Chapter 17
Seventeen
Xavier
Shots were the devil. Either that, or I was getting too old to be playing drinking games at a bachelor party. I paid for that night for days after, much to Brady’s amusement.
Brady’s friends were great and so accepting of me, especially considering how messy our relationship was at the start. We’d travelled a long road to get here; a place where we could love each other openly and honestly. Yeah, I’d been married before, but Brady was the love of my life.
“Ready to take the test?” I asked him, brandishing the test box. It was exactly one month since his heat.
Brady peeked his head out from under the duvet. His face was paler than usual, with dark circles under his green eyes. “I’m scared.”
“Sweetheart, there’s nothing to be scared of. Remember yesterday?” He’d barely made it out of bed before he’d thrown up. “This is only going to tell us what we already know.”
“What if it’s negative?” He pushed the duvet further away and slowly crept out of bed.
“Then we go to a clinic and get a blood test.”
He smiled then. “You make it sound so easy.”
“When it’s you and me, it is easy. You’re going to go in there, pee on this stick.” I held up the box. “And in a few minutes we’ll know for certain that you are carrying my baby.”
“What about after that?”
“Well, after I kiss you breathless and tell you how happy you make me, I’m going to give you the other box I have in my pocket.”
“Huh. Okay, gimme the test!” He shot out of bed and snatched it from my outstretched hand. His footsteps were quick on the hardwood as he dashed for the bathroom. I heard him vomit. “Ugh, tip: don’t move that fast.”
“You okay?”
He let out a groan, then retched. “Fine.”
I left him to it, knowing from experience that he wouldn’t be happy if I barged into the bathroom to help him. No, my omega was independent, or at least liked most bathroom activities to be a solo thing. Couldn’t argue with that, really.
The minutes ticked down with no sign of Brady until I heard the toilet flush and the faucet run. He emerged seconds later with flushed cheeks and the test in his hands. “Done.” He held it out to me. “You have to take it because I can’t cope with staring at it.”
“We’ve only got two minutes to wait.” I took the test and set it down on the dresser. I pulled Brady into my arms and tried to kiss him, but he turned his head.
“Vomit breath!”
“Liar, I can smell the mint.”
He laughed and let me kiss him until his knees went weak. I reluctantly let go and led him to the bed. “Sit here. I’ve got something for you.”
He sat, looking nervous. His breath hitched when I went onto one knee. “Xavi…”
I drew the box out of my pocket and held it out to him. “No matter what that test says, I know two things: I want you to live with me, and I would be over the moon if you agreed to be my husband. Will you marry me, Brady? Move in here?”
“What if—?”
“Brady, the test doesn’t matter,” I said patiently.
He needed a gentle touch, with how fragile he was in that moment.
“Positive or negative, it doesn’t matter.
This is our third time lucky. Three times we’ve tried to make a relationship.
This time I know this is it. You’re it for me.
You’re everything I want. I love you. Marry me.
Move in with me. I bought this house for you. ”
“What?”
“This house… I bought it hoping we’d turn our friends with benefits thing into being boyfriends.” I shrugged carelessly. “So we took a detour first. Everything about this house is what you like, isn’t it?”
He scanned the room thoughtfully. “Are you serious?”
“Never been more serious. Move in. Marry me, please.” We stared at each other for a moment. Then my phone’s alarm blared. I silenced it quickly.
“The test…”
“Doesn’t matter. Tell me.”
“Yes. I’ll move in. I’ll marry you.” He took the box from my hand and flipped it open.
Inside sat a platinum band with a ring of emeralds inset into it, along with a set of keys for the house.
Our house. “Oh, it’s so pretty!” He ignored the keys in favor of putting on the ring, then leaned forward and kissed me. “I love you, fiancé.”
He slowly shuffled off the bed into my lap while I kept my lips fused to his. I couldn’t believe we were finally going to live together, and he was going to marry me.
“The test,” he whispered breathlessly when we broke apart. My knees were killing me from kneeling on the floor. Brady helped me up. “You check it.”
I flipped it over with a grin, already certain of what it was going to say. Sure enough, the two lines were there. “You’re pregnant!”
Brady was seven weeks pregnant at Jae’s wedding to Curtis.
We’d already told the couple ahead of the ceremony because we didn’t want anyone to question why Brady wasn’t drinking.
He had his duties as an excuse, but he wanted to make sure there were non-alcoholic versions of drinks available for the toasts.
The other best man, Marty, made the event, though he was very heavily pregnant and supported by his mates. He had a lot of questions to answer, but it was not the time. We had a wedding to attend.
Thanks to Brady and Jae’s mom’s planning, it all went off without a hitch. Everything was simple, yet tasteful. The grooms looked fantastic in their suits, the colors of them matched the theme of the day. Brady wore green to match Jae, with Marty wearing cream to go with Curtis’ outfit.
“Hey, come with me,” Brady urged halfway through dinner.
“Don’t we have speeches soon?”
“Yeah, but I need your help.”
I followed him into the bathroom and locked the stall door behind me. His fingers went to the button on my pants. “Wait!”
“I need you to fuck me. You look so hot dressed like that. I think I’ve developed a kink for weddings.” His fingers ran down my thigh, then slowly back up again, tracing over my hardening cock.
“We can’t! You’ve got to get up there in ten minutes.” I pushed him against the wall and went to my knees. “I’ll take the edge off for you. We can pick this new kink up later, okay?”
“Less talking, more sucking.”
His cock was hard, the tip leaking when I pulled him out of his briefs.
I licked over the head and sucked him deep into my mouth.
After all this time, I knew what Brady needed to get off.
With one hand I stroked the shaft while I kissed and licked the head.
With the other, I plunged two fingers inside his hole, tagging his prostate.
“Fuck!” he cried, the sound far too loud. He bit his hand, muffling another curse as I took him into my throat.
I bobbed up and down over his cock while fingering his ass until he clasped my head and thrust. I let him use my mouth and get lost in the feeling. He came a minute later, all flushed and rumpled looking. So fucking sexy.
“Wow, I needed that!” Brady helped me up and kissed me, tasting himself on my tongue. “I wish I had time to get you off.”
“Later. Now let’s get you cleaned up so you can make Jae cry with that speech.”
Brady’s pregnancy seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.
He savored every moment of it. There were endless pictures and diary entries written to our unborn child.
I’d cried at the first scan appointment, which, of course, he snapped a pic of.
I didn’t miss a single appointment because each milestone was important.
Every high point, like feeling the baby move for the first time. Every low point, like Brady getting too big to fit into his favorite sweatpants. All of it was celebrated.
I couldn’t keep my hands off him. The bigger his belly got, the more I wanted him.
We were told that the pheromones from sex were good for the baby and as long as we weren’t too athletic in the bedroom, sex was perfectly safe.
It helped Brady feel connected to me even when he felt like a stranger in his own body with how much it was changing.
He could still go to the gym as long as he was careful.
He still went swimming, which was good for them both, but he’d slowed considerably and it often felt uncomfortable for him.
Our families and friends threw us an amazing baby shower where they spoiled us. Now they were gathered together for another milestone event: our wedding.
Rather than plan a big day, Brady asked that we have a ceremony at City Hall, then head to Chen’s parents’ restaurant for a big family dinner afterwards.
The wedding didn’t matter to me. The marriage did.
If Brady wanted a quiet, simple wedding, then that’s what he would get.
If he decided later that he wanted a big wedding, then I’d throw one for him, no expense spared.
We met everyone outside City Hall just before they closed, after booking the last appointment of the day.
Brady looked amazing in a maternity shirt and comfortable, yet stylish, dark gray pants.
At eight months pregnant, he was so big he couldn’t see his feet, so he wore slides. It fit the vibe perfectly.
He grinned broadly at something Mama said, his joy easy to read. I raised my phone to snap the moment. I loved him so dearly.
There were photos outside before we entered to take our vows and sign the license. Everything passed in the blink of an eye until we were standing there with our wedding bands, officially married.
As I drove us to the restaurant, I raised our joined hands and kissed his ring. “Happy?”
“Is there a word for beyond happy? Because that’s what I am. I can’t believe this is real.”
“Well, it is. We’re going to have a really nice meal then, if you’re up for it, I’d like to mark you.”
He grinned widely. “I’d like that.”
We ate too much at dinner, but it was worth it to see everyone so happy for us. Brady was dozing in the car as I drove us home. He woke when I parked. “Home?”
“Yeah, we’re here. Do you want to sleep or do the marking?”
“I’d like your bite.”
He followed me into the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed. “This might be easier if you lay down a little.” It took some work, but I got him comfortable on the bed, propped up with pillows.
I curled up behind him, my hands on his swollen stomach, and licked the scent gland that would hold my mark. Without teasing him for long, I bit down, finally marking Brady as mine. His blood flooded my mouth and his pheromones settled around me, melding with mine.
With careful movements, I hovered over him, giving him access to place his own bite. The pain was sharp, yet it held pleasure in it, too.
We were fully mated.
It took me only a minute to get a cloth to wipe us both down, then I settled behind him to relax.
Without realizing it, we must have fallen asleep. I woke to Brady’s cry of pain.
“The baby’s coming!”
I shot from the bed and grabbed the hospital bag, then ran back to his side. “What do you need?”
“Fresh pants and an epidural,” he joked, his face lined with pain.
“Pants, I can help with. The clinic isn’t far.”
The last couple of weeks had been difficult for Brady. He struggled with a lot of his clothes, preferring anything with an elastic waist and wide legs. I’d learned how to help him dress without upsetting my sometimes cranky mate. He was growing a person, he had a decent excuse to get a little mean.
With practiced movements, I got him out of his pants and into a more comfortable pair. We had to stop when a contraction hit, but he handled it amazingly. “So proud of you,” I praised as we made our way to the car.
By the time we got to the birthing center, the same one where Jae had his son, Brady’s contractions were only three minutes apart.
“Oh, this baby is determined.” Our midwife, Trevor, said with a grin. “You’re nearly fully dilated.”
“Epidural?” Brady panted around another contraction.
This time, Trevor winced. “Sorry, it’s far too late for that. You’re going to want to get into position.”
“Oh my god, it hurts!” Brady cried.
All I could do was rub his back and breathe with him through each painful contraction. “It’s almost time, sweetheart. You’re doing so well.”
Only fifteen minutes later, Brady was ready to push. “The baby’s coming!”
He bore down on Trevor’s urging with a feral cry. With each push he looked more and more exhausted than the last. I wanted to do anything to ease things for him. All I could do was hold his hand and encourage him.
“A big push, sweetheart. She’s nearly here.”
“There’s the head. Wait just a second.” Trevor checked on our baby. “Now, last one. Give it everything.”
Brady yelled out all his pain as he pushed our daughter out into the world.
Her cry was the most precious thing in the world.
“Congratulations, Brady and Xavi, you have a daughter!”
Trevor helped me cut her cord and handed her off to Brady. “Look at her, Xavi,” Brady cooed with tears in his eyes. “Our pretty Penny.”