Page 68 of Let It Snow (Eden’s Omegaverse #7)

"These past few months I’ve been thinking a lot about the whole situation. Snow and I… we’re True Mates."

I say it. For the first time, out loud, to someone outside our circle. And dear Fate, it feels good.

I also see Theo’s reaction. His eyes widen slightly, and in them flickers something strange, maybe relief.

He hasn’t been replaced by just anyone, but by a True Mate. And that changes everything. That’s the only thing most people in ABO society can accept when it comes to being dumped, since it’s far stronger than mere attraction. It’s the ultimate bond, everyone loses with it.

I hesitate, wondering if I should lie or tell the truth, but I know being honest is the only way.

"You see, I’ll never be able to have biological children of my own. The ones you’re carrying will be like mine, and that’s how I want to raise them."

Theo’s gaze locks on me with sharp focus.

"These past months I’ve had to work things out in my own head, to accept the fact that biological parenthood just isn’t in the cards for me. I’ve made peace with that, and that’s why I came here, to tell you this face-to-face: your children will have a loving adoptive dad. I promise you that."

Theo still looks at me with those wide eyes, and then I see a tear break free and slip down his cheek. He wipes it away quickly and takes a small step back.

"Uh… come inside. I’m sorry you had to say all that while standing in the doorway." He gestures toward his belly with an almost protective motion. "I was just a little worried about my children’s safety."

"I completely understand. Some people really are insane."

The words leave my mouth, and I nearly bite my tongue. In another version of reality, that insane person could’ve been me. One wrong variable of events, and I could be a walking apocalypse. But Theo doesn’t need to know that. Right?

I step inside. His house smells like cookies and kids, warm and sweet, the scent of a big family. Theo himself carries that same fragrance, the soft, comforting smell of a pregnant omega, vanilla, honey, and milk.

We sit down in the living room, side by side on the couch. Theo turns toward me, hands folded on his knees.

"I know we didn’t exactly start off on the right foot," I admit, "but that day you showed up was the same day Snow asked me to be his boyfriend. It felt like a punch straight to the heart."

Theo closes his eyes for a second before exhaling.

"I can imagine. And believe me, it was never my intention to… get pregnant. I came that day to beg him to heal the pain in my soul. I wasn’t even in heat; it wasn’t due for another two weeks.

I didn’t do it to sabotage anyone’s relationship, and definitely not to sabotage my own.

Mine means everything to me. Snow worked a miracle between me and my husband.

Our relationship is stronger now than it’s been in years, maybe stronger than it ever was, even in the beginning.

We’re happy." He smiles shyly and then adds, "But…

all these months, one thought has haunted me: what will happen with the children?

Will they really be welcome in your home? So, you coming here—"

I reach out and take his hand, tentatively.

"I can promise you they will. Snow told me something important about them. You know the kind of gifts he has. Well… he said the children will have talents of their own."

Theo flinches slightly, "Really? He didn’t tell me that." He bites his lip and turns his gaze away. Silence stretches between us.

As I study his profile, I realize something. Theo and I are actually very similar. His eyes are gray, not mismatched, but his hair has the same caramel shade as mine. His face is delicate, his build slight. Apparently this is Snow’s imprint.

"I want you to know that I’m one of those people too," I say slowly.

It feels peculiar, talking to a stranger about my power, but lately, I’ve also freed myself from the suffocating grip of that fear.

In a small niche, I can function normally, like everyone else, as long as I keep a certain…

informational restraint. Revealing just a bit here and there, keeping a reasonable lid on it.

Theo’s brows lift. "You have the same abilities as Snow?"

I laugh awkwardly.

"My gifts are a bit different, but of similar… significance. I’d rather not go into details.

What I need you to know is that because of them, I believe I can help the children find their place in the world.

I’ll give them a perspective that’s close to who they are, help them understand how to navigate things.

Even though…" I clear my throat, "I’ll admit I’m still learning myself, and sometimes I stumble.

But I believe that together, as a family, we’ll find a way. "

Theo nods tentatively, his breathing now calmer. "You have no idea how grateful I am for your visit," he says softly. "I was scared that my children would end up in a hostile environment, where they’d be rejected and unwanted, where they’d only be a reason for fights and division."

"That won’t happen. If anything, they’ll be the glue that holds our family together."

Theo closes his eyes briefly, then smiles. "I can’t tell you how relieved I am to hear that."

We sit quietly for a moment, just looking at each other, and then he says in a softer voice, "I thought True Mates never had fertility issues."

I turn my gaze toward the window, where trees sway gently in the wind.

"I don’t have fertility issues. There are other reasons why I’ll never be able to bring children into this world. Very serious ones."

Theo waits a moment, as if expecting me to explain, but something in my expression makes him respect my silence.

"I just want you to remember that you can always call me if you need parenting advice," he says after a pause. "I’ve got five older ones, so I’m a pro." He gives me an amused grimace. "I’d be happy to help. Though of course, you’ve got Snow’s dad too.

He had eight, so… I’m sure he’ll offer his support, and I don’t want to intrude.

I’m only saying this just in case." He hesitates again, clearly struggling, then blurts it out, "I’d also like to pump milk for them, so they’ll have natural antibodies in those first months. "

His words send an odd ripple through me.

My eyes flick, involuntarily, to his chest. Pregnant omegas usually swell a little there, nipples darkening and growing sensitive, sometimes leaking milk. Is that the faint sweetness I smell in the air surrounding him, under everything else?

"They’ll be small, you know, being twins. I just want them to have every advantage," he whispers almost pleadingly.

I let my gaze linger on his chest for a second too long, until Theo clears his throat gently, snapping me out of it.

"I hope that won’t be a problem?"

"No, no! Of course not. I want nothing but the best for them."

But the thought wedges itself in my mind and refuses to leave.

We talk a little longer about formal things: adoption, the legal transfer of parental rights.

Theo tells me he hardly leaves the house anymore, and if he does, he dresses to conceal his belly.

Everything is kept strictly secret because of his husband’s position.

They even have a cover story prepared in case it gets out, that Theo volunteered as a surrogate for someone close who couldn’t have children.

Eventually it’s time for me to go, but just before I do, Theo hesitates and says, "Would you like to touch my belly?" His voice is almost shy. I find it a little funny, because Theo shares some of my quirks, another confirmation of him being Snow’s imprint. People say we’re drawn to certain types, the ones closely resembling our True Mate.

I nod, just as shyly, and reach out to touch his stomach as he pulls his shirt up. The skin is stretched and firm, and beneath it I can feel the faintest ripple of movement as the babies kick.

That tiny motion sparks an answering tremor in my chest. I stand there with my eyes shut tight, overwhelmed by the awareness that two small lives are about to enter this uncertain world.

Or maybe it’s no longer so uncertain? Maybe I need to stop assuming everything will fall apart and finally start believing Snow.

He’s never lied to me. Even when the storm was coming, he warned me about the blind spot.

And now he says peace is on the horizon.

So yes, finally, I choose to believe it.

When I look up again, Theo is watching me with a gentle smile.

"They’re alive," I blurt out timidly, the words cringeworthy.

But Theo just nods and smiles wider.

"Yes. They are."

◆◆◆

That evening is the very first day Snow and I spend together in our tiny house.

The bed finally arrives and is carried into the room on the first floor.

The whole house is only about thirteen feet wide, and this bed is at least seven feet three inches, so the sides are crammed tight against the walls, but on the mattress itself there’s plenty of space.

After showering in the small bathroom we built here, the one for which I personally picked out the tiles and fixtures, I walk into the bedroom and find Snow sitting cross-legged on the covers, playing his harmonica.

On the only chair that fits into this tiny room, there’s a huge pile of nesting materials stacked so high it looks ready to topple over.

They’re the ones Snow brought over from my old room in his parents’ house.

That was thoughtful of him, one of those small gestures I value so much, the way he keeps me in mind.

I bite my lower lip and then flop down onto the bed beside him with enough force to make him bounce a little.

"Have you ever heard of something like breastfeeding a baby even if you didn’t give birth to it?" I ask timidly.

Snow studies me for a moment before a slow smile curves his lips. Not a smile, a full grin, his white, even teeth showing.

"Hey!" I pout. "Don’t tell me you knew what I was going to say before I even opened my mouth."

Snow rolls his eyes.