Three years later…
“Don’t forget, we need to be at the school at nine on Friday.” Gray paused, smiling. He looked down at their year-old babe, Jasyn, nursing before lifting his stare again. “I can’t believe Avery’s graduating.” Gray ran a hand down his expanding stomach as he watched Rohan bathing their three-year-old twins. Or more like they were bathing him. Both loved the water and made sure to splash everything in a ten-mile radius as best they could once inside it. Rohan was drenched… as was Gray and Jasyn all the way over at the counter.
“I can’t believe he didn’t get himself caught,” Rohan said. Along the way, Rohan had figured out that Avery wasn’t a beta and even if he hadn’t, Gray didn’t like lying to his alpha. He had been on the edge of spilling the beans for weeks before Rohan asked. “He’s lucky he made it this far.”
“Well, once he gets to work with you, you can help protect him,” Gray said, checking Jasyn again.
“Do you really think him being in an office with Wilder is a good idea? I think he suspects something as it is.”
Gray smiled. “I suspect something, too.”
Rohan looked over his shoulder, looking completely clueless. “What?”
“Come on!”
Rohan shrugged. “What?”
“In four years, only two alphas figured out something was amiss with Avery. The first was when he was in heat and only on Heat Repress, so that one makes sense. The only other was your brother-in-law.”
“So? Wilder’s attention to detail is staggering. He must’ve noticed something. Which makes me even more nervous to have Avery there.”
“What if Wilder noticed because he’s Avery’s alpha?”
Rohan’s eyes got even wider. “Then this is a really, really bad idea, Gray. If Wilder’s switch gets blown, he’ll blow Avery’s cover and then what?”
“Who better to protect Avery out in the world than his alpha?”
Rohan opened his mouth to argue, but got a mouthful of water. “Will you two stop it,” Rohan cried, trying to sound like the authoritarian and alpha father was supposed to be, but that was hard to do with a wide smile on his face. “I’ll have to replace the floors before you guys make it to eight.”
“Sooner with how much you let them get away with,” Gray murmured.
Their manny, Alberto, entered the bathroom just as Gray was finishing up with Jasyn. He took the sleeping babe. “It’s amazing he can sleep through all this racket.”
“Can you get him to bed? I’ll help Rohan with the twins,” Gray said to Alberto.
“Of course.” The manny exited with Jasyn.
Rohan looked over his shoulder at Gray. “Are you ready for a naked butt? I think they’re as clean as they’re going to get.”
Gray grabbed a towel. “Bring it on.”
Rohan lifted Silver from the tub first, sending the little omega on his way to his papa. Gray wrapped the warm towel around the tyke before lifting him up and drying the wriggling child. His alpha lifted Jamie from the tub and did quite the same.
“Why are we doing this again?” Rohan said later, after they’d put both boys to bed and could hear them giggling from their bedroom.
“Because Jamie, Silver, and Jasyn bring joy to our lives… and we need an abundance of that. You said you wanted a tribe.”
When the padding of little bare feet was heard, Rohan sighed and rose from the bed. “Exasperation, yes. Joy?” He grinned. “Yeah, I suppose they do.”
A few minutes later, Rohan came storming into the bedroom, one twin under each arm. “Look who I found wandering in the hallway, papa!”
He tossed both boys onto the bed and then climbed in after them. Jamie and Silver curled up between them, smiling and giggling.
“You caught us, daddy!” Jamie said.
“I did!”
Alberto knocked on the door. “Do need my help?”
“No, I think we can manage,” Rohan said before he tickled both boys. Gray joined in. Soon Rohan was tickling Gray, which was even funnier to Jamie and Silver. They laughed in fits before finally crashing. One by one, Rohan carried the boys back to their bedroom and tucked them in. After he was done, he crawled back into his own bed and drew Gray into his arms.
“You ready to make a baby tonight?”
Gray frowned at his alpha. “We already have a baby coming, you dolt.”
“Well, just because you have one coming doesn’t mean I can’t continue to enjoy the making part, right?” He rolled, pinning Gray to the bed. He smiled down and trailed a finger over Gray’s lower lip. “That is… if you’re interested.”
“Hmmm? Am I interested?”
Rohan smiled. “We don’t have much longer before you’re too big and then after that, it’s all about diapers and midnight feedings. We better enjoy the quiet before the storm.”
“Well, when you put it that way, how could I refuse?” Gray said sarcastically.
Rohan smiled all the more. “You know what I mean…” He cocked a brow. “At least, I hope you do.”
Gray lifted his head. “Of course I do.”
And he kissed his mate.
Rohan wrapped an arm around his back and rolled them until Gray was on top.
“Oh? My alpha’s going to let me lead, hmm?”
Rohan smiled and ran a hand down Gray’s stomach. “I just noticed tonight how much you’re showing. I don’t want to hurt you or the baby. So… you lead. I’ll follow.”
Gray smiled, knowing just how lucky he was to have an alpha like Rohan. “I love you.”
Rohan brought both of Gray’s hands to his lips and kissed them, one after the other. “And I love you. To the moon and back.”