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Chapter Twenty-Seven

Ronan

R onan left the job site early. Several of his co-workers gave him side-eye as he walked past, and he shook his head at how ignorant some alphas could be.

They knew who he was married to. Were they giving him grief because they thought less of him for going home to support his omega, or was it just general annoyance because they didn’t believe in Teal’s cause?

He didn’t know. He didn’t care. He just needed to feel Teal in his arms.

While plenty of his colleagues were understanding, from others he’d endured under-the-breath grumbling as the men caught snippets of the tribunal.

The High Court proceedings were being televised without interruption. The little TV in the corner of the trailer where Ronan did admin work had shown both sides’ opening proses in full, along with breathless commentary from reporters.

Many of the reporters ventured to the front of the courthouse to interview the pro-alpha and pro-omega factions waving signs.

For everyone’s safety, police had cordoned off the opposing groups on different sides of the street.

Unfortunately for Teal, it was the pro-alpha men who assembled on the courthouse side.

Ronan gnashed his teeth and growled at the TV as he watched his husband ignore taunts and verbal assaults. He wished he’d been there, but he’d honored Teal’s request to attempt some normalcy.

The alpha had felt immense pride watching Teal’s opening prose.

His husband’s arguments were clear and concise.

Schulman, Carson, and even the normally-dickish Mikel sat behind him with pleased, although appropriately subdued, expressions.

It was difficult to imagine the state’s opening would be as compelling.

And it hadn’t been. Most of the judges stated in their brief responses that they wanted to see more from the state about why, with so many new rights granted for omegas over the past few decades, the decrees about who could own heat services should remain unchanged.

It seemed like a positive start for the tribunal, which was a good thing considering how much it was costing everyone in their very-crowded house.

Ronan came in through the garage door to find Niall watching over the twins as they did their schoolwork.

“You’re home early.” Niall looked at the alpha inquisitively.

The twins had headphones on and appeared to be taking tests on their tablets. They gave Ronan gap-toothed grins in hello. While Garin and Kino were far from identical in so many ways, their wide smiles were the same. Ronan had been so on-edge at work all day. It was nice to come home to this.

Ronan patted each boy on the head before giving Niall a long, drawn-out hug. “I wanted to be here when Teal got back,” he said, tapping the beta’s hip as he stepped back. “I was getting so antsy at work I had to take off early.”

“Understandable,” Niall said. “I don’t think I’ll be able to relax until he’s back and we can see for ourselves that he’s okay.”

“Everyone else here?”

“Uh-huh. Sorcha took Zayne upstairs to play because he was distracting Garin and Kino. Jax is in the office.”

Ronan smiled at Niall before walking into the living room.

It'd felt so instinctual giving the nanny that hug. He’d simply reached out because he knew they both needed it.

With everything going on, he hadn’t reflected on the times he’d slipped recently and called Niall “my beta.” He knew it was wrong to say it, to even think it, but his inner alpha insisted it was right.

But at the same time, Ronan completely understood Niall belonged with Jax.

Somehow, both of those things felt true.

Ronan chuffed. He was a greedy alpha, apparently.

He had an amazing omega husband, and they had just solidified their commitment to another equally-amazing omega partner.

Yet he was still thinking about the beta he and Teal once shared.

Not to mention that beta’s boyfriend. Having everyone under the same roof definitely messed with his head.

The sound of fingers tapping on a keyboard broke Ronan’s reverie.

He popped into the home office to say hello to Jax.

The beta looked appealingly casual and scruffy today, with three days of beard growth highlighting his strong jaw, his colorful ink peeking out from the arms and V-neck of his plain white tee.

“No issues working from home?” Ronan asked from the doorway.

“Not really. But even if there were, I’m glad I stayed in town.

” Jax narrowed his eyes at the TV near the desk chair.

“Did you see those assholes being dicks to Teal when he walked in? All the garbage they shouted? I wanted to rush straight down to the courthouse and knock them out. I don’t know how you’ve handled it all these years. ”

Ronan took satisfaction in seeing his own barely contained rage and indignation reflected in Jax.

“It’s been difficult,” Ronan admitted. “But it helps that I’m doing what Teal said he needs most. Letting him take center stage and defend himself, speak for himself. I would beat up a lot more alphas on my husband’s behalf if I thought for one second he’d appreciate it.”

Jax grinned. “You really are the state’s most enlightened alpha.”

“Thank you.” Ronan returned his grin with a wink. “I try.”

Straightening in his chair behind the desk, Jax grew serious.

“As a kid, I always lived in the beta neighborhoods,” he said.

“The isolationist betas who lived there tried to warn everyone else about alphas and omegas. They’d prepare long speeches about how the other genders were only capable of fucking or fighting, never really communicating.

They believed being beta meant being above it all.

Like, alphas might be the strongest, and omegas might bear the children, but betas are the only ones capable of self-control, and therefore true enlightenment.

I know it isn’t true. But when I saw those men today shouting and spitting out their hatred on the court steps, I understood why lots of betas believe it is. ”

Ronan walked into the room and sat halfway on the edge of the desk, crossing his ankles on the floor in front of Jax.

“I’ve never really thought about it that way, from a beta perspective.

I knew betas in college, and of course Niall, but you’re the first person I’ve been close to that grew up in the neighborhoods. ”

Jax inhaled sharply. His lips pursed, and Ronan wondered if he’d somehow offended the man.

After a few beats, the beta took a deep breath and pushed his chair back, folding his hands in his lap. He took another pause before asking, “Is that what we are, Ronan? ‘Close?’”

Ronan didn’t know Jax well enough to read his neutral face, couldn’t tell if his question was seeking clarity or issuing a challenge.

It sounded flirty , his inner alpha suggested, a sentiment Ronan’s rational mind brushed away as vanity.

He realized then how much he wanted to be able to read Jax’s expression. To know his tells. To know him.

Ronan bent forward until their faces were a foot apart, feeling compelled to provoke the other man. “I think so… You don’t?”

Jax’s throat worked as he swallowed. “No. I do. I just…don’t know if I expected to hear you say it.”

Ronan stilled. “And why is that?”

Jax stared hard at him for a few loaded seconds before answering.

“All this High Court stuff going on. And you have a…history…with Niall. Plus, everything happening with Sorcha.” Jax hung his hands from the neck of his shirt, stretching the material.

“I’m still figuring out where I fit, and if you saw me as… part of it.”

The mix of fierceness and vulnerability in Jax’s expression called to Ronan.

The beta intrigued him for reasons no one else did.

He wasn’t witty and charming like Niall, or elegant and polished like Teal, and he certainly wasn’t delicate and ethereal the way Sorcha was.

No. Jax was like Ronan. Honest and earthy. Rough and solid. Dependable.

The two men’s chests rose and fell. Ronan leaned in, their noses inches away. Jax’s breath tickled his chin.

“You’re part of it,” Ronan’s alpha voice rasped.

The air thickened around them as Jax’s nostrils flared.

Ronan nodded and exhaled softly before pulling back. He straightened to a standing position against the desk.

Jax pushed out a lengthy breath.

The sofa on the other side of the room was still pulled out into a messy bed. On the desk, architectural drawings lay haphazardly.

“You’re living in my home, Jax,” Ronan stated. “You’re helping to protect my family. And I’m so grateful for that. Having you here makes this situation better for everyone. Me, my omegas, your boyfriend, three little boys. That’s where you fit.”

Jax’s cheeks reddened before he dipped his chin. Satisfied he’d made his point, Ronan left the office and headed upstairs to check on Sorcha.

The warm, familiar hug from Niall had soothed his soul, and the conversation with Jax had ignited his mind, but it was the picture of Sorcha snoozing with Zayne in the middle of Ronan’s bed that nearly made his heart stop.

Sorcha must not have been sleeping deeply, because his eyes opened as soon as Ronan entered the dimly-lit room. Zayne, on the other hand, let out a giant, honking snore.

“I hope it’s okay we’re in your bed,” Sorcha whispered over Zayne’s head, absently running his hands through the tiny omega’s curls. “I brought him up to his room to play, but he was too restless, so I figured reading might calm him. But he still seemed out of sorts about his daddy.”

Ronan rubbed a small circle over Zayne’s back. “Yeah. This little guy is so happy and silly and sweet all the time. It’s easy to forget he’s just as worried as the rest of us.”

“I figured laying on Teal’s bed might help soothe him. I hope I didn’t overstep by coming into your room.”

“Little one, you could never overstep. This isn’t just mine and Teal’s bed.

It’s yours now too. Any bed where we are, you are always welcome.

I know you’re more comfortable staying in the spare room for now, and that’s fine.

But whether you’re in our bed or not has nothing to do with whether you’re welcome there. ”

“Thank you,” Sorcha said simply.

Ronan appreciated that they hadn’t needed to have a longer conversation about it. That was progress, having Sorcha accept his words at face value.

He gathered up the books scattered across the bed and placed them on the nightstand.

Scooping up Zayne, he carried the boy to his own bed, hoping it would facilitate a longer nap.

Ronan sighed. No one in this house had been sleeping well.

Normally, he wouldn’t want his four-year-old napping so close to dinnertime, but these were special circumstances.

“Thank you for helping with Zayne today.” Ronan said as he stripped off his work shirt, grabbing a fresh tee from the dresser and slipping it over his chest.

Sorcha’s audible breath evinced his enjoyment of the impromptu show as he replied, “You don’t have to thank me. It was my pleasure.”

Ronan lay down on the bed, pulling the smaller man into his arms. “It will be good for Zayne, having two omega fathers.”

Sorcha froze in his embrace. “Is that how you see me? As a father to your children?”

“Maybe not yet,” Ronan answered honestly.

“But that’s the natural course of where this is headed.

” This conversation felt like the one he’d just had with Jax, trying to clarify where they stood.

Some things weren’t ready for a label. “We don’t need to worry about putting a name on it, if that feels like too much.

The only thing that matters is that Teal and I love you and you love our boys. ”

“You…love me?”

Ronan pulled Sorcha tighter to him and pinched the omega’s chin lightly between his thumb and forefinger.

“Have I not been clear enough? Sorcha, there is a part of me that has loved you from the first moment I saw you. I didn’t know we belonged to each other then, but that didn’t stop the seed from planting.

When I smelled your blueberries and jasmine scent, I knew there was something between us.

When we brought you to the hospital, I was out of my mind with worry.

It took everything in me to respect your space.

But I knew you needed it. Because I think you knew what Teal and I were also coming to understand—that everything had changed.

Destiny decided. And that bit of restlessness stayed inside me until last weekend, when I discovered the part of me that needs to be inside you, soothing you.

And the part that loved watching you make love with Teal.

I need that too. My love grew five minutes ago, when I came upstairs to find you resting with Zayne.

Every minute, I find a new thing to love, so our love gets bigger and stronger.

And it will never stop growing. Even if I know I will spend my whole life finding new parts of you to love.

I will find them. And then, I’ll love you more. ”

Sorcha pulled his face away and stared at Ronan. A single tear ran down his cheek. “I love you too, alpha.”

“And I love both of you,” Teal said, leaning against the doorway, grinning, his face radiating with joy.

“You’re home!” Sorcha squealed.

Ronan and Sorcha jumped up and pulled Teal into a three-way hug before they fell back onto the bed, rumpling Teal’s suit.

Teal rolled over onto Ronan’s chest, burying his face in his neck. “I can’t believe I missed you coming in,” Ronan said, so relieved to have Teal safe in his arms. “I didn’t hear the door.”

“I’m guessing that’s because you were too busy making declarations to our partner.” Teal chuckled.

The older omega draped an arm over Sorcha. “I doubt I could come up with a speech as pretty as Ronan’s, odd since I’m the famous lawyer, but for the record, I love you too, my darling,” he said.

“I love you, too, Teal,” Sorcha replied ardently. “I never thought I’d love another omega, never even considered the possibility, and now I can’t imagine ever being without you.”

“Me too.” A small voice sounded from the doorway.

The three men looked down at the foot of the bed in time to see Zayne hop up on the mattress.

Since Ronan and Sorcha were both on their backs, and Teal was lying on top of Ronan, Zayne took the most logical available spot and spread himself out over Sorcha, sticking his thumb in his mouth as his eyes began drifting shut again.

“You too, what, sweet pea?” Teal asked.

“Me too I love you, Daddy…I love you…and Papa…and Daddy Sorcha.”

Sorcha’s eyes popped open.

Zayne promptly fell asleep as though he hadn’t just dropped the mic.

Ronan squeezed Teal tighter as they smiled at Sorcha.