Andy insists on going into the office since he’s no longer symptomatic. That means I have to face Matt sooner than I expected. But when he agreed to let me take Andy home, he knew what would happen. He could see it in my eyes as much as Andy did so even though it puts the project at risk, he wouldn’t have tried to stop me from something I wanted so badly.

Instead of our usual sandwich for lunch, I take Matt to a sushi restaurant down the street to break the news to him. His obnoxious grin from the moment he saw me is telling. He knows what I have to say, but he’s gonna let me buy him lunch before letting me off the hook. Or letting me go.

Either way is fine with me.

Andy loves his job so if one of us has to leave, it’ll be me. I have plenty of other contracts to work on and I want Andy to pursue this field if it interests him. I’ll just have to have a little chat with that Xander dude before I leave to make sure he knows to stay the fuck away from my omega.

Okay, Andy isn’t technically my omega. Not yet anyway. But he will be. And though I’m not sure if he feels as strongly as I do yet, I think he does. And I think he wants me to be his alpha. It’s probably something we could have talked about this morning, but we were a little busy with more carnal desires to chat about anything heavy.

There will be time for that later. But if he’s carrying my child, all bets of a slow courtship are off. He’s mine either way, so the sooner he comes to that realization, the better life will be for both of us.

Matt sits at the table and immediately calls to the waitress that we’ll take a round of sake. I settle in across from him and wait for his stupid grin to die off…but it never does.

“Fine, you were right. Is that what you’re so happy about?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest with a stupid grin of my own.

Matt just laughs. “I always am so that’s not a surprise. What is a surprise is how different you are in just twenty-four hours.”

“What are you talking about?” I give him an incredulous look. I do feel different but not in a physical way that he could see.

“You’re already hooked.” He just shakes his head. “He must have some magic ass or something because you’re a completely different man.”

I smile at the memory of just how magical Andy’s ass felt. “It is epic.”

Matt laughs again as the waitress drops two shots of sake in front of us. “To epic ass.”

I roll my eyes and take the shot before correcting his assumption. “It’s not just sexual, man. We have a connection…a bond. I don’t know how to describe it but I’ve never felt anything like it before.”

The smile fades from Matt’s face as he realizes I’m being serious. “No shit? Like actual mates? You’re serious about him?”

“Completely and totally serious.” I give him a sheepish grin, unable to believe this is actually happening. “I knotted him bare. And I’m happy about it. So is he. When I reminded him he could be pregnant, he actually smiled. I think he’s…the one.”

Matt’s amused expression does a one-eighty. “Dude, are you high? You barely know him. I’m been with Troy for almost a year, and I’m still not sure he’s the one.”

I raise an eyebrow and look my friend in the eye. “Then he’s not. I’m sorry to be so blunt but if you don’t feel like a vice is tightening around your chest when you’re not with him and if the idea of having a family with him doesn’t make your whole body light up, you need to keep looking. Don’t settle for just okay. I swear to god, when you find the one, you’ll know it instantly.”

* * *

Although we haven’t had a conversation about declaring our status yet, Andy has spent every night at my place since that first night. He’s gone home every few days to get clothes and to prove to his brother that he’s still alive and not being held in a dungeon somewhere, but he always ends up in my bed at night.

At first, I wasn’t sure if maybe I was just projecting my hopes and dreams onto this relationship to make it into more than it is. But Andy shows me in little ways just how happy he is with me by just being thoughtful and loving. Like when he cooks dinner when I mention being tired. Or how he gives me a scalp massage whenever I get a headache from looking at the computer screen for too long. And when he kisses me every night with his eyes open so I’m the last thing he sees before falling asleep every night.

It’s only been three weeks since that day of his heat, but our connection has not waned in the least. In fact, the bond between us feels stronger every time he’s in my arms. And when he’s not in my arms, the pain of longing is distracting as hell. Even now, he’s just in the bathroom while I wait for him on the couch, and that need to be with him has me looking down the hall every few seconds until he finally appears with a strange look on his face.

Since Andy is always happy or at least content around me, I’m immediately on alert. “What’s wrong, baby. Are you okay?”

He holds out a plastic stick and bites his lips, waiting for me to look at it.

The pregnancy test looks like all the ones I’ve seen on TV or in movies, but when the word Pregnant is displayed on the stick Andy is holding, it seems like the most profound and unique moment anyone in the world has ever experienced.

“That’s yours?” I ask, taking the stick from his outstretched hand. “Ours?”

“I just took it.” He nods his head and a small smile breaks through. “Is that okay?”

I pull him into my arms and lift him off the ground. Andy laughs and wraps his legs around my waist. “Yes, baby. Of course it’s okay.”

He lowers his forehead to the crook of my neck and holds me tight. “Thank god because I think I’m in love with you.”

My arms squeeze just a little tighter and I carry Andy to the bedroom, the movie we’d planned to watch forgotten. “I think I was in love with you the moment I saw you, baby. It just took me a minute to man up and go for it.”

“Are you glad you did?” He presses his lips to mine, not letting go even as I lower him onto the mattress.

“More than you’ll ever know.” I release Andy and scoot down to rest my cheek against his belly. “And you, little one, will be loved more than any baby ever could be.”

Happy tears roll down Andy’s cheek as he chuckles. “Does this mean you’re my boyfriend?”

I narrow my eyes and crawl back up to press my mouth against his in a possessive kiss. “I’m your mate and your alpha. And someday, I hope you’ll want me to be your husband.”