Dale fell silent. Greg was right, though. Up until now, they hadn’t changed the apartment any. Greg had moved in twice, but each time, he had only moved his things in, fitting them around Dale’s. He hadn’t made any decisions on how he wanted the place to look, and all the other decorations had been from Dale’s old life.
“We’ll redecorate together,” Dale said, his chest squeezing. “Are you going to propose, or not?”
Greg laughed.
They were already bondmates, of course. The bite marks on Dale’s scent glands had healed; Greg’s marks silvery, Dale’s own bites bright on Greg’s skin. But this was another part of the glue that bound them together, and Dale wanted to be tied in every way to Greg Hastings.
Greg sank onto one knee, his confident grin falling from his mouth. He slid the rings off the crane’s neck, holding them out in his own hands. Then he met Dale’s eyes uncertainly, as though he was afraid Dale would return to his old ways, and reject him all over again.
“Are you gonna—” Greg cleared his throat, a hint of red creeping up his neck. “I mean, Dale Kinney, will you marry me?”
Dale’s heart swelled. For the past few months, since this all began, he’d never once thought that marriage was possible between them. But Greg had bonded with him. Greg had rejected his father’s opinions to stay with Dale. Greg believed in their future, and they were both looking forward to raising their child.
Dale loved this alpha, this man who had taught him to see past his age. Greg had offered Dale a place in his heart, had sworn to care for him, had given him a second chance, and Dale... would never think of life without his alpha again.
“Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you,” he breathed, bending down, about to kneel.
“No, don’t do that,” Greg said, shuffling forward, holding Dale’s belly in his palms. “You’re pregnant.”
“Just because I’m pregnant, Greg Hastings, doesn’t mean I can’t kneel.” Just to prove his point, Dale held on to the counter and knelt before his alpha, his belly swollen with their son. “Now we’re equal.”
“Gods, you’re so damn stubborn,” Greg said, but his eyes shone with love. He took Dale’s hand, sliding the smaller band onto Dale’s ring finger. “But you’re sure about this.”
Dale smiled, taking Greg’s hand, and the larger ring. Then he slid the ring onto his alpha’s finger, pressing a kiss to where metal met skin. “Do you believe it now?”
Greg’s eyes lit with joy. Dale cupped his face, kissing him firm on the lips, and Greg slipped his hands around Dale’s abdomen, holding their child. Then he kissed down Dale’s throat and chest, to his round belly. “Your dad accepted my proposal,” Greg whispered, lifting up his shirt to kiss Dale’s belly. “We’re all gonna be a happy family.”
“When I first met you, I had no idea you were going to be this sappy,” Dale murmured, a soft smile on his lips. “I just thought you were a reckless young alpha who wanted to get in my pants.”
“I still want to get in your pants,” Greg said, cupping him between the legs.
Dale purred, his eyes slipping shut. “Gods, I love you, Greg. I guess I’ll forgive you for hitting on me.”
Greg laughed. “C’mon, the bathroom’s probably not the best place to do this.”
“It probably isn’t. I wouldn’t mind a change of scene.”
Greg slid his arms around Dale, helping him to his feet. Then he scooped Dale up against his body, and Dale clung to him, his limbs wrapping around Greg with easy familiarity.
Four months ago, when Dale had left, Greg hadn’t been sure there was a solution to their differences. Now, with Dale smiling up at him, Greg felt more certain of himself. He would live his life, and continue to convince Dale that Dale was every bit as deserving of his love.
Dale had changed, too, for the stronger. These days, they went to the stores together, and Dale slipped his hand into Greg’s, unafraid of others’ judgment. On the weekends, they would go to art classes together, and Dale would sit with Greg, touching his arm, or his hand.
This peace had been hard-won; Dale didn’t think either of them would forget that. But they had overcome all their hurdles, and they would face the future together from now on, hand in hand, two hearts stronger together than apart.
Epilogue
One month later
“My water broke,” Dale yelped in the middle of a clay sculpting class, smushing his spinning lump of clay. “Oh, gods, Greg, what do I do?”
Twenty other students looked over.
“Stay calm,” Greg said, his own heart pounding against his ribs. They had read up on this. Water breaking was no big deal. They just had to grab their overnight bag and head to the hospital. No need to panic.
“Right, okay. Stay calm.” Dale sucked in a deep breath, the lump of clay squeezing long and thin in the grip of his fists. It spun on the pedestal, curving up over his hands, its round tip vaguely phallic. “Oh, gods, this looks like a penis. Is it because it’s a boy?”
Greg snorted. “You’re the doctor. You tell me.”
“I didn’t do my dissertation on penis theory!”
The rest of the class was still looking over, and on the other side of the room, June tried to hold back her laughter. Greg sighed. “We’re gonna have to stop here,” he told their art teacher. “Is it okay if we just leave?”
The beta frowned disapprovingly from behind thick glasses, waving them off. “You’re disrupting the energy of this space,” she said. “Off with you.”
Greg stood, wiping his hands off on his apron. Then he helped Dale to his feet, leading him to the sink. “You’re sure your water broke,” he murmured.
Dale nodded. “Yeah. It feels a little wet.”
“Okay.” They rinsed the clay off their hands, drying them on paper towels. They strode—Dale waddled—out
