After bringing all the pieces of Andrei’s crib upstairs to his nursery, Tristan sat on the blue carpet and put the pieces together, securing them tightly with thick screws. As he worked, Josh hung out with him, rocking Andy in his arms and humming classic rock tunes to him.

“Is that Hotel California?”

“Yeah,” Josh admitted. “So what?”

Tristan laughed and shook his head. “Nothing. That’s really cute.” He’d heard Josh hum along to the jukebox, but he’d never guessed that he would do the same for their baby.

“Don’t make fun of me,” Josh insisted.

“I’m not,” Tristan assured him. “Although, if you want music, you could just put the song on.”

Josh’s eyes widened with excitement. “Oh, you’re right!” He dug out his phone and worked to hook it up with the bluetooth speaker, holding the baby against himself with one arm. “What should his first song be? Definitely not The Eagles. Something… meaningful. Oh, what about Imagine?”

“The John Lennon song?” Tristan asked. “I like that one.”

Josh smiled, choosing the song, and tucked his phone back into his pocket so he could hold Andy with both arms as he rocked.

“Me too,” he admitted.

Imagine there’s no Heaven

Tristan watched Josh as the man danced with their baby, swaying Andy back and forth in his arms, humming along with the melody.

It’s easy if you try

Ever since Josh had quit drinking, Tristan had wondered if he would continue to work at the bar, or go into something else. Maybe music was in his mate’s future.

No Hell below us

Josh caught Tristan looking again and shot him a playful wink. It made Tristan’s heart skip a beat, and distracted him entirely from his project.

Above us only sky

“You’ve really gotta finish that crib, babe. My arms are getting tired,” he laughed.

“Sorry,” Tristan laughed. He finished constructing the crib, and then set it against the wall and placed the crib mattress he’d chosen inside of it, testing it by pushing down hard. It didn’t budge.

Imagine all the people

Josh gently set Andrei into that perfect white crib, and then stepped back and wrapped his arms around Tristan.

“I think this will be his lullaby.”

Living for today…

Tristan smiled, gazing at their peaceful baby, as he fell quietly to sleep.

“Fine by me.” He turned and pulled Josh into his arms. “How are you feeling, baby?”

Josh grinned up at Tristan, wrapping his arms around his neck.

“Ready to make a couple more cute kids, how about you?”

Tristan chuckled, tugging Josh out of the nursery and toward their bedroom.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

With a moment of gratitude, Tristan realized shifters were lucky in some ways. Most humans, he figured, wouldn’t be so ready to go again, barely a day after a c-section, but Josh’s body had healed completely, and his gorgeous omega was full of life. Tristan was filled with excitement, himself. They had a family. It was the first day of the rest of their lives, and he’d finally figured out that the life he really wanted was exactly the same as the one Josh wanted. All they really needed to have a home was each other, and now, baby Andrei.

They both stripped quickly, and but even Tristan was surprised at the speed with which Josh was on him.

“There’s no way you’re in heat again already,” he murmured, teasing him a bit as Josh pushed him onto his back on the bed.

Josh shook his head, an infectious smile on his face.

“This isn’t heat. This is love.”

He leaned in and kissed Tristan so that he couldn’t respond right away, and Tristan moaned softly as his tongue touched Josh’s, their warm bodies pressed flush against each other so that he could feel Josh’s heart beat. When Josh let him, he replied.

“So, does that mean you love me again?”

Josh looked like he was tempted to slap him, his face scrunching in that adorable way it did when Tristan wouldn’t stop teasing him.

“Saint, you brat. You know I love you. I never really stopped loving you. I’m better at lying than giving you up,” he admitted.

Tristan felt his heart soften, and he stared at Josh as if he were in a completely new light.

“Really? You were lying that day?”

Josh nodded. He looked like he felt guilty, but Tristan just felt relief.

“I thought I’d really made you stop loving me,” he admitted.

Josh shook his head, looking at him with adoring green eyes, and Tristan gazed back, feeling their souls connect. He understood. He could never stop loving Josh, either.

Cupping his fiancé’s face, he pulled him in for another soft kiss.

“Tristan…” Josh said, pulling back with a thoughtful look on his face. “I always thought that fated mates...that it was a myth. You know? Because of my mom and dad. But I’m starting to think maybe this whole time, we really were meant for each other.”

Tristan smiled a little. “When I was… young, I guess, I don’t remember how old, but we had those stupid bikes, remember? I was so embarrassed when I fell, and my mom told me that she thought I was your alpha. I knew then. We’re fated. We always have been. You are my mate.”

Josh nodded, giving him a small smile. “You know, even if we weren’t? I would have chosen you. I’m kind of glad that I did get to choose you.”

Tristan stroked over Josh’s leanly muscular body possessively.

“So am I,” he admitted.

Josh groaned with excitement as he began to rub against Tristan, his cock swelling to full hardness against him. Tristan felt himself hardening, too, and he kissed down Josh’s throat as he reached between them to stroke his fiance, encouraging the desperately erotic energy he felt from the omega.

A gasp from Josh let Tristan know he was on the right path, and he nibbled on his lover’s earlobe, growling softly when the older man began to grind down on him.

“Don’t stop,” he whispered, his cock starting to ache for Josh, and the omega chuckled softly, shifting his hips so that he was in the perfect position to ride Tristan.

Tristan cried out as that tight heat surrounded him, thrusting his hips up into Josh, but his fiancé had control. Josh even gripped his shoulders, pinning him to the bed as he began to bounce on his cock, rocking his hips to take him deep with a blissful moan, and the most beautiful look of pleasure on his face.

Sliding his hands down to hold Josh’s hips, Tristan gazed up at him, unable to wipe the smile off his face. Josh was incredible, and he rode him so hard that Tristan found it difficult to believe his mate really wasn’t in heat.

“Tristan!” Josh cried, and then began to chant his name, “Tristan, Tristan,” he gasped.

Tristan knew that meant his lover was getting close, and so was he. With a soft growl, he gripped his hips tightly and began to tug Josh down onto his cock, fucking him deep and hard, thrusting right at the perfect angle that Josh had found for himself.

Their screams mingled as the climax took them together, and Josh fell on top of Tristan, panting and shaking in his arms.

Tristan’s whole body felt like it was floating as he rested his sweaty head on the pillow, and he dreamily traced his fingers over Josh’s smooth back.

“I’m so glad I came back to you,” he whispered in Josh’s ear, and then smiled when he realized that his beautiful omega had fallen asleep.

* * *

“I’m ready,” Tristan told the beautiful Coyote sitting across from him.

She gave him an ominous little smirk. “Follow me.”

Leaving the busy cantina, Tristan was blinded by the hot bright sun outside. He followed the woman through the crowd, and she moved fast, but he tried to track her. She took him to a truck, and he got in, excitement building in his chest. He could practically taste his freedom. All he had to do was get across that border, and then he’d be home, and he could find Josh, and somehow, someway, convince him to take him back. He didn’t even care if Josh shot him. He could go ahead, Tristan deserved it. Josh was the love of his life, and when Tristan had finally decided to leave the military, he’d realized there was nowhere else he’d rather be.

“So,” she said, looking him over. “What are you running from?”

Tristan shrugged. “Can’t say,” he admitted. He’d ditched his fatigues awhile back, not wanting to be identified as a soldier.

“Well, you’re obviously military.”

Tristan looked at her, surprised.

“You must do this a lot.”

She nodded. “You can call me Eva. What should I call you?”

Tristan considered that. “Saint,’ he decided. It was as good a nickname as any, and he wasn’t giving her his real name.

“Where are you headed?”

“Miller Speakeasy,” he said, a smile spreading over his face as he got comfortable for the drive, leaning back.

She arched an eyebrow at him, reading his smile. “Is there someone waiting back home?”

Tristan shrugged. “We’re not together, but there’s a guy, Josh. He’s my...well, he used to be my best friend. It’s hard to say what he is now. But he’s my favorite person in the world.”

She laughed. “Oh, I don’t believe you don’t love him. You two are meant for each other, clearly.”

Tristan was quiet, but as he watched the Mexico desert out of his window, he was inclined to agree with her.

“What about you?” he asked, shifting the subject away from himself. “Have you ever been in love?”

She smiled thoughtfully. “Once,” she admitted. “But it was one sided. Now… I look after myself.”

Tristan liked the way she said that, but his journey had certainly been different.

“I think I’ve been looking after myself too long. It’s time to take care of someone else. You know, you don’t only look after yourself. You’re helping me a lot.”

She scoffed. “For a fee. This isn’t charity, Saint.”

“True, but I wouldn’t make it without you.”

“Your sense of gratitude is twisted, handsome. Now shh. Until we part, you don’t speak again.”

He looked at her in confusion, and then realized they had pulled up to a stretch of border, and there was another truck, with a dozen or so people surrounding it, waiting.

Tristan took a deep breath. He was almost home, but the journey had just begun.