“Would you stop crying already. You’re gonna dehydrate.” I pulled Ash against my chest and held him tighter, gently rocking him against me. Since getting the news earlier, he’d been a ball of emotions. Terrified the baby won’t be perfectly healthy one minute and then bouncing off the ceiling with excitement the next.

“I can’t help it.” He laugh-cried while swiping a tear off his cheek. “I just can’t believe it.”

“I know you’re worried, Ash. But this is our miracle baby, and I’ll take whatever we get.” I leaned down and pressed a kiss against his flat belly. “I just can’t wait to can see my baby growing inside you.”

Ash placed his hand over his stomach and rubbed a small circle where I just kissed it. “I can’t do it without you, Coop. Not again.”

I took both of his hands in mine and brought them to my lips, kissing each of his fingers. “You won’t have to, baby. It’s me and you from this point forward. No matter what. If anyone gives you shit, you better tell me immediately.” I held his gaze for a long moment, making sure he understood just how serious I was. “Promise me.”

“I do promise, and I’m sorry.” He exhaled a slow breath. “It was stupid.”

“Yes, it was fucking stupid, and you scared the hell out of me.” I slipped my finger under his chin and tilted it up so he was looking at me. “No more hiding anything from me again. No matter how mad you think it’s going to make me or how afraid you are of my reaction, no secrets.”

Ash sniffled as he nodded his head. “No secrets. I promise.”

“And in the spirit of no secrets…” I slipped out of bed and reached for my duffel bag.

“You have a secret?” Ash asked with a twinge of concern in his voice.

“No, not a secret, per se.” I winked at him over my shoulder. “It’s more of a surprise.”

Ash sat up straighter in the bed and crossed his legs in front of him. “I like surprises.”

“Pretty sure you’re gonna like this one.” I pulled out the envelope and held it behind my back, walking back to Ash.

“Should I close my eyes?” he asked playfully, already in a much better mood.

“No, it’ll be a lot harder for you to see it with your eyes closed.”

Ash rolled his eyes at my lame joke then reached for the envelope I dangled in my fingers just out of his reach. “Give it to me before this baby leaves for college.”

I waved the envelope in front of him then let it go so it fluttered into his lap. Ash didn’t waste any time tearing it open. He stared at the page for a minute before scooting up onto his knees. “So that means... Are we…” He looked up at me almost giddy. “We’re going to Disneyland?”

I couldn’t hold back my grin as Ash flung himself into my arms. “Well, it’s only for a long weekend, and Sylvia won’t even remember it, but they gave me the choice between Anaheim and Denver for training, so I figured we might as well make a family vacation out of it.”

“When?” Ash flipped the page to the back and didn’t find the date. “I need to request the time off.”

“We can wait until winter break. It’s not urgent training, so I can go whenever you’re able to take a few days off.”

And just like that, the waterworks were back. “I never thought I’d be taking Sylvia on family vacations…”

I knew they were happy tears, so I let him have his moment. “We’re gonna do it all, Ash. I might have missed the past year, but I’m gonna make it up to both of you by giving you everything you deserve and more…” I walked back to the bed with Ash in my arms then carefully lay him on his back so I could stare down at him for a moment. When I couldn’t wait any longer, I crawled across his body and hovered just over him...without touching him at all.

“Don’t tease me, Coop.” Ash wrapped his palms over my ass and pulled him down against his thickening erection. “I’m a live wire right now.”

“No teasing, baby.” I nipped at his lips before pressing my weight against him, holding him in place beneath me. “I’m gonna make up for the past year in bed too.”

Ash moaned and ground his cock against me as I sealed my mouth over his.

* * *

“How’s my baby girl?” I lifted Sylvia from the exersaucer she was sitting in and gave her a quick raspberry on the cheek.

She cooed in delight and rewarded me with a giggle that melted my heart. I couldn’t wait until I was finished with school and could spend more time with her during the day. We’d still need some daycare until summer but I’d get a lot more bonding time with her...and eventually, our new baby.

I turned to Ronnie, one of the omegas helping out in the baby room today. “How was she?”

He was picking up toys around the room when he looked up at me. “She was great. A tooth just starting to poke out today, so she may be cranky for a while.” He chuckled to himself before folding a blanket that had been laid out on the floor. “You might want to warn Ash. I’ve heard teething babies aren’t gentle at feeding time.”

Ouch. Poor Ash. “Speaking of… Do you know where he is?”

Ronnie checked his watch. “He’s probably setting up for his class tonight. He’ll either be in the conference room or down in the basement.”

“Thanks, Ronnie. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Have a good night, Coop.”

Despite my begging, Ash refused to cancel his class at Omega House. It had only been a week since his attack, and I felt like he needed a little more time. But he committed to host a seminar series for the many omegas still struggling to transition into a life of freedom after having been imprisoned in breeding farms or living on the streets for so long. Many of these omegas didn’t know how to function in society and didn’t trust anyone enough to ask for help.

But they were starting to trust Ash, and he wanted to be there for them whenever he could.

I had Sylvia duty for the evening while Ash was doing what he was meant to do, but that didn’t mean we needed to sneak out without saying goodbye.

The conference room was empty, so Sylvia and I walked down to the basement where a larger space was being set up with chairs and snack tables. Ash was sitting in the front row with a young omega who was crying on his shoulder. As much as I wanted to go to them and help, I could tell that Ash needed the space to take care of this young man. Most omegas had been abused by alphas, so me barging into their conversation might have done more harm than good.

I gave Sylvia’s foot a soft squeeze just as Ash looked up and saw us. He smiled and waved me over, but I shook my head, blowing him a kiss as I left the basement. Sylvia and I had some tummy time to get to and I wanted to have dinner waiting for Ash when he did get home tonight.