Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Jett
“Thank you again for being understanding,” Landon says to his dads, the three of them sitting at the table while I cook dinner.
“We were young once,” Zac says with a grin. “We know what it’s like to be caught up in the whirlwind of hormones and what they can do to you.”
Landon groans, burying his face in his hands. “I don’t think I wanna hear about that.”
“Don’t be a prude, Landon. We’re all adults here.”
“We are,” Landon says, “but that doesn’t mean I need to hear my parents say things like ‘whirlwind of hormones’. It’s weird!”
“Fine,” Zac says, letting out a long sigh. I find myself grinning as I cook, listening to how they all talk to each other. A small pang goes through my chest. I wish I’d had this type of relationship with my parents. We were never close.
Now that I have children, I promise myself I will be nothing like them.
I will work every single day at making sure I have a relationship with each and every one of my children.
None of them will be overlooked. None of them will be raised by their siblings.
They’re our responsibility and we are the ones who’ll care for them, no matter how many we end up having.
I look through the doorway just so I can see my mate. The bite on my shoulder still stings, throbbing with each beat of my heart. Poetic in a way; the bite throbs the same way my heart throbs for Landon.
Zac isn’t wrong. We are so caught up in a whirlwind of emotions and hormones and pheromones.
Our instincts were all over the place, pushing the two of us together as quickly as possible.
They’ll soon settle down now that our mating ritual is complete.
What will our new normal be now that it’s time to settle in?
What will our futures hold now that this is the first day of our forever?
My chest feels like it might burst with affection as I watch my mate talk with his dads.
His stomach is swollen around the middle, his shirt a little tighter than it was yesterday.
Every day he grows and every day we come one day closer to meeting our babies.
I’m both excited and terrified of what’s to come.
Will I be a good father? Will I still have time to shower my mate with the love and affection he deserves?
I turn back to the stove, pulling out the tray of cheesy spinach stuffed mushrooms. I grab a hotpad and bring the entire tray into the dining room, setting it on the table.
“Wow,” Teo says, looking up at me. “That smells amazing.”
“Thank you. I hope they taste as good as they smell.”
“I’m sure they will,” Landon says, looking up at me with soft eyes. “Your cooking is always delicious. I think cooking might be one of your love languages.”
“I’ve never thought of it like that,” I say softly. “Maybe you’re right.”
As I walk back into the kitchen to finish the main course, I overhear Zac groan. “Oh gods, I’m going to get fat while I’m here!”
Teo chuckles. “That’d give me some nice little handles to hold onto while I f--”
“Please, for the love of the gods, don’t finish that sentence,” Landon says, cutting him off. All three of them dissolve into laughter.
My chest is light and happy. I feel like I slot into place here, more perfectly than I could ever dream. This is my family now. Landon, his dads, and our clutch of babies inside his belly. This is where I’m meant to be.
I’ve always been an introvert, but these people are special.
They make me want to crawl out of my shell and be present.
They make me want to put in the effort to get to know them, to share myself with them.
This little unit is mine and I plan on savoring it, treasuring it like a dragon with his hoard.
When I come back into the dining room, a giant serving plate in both hands, I find Teo petting Landon’s stomach. I set down the plates of food, quirking a brow at my mate.
“This is so strange. How does it feel? Being a pregnant alpha?”
I sit down across from Landon, watching this interaction. I find myself smiling.
“I don’t even know how to begin to describe it,” Landon says, leaning back in his chair.
“As you can imagine, I never thought things would end up like this, but I can’t say I’m mad about it.
You know that feeling after you’ve stuffed yourself so full you can’t have another bite or you feel like you might burst? It kinda feels like that.”
“Interesting,” Teo says slowly, shaking his head. “I can’t say I’m jealous.”
Zac chuckles. “I think that’s a good way to describe it. I wonder if you’ll feel them move around. You said they’re in eggs, right?”
I nod my head. “My parents said they couldn’t feel them moving.”
“Bummer,” Zac says. “That was one of the freakiest parts.”
“I think the situation is freaky enough,” Teo says with a grin. “This all happened so quickly. Do you have plans for the future? Will you stay here or will you move to Jett’s home? We’ll have to start buying supplies and setting up a nursery.” He turns towards me. “How long until the eggs pop?”
“Pop?” Landon asks, his voice breaking. “Gods, don’t say it like that, Dad!”
“Sorry. When will you umm, you know. Lay them?”
Landon groans, covering his face with his hands. His cheeks are bright red beneath his stubble. I find it incredibly adorable but I also have this overwhelming instinct to stick up for my mate.
“About two months or so. If we’re lucky, they’ll arrive in time for Christmas,” I say, getting everyone’s attention off of Landon and onto myself.
“We also haven’t spoken about our living situation yet.
As you said, this is all happening quickly.
I don’t mean to put Landon on the spot, but I was thinking of asking him to move in with me as my home will have more space for the babies. ”
Zac and Teo both turn towards Landon. Shit. I meant to take the heat off of him but accidentally threw him right back into the center of attention.
“Oh,” he breathes out. I open my mouth to tell him we don’t need to decide right now but he quickly keeps going, tears making his eyes wet behind his glasses. “I would love that. I would love that so much, Jett. Yes, of course I’ll move in with you.”
I breathe out a sigh of relief. I reach across the table and Landon meets me halfway, taking my hand. I give him a gentle squeeze.
Zac is sitting beside me and he reaches over, touching my shoulder. I look to him and he’s smiling.
“Welcome to the family, son.”
Warmth bursts through my chest. If I wasn’t sitting down, I think my knees would have locked up. I didn’t realize how much I needed to hear that until right now.
I quickly wipe my face and turn towards the food. “Let’s eat before things get cold,” I say. Thankfully, no one comments on my blatant subject change.
I adore these people. I adore my mate. More than that, I think I might love him.
It’s not the hormones talking or the overwhelming instincts still surging through me.
No, it’s more than that. I might have only known Landon for a short amount of time but that doesn’t matter.
In that time I’ve gotten to know him. I’ve seen the type of man he is.
I love him.