“Yeah?” Raph kissed his cheek. “Want more babies first?”
It wasn’t a terrible idea. Wyatt smiled, looking at Ben, then Hazel. They were adorable, and Wyatt would never regret them, not even for a single day. “I don’t see why not.”
“Does that mean I’ll get more brothers to play with?” Hazel bounced on her heels.
“Probably.” Raph smiled, nodding for Hazel to join them. “C’mon over. Group hug.”
Hazel groaned. “That’s cheesy, Dad.”
But she padded over anyway, snuggling between Wyatt and Raph, leaning away from Ben so he didn’t grab her hair. Wyatt hugged them all.
They’d come a long ways, him, Hazel and Raph. Hazel had stood by Wyatt through the difficult times, young as she was. With Raph by his side, Wyatt had finally been able to give her a stronger dad. Someone she could look up to.
She loves you as her dad anyway, Raph had said. No one can replace you.
And maybe he was right.
Without Raph, Wyatt knew he wouldn’t have dared stand up to Grandma. Max would’ve still been around, and Wyatt would still have been afraid.
But with Raph as his alpha, Wyatt had made the decision to follow his heart. He stood stronger, and he was learning to see the good in himself. He wore Raph’s markings on his skin, and he’d built a family with his alpha, a home they were all safe in.
Someday, maybe he and Raph would have another child. For now, Wyatt was content to hold his family, and look forward to their future.
4
Omega’s Stepbrother bonus scene
(This takes place sometime between the last chapter and the epilogue)
“Are you hungry for more?” Wyatt asked his son, holding up a spoonful of pureed turkey-and-squash. Ben licked at the food, then turned away, more interested in Hazel twirling her sparkling hula hoop in the kitchen doorway.
“I guess that means you’ve had enough,” Wyatt said dryly, wiping Ben’s face clean. “We won’t tell Daddy that you didn’t like the squash dinner he made.”
“It needs bacon,” Hazel said, scrunching up her nose. “Baby food is gross.”
As the owner of a noodle restaurant, Wyatt couldn’t really fault her for saying that. “Babies don’t need the seasonings we do,” he explained. “Besides, he’s too young for bacon.”
“Sucks to be a baby,” Hazel said.
“It’s not so bad. You were a baby once.”
“I didn’t eat boring food.”
“Yes, you did.” Laughing, Wyatt finished the last of Ben’s pureed squash, leaving Ben to entertain himself in his high chair while Wyatt did the dishes. Ben babbled at his stuffed teddy. Then he threw it across the room, giggling when it bounced off the wall and fell onto the ground. Wyatt sighed. “My hands are soapy, Ben. I can’t get that for you right now.”
Ben patted the high chair’s plastic tray. The front door clicked shut.
“Daddy!” Hazel cried, bounding away from the kitchen. “You’re home!”
Wyatt’s heart skipped. Now that they had returned to work at Wy’s Drive-In, it was rare that they were both home at the same time. Most days, Wyatt supervised the daytime shifts, and Raph took care of the restaurant at night. Increasingly, Wyatt was looking forward to his next day off, so he could snuggle up with Raph and not have to think about work for a while.
Raph made his way into the kitchen, Hazel bouncing next to him.
“You’re home early.” Wyatt frowned. “Did something happen?”
Raph grinned and dropped a kiss on Ben’s head, picking up the fallen teddy. “Pete begged me for a few extra hours, said he needs the money. So I said okay. I’ll be back for closing later.”
There was something under his arm, though. A small package. “What’s that?” Hazel asked, reaching for it.
Raph transferred it to his other arm. “It’s something for your dad.”
“Me?” Wyatt frowned. He didn’t remember ordering anything, and he didn’t know anyone who would send him mail.
“I bought it.” Raph’s gaze darkened. “Can’t wait to see how it looks on you.”
That piqued Wyatt’s curiosity even more. The package was too small to contain a shirt, or pants. Socks? Or... underwear? Judging by the way Raph was eyeing Wyatt all over, it was probably underwear. Wyatt squirmed. “I’m still wrinkly.”
Raph shrugged. “I don’t mind.”
“I do.” Wyatt had done all sorts of things to try and un-wrinkle his belly after his first pregnancy, but nothing had worked after he’d given birth to Ben. He’d been dimming the lights, wearing shirts to bed so Raph wouldn’t have to see his postpartum abdomen. Deep down, he knew Raph loved him. But he wanted to look pretty for his alpha. And his belly didn’t help.
Raph stopped just behind Wyatt at the sink, pulling him into a hug. Then he dropped kisses down Wyatt’s neck, brushing his wrists all over Wyatt’s chest. “Mine,” Raph murmured, hugging him tighter. “Doesn’t matter what you look like.”
“But—”
“I’ll make you feel pretty.”
Wyatt’s heart skipped. He wanted to feel pretty. Or at least, he wanted to feel comfortable in his own skin.
Raph’s breath rushed through Wyatt’s hair. He hummed, rubbing Wyatt’s sides, then his arms, taking the wet dishes away to dry them.
“I’m doing the dishes,” Wyatt protested faintly.
“Yeah, well.” Raph grinned. “I’m helping them go faster.”
They played hide-and-seek with the children when the dishes were done. Raph carried Ben—they were the searchers. Raph had Ben ‘find’ Wyatt first. Wyatt leaped up and blew raspberries on Ben’s belly. Ben squealed. Then they found Hazel, and she made a face.
“You always find me so quickly,” she whined.
“Your dads have something to do after this,” Raph said under his breath. Wyatt bit down his smile.
It took a while to tire out the children. Then, when Ben and Hazel were tucked into bed, Raph backed Wyatt into their bedroom, dropping kisses all over his face. “Been waiting to get you alone,” Raph growled, pinning Wyatt against the wall. “You look so good.”
Wyatt blushed. “I’m still wearing all my clothes.”
“There’s nothing you can do that’ll make you look bad,” Raph growled. “Unless you covered yourself in something gross.”
“Like wrinkles?” Wyatt asked dryly.
“No, I mean rotten tomatoes.”
