Nearly two months after their engagement, Josh looked at himself in the mirror, tracing his fingers over the line that led toward his belly button, his rounded stomach showing the full weight of their baby inside of him. The baby seemed almost too big to still be in there, now, and Josh was counting the days until his due date. Three. Three more days, and then that baby was coming out whether they liked it or not, and he and Tristan would be parents.

Through their combined savings, squirrelled away over years of hoping, despite all odds, for a family, they had been able to put a down payment on Josh’s old family house, right next to the house where Tristan’s parents still lived.

Josh smiled as he shut off the bathroom light and walked into his bedroom, the very same bedroom he’d most likely been conceived in. It was a little strange to think of it that way, but slowly, the house was starting to feel like his, and not his parents’. He had hope that it would be a fresh start for the home, and that he and Tristan would enjoy a much longer, happier marriage than his mother and father had there.

After all, he and Tristan had worked all of their issues out beforehand. They both knew each other’s greatest weaknesses, and had moved beyond them together.

Still stroking the baby inside of him, trying to soothe the little wolf as they kicked, Josh climbed into bed with Tristan and kissed his alpha’s cheek.

Tristan smiled and set his book aside, turning to face Josh completely. He cupped Josh’s face, and then pressed close, his strong body surrounding Josh’s very pregnant one as he kissed him deeply.

Josh felt Tristan’s hand slide over his rounded belly and smiled up at him.

“Do you feel? The baby won’t stop moving.”

“Shhh,” Tristan whispered, “Settle down, baby. Go to sleep..” He pressed a kiss to Josh’s extended abdomen.

Josh smiled, nodding. “Listen to your father. Wait. ‘Make love’?” He wasn’t used to Tristan being so romantic, even these days. “What’s up with you?”

Tristan shrugged, and kissed him again, claiming his mouth with his lips and tongue. Josh felt himself harden, and Tristan gripped him, stroking his cock as it began to ache for attention.

“The doctor said we could keep having sex right up until the baby comes, right?” Tristan murmured in Josh’s ear, and Josh groaned and nodded.

“Yeah. It’s good. Don’t stop,” he whispered.

Tristan chuckled infuriatingly in his ear as he gripped his cock tight and slowly moved his hand, squeezing Josh from base to tip. Josh whimpered, lifting his hips, slowly fucking his alpha’s hand.

“Oh, God, Tristan, just fuck me, please.”

“Shhh,” Tristan whispered, kissing down his throat and sending shivers down his spine. “I’m making love to you.”

“Please,” Josh begged again, and was relieved when Tristan rolled him onto his hands and knees. Tristan licked over his tight hole first, making him wet and driving Josh crazy. Groaning, squirming, his eyes rolling into the back of his head, Josh tried to convince Tristan with his writhing body to just take him, already. It seemed to work, because Tristan knelt behind him. He pushed his ass back, feeling Tristan’s long cock, dripping slick precome, rub between his asscheeks and tease the entrance to his body.

With a low groan of pleasure, Tristan ever so slowly worked himself into Josh, just the tip, stretching him open and making him feel it.

Josh cried out softly, clenching around him, and slowly pushed back, taking his alpha’s incredible cock, which fit so perfectly inside of him, inch by inch.

“God, yes,” Josh gasped, his whole body shaking as he was filled.

Tristan began to move in slow, deep strokes that made Josh’s whole body rock, taking him deeper and deeper inside of himself every time. Tristan rubbed inside of him, working him up, a ball of tension forming deep in Josh’s gut, threatening to explode.

He could tell Tristan was getting close, too, when his alpha began to thrust harder, gripping his hips and really fucking him, breeding him almost like he had when Josh had been in heat, only now Josh was heavily pregnant, already claimed, and Tristan’s focus was on his pleasure as he reached down and stroked him in time with his deep thrusts.

Josh felt that ball of pleasure grow tighter, until he couldn’t hold back anymore. He screamed as his orgasm rocked him, and felt Tristan cling to him, his strong body thrusting against Josh’s as he filled him.

“Tristan,” Josh purred adoringly, and he pulled off of the man’s cock, letting himself settle onto his side, panting, his whole body glowing with the aftermath of his pleasure. The baby had seemed to settle down, and he smiled at Tristan as the man collapsed next to him, covered in sweat and panting.

“Have I reminded you how beautiful you are lately?” Tristan asked, reaching out to touch Josh’s glowing face. Josh grinned at him.

“Maybe if you love me so much, you should go get me nachos,” he teased, but Tristan sat up, seeming to take that as a challenge.

“Do you really want nachos? I think the 7-Eleven is open, I can get that.”

Josh found he really, really did actually crave it. He was starving lately, and couldn’t seem to eat enough to satisfy the hungry little creature growing inside of him.

“Yeah,” he admitted. “Are you sure? It wouldn’t be too much hassle?”

“For you? For our future child? No way,” Tristan said with certainty, and pecked him on the lips before jumping out of bed, tugging on his clothing.

Josh watched him, sleepy and satisfied, but also pretty hungry, and absolutely in love with his alpha, who was always so willing to leap up and take care of him.

“Just don’t be gone long,” Josh begged. “I won’t sleep until you’re back in bed with me.”

“I’ll be back quick,” Tristan promised. “Just rest.”

Tristan seemed to have a lot of nervous energy, as they got closer and closer to their child’s birthday, and Josh thought maybe it was a good plan to send him out, and keep him busy.

Josh had meant it. Without Tristan in bed with him, he couldn’t sleep, and he got up and started to wander the house. They still hadn’t finished unpacking most things, so Josh decided he would work on that. He looked around for a boxcutter, and his search brought him into the garage. He flipped on the light, and was surprised when he saw pieces of white wood, recently painted, spread out over the workbench. He didn’t go into the garage a lot, but Tristan had spent quite a bit of time in there lately. Josh had thought he’d been working on his car.

Josh walked over to the work table and saw not only sketched out blueprints for an old-fashioned wooden crib, but that it was pretty much finished, all the pieces were painted, and only needed to be put together. Another piece of paper caught his eye, and Josh was stunned when he picked it up. His eyes glazed over as he read through a list of names, written in Tristan’s handwriting. They were baby names, spreading over the whole page, a list of ideas that Tristan had put together, but never mentioned to Josh, as if he’d just been waiting for the man to ask.

This whole time, Josh had been wondering, secretly, if Tristan were really ready to be a father. The change seemed to have happened fairly suddenly to Josh, who hadn’t witnessed a lot of Tristan’s long journey.

The crib, and the list, sitting together like this, were evidence to Josh that Tristan had been really thinking about this, planning for fatherhood, and putting the work in. He never should have doubted the man. Tristan wanted this baby just as much as he did.

Josh read the list again, finding it hard to believe. He felt a flutter in his stomach just thinking about Tristan down here in the garage, sanding and painting the crib, which he knew would be beautiful when it was put together.

Josh set the list down and turned, only to feel another flutter, and he realized it was more than a flutter when the next one made his whole body cramp with pain.

“Oh, fuck,” he said softly, bracing himself on the table as the contraction rocked his body. “No, not yet, not yet,” Josh begged. “Just a little longer, just wait for Daddy to come home, baby.”

His pleas seemed to fall on deaf ears, as another contraction had him seeing stars, gasping for breath.

Whimpering, panting slowly to try to calm the contractions, Josh made his way out of the garage and grabbed his ‘go-bag’ from by the door. It had everything he’d need for the hospital. He slipped on his shoes and waddled next door to where Tristan’s parents slept.

He knocked and rung the doorbell, leaning on the door frame as he tried to keep breathing through the pain. The baby wanted out, but it had no exit until the doctor made one. It would just have to wait for him to get to the hospital.

It was Tristan’s mother, Linda, who answered the door in her housecoat, concern on her sleep-riddled face.

“Aunt Linda,” Josh sighed in relief, falling into her arms, and she hugged him tightly.

“Josh! Is it the baby?”

He nodded, groaning as she settled him on the couch. “Tristan is out. We have to call him, and my parents…”

Linda, the incredible woman that she was, kissed his brow and told him, “I’ll take care of everything. Give me five minutes.”

Sure enough, within five minutes, everything was done. They were all dressed, in the car, and Linda reassured him, as she held Josh in the back of the car and told her husband to drive, that Tristan was already headed to meet them at the hospital.

“Don’t worry,” she murmured in his ear, “We’re all going to help you bring this baby into the world.”

He was put in a room at the hospital, where a nurse timed his contractions, and took his blood pressure. Moments later, Tristan burst into the room, a tray of 7-Eleven nachos clutched in his white-knuckled hand.

“Josh! Is the baby coming?”

Josh smiled, nodding tiredly, and reached for Tristan’s hand, squeezing it tightly.

“A little early,” he admitted, “But yeah. We’re just waiting for the doctor, now. You don’t have to stay.”

“Are you kidding?” Tristan said, setting aside the nachos and settling beside Josh, kissing him adoringly. “I’m going to be right here for you. I won’t leave you again,” he promised.

Josh was relieved, and he felt so safe and ready that another powerful contraction came, forcing him to grit his teeth and scream.

Tristan was obviously alarmed by how hard he squeezed his hand, because he looked at the nurse in surprise.

“Is that normal?”

She nodded. “It is. Josh, we’re going to prepare you for surgery now, all right? We’ll set up a sheet here, and you’ll feel us start to clean the incision site. We don’t have any drugs that will work very well for you, but in one way, you’re lucky. Your healing process will be a lot faster than a human mother’s would be.”

Trying to keep breathing and remain calm, Josh nodded, allowing them to get to work preparing him. He could take the pain, and it would be worth it, to have his baby enter the world safe and sound. To his relief, Senior and his mom showed up, and he got to smile at them before they were asked to leave the room.

“Good luck, son,” his mother told him, tears in his eyes as Senior pulled her gently out to wait. Just knowing they were there helped him. Everything was ready. All they needed was the doctor.

Only Tristan stayed with him, which was just how Josh had planned it. He nearly crushed Tristan’s hand as another painful contraction rocked his body, and he was screaming in pain when the doctor entered.

“Looks like it’s time,” the doctor said, and Tristan recognized him as the doctor who had told him he was pregnant in the first place. He smiled at him, a little delirious from the contractions.

“Hey, Doc.”

“Hey, Tristan,” the doctor said kindly. “It’s all going to be over soon, all right? You just hold your—”

“Fiancé,” Tristan told the doctor.

“Fiancé’s hand, you hold him tight, and before you know it, you’re going to have a bundle of joy to hold instead.”

Josh nodded bravely, shut his eyes, and breathed, letting his pulse slow down to match his mate’s, taking comfort in Tristan’s strong, loving presence next to him.

Josh felt more pain, sharper, and more centralized, and heard some unappetizing squelching that he hoped wasn’t coming from his own body. Then, as if by magic, a baby’s cry filled the air.

With joy and surprise, Josh let go of Tristan’s hand to embrace his sweet, messy baby boy, placing him against his chest, skin-to-skin, and ever so gently, he wiped the baby’s face with the soft towel he’d been wrapped in.

Tristan reached over to gently touch him, cooing as the baby cried.

“He’s perfect,” he whispered in Josh’s ear, and Josh nodded, feeling tears of happiness stream down his cheeks. He had no idea what the doctors were doing to his lower body, although he felt himself healing. He didn’t even care. He couldn’t tear his eyes or his attention off of the tiny, squalling child in his arms. Their son. He looked almost exactly like Tristan had, when Josh had first met him thirty years ago as a tiny baby himself.

“Andrei,” Josh whispered. “We’ll call him Andy.”

Tristan looked at Josh in surprised.

“That was… I was going to suggest that name. It means ‘brave’. How did you think of it?” he asked.

Josh gave him a guilty little smile.

“I found your list,” he whispered.

Tristan laughed softly, and gave him the sweetest kiss, his hand still on Andrei’s soft little head.

“Guess I should know better than to try to keep secrets from you, by now.”

Josh nodded, and tiredly handed Andrei to Tristan, who happily pulled him into his arms.

“Feed him please, Daddy,” he murmured. “I need to rest.”

“Yeah,” Tristan said with a smile, and Josh felt no qualms about trusting the incredible man with their fragile infant. He could see the paternal love, clear as day, shimmering in the alpha’s eyes. “Yeah, let’s get you something to eat, huh, buddy?” He turned to Josh. “You sleep, baby. You deserve it.”

As soon as Josh was given permission, he felt the exhaustion sweep him into blissful, healing sleep, Andrei’s perfect little face filling his dreams.

* * *

Josh was only four years old when his parents had decided that their family had grown too big for the apartment above the bar, and bought the house on the pretty lane. Josh had been there a few times, but this time was different. It was moving day, and Josh had to pack up all his toys and get in the big, big truck with his Daddy. He watched as the beautiful suburban house came into view, and his eyes grew wide as he stared at the shimmering green and pink garden of flowers, dancing with butterflies, in front of the house next door.

“Daddy, look!”

Senior helped Josh out of the truck, and dropped him onto his little feet. His sneakers flashed red and blue like a police car as he ran over to the beautiful garden and reached for the fluttering butterflies, missing every time.

“Don’t go far, Josh,” his father told him, and he didn’t. He did wander a few more steps into the yard, though.

A beautiful lady came out from inside the garden house, and Josh gave her a big smile.

“Hi,” he said, with practiced precision, before continuing to grasp at the flying insects that worked hard, despite his best efforts, to pollinate Linda St. John’s garden.

Laughing softly, she went over to him, and Josh noticed the baby she was carrying, swaddled against her chest.

“Are you saying hello to the neighbours, Josh?”

Josh beamed up at his daddy. “Yeah! Look, Daddy. Baby!”

Linda beckoned him over to sit on her front step, and he went and sat, staring at the baby’s face curiously. It was one of the funniest things he’d ever seen, and he was fascinated.

“This is Tristan. He may not look like much fun now, but soon enough, he’ll be old enough that you two can play together.”

Josh was delighted by that idea. “Friends?” he asked, and she nodded in agreement.

“Best friends, maybe, since you’re such close neighbours. I have a daughter who’s a bit older than you that you might like to play with, as well.”

Josh reached out his chubby little toddler hand to touch Tristan’s face, and the baby squirmed, but didn’t seem to mind too much.

“Would you like to hold him, Josh?” Linda asked, and Josh squirmed with excitement.

“Yes, yes!” he said eagerly.

His father was watching from the other yard, as he brought boxes into the house, and he laughed softly. “Say please, Josh.”

“Please!” Josh said. “I wanna hold him.”

“Okay,” Linda allowed, and she gently pulled Tristan out of his sling. “Now you have to be really careful, all right? You can’t drop him.”

“I won’t!” Josh promised. He held his arms in his lap, and she gently placed Tristan into them.

Josh gazed down at the baby’s face in wonder.

“Hi, Tristan.”

He was too young to understand what it meant, but he knew that the baby in his arms felt important, and he leaned down and boldly kissed Tristan on the forehead.

“Good baby,” he said, which melted Linda’s heart.

“Look at you two! Already friends!”

Josh grinned at her, squirming a little, and she took Tristan out of his arms, which he didn’t really like.

“Can I come play with your butterflies again, please?” he asked, and Linda laughed.

“Of course, Josh. Anytime you want.”