Chapter XXXI
“I’m not cleaning this up,” Jaimie complains as soon as he gets a whiff of what occurred in Knox’s office for the last twenty-four hours.
I laugh at his wrinkled nose, already picking up pillows and tabletop items that came crashing down during my heat.
“Don’t worry, I don’t expect you to. Can you even pick things up off the ground at this stage?” I nod toward his pregnant belly wrapped in a tidy red turtleneck.
“If I do a slow squat,” he admits, clearly bored without his usual cleaning tasks. Another cleaner has been assigned to help him out during his term, and he hasn’t been easy on her.
“What are you up to? Shouldn’t your helper be coming in soon?” I ask while cleaning up most of my own mess anyway before Knox gets back. He went home to pick up Luna from the nanny. My poor mate really misses her when he’s at work and wants to try bringing her with for the rest of the day.
“Yeah, she’ll be in shortly. I’m just bored. Walking around,” Jaimie shrugs, leaning against the sofa with something suspicious about his attitude. I let silence fill the space between us until he says whatever else is on his mind. It seems like he came in here for a reason.
“You know I was just jealous, right?” he whispers with trepidation through the tension. “I never actually had feelings for Knox; I was just upset watching you have the workplace romance I wanted.”
Pausing my cleaning, I meet his vulnerable gaze, a pitiful expression forming on my face.
“I know, Jaimie. I’m willing to put it behind us and start fresh.”
He swallows and nods, hands rubbing his baby bump in a self-soothing manor that makes me miss being pregnant.
“Okay, but… I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness. I just thought I better apologize now while I’m hormonal and capable of saying sorry.”
I laugh lightly at his bluntness.
“If there’s anyone who understands being an emotional wreck, it’s me. That baby is going to alter the way you view the world even more once it’s in your arms.”
“Good to know,” Jaimie grins back at me. “Hey, could you open the curtains? Maybe let some light in here.”
I blink at the switch in topics, but oblige, walking over to the tall windows along the wall behind Knox’s desk.
Pulling the thick fabric aside, harsh sunlight warms my skin and floods the room with golden light.
The view is stunning, overlooking the front lawn of Comet XI which appears to have an event going on.
Looking closer, a gasp escapes my lips when I see what’s happening on the vast yard below.
Giant heart-shaped balloons. Roses everywhere.
Tables of food and space-themed attractions.
And my mate standing in the center of it all with Luna in his arms, gazing up at me as if he can see right through the tinted window.
He picks up our daughter’s tiny wrist to make her wave at me and I feel her joyous recognition along our family bond.
My hands float to my mouth, cupping my shock. Eyes wide, I turn to Jaimie who is smiling with excitement. Now I see why he came up here.
“Is that for me?” I whisper.
Jaimie’s eyes roll, but his smile remains.
“Who else would Knox do all that for? Come on,” he offers a hand and I accept it as we hurry down the hall.
“I picked the cake design by the way. Knox wanted to do one that looked like the earth because you’re his world or something cheesy like that.
But I thought my idea was better. More extravagant. ”
Before I can ask what it is, we stroll out of the elevator on the bottom floor and out into the front yard where many others have already gathered. White lab coats flutter around, including my proud group of Omega operators. It’s refreshing to see them integrated in the mix.
“Surprise!” the crowd shouts in sync making me shiver under the immense affection. Music from a speaker picks up and a few confetti canons go off, creating colorful, fluttering rain.
“Wow… I don’t even know what to say,” I murmur as Jaimie walks through the party with me.
The cake he mentioned is in the shape of a telescope, miraculously standing on three edible legs.
I don’t even know how they did that, but it looks amazing.
Like I could just go up and take a bite out of the lens. And I’m thinking I just might.
Finally, we spy Knox through the crowd, and I can hear happy babbles from Luna. My mate’s handsome smile reaches mine, and we meet between the balloons and flowers.
“Knox…what is all this?” I ask while scooping up my daughter from his arms.
He leans in for a quick kiss, whispering against my lips.
“Happy birthday, Ari.”
My eyes blow wide and I lean back to gawk at him.
“Oh my gosh…it’s our birthday!” the realization hits me and he chuckles. I thought this was about my Omegas getting a promotion, but nope. Knox and I are just another year older! My excitement falls into a pout. “I completely forgot about it, Knox. I didn’t get you anything.”
After another kiss, he leans into my ear, ignoring Luna’s hands tugging his shirt while she squeals.
“Give me another baby and we’ll call it even,” he says, low and husky for my ears only.
“I can do that,” I grin up at him with a twinkle in my eye. More babies means that no one gets to complain about me not being on suppressants while employed. And maybe a paternity leave that I’ll get to enjoy the entire duration of without my career on the line.
“Yo, happy birthday space freaks!” Chet’s playful voice reaches us.
Turning our heads, we find him holding a glass to us as he makes his way over. Knox reaches out to ruffle his hair until the Alpha shoos him away like old times. The two of them haven’t changed a bit over the years other than in height.
“Excited for the new baby?” I ask as Luna reaches out with her tiny hands, exploring all the interesting things around her.
“Stoked,” Chet grins before offering Luna one of his enticing fingers which she happily accepts, “You’re going to have a friend soon, little Alpha. And tell your daddies they owe me fifty bucks.” He boops the tip of her nose making her giggle in my arms.
My eyebrows draw together. “We owe you money on our birthday?”
“Why fifty? What the hell for?” Knox adds and Chet’s grin widens.
“I placed a bet back when we were kids that you’d have Arius back someday, and that you two would get mated. Unfortunately, fifty bucks was a lot to us back then, but still, a win is a win.”
I glance at Knox with a pointed look. No way it’s coming out of my paycheck. With a dramatic sigh, my mate reaches into his pocket, and Chet strolls away happy with his fifty dollars. Luna is upset to watch him go, so I carry her around, letting her observe the colorful party.
“Wow, look at all these gifts,” I lean toward a table stacked high with presents that make me feel like a kid again. Tilting my head, I read the tag on one of them with surprise. “Hey, this one is for me.”
“They all are,” Knox smirks beside me and I peer at him.
“Babe, please don’t tell me you bought all these. We’re saving for the cruise!”
He huffs with amusement and rubs his large hand around my back.
“Relax, we’re still getting our luxury cruise, gorgeous. I didn’t buy the presents. I just…didn’t tell anyone it was my birthday too.”
My face softens at his confession. Clever, clever Alpha. Of course he would do something so selfless after countless birthdays of only him receiving gifts.
“That was really sweet of you, Knox,” I whisper, leaning into his side.
“Don’t get too excited,” he warns before planting a kiss on my head. “I think ninety percent of it is for Luna.”
My laugh comes out as a snort.
“I wouldn’t expect anything else. We’ll need more baby stuff for the next one anyway.” I reach up for a kiss, drawn to my mate like a magnet, smushing Luna between us. Her bond to us bursts with warmth, safety, and comfort. “Happy birthday, my love,” I whisper against his lips.
Mine, Knox’s voice rumbles telepathically in my head without breaking our kiss.
“Want to know something, Alpha?”
“What’s that?” he smirks, assuming I’m going to say something flirty and lustful.
“I don’t have to read your mind to know that you want to take a bite out of the telescope cake as much as I do.”
Proving me right, low laughter escapes his chest, carefree and earnest.
“Let’s do it, Omega. That’s why I ordered a backup cake for everyone else, so we could destroy this one.”
We hurry over, finding Jaimie staring longingly at the realistic dessert. I know how it is with those pregnancy cravings, so I wave him over.
“Want to get in on this?” I ask him as me and Knox position ourselves on either side of the cake.
Chet scoops up Luna from my arms and whispers, “Go on,” to Jaimie.
With a hungry smile, the Omega joins, pretending to glance through the eyepiece of the cake for pictures.
A photographer manages us to get us smiling beside it for only a few seconds before Knox and I chomp down on either side of the sweet dessert.
“Mmm, marble cake!” I moan at the delicious swirl of chocolate and vanilla on my tongue.
Glancing back at Jaimie, I can see that he’s a little disturbed by the messiness of icing and crumbs smothered everywhere.
I worry we might’ve upset him, but he stares at the cake with noticeable determination.
Very hesitantly, very reluctantly, he reaches up to the eyepiece and wraps his hand around the fondant.
As Knox and I swallow down our mouthfuls of the scope, we watch him rip it off carefully and lift it up to take a small, clean bite.
The joy that spreads on his lips from his accomplishment makes us ease back into laughter and cheers. He’s still careful not to get cake on his lab coat but has an easy time indulging in the dessert with us, even holding it out for Chet to take a bite.
“Best birthday ever,” I say while offering Luna a small dollop of icing from my finger.
“Seriously, you guys. I love all of you so much,” I tell everyone around me with emotions overflowing my heart.
Groaning at my sappy mood, Chet, Jaimie, and Knox close in for a cake-smothered group hug as I sniffle through my post-heat emotions. I’m just so overjoyed.
“Beckett. Arius,” the deep voice of an Alpha with high status reaches us. Breaking apart the group hug, we turn to face the man who approaches, surprised by his use of my first name instead of referring to me as Knox’s partner or just Omega.
“Mr. Muendo,” Knox straightens his posture and offers a handshake, and I sense his immense respect for this man who I believe is on the board of directors here.
I stand by politely, discreetly wiping my mouth of the sweet treat I’d ravished.
Mr. Muendo’s stern gaze catches me, and my eyes widen, unprepared for whatever disapproval will come my way.
“I stand corrected,” he says instead. “I look forward to seeing what else these elite types of Omegas are capable of.”
He gestures to me as if I’m a commodity, or a rare specimen. If only he knew how common we really are. Swallowing the lump in my throat, and more cake crumbs from my teeth, I accept the compliment anyway.
“Thank you, Sir,” I whisper and tilt my neck.
“Want a slice of cake?”
I snap my head up to look at Knox. That’s an inappropriately casual way to speak to a board member, even for an Alpha. But Mr. Muendo simply smiles.
“No, thanks, Knox. I’m heading off on vacation where I’m sure I’ll have plenty. I just came down to congratulate you before I leave. Take care.”
He squeezes Knox’s shoulder and heads off, weaving through the party until he’s gone. Deeply content, I lean into my mate, proud of everything we’ve become.
“Love.”
My eyebrows shoot up and I lock eyes with Knox at the unexpected voice in my head.
But that wasn’t his voice. Or mine. It wasn’t really a voice at all, but a feeling.
We glance down at our daughter, squeezed tightly in Uncle Chet’s arms. While he speaks with Jaimie, bouncing her on his hip, she happily licks icing off her tiny hand before reaching out to us with stubby fingers.
Taking her back into my arms, tears pour out of my eyes and Knox’s as we realize that’s the first thing our baby understands. Love. I suppose it’s the word we say the most around her. And it’s certainly the word that we feel the most around her.
Everything we think we know, everything we think we understand about our world, will always be challenged by the otherworldly, impossibly expansive reach of love.
And that’s my quote that will headline the tabloids for months and single-handedly tear down societal barriers.
My legacy is cemented as the third Omega in history to be a part of a space travel project.
The first Omega in history to be a supervisor on a production line of Omegas.
And the only Omega in history to engineer a telescope capable of capturing Pluto at the highest resolution.
It wasn’t easy any step of the way, but my greatest success is that I’ve taught myself, and the world, that the possibilities for Omegas are endless.
Thanks for reading!