Epilogue
LUCA
“ Baby, I said I’ll do the dishes,” I told my mate as I wrapped my arms around his sexy, bulging belly.
He huffed and continued scrubbing the plate in his hand.
The forcefulness in his action told me he was irritated.
I didn’t even have to look to know he was nibbling on his bottom lip.
Onyx was two days past his due date, which meant he’d been extra prickly recently.
Everything struck a nerve with him.
Whether it was my animal traits popping out whenever I was uncontrollably happy, which was honestly pretty often these days.
Or like now, when I used the bathroom right after lunch instead of washing the dishes immediately.
His irritation didn’t bother me.
He was tired from carrying our naughty child, who refused to come out.
“I’m sorry, baby. I’ll wash the dishes right away next time,” I said softly.
My hand found its place on his lower belly as I gently lifted it to bear most of the weight.
Onyx let out a soft, relieved sigh as he sank into my arms.
His black cat ears and tail appeared.
His tail immediately tried to find a piece of me to wrap around like it always did.
I released my own tail as a happy sacrifice, curving it slightly around us so he had better access.
Onyx’s tail immediately found mine, and I quickly glanced to see his black fur coiled around my yellow.
It was the perfect balance of harmony.
“I’m sorry,” he said with a sniffle.
“I saw the dirty dishes in the sink and just got so irritated. I didn’t mean to get angry at you. I’m just so?—”
“I know,” I said, pressing a kiss into his hair, hoping to soothe him.
I hated when Onyx was sad.
I only wanted happiness for him.
“You’re uncomfortable because our baby refuses to come out despite so many people being excited to meet him.”
That got a distressed snort out of him.
I had him put down the dish he was holding, dried his hands, and then turned him around to face me.
“How about I finish here, and you go wait for me in our bedroom, where I’ll make love to you until you’re ready for a nap?”
His eyes fluttered closed, a loopy smile on his face at the prospect of sex.
These days, the only time he wasn’t uncomfortable and could fully relax was when I was pleasuring him, which I happily did very often.
“Okay,” he agreed and kissed me before padding out of the kitchen and down the hallway to our bedroom.
It’d been a few months since we moved into our new four-bedroom apartment.
Onyx disliked my excessively large mansion, and I didn’t like the idea of living above his bar, where anyone could interrupt us at any time.
So, we compromised and found a new place close to his bar and with enough room for us to grow our family.
Onyx had been busy these months, nesting and making our place a home, as well as taking care of the most important tasks at the bar before he went on paternity leave.
Asher would manage the place in his absence, and Lumi had started working full time a few months prior.
I quickly finished the dishes and went to find my mate.
He was already naked, with only a thin sheet covering him.
An impossible number of pillows surrounded him, as well as a scattering of my worn clothes.
He said being surrounded by my scent soothed him, and if having to replace my old musky clothes with some old, slightly less musky clothes every so often was what it took to make him content, I’d happily do it.
Onyx turned to me when I entered the room and pushed the sheet off his body.
He was already hard and needy.
The intense smell of his intoxicating slick was like a sucker punch in the stomach as I walked to him, undressing and leaving a trail of clothes on the way.
“Put them on the bed,” Onyx ordered.
I chuckled and picked up my shirt and pants to do as he wanted, but I defiantly left my underwear.
Sleeping with my used undergarments was where I drew the line.
Onyx huffed in dissatisfaction, but I distracted him by capturing his lips.
The moan he made at the kiss would have gotten me hard if I weren’t already.
Though I was always half-hard when I was in his presence.
“Did I tell you how beautiful you are today?” I kissed down his chin and neck, stopping to give his nipples teasing bites, and then landed with my lips on his belly.
Seeing him like this made me so fucking crazy with lust.
I didn’t have to look up to know Onyx was rolling his eyes.
“I’m a balloon,” he grunted out.
“You’re my sexy balloon,” I replied and kissed even lower and gave his cock and balls some love before opening his hole up with my tongue.
Onyx tried to stifle his moan when I slipped two fingers inside.
He was soaked with his slick, so ready to take me.
“I hope this isn’t some weird balloon kink you have, because I’m not going to watch you try to fuck one,” he stated.
I choked out a laugh and kissed his inner thigh.
“No, I just have an Onyx kink,” I replied and repositioned him on his side so that he was comfortable while taking my cock.
Whatever snarky reply Onyx had turned into more delicious moans as I thrust hard into him.
His heat was eager to take me, welcoming me back home.
It didn’t take long for Onyx to have his first orgasm, his channel squeezing me impossibly tight as he shot in my hand.
He turned his head to find my lips, begging me to continue fucking him.
I pistoned my hips hard but set the pace to be slow and intentional.
It drove him crazy, but I’d learned this was the best way to draw out the most intense orgasms from him.
“Ah, Luca! You feel so good,” he moaned when he was coming once more.
This time, capturing his lips again, I followed and came inside of him.
“I love you, baby,” I whispered when our breaths evened.
“I love you, Luca,” he replied.
He still didn’t believe the whole fated mates’ thing, but I didn’t care.
He chose me, and that was all that mattered.
All was right in the world…
until a pop was heard and, with my softened dick still inside of him, a gush of liquid flowed from his hole.
We looked from the wet spot on the bed to each other.
“Is that…” I started, then stopped in disbelief that his water broke on my dick.
“Fuck, yes! The baby is finally coming out,” Onyx cried out with a happy wave of his arms.
The movement caused my dick to slip out of him.
“The baby’s coming? The baby’s coming!” I shouted, suddenly terrified that this was really happening.
I was going to be a dad.
What if I’m a terrible dad?
“Luca,” Onyx said, voice soft and hands cupping my face.
He was sitting in front of me now, eyes filled with warmth as he looked into mine.
“We got this. You, me, our baby. Our family is going to be so happy,” he said confidently.
“Yeah,” I replied and placed my hand over his.
He kissed me, and all my worries disappeared.
My mate and I were in this together.
“Now, hurry and take me to the hospital,” he said, breaking the kiss.
His words had me jumping to my feet with urgency.
Onyx laughed as I almost tripped on my underwear in my haste to find towels and clothes to get us cleaned and dressed.
Onyx called our parents to let them know it was time, and then the rest was a blur as I drove us to the hospital.
I’d read labor could take a while after your water broke, but Onyx’s labor seemed to happen so quickly.
By the time he was admitted, he was crying from the pain.
I held him, massaged him, did anything I could to try to ease his discomfort.
It distressed me to see him like this, and I cursed not being able to experience the pain in his place.
Our parents arrived shortly before the doctor told us it was time, and before I could even wrap my thoughts around the fact our child was about to be born into this world, the beautiful sound of a baby’s cries filled the room.
“Onyx, is that...” I gripped my mate’s hand as I tried to spot the crying baby behind the bodies of nurses.
Onyx was sweaty, and exhaustion was evident in his features, but his smile was bright and happy as he said, “It’s our boy.”
Joy overwhelmed my body, and I channeled my happiness into a slow kiss.
“Thank you,” I said, forehead pressed against his.
“I love you.”
“Love you too,” he replied sweetly, and a cry of delight escaped his lips.
His face was wet with tears, but I knew they were happy ones.
“And here’s your healthy baby boy. He’s seven pounds, eight ounces,” a nurse said, handing Onyx our child.
“Oh, Luca. He’s perfect,” Onyx cooed at our son.
He had blond hair like me, with Onyx’s dark skin and eyes.
“Yeah, he really is,” I replied softly, voice cracking and wetness on my cheeks.
Onyx looked at me and gave me a teasing little smile as he wiped my tears away.
Yeah.
They were perfect.
My mate, my family.
I didn’t know my heart could be this full.