Kian chuckled under his breath. “Where was Mase?”
“At the diner.”
Kian’s eyes widened in anger. “You were home alone?”
Blake rolled his eyes. “It lasted only for a few minutes, so cool it, alpha. Mase had to go to the diner because there was an emergency in the kitchen.”
“Nobody and nothing can be more important than you!”
Blake beamed at Kian. “I can look after myself for a few minutes. You left me alone out here for hours. I’m all right, aren’t I?”
Kian blushed and nodded. “Fine. I guess I’m being overprotective. Anyway, do you want anything from the kitchen?”
“Some bananas, ketchup, peanut butter, and a bowl of vanilla ice cream. Oh, and get me more milk, please.”
“Sure, baby. I’ll be right back.”
Kian returned to the backyard less than ten minutes later. He wisely kept his mouth shut when Blake peeled three of the bananas and mashed them with the vanilla ice cream before adding plenty of ketchup and peanut butter. He was aware that Blake had some weird cravings. He didn’t want to make the omega self-conscious, so he stared at the fascinating concoction without uttering a single word.
Since Blake seemed happy with whatever he was scooping into his mouth, Kian figured he should continue to keep his opinion to himself. Besides, Blake smelled like a content omega, which in turn made him a delighted alpha. He wasn’t going to disturb the peaceful moment. Instead, he sipped his orange juice and watched his beautiful omega while imagining how good-looking all of their children would be. Life was wonderful, and he wanted it to remain that way for as long as possible.
Chapter 13
When dinner was over, Blake raised his left eyebrow to signal to Kian and Mason to distract James and Anthony. He was thankful his alphas understood him. He used the opportunity to converse with Alan.
“The backyard is windy, but I like it there. Can you accompany me there for a few minutes? I need to get some fresh air after dinner.”
Alan smiled and nodded. “Of course.”
Blake was thankful when Alan offered him a hand because he had a tough time getting to his feet due to the amount of extra weight he was carrying. Then, they walked side by side toward the backyard. Once they were seated, he faced Alan and beamed at the older omega.
“I never thought I’d ever be mated to one alpha, let alone two.”
Alan appeared astonished to hear that. “Why not? I mean, you’re such a gorgeous omega. There must be tens of thousands of them hounding you day and night.”
He snorted. “I’m too tall and too muscular. Not exactly your typical omega. I’m sure you understand what some alphas are like. I’m an adequate fuck, but not mate-material.”
Alan empathized and nodded. “Damn alphas!”
Blake and Alan grinned at each other.
“Yeah. Anyway, James and Tony arranged for a blind date for me to meet up with Kee and Mase at The Old Block.”
“That’s the diner belonging to Mase?”
“Yes,” Blake confirmed. “Tony is a gruff alpha, but he’s a wonderful one.”
“I’m aware of that.”
“James informed me about a week after my first date with Kee and Mase that Tony was embarrassed about the blind date thing. That was the reason why James was the one who had to force me to meet up with Kee and Mase.”
Alan snickered. “That sounds like Tony.”
Blake chortled. “Alphas are strange, aren’t they?”
Alan laughed even louder. “You can say that again.”
“Yeah.”
There was a brief period of silence, but the other omega spoke up a few minutes later. “What’s it like?”
“Being pregnant with triplets?”
“That, and also being mated to two alphas.”
Blake pondered his response for a moment or so before answering. “Kee and Mase are incredible, but they drive me crazy sometimes.”
“Too protective,” Alan remarked with the utmost confidence.
Blake snorted. “That’s right. Why do alphas treat us omegas like we’re porcelain dolls?”
“If I knew the reason for that, I could have solved all the problems in the world.”
Blake acknowledged the truth in that assertion with a soft chuckle. “But they love me.”
“And you love them.”
“I really do. Being pregnant is…is rather hard to explain. I can do without all the morning sickness and the fatigue. I know my alphas can’t understand all my weird cravings, but they’ve been awesome and patient with me.”
“You have a healthy, joyful glow to you. I…I envy you.”
“Why?”
Alan hesitated for several seconds. “I was in a relationship with a mated alpha-beta pairing before I met Tony and James.”
“I heard about it from James.”
“Their names are Margaret and Tanya.”
“And?” Blake prodded.
“They were kind to me, but there was this…this gap between them and me. They might not set out to make me feel like an extra person in the relationship, but that was how I felt for the entire time I dated them.”
He eyed Alan with sympathy. “I understand how you felt. Kee and Mase had been together for years before I got involved with them.”
“How did you…you know, get over the insecurity?”
Blake inhaled and exhaled a few times while he thought about the past. “My alphas were excellent when it came to sharing their affections with each other and me. I put my faith in them and I also gave everything I had into making the relationship among the three of us a success.”
“That simple, eh?”
Blake snorted. “I wish. We had our ups and downs, but we kept the lines of communication open.”
“Okay.”
“Are you worried about James and Tony turning into the same situation as Margaret and Tanya?”
Alan glanced at the house for a few seconds before facing Blake once again. “Yeah.”
“I’m biased because James is my buddy. Regardless, I want you to know that James is an incredible person. He’s loyal, sweet, and kind. I’ve also been friends with Tony for a while. The alpha isn’t perfect, but he’s a wonderful man. In my
