Chapter 13
Afew days later, Boone sat on the roof, nailing new shingles in place of the old, rotted ones.
Felix scurried over the roof like a squirrel, moving between damaged areas and replacing shingles ten times faster than Boone.
Patrick had the honor of carrying the bundles up the ladder.
The work was going fairly quickly, but something felt off.
The ladder creaked as Patrick shifted his weight, one hand gripping the gutter, the other holding a bundle of shingles against his hip. “Who decided this was a good idea?” he asked, squinting against the late afternoon sun.
“Not me,” Boone said, hammering in a nail. “I said, hire someone. Felix said it’ll be fun.”
“It is fun,” Felix insisted from where he knelt near the ridge line. He hammered a nail with master precision. “You’re just mad because you’re stuck on your butt.”
Boone nodded in acceptance. Since his leg was damaged, Felix had decided to put him in the easiest spot, on his butt, near the largest damaged area. He had to scootch from place to place, but he had to admit his leg wasn’t hurting. Felix and Patrick were doing the heavy lifting.
Patrick snorted and hauled himself the rest of the way up, rolling onto the warm shingles with a groan. “If this is fun, remind me never to go to your idea of a party, sweetheart.”
Felix rolled his eyes, sweat streaking his temple. “You made it, didn’t you? Now use those muscles and bring that bundle over here.”
Patrick grinned as he dragged the shingles across the roof.
Felix’s eyes narrowed. “That wasn’t a compliment.”
Boone’s friend smirked. “That wasn’t not a compliment.”
The sky stretched wide and blue above them, broken only by a slow drift of clouds. From up here, the world felt quieter. Maybe that was what felt off.
Felix lined up another shingle. “Alright, hold it steady.”
Patrick pressed it into place while Felix hammered. It was nice to see the two interact so easily. It had taken a couple of days, but Felix had warmed up to the other alpha. He still wasn’t comfortable alone around him, but with Boone or Puck there, he seemed okay.
“Don’t step on the loose shingles,” Felix ordered, pointing to a few.
“I won’t fall,” Patrick said. “Relax. We’ve got this.”
A loose shingle shifted under Patrick’s knee, and he froze. “Okay, maybe we don’t got this.”
“Don’t move,” Felix called instantly.
“I wasn’t planning on it.”
The omega reached over, steadying the board with one hand. “Alright. Shift your weight back, slow.”
Patrick did, inch by careful inch, until the shingle settled again. He let out a breath when he was safe.
“Still fun?” Boone asked.
Patrick lay back against the roof, staring up at the sky. “Why do the cutest omegas have the most dangerous taste in fun?”
Felix nudged him with his boot. “Come on. We’re almost there.”
Patrick sat up with a sigh, grabbing another shingle. “Fine. But next time, we’re fixing something that doesn’t involve gravity trying to kill us.”
Felix rolled his eyes again. “Where’s the adventure in that? You whine more than Milo when I interrupt elevensies.”
Patrick side-eyed the omega, then signaled Boone.
He studied Felix for a moment himself, finally noticing the tremors in the omega’s hands. That’s what was off. Felix wasn’t quite Felix today. “Felix, you okay?”
The omega nodded, focused on his work. “Yeah.”
“You’ve been quieter today, and you didn’t eat as much at breakfast,” Boone noted. “Plus, you seem determined to get this done as quickly as possible.”
Felix shrugged, not meeting their eyes. “I have an appointment at four.”
Patrick signaled Boone again, eyes begging him to ask follow-up questions.
“What’s it for, if you don’t mind sharing?” Boone set his hammer down and watched Feilix hunch his shoulders.
“I don’t want the others to know.”
“We won’t say anything,” Boone promised.
Felix finally looked up, dark eyes shining with tears. “I’m having the IVF procedure today. If they know, they’ll get all protective and make me stop working. I like working.”
Boone wasn’t sure roofing was the ideal activity for an omega before the in vitro procedure, but he sure as hell wasn’t about to say anything.
“I’m not supposed to do anything stressful, but this isn’t stressful to me.” Felix shrugged and continued hammering. “Physical work helps me relax. They’d have me loafing on the sofa, being pampered and fussed over all day. Talk about stress.”
Patrick spoke to Boone with his eyes again, but Boone was way past understanding what his friend wanted him to say.
“Are you going alone?” Patrick finally asked, giving up on Boone’s ability to pick up what he was putting down.
Felix nodded. “The others will just get excited again. I don’t want to tell them until I know if it works.”
“You shouldn’t have to do this alone.” Boone frowned. “Do you want us to come?”
Felix froze in place, hammer held in mid-air. “You two would do that?”
Patrick dragged the bundle of shingles closer to Felix. “Sure. It has to be more fun than roofing this gigantic house.”
“Ah, so you just want to get out of work.” Felix nodded in understanding. “Okay, sure. If you two don’t mind coming with me, we can take off early and get a late lunch.”
“Yes.” Patrick pumped a fist. “Last one down the ladder has to pay for lunch.”
“For the love of –” Felix began. “I didn’t mean right this second.”
The waiting room was too quiet for a place that felt this big. Boone sat with his elbows on his knees, staring at a framed picture of sunflowers that had probably been chosen to calm people down. It wasn’t working. His leg bounced, heel tapping against the tile in a steady, nervous rhythm.
Across from him, Patrick leaned back in the chair, arms folded loosely, watching him with a small, patient smile. “You’re gonna wear a hole through the floor,” he said.
Boone exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through his hair. “I know. I just… This is really important to him.”
Patrick nodded, like he understood completely, even if he had not been around the four omega friends long. “Yeah. It is.”
There was a pause. A nurse walked past, the soft squeak of her shoes echoing down the hallway.
Boone followed the sound until it faded, then looked back at Patrick.
“What if he forgot something? Some form, or test, or whatever? What if he really wasn’t supposed to be out roofing before the procedure?
This is so stressful, and he’s not even my omega.
How can he possibly handle this on his own? ”
Patrick leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs now, mirroring Boone without making a big deal of it.
“One thing Felix is not alone. Those four men have each other’s backs just as we do.
They are ready for this. Don’t underestimate Felix just because he’s the smallest. Hell, he’s the steadiest of them all.
” He smirked. “I think you’re projecting a little here.
Demarien is pregnant, and you want to be with him.
That means you’re going to be a daddy soon. Are you ready?”
“That’s different. With Demarien by my side, I can do anything.” Boone huffed out a small laugh, tension easing just a little. “You helped paint the nursery yesterday. We’re prepared.”
“Yeah, and I regret letting you pick that shade of yellow.”
“It’s a good yellow.”
“It’s aggressive,” Patrick shot back, then softened. “But it’ll be a happy room.”
Boone’s gaze drifted down to his hands. “I wish my mom could see it.”
Patrick didn’t rush to fill the silence this time. He just nodded once, slow and steady. “She’ll come around.”
Boone swallowed, blinking a couple of times. “I hope so.” Another quiet stretch settled between them. After a moment, Boone glanced up again. “You didn’t have to come, you know.”
Patrick shrugged, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Yeah, I did.”
Boone gave him a look. “No, you didn’t. This is… kind of a weird thing to tag along for. Both of us probably shouldn’t be here.”
“Maybe,” Patrick admitted, eyes tender. “Felix asked us, though.”
Boone held his gaze. “You like him.”
Patrick smiled a little, softer this time. “Yeah.”
The door at the end of the hall opened, and a nurse stepped out, scanning a clipboard. “Boone and Patrick?”
Boone froze for half a second, then stood, smoothing his shirt like that would somehow make him more prepared. “That’s us.”
Patrick stood too, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “What’s the word, ma’am?”
She smiled. “Felix is ready for discharge. He’ll be out in just a moment. You two looked nervous, so I wanted to reassure you. It’s really nice that you came with your friend.”
The two alphas flushed and shuffled their feet, sharing an embarrassed look.
A moment later, Felix came out, looking determined. “It’s done. I want ice cream.”
“Then you get ice cream,” Patrick said, grinning. “Come on, sweetheart. My treat.”
“You were supposed to pay for lunch,” Boone griped.
“No, you cheated and almost knocked me off the roof. Therefore, you lost and had to pay. Suck it up, sunshine.”
Felix sighed and shook his head. “I want chocolate brownie fudge.”
Later that evening, the beach was quiet, late afternoon sunlight spilling across the sand.
Boone moved carefully, like the stillness itself might break if he rushed.
He balanced a tray in his hands. It carried tea, a small bowl of cut fruit, and the peanut butter crackers Demarien had been craving all week.
“Hey,” he called softly as he stepped next to his omega.
Demarien was curled on a lounge chair under a blanket, one hand resting over the gentle curve of his belly. He looked up, tired but smiling, the moment he saw him. “You didn’t have to bring all that.”
“I absolutely did,” he said, setting the tray down in the sand before easing himself beside it. “Doctor’s orders. Okay, well, boyfriend’s orders. Same thing.”
Demarien laughed under his breath, shifting slightly as he helped him sit up. “You’re ridiculous. I’m not that pregnant yet.”
“Mm, but I’m helpful,” he countered, handing him the tea first. “Careful, it’s warm. Chamomile. Supposed to help you relax.”
Demarien took a sip, closing his eyes for a second. “That’s really good.”
“Good,” he said quietly, watching him like he was memorizing the moment.
After he nibbled a bit of fruit, he leaned back again with a soft sigh. “My back’s killing me today. It shouldn’t be this bad yet, should it?”
Boone didn’t hesitate. “Turn a little,” he said gently, already reaching for the edge of the blanket. “Let me.”
Demarien shifted, trusting, and Boone placed his hands carefully along his lower back. His touch was slow, deliberate, as if he was afraid of doing it wrong but determined to get it right. His thumbs pressed in small circles, easing tension inch by inch.
“Like that?” he asked.
“Yeah…” Demarien exhaled, his shoulders dropping. “Don’t stop.”
Boone smiled to himself and kept going, adjusting pressure when he tensed, lightening when he sighed. The beach settled into a comfortable quiet, broken only by the sound of the waves and the soft rhythm of his hands. And the small crab scuttling across the sand to sit on Boone’s foot.
“Casanova,” he greeted solemnly.
Brownie sniffed the crab, then turned away to continue napping.
“You’re really good at this,” Demarien murmured after a while.
“I’ve been practicing,” he said. “YouTube, mostly.”
Demarien turned his head to look at him, his expression soft. “You don’t have to do all this, you know.”
He met the omega’s eyes, his expression steady. “I know. I want to.”
There was something simple and solid in the way he said it, something that made Demarien’s eyes glisten just a little. “I know what you and Patrick did today.”
Boone winced. “How did you find out?”
“Milo keeps track of everyone’s appointments.” Demarien turned completely around and cupped Boone’s face. “Thank you.”
Boone brushed a hand over Demarien’s hair, smoothing it back. “You’re doing all the hard work. I’m just backup.”
“You’re so much more than that.” He reached for Boone’s hand, guiding it to rest over his belly. The baby shifted faintly beneath his palm, and his face lit up.
“Hey there,” Boone whispered, almost shyly. “Be nice to your dad, alright? He’s a big deal.”
Demarien smiled, leaning into him. “You’re going to spoil this kid.”
“Absolutely,” he said without hesitation. “No question.”
The omega laughed softly, settling against his shoulder while his hand stayed where it was, warm and steady. The light began to fade as the sun set. “I love you, Boone. No one has a heart like yours.”
“I love you too,” he replied, kissing the top of Demarien’s head.
“I think, if you want, you should move in with me.” Demarien hid his face. “It’s fast, I know, but I want you with me all the time. Is that so bad?”
Boone tilted Demarien’s face up. “I love you, Demarien. I would follow you to Hell and back if you let me. If you want me by your side, I’m there. Patrick will help me move my stuff tomorrow. I don’t care how fast it is. It feels like I’ve been waiting for you since high school.”
Demarien pulled him into a kiss, and the world faded away.