s up, Coach? Is everything okay?” Please tell me I’m not about to get traded. I don’t think I can handle that right now.

Tracy must have heard the begging in his mind, because he just scoffed. “Relax, Carter. You have a no trade clause, remember? You’re too associated with this team for us to trade you away. No, I wanted to talk to you about the whole marriage thing.” Tracy sat back and gave Carter a measuring look. “How are things going in that vein, by the way?”

Carter squirmed. “They’re going okay, I guess.” His face got hot. “I mean he’s pregnant, so from that perspective they’re going pretty well. They’re going pretty great, actually.” He tapped his foot against the ground, an absent-minded tattoo he barely even realized he was doing. He didn’t care to talk about details like this with anyone, never mind someone he knew didn’t like Ty much. “He’s a pretty nice guy, you know? He’s sweet. He’s cooked for me a couple of times. He doesn’t have to, but he called up the nutritionists here and asked what I was supposed to be eating. It was like a case to him. He just… wanted to do it. He wanted to make me happy.”

“Huh.” Tracy raised his eyebrows. “That guy, that ex of his. Is he still sniffing around?”

“Yeah.” Carter bit down on the inside of his cheek. “He ambushed us at his parents’ place. You know, they call guys like us rude and unmannered and whatever, but they do crap like invite Ty’s ex-boyfriend over to the house for brunch. And don’t tell him. And take the ex’s side when he’s unforgivably rude to the new husband. I don’t get it.”

“You don’t have to get it. You’re better off if you don’t get it.” Tracy made a face. “I did some digging. His parents, man. They’re kind of, ah, unique. They shipped both kids off to boarding school when they were real young. I don’t think there’s much of a relationship there.”

“No. There isn’t.” Carter pursed his lips. “Which is a good thing, really. Someone who desperately wanted Ed and Beau’s approval would be difficult to love.”

“Probably. Ed’s been sued twenty-seven times for shoddy conditions in his rental properties, and his response every time was to jack the rents. The dude’s a maggot. But the other guy, this Britton jerk, he makes Ed look like a saint.”

Carter licked his lips. He hadn’t thought about Sebastian all day. He certainly hadn’t been thinking about Sebastian’s many flaws, or his father-in-law’s issues. It took a lot for Tracy to condemn how a man made his money, so Ed must have been a truly vile individual. And Sebastian was lower than that?

“What does he do?”

“Well, it looks like he was involved with some of the scam sales procedures that got Allemani Bank into so much trouble a few years ago. He got promoted into the job over in England just before the bank got busted for it, so he didn’t have to face any consequences.” Tracy curled his lip.

Carter mirrored the expression, unconsciously. “Wow. I wonder how many other guys at the bank did the same thing? Got promoted just in time and left the rest of those poor suckers to pick up their slack?”

“Probably a lot of them. Which is why none of my money is at Allemani Bank. I had one old account there and I transferred it yesterday. Not that any other bank is likely to be any better, but still.” He took a deep breath. “But what has me worried is that husband of his. The dead one.”

“The one he’s supposed to still be mourning.” Carter leaned forward. Sebastian didn’t seem to be grieving at all, but who was he to judge? Maybe their marriage had already started to flounder.

“Yeah, that one. The one they pulled out of the Thames with blood underneath his fingernails.”

Carter coughed. “Excuse me? Blood under his nails?”

“Yeah. According to reports at the time, which was only a few months before he came back to the States, the husband was alive when he went into the water. No way to tell if he was conscious, but he absolutely struggled with someone before he went in. And he’s obviously dead, so there’s that.”

“Oh my God.” He covered his face with both hands. “You think he had something to do with it.”

Tracy smirked. “Well, I can’t prove it, and neither could Scotland Yard. The bank promoted him again and brought him back to New York before they could do much to even try.”

“Jesus.” Carter flopped back into his seat. “I can believe almost anything about that dude, but murder? That’s a lot. I mean it could have been anyone. London can be violent, and who knows who might have had a grudge against that asshole. They might have decided to take it out on his husband.”

“True. But all the same, that still puts your man in some danger, doesn’t it? He’s someone in Assy’s orbit, and he’s someone Assy at least seems to think he’s got a relationship with. If he offends someone and that someone decides to lash out at Assy’s associates…”

“Then the end result is the same.” Carter pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m not a hundred percent sure what to do here. I can’t be here all the time and keep him safe. I have a job to do, and he’s not going to let me just lurk around like that.”

“No. And neither will your contract. I’m sympathetic, but the front office will say things like ‘you can’t prove anything ‘ and ‘we have police in this city for a reason’ and ‘you used baseball resources for what, Tracy?’ That won’t be helpful.” Tracy looked away for a second. “Do you have anyone you can talk to about this? I know your boy’s family’s about as trustworthy as the average snake, but there has to be someone who cares about him.”

Carter snapped his fingers. “He’s got Keegan.”

“Didn’t he show up to your wedding in a fuchsia velour tracksuit?”

“It was supposed to be a proper suit, I think. Just, you know, special.” Carter grimaced. “Okay. He’s unconventional, but have you met his parents? I don’t think he had a choice. He’s definitely all in for Ty, though. He stood right up and defended his brother and no one was about to stop him, so there’s that.”

“Okay.” Tracy tapped his pen on the desk. “It’s not like we’ve got a lot of other options, I guess.”

“No, we don’t. Thanks for chasing this stuff down for me, Tracy. I appreciate it.” Carter grinned at his coach. “How exactly do baseball scouts get access to all that dirt, anyway?”

“Ah, now that’s a trade secret. But let me tell you, before we signed you, we knew things about you that you probably forgot.” He winked at Carter. “Come on, let’s get out there and get ready for the game.”

Before they headed out, Carter sent Keegan a text. We need to talk. Can you come to the game with Ty and stick around after?

Not into threesomes, bro. But I’m more than happy to take in a game.

Carter shook his head at Keegan. The guy made a point of being absurd, every day.

He had a pretty good game out on the field, getting one home run and two doubles and only striking out once. His fielding was pretty spot-on too; he had nothing to complain about on that end. He couldn’t see Ty in the crowd. He thought he caught sight of a guy dressed in a neon rainbow tracksuit, but that didn’t necessarily mean it was Keegan. Surely, in a city of seven million people (not counting suburbs), Keegan couldn’t be the only one who dressed like that.

After the game, Ty and Keegan met up with Carter and Tracy at the employee entrance. Keegan turned out to indeed be the man in the rainbow tracksuit. Ty held a hand up to his eyes between himself and his brother. “That outfit is bad for the baby,” he complained.

Carter beamed.

Tracy just rolled his eyes. “You do realize that the baby doesn’t even have eyes yet. It doesn’t have a brain. It’s just a bunch of cells.” He turned to look at Carter. “Do they not have basic bio classes at these fancy private schools?”

Ty frowned peevishly at Tracy, while Keegan just guffawed. “You’re hilarious, my man.” He slung his arm around Tracy’s shoulder. “What do you say we all go somewhere a little more private and talk things over?”

Tracy groused, but they all headed over to Keegan’s place in Gramercy Park. Tracy even drove them in his huge Mercedes. Keegan’s place turned out to be a penthouse in an elegant pre-war building with plenty of exposed brick, and it was nothing like Carter would have expected from Keegan. It was clean. It was almost too clean, with no clutter or messes visible anywhere. There weren’t even dirty dishes in the dish drainer.

Keegan offered them all beers, except for his “preggo little bro, ‘cause you know that’s a no-no.”

Carter would have expected Ty to bristle, because it was Keegan and because he didn’t like being told he “couldn’t” do things. Instead he just beamed, and rested his head on Carter’s shoulder. Tracy’s face softened at the gesture.

When Tracy explained the information he’d collected about the Brittons, all joy and warm fuzziness fled the air. “That’s horrible!” Ty shuddered and folded in on himself. “I don’t want to think of Seb as the kind of guy who could just up and kill someone.”

“I mean I hate the guy.” Keegan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’ve hated him since we were kids, because he’s a douche and he’s always been a douche. But there’s a line between being a douche and drowning his husband, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him get violent against someone, you know?”

Tracy shrugged. “I only know what the records say, and what the scouts reported back to me. Tyler, you knew him best. Do you think he’s capable of violence?”

“Anyone is capable of it, but he never raised a hand to me, no.” Ty unconsciously wrapped a hand around his neck and rubbed, just a little. “He could be… he could be really insistent about some things, I guess. I mean he felt pretty strongly. He likes to get his way. When I declined his invitation to dinner a few weeks ago, he stood up, got in my face and started shouting.”

“Excuse me?” Carter crossed his arms over his chest.

“I was alone in the office, and I didn’t want to piss him off more. So I went along with him to a more public place and texted Keegan to meet us there. Keegan ran him off as only Keegan can.” He grinned at his brother with an exasperated smile. “But he was always like that, you know? He wants what he wants, and he’s going to get it one way or another.” He shrugged. “I hadn’t dated an alpha who wasn’t like that, until I married Carter.”

Carter took his hand. “That doesn’t say good things about the guys you’ve met.” He squeezed. “But hey, I’m here now. That’s over and done with. We’re going to keep you safe from Sebastian, okay? Whether it’s him or people who got pissed off at him, we’re going to keep you safe.”

“Damn straight.” Keegan’s mouth tightened, and he met Carter’s eyes. It was more serious than Carter had ever seen him.