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Sorcha chortled. “With the heartburn and nausea I’ve been having, let’s just focus on this one for now, m’kay?”

Teal smiled mischievously and shrugged his shoulders.

“How was your last day at Schulman, Carson & Associates?”

“It was an interesting morning. I tied up everything I could and passed off the rest to Mikel. I still can’t believe how far that alpha has come.”

“Dayson is a bit of a miracle worker, isn’t he?”

“No doubt,” Teal agreed.

Sorcha took a sip of tea. “Regrets?”

“None whatsoever. I realized when I left that I never really relaxed there or formed solid bonds with anyone. I was so busy trying to be the perfect omega, to make sure I was worthy of all these amazing opportunities that came my way, that I forgot to let my defenses down enough to make real connections. While I certainly believe I had the respect of my coworkers, I never really had their friendship. I’m looking forward to just being a daddy, a husband, and a partner. ”

“Well, I’m looking forward to having you around more.” Sorcha offered a bite of the bagel to Teal. “I feel so lucky that we are going through pregnancy together.”

“Same.” Teal swallowed before asking, “What project were you buying materials for?”

Laughing and shaking his head Sorcha said, “I’m going to make some bookshelves for the boys’ room. Jax is helping, so I don’t have to do anything strenuous. Frankly, I’m lucky if he lets me lift a hammer these days.”

“You guys seem to have lots of fun, though.”

“I’m surprised how many commissions we’ve already gotten, but I think it’s because Jax has been busting his butt to get the website set up and market it. He’s not made to be idle, that’s for sure.”

“I didn’t know he was so artistic.”

“Yeah. It’s a shame more betas aren’t encouraged to develop their creative sides.”

Teal patted his middle. “Well, if this little guy is a beta, we’ll make sure he knows all options are on the table.”

After saying goodbye to Brinn, the omegas left with their boys, Sorcha following Teal’s car in the truck they’d bought for him.

When they arrived home, Ronan, Jax, and Niall came running out the door.

“You’re here!” Niall’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Ronan and Jax finished the upstairs, but they said I couldn’t peek until you got home.”

“I can’t wait to see!” Sorcha made a yelp of excitement.

Ronan and Jax had been putting their construction and architectural skills to work converting the two units of the duplex into a home for all of them.

They’d begun the process upstairs, meaning the main bedrooms on both sides had been off-limits for the past two months as the men rotated through various sleeping arrangements in the spare bedrooms. For the past few days, the omegas had wanted to sleep together, which they’d done in the second unit while Ronan, Jax, and Niall shared the bedroom next to the boys’ room.

Niall told Teal yesterday that he thought Jax was close to allowing Ronan to fuck him, that the alpha had spent the previous night playing with Jax’s hole, teasing it with his fingers and tongue. Teal smiled. Something to look forward to.

Teal, Sorcha, and Niall hurried up the stairs of the first unit. They’d have a few moments alone to inspect the changes, because the boys had raced into the downstairs bathroom upon entering the house. Hot chocolate apparently made for an urgent situation.

Plastic sheeting covered the doorway, as it had for weeks. Ronan and Jax stood on either side of the door frame, preparing to unveil their handiwork.

“Welcome home, my loves,” Ronan said loudly, on the edge of using his alpha voice. He and Jax tugged, and the plastic came down to reveal that the bedroom had been transformed.

The most obvious change was that they’d removed the wall separating the two rooms in the opposing units.

Two load-bearing pillars remained, but the resulting massive bedroom would be large enough for five men.

A custom-built bed occupied most of the space that was previously part of the second unit.

Two bassinets were set up in the corner.

Teal gazed around in awe, impressed with how seamlessly they’d blended the two spaces.

Most of the work had taken place in the bathrooms, which Ronan and Jax had converted into one large ensuite, complete with a jacuzzi tub that could accommodate at least two men, and a walk-in shower with six showerheads all five of them could fit in.

Niall chuckled. “Our bathroom looks like the locker room at a fancy gym. All these sinks and mirrors! If I ever forget that our family is a little different, I’ll be reminded every time I come in here to brush my teeth.”

Jax came up behind him and wrapped his arms around Niall’s waist. “We needed a bathroom fit for a gym, because we’ll be doing plenty of working out in this bedroom.”

Teal felt his cock thicken as he watched Jax nibble Niall’s ear. “We’ll definitely be making proper use of this enormous bed.”

The conversation turned G-rated a moment later when the boys bounced into the room.

“Wow!” Garin said, launching himself onto the bed.

“Can we jump, Daddy?” Zayne asked, crawling after his brother.

“No! You know the rules,” Teal said firmly. “But thanks for trying.”

Garin looked at Ronan. “Papa, did you and Daddy Jax really do all of this?”

“Uh-huh. And we’ll do more downstairs, eventually.” Because of the way the duplex was configured, only the primary bedrooms and hall bathrooms shared a wall upstairs, but the next step in their plan would be to open up the living rooms and kitchens downstairs into shared spaces.

“I want to learn how to use all the tools and build stuff,” Garin said.

“Me too,” added Zayne.

“Me and Papa will show you,” Jax said. “Just like Daddy Sorcha will show you how to make furniture and Daddy Niall will teach you how to make the mac ‘n cheese you love so much. That’s what fathers do. Teach their sons.”

“Yes, my little gents. I will teach you to cook, and how to clean the bathroom properly,” Niall added with a waggle of his eyebrows.

Ever the analytical one, Kino sat down sedately on the bed and eyed the bassinets. “Daddy Sorcha, why are there two baby beds in the corner? Are you gonna have twins like me and Garin?”

The men paused in their movements at Kino’s innocent question, looking to Teal for direction.

Teal sat down on the bed, pulling Zayne into his lap and gesturing for the twins to sit on either side of him. He nodded at the others. Ronan sat down in one of the oversized chairs with Sorcha, while Jax and Niall leaned against the dresser.

“My beautiful boys, we wanted to wait to tell you this because there’s been a lot going on.

” Teal ran his fingers through Zayne’s wispy hair, loving his tiny omega son and feeling their bond as he continued, “Daddy Sorcha’s not the only one who’s going to be having a new baby. I’m going to have one too.”

“Another baby brudder?” Zayne asked, before sticking his fingers in his mouth.

“That’s right, sweet pea.” This time it was Ronan who replied. “Daddy will have a baby about a month after Daddy Sorcha.”

“Oh,” Kino said neutrally.

His flat tone caught Teal off-guard. “Are you okay with that, Kino? Do you have questions?”

“Um, no. Not really,” Kino said, peering up at him.

“Are you sure?” Teal pressed. “You don’t sound too excited.”

“I’m excited,” Kino said sincerely. “But I just thought more twins would have been nice. I’ve never heard of any family with two sets of twins. It would prove even more that we’re special.”

“What do you mean?” Teal asked.

Kino exchanged a glance with Garin.

“There are some kids at school who are stupid and say our family is weird or strange,” Garin said. “But Kino and I know they’re just jealous because we’re special. We have five fathers and most people only have two.”

“Except Shan Allman told us his papa and daddy have a beta who lives in the house with them, and they are all married together. They told Shan not to say anything, but he figured it was okay to tell us,” Kino added.

The twins’ words were a lot to unpack. Teal started with the straightforward stuff. “I don’t like to hear you call anyone ‘stupid.’ Let’s please try to remember not to use unkind language.”

“Sorry Daddy,” Garin mumbled.

“However,” Teal said with a smile, “I’m glad to hear how you and Kino have responded.

And you’re absolutely right. You are lucky to have five fathers who love you very much.

Just like Zayne is, and just like the new babies will be.

” He paused. “And I’m glad you can be a friend to Shan.

It sounds like maybe he needs someone to talk to.

But you need to respect his fathers’ wishes and not share that information, okay?

Not everyone wants to tell everyone about their family. ”

“We understand,” Kino replied. “But I’m glad we don’t have to hide ours. Even if some kids say mean things, most of them are still nice to us. And all the other daddies still know our daddy did important things.”

Teal looked at his partners. They were so fortunate to have such lovely boys.

“So you’re happy about the baby?” Teal asked again.

“Yep,” Garin said, ruffling Zayne’s hair. “More little brothers to boss around.”

“Haha,” Zayne replied. He moved off Teal’s lap before kissing Teal’s stomach. “Love you, baby brudder.” Then, quickly, he scooted over to Sorcha and kissed his belly. “You too, other baby brudder.”

Kino rolled his eyes at Zayne before asking if they could watch TV. Teal nodded, thinking dinner could be late since the boys had treats at Fontaine’s.

After the kids went downstairs, the five men settled onto the new bed together, cuddling.

“This room is amazing,” Niall said, rubbing Sorcha’s shoulders.

Teal settled his back against Ronan’s chest, running his hand lazily up and down Jax’s tattooed arms. “This room is lovely. But this life is what’s truly amazing.”