“You could ask me again.” Ulric grinned, kissing his lips.
Gage laughed. And now his entire body relaxed; he dropped kisses all over Ulric’s face. “I can’t wait for us to be husbands, babe. Such an honor.”
Ulric’s heart swelled so much, it felt like his chest might burst. Gage traced his scent all over Ulric’s skin.
When Ulric looked back at the rings, Gage took one of them, sliding it onto Ulric’s finger. “It says, ‘To the most beautiful alpha’,” Gage whispered. “‘Cuz I want you to remember that.”
Ulric’s heart fluttered. “You’re too good to me, Gage.”
“You’re my favorite person in the world.” Then Gage picked up the ring he’d gotten for himself, smiling wryly. “I’d wanted to have them carve ‘The Muffin’s Stud’ on here, but I figured it was kind of silly.”
“Aw, that would’ve been perfect.” Ulric laughed. “What do you have on yours?”
Gage showed him. In small lettering, Gage’s ring held the words, Remember where home is: Ulric. Ulric’s throat tightened. Gage kissed him again, and Ulric felt every ounce of Gage’s love in his touch.
A knock came on the door. Then the midwife stepped in, clucking at them. “Lie down on the beds, both of you. We’ll need to prep you for surgery.”
Ulric’s pulse tumbled. Gage squeezed his hand and helped him onto the bed. Then he shuffled onto his own, more nurses coming in to clean them up.
After what felt like an eternity, they were rolled into the operating theater—they’d made a special request for both of them to be in there at the same time.
The spread of scalpels was pretty fucking intimidating. The doctor set up a curtain around Ulric’s abdomen so he couldn’t see the grisly details. The nurse gave him some local anesthetic.
Ulric reached out; so did Gage. They linked their fingers across the space between their beds, oxygen masks on their faces.
That skin contact with his alpha made all the difference in the world.
He felt the faint pressure of the scalpel; Gage’s grip tightened around his own. Ulric squeezed his hand. “I’ll be fine,” he said.
But Gage looked more worried than ever. Ulric suspected that he’d feel the same when it was time for Gage to have the surgery. So he touched Gage’s wrist, the part where he’d left his bonding mark. That was a promise.
Gage’s lips thinned. Ulric wanted to go over and hug him, and tell him that everything would turn out all right.
The doctor sliced deeper and deeper. Ulric caught a glimpse of blood; Gage’s grip tightened so much, Ulric thought Gage might yank his fingers off. “I’m okay,” Ulric said.
“Fucking tell me when it’s over,” Gage muttered, his eyes narrowed. “Hate that I can’t do anything to help.”
“You’re helping.” Ulric squeezed his hand. “This helps.”
Gage huffed into his mask; Ulric focused on him instead of the disconcerting pressure of the scalpel—he didn’t know how omegas did this, either. But he now had a newfound respect for them.
As the c-section progressed, Gage held Ulric so tightly that his fingers went numb. He felt Gage’s worry thumping through his own heart, he felt Gage’s sheer hope that things would turn out okay.
Just when he thought the doctor could slice no deeper, the doctor lifted out a small, bloody shape—their baby. Ulric stopped breathing.
The nurse cleaned their baby’s airways. And Florin began to wail, tiny jerky movements of his limbs. Ulric reached out for him; the nurse set his baby gently on his chest. Florin was tiny against him, his little face and his delicate hands, his eyes shut tight.
This was his and Gage’s baby. Ulric didn’t know how, but he felt a connection to this child immediately—Florin was the most beautiful little bundle in the world. “Hey,” he murmured. “It’s me. Your other dad’s there, I’m gonna hand you over to him real soon.”
Florin fell quiet, listening to Ulric’s voice. He was adorable. And everything they’d done—the implants and the hormones and the doctor visits—that had all been worth it to have him.
When Ulric looked up, he found Gage staring at them with an intensity that made his heart tighten.
“Love you both,” Gage murmured.
Ulric brushed his wrists over Florin. A nurse brought their baby over to Gage, and Gage cradled him, blinking hard. Then he murmured at Florin and marked him, too.
Gage looked so good, holding their child.
The doctor cleaned Ulric up and stitched him back together. Soon after, the nurses gave Gage some local anesthetic, and brought over a fresh set of tools for Gage’s c-section. Ulric’s heart thumped.
“I’ll be fine,” Gage said, squeezing Ulric’s hand.
But now that he could only sit by and watch while the doctor sliced open Gage’s belly, Ulric couldn’t help feeling nervous, too. Gage’s face twitched with each incision; Ulric remembered what that had felt like. And he didn’t like the thought of Gage being cut open, even if it was necessary for the birth.
“We’ll be watching a ton of movies together after this,” Gage said. “Relax, babe.”
“I’ve already given birth,” Ulric said. “You can’t tell me to relax.”
Gage’s smile widened. “Relax.”
“If I relax enough, I’m going to piss myself.” Truthfully, Ulric wouldn’t be able to relax until they had both their babies with them, and Gage recovered from the surgery safe and sound.
“Hush,” the doctor said.
Ulric bit down his words, holding Gage’s hand. Gage squeezed his fingers.
As the c-section progressed, the doctor’s scalpel went deeper, disappearing from sight. Inside Gage. Ulric struggled to breathe, his heart thumping, his stomach twisting. Then, finally, the doctor lifted out their second child, just as bloody as Florin had been. Ulric sucked in a quick breath; Gage stroked his fingers.
The doctor suctioned Sage’s mouth and nose. Sage began to wail—such a wonderful sound. And the nurse brought him over to Gage, gently setting their second son on Gage’s chest, next to Florin. Ulric’s heart missed a beat.
“Hey, Sage,” Gage murmured. “This is Florin, your brother. I’m your dad, and your other
