The nurse brought him over, laying the little boy on Jesse’s chest. He was small, his eyes squinted shut, his hands curled into tiny fists. Jesse’s heart missed a beat. This was their child. The life he’d spent nine months carrying. And Jesse knew he would always protect this baby, he would always love their son no matter what.
“Owen,” he murmured, stroking their child. “Hey.”
As though he recognized Jesse’s voice, Owen quieted, listening for more.
“He’s lovely,” Dom murmured, kissing Jesse’s forehead. “You did great.”
Jesse’s heart swelled. “Didn’t do nothing.”
Dom huffed, but he cupped Owen’s back, brushing his scent onto their little boy. “You’ve been protecting him all this time, Sinclair. That isn’t ‘nothing’.”
“Yeah, well.” Jesse shrugged. It had been an incredible nine months, spending them with Dom. With their baby inside him that whole time. Jesse hesitated, thinking about the days ahead. “Don’t wanna hurt him.”
“You won’t.” Dom linked their fingers, brushing Jesse’s wrist down Owen’s back, too. Then he leaned in to kiss Jesse’s cheek, his gaze so bright that Jesse’s throat tightened. “I’m proud of you. And I know you’ll do good.”
He dropped kisses all over Jesse’s face, then Owen’s tiny hand. Warmth spread through Jesse’s body, all the way to his toes.
He hadn’t expected to find an alpha who loved him, and he most certainly hadn’t expected to find acceptance, and love. But Dom had seen him for who he was, Dom encouraged him and taught him to believe in himself. Without Dom, Jesse was sure he wouldn’t be where he was today: happy, with a family who loved him, and whom he loved with all his heart.
As the doctor stitched him up, he pulled Dom closer, carefully cradling their son, too. “Can’t wait to go home with you,” Jesse whispered, kissing his alpha and their baby. “Love you both.”
Dom returned the embrace, his smile a promise. “Love you, too.”
Epilogue
“Here, let me straighten your tie.” Dom caught Sinclair’s hand, turning him around. “You look magnificent.”
Sinclair flushed all the way to the back of his head. “‘Magnificent’? Never heard you say that before.”
“I haven’t? Feels like I should’ve.” Dom smiled, slipping his sturdy fingers under Sinclair’s tie, adjusting it.
“Daddy! I help, I help!” Two-year-old Owen scrambled between them, reaching up for his papa’s tie. He looked so eager that Dom laughed, hefting him up.
At two, he had a mix of both their looks—he had Dom’s paler skin and blond hair, and he had Jesse’s blue eyes and full lips. Sometimes, Dom looked at his son, and he couldn’t believe that they’d actually created this child, that Owen Sinclair-McCoy was made of both their flesh and blood.
“There, help all you want.” Dom kissed Owen on the cheek, breathing in his clean soap scent. Owen dug his tiny fingers into Sinclair’s tie, tugging it to the left, then to the right, loosening it off-center.
Jesse huffed in amusement. “You’re doing great.”
Owen beamed, ‘fixing’ Sinclair’s tie. “There,” he said, patting it.
“Great job,” Dom told him. “We’re so proud of you.” It wasn’t so much the result, as the thought that counted. Lately, Owen had been trying to help with everything around the house—a bit of a challenge when they were in a rush to go anywhere.
Luckily, they’d all woken up early today.
“Make sure you’ve got all the things you need,” Sinclair said, cupping the back of Owen’s head. “Did you forget your water bottle?”
Owen’s forehead furrowed. “I go look.”
He scurried off, a little ball of determination that made them both smile.
“So, what do you think?” Dom stepped closer, straightening Sinclair’s tie for real. “Any regrets having him?”
Jesse punched him lightly in the chest, laughter in his eyes. “Fuck, no. You already knew that.”
“Were you like that when you were a kid?” Dom watched as Owen bustled around the house.
“Maybe.” Jesse scratched his chin. “Mom says I ‘helped’ a lot, too.”
“I bet you were a cute kid.”
Jesse laughed. “Me, cute?”
“Extremely.” Dom had seen some of his baby photos. He’d borrowed a couple to scan and print for their own home, framed alongside the pictures of Owen and their family.
They shared a quiet moment together, Dom straightening Sinclair’s tie. Then he grabbed it and hauled his alpha in, dragging their lips together in a slow, sweet kiss. Jesse groaned—such an exquisite sound. “Jesse,” Dom growled.
Sinclair raised an eyebrow. “You’ve been calling me that a lot more lately. Is that... because you don’t want Owen to think we’re enemies, or something?”
Dom laughed. “Nah. Sometimes it feels more intimate calling you by your name.” He kissed the corner of his alpha’s lips. “I want to be closer. Mine.”
Sinclair grinned and bit Dom’s lip, licking the marking he’d left last night. “Not sure how much closer we can be. You really rather call me Jesse?”
Dom kissed him. “Yeah. But you prefer Sinclair.”
Jesse thought about it for a while. “I do. But you already know why.”
“Looks like we might have to keep disagreeing on this.” Dom dragged his wrist down Sinclair’s jaw, his instincts rumbling in delight when Sinclair smelled even more like Dom’s. “Or I’ll just have to call you by your full name.”
Jesse grinned. “Maybe.”
“Or... Maybe this might be better.” Dom leaned in, nipping at his earlobe. “Alpha.”
Jesse sucked in a slow breath, his eyes lighting up. “Maybe that, too. Feels like you’re spoiling me, Dom.”
Dom laughed, squeezing his ass. “Who am I going to spoil, if not you?”
Jesse elbowed him, but he was smiling. “We should get going. Before we hold up everything.”
“We really should.”
Jesse pounced on Owen in the kitchen, and they hauled him into the new truck—really an old truck by this point—one with a backseat that could hold Owen and all his things. Then they did the drive to the lake, where the team held its barbecue parties.
Technically, Dom wasn’t part of Team A anymore. He’d switched shifts to Team C so Jesse could remain with his station family.
These days, an hour before Dom’s shift ended, Jesse would
