Page 26 of Santas' Elf

“Now, I’m not saying to forgive them,” I replied. “That was crap and I’m fine with ignoring them again after today. But if they hadn’t been so awful to you, I would never have suggested we become Santas. We only met Benny because we were doing the Santa thing. So…” I shrugged. “Them being horrible people worked out for us in the end. We get to do the Santa thing—which we both love—have our omega, and will soon have our first baby. Meanwhile, they seem more miserable every year as their shitty attitudes push more and more people away.”

Pete chuckled. “I guess you’re right.”

I stopped at a red light, turned to him, and smiled. “I don’t know how your aunts and cousins turned out so shitty when your mama and grandparents are amazing. But I think that it’s time to see how karma rewarded us for how they acted.”

I turned my attention back to the road and smiled when Pete reached over and squeezed my knee.

“You’re right,” he said. “Maybe today is the best sort of revenge. We’re not there, but they know that we’re getting everything we wanted.”

I nodded. “The best revenge is a life well lived.”

He let out a happy sigh. “And we’ve got the best kind of life. Jobs we love, Benny, the new baby, and the love and support of the people who matter.”

∞∞∞

~September~

Benny was trying not to wake us and was failing—at least when it came to me. He’d been letting out soft whimpers for a couple of hours, always at the same time he seemed to curl in on himself.

He was definitely in labor, but the contractions were far enough apart that there was no need to head to the hospital yet.

Finally, after a longer contraction, I decided to stop pretending that I was asleep and pulled him into my arms to cuddle.

“Sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

I kissed his temple, noting the slight tang of sweat on his skin. “You’re fine. Should I start your labor tracker?”

“Please?”

I shifted just enough to fumble around on the nightstand until I found a phone. I grabbed it— since it didn’t matter whose it was, we all had the tracker installed—opened the app, and told it that he was in labor.

That done, and with Benny tucked against me and trying to sleep between contractions, I started to make a list of everything we needed to do.

Benny was already on paternity leave, so we didn’t need to call his boss. Pete and I had to call the office to let themknow, but we’d transitioned to light schedules and informed clients that we would be out for a couple of weeks while Benny recovered from delivery. The go-bag was next to the garage door. We’d pre-registered with the hospital. The furniture had been assembled, and a bassinet was ready next to the bed…

Benny poked my forehead. “Quiet down in there,” he mumbled. “I can hear your racing thoughts. Everything’s ready.”

I chuckled and kissed his hair. “You know me.”

“I do,” he replied, nuzzling my chest. “Which is how I know everything is ready. So stop thinking about it and hold me.”

I smiled and tightened my arms around him. “As you wish.”

I held Benny, running my hand up and down his back with every contraction, and cuddling him back to sleep between them. We were just like that, with him still curled against me as the sun cleared the horizon, and I took my few quiet moments to admire both of my men.

Everything would be different after today. We’d have a baby, and these quiet moments of reflection would be a rare treat for several years. But I welcomed the change. We were about to have the baby we’d long wanted, and our omega—whom Pete and I didn’t know we needed in our lives until we met him.

∞∞∞

Tears streamed down Pete’s cheeks as he walked back and forth in the hospital room, cradling and rocking our baby. He’d already been so excited about her arrival that he’d barely been able to control himself, then he got a look at her. She had somany of his features that there was no question in any of our minds who had fathered her, and he hadn’t been able to stop crying with joy since.

There was a knock at the door, and a nurse strode in with a tablet.

“Good evening, Dads,” she chirped. “I just wanted to verify the information before we officially submit it for the birth certificate. Benny is the birth parent, and you’re listing Pete as the sire. Correct?”

We all nodded.

“And the baby’s name is Eartha?”