Sam blushed a bright red. Harris frowned, but his lips twitched up.
“It’ll be safe for you to,” Smith said, tapping into the keyboard. “But do stop and consult a doctor if you experience any pain or discomfort.”
“Will do,” Valen said. They’d go slow, then. And deep. Kiss Sam all over, make him pant.
Harris shook his head and smiled, and Valen could imagine him saying, Always thinking about sex, that one.
Well, Valen would bet that Harris would be all over Sam anyway, after they’d all gotten home tonight. He nudged Harris in the side. Harris squeezed his ass.
“Would you like to see the baby yourself?” Dr. Smith asked, holding up the ultrasound probe.
Harris perked up.
“Yeah,” Valen said. “Harris wants to.”
Harris frowned. Valen shrugged. It was Harris’ baby, too. Harris had been quiet the entire visit. Was he worried about the baby? Or was he afraid the doctor would think he was too old?
Besides, Sam had already told the doctor they were all the baby’s dads.
Smith handed Sam the probe. Valen nudged Harris forward.
Harris gave him an unreadable glance, then stepped up next to Sam, wrapping his hand around Sam’s. Then they looked at the screen, moving the probe this way and that, Harris’ other hand cupping Sam’s hip.
They both wanted the baby so much, and Valen felt like maybe something was wrong with himself.
He swallowed, wondering if he should step out of the room, leave them to their wonder and anticipation.
“Would you like to know the baby’s sex?” Smith asked.
Sam exchanged a look with Harris, then Valen. Valen shrugged. Didn’t matter, either way. Whether it was a boy or a girl, or alpha, beta, or omega. All of them were good.
“Yes, please,” Sam said.
“It’ll be a boy,” Smith said.
Valen held his breath. Imagined the baby in Sam’s belly, the little bundle of life that he’d hold in his arms.
They were going to have a son.
It made the baby more real, and a little more daunting. Someday in the near future, he’d dress his son up, feed him, carry him to Harris and Sam. Their baby would be in mittens and warm clothes, and Sam would lift him from Valen’s arms.
And then their son would grow into a toddler, walking and talking, and he’d learn things from Valen.
Shit, Valen really didn’t want to screw up. He’d messed up enough things in his life.
“V, you want a look?” Harris asked, looking over his shoulder at Valen.
Valen wasn’t sure he wanted to step forward, but Harris nodded him over.
He paused beside Harris, and wrapped his hand over Harris and Sam’s. Watched the screen as Harris steered the ultrasound probe.
“Here’s his face,” Harris murmured, bringing tiny eyes and a mouth into view. “Looks like he has five fingers on each hand.”
“You counted?” Sam asked, smiling.
“Yeah.” Harris cracked a smile. “Of course I did.”
Valen looked down at Sam’s belly, at their hands on the ultrasound probe. Harris’ warmth soaked into his arm, and Sam’s belly glistened with gel. Somewhere in there, a baby lay with his fists curled. At some point in the future, he would look at Valen and say, Daddy.
And maybe his son would love Valen more than his own father did.
He swallowed, his chest tight.
“Here, have a go,” Harris said, wriggling his fingers away from their stacked hands. “This thing’s pretty neat.”
Valen closed his fingers around Sam’s, and turned the probe back and forth, watching the speckles on the screen shift. Aside from the baby, he couldn’t tell what everything else was. Just parts of Sam’s body. And Sam was fine, smiling up at him.
Valen could live with that. Could live with Sam and Harris happy, because he loved them. And maybe he could learn to love his son.
He stepped away from the exam table with Harris, waiting as Sam got dressed. Dr. Smith shook hands with all of them again, and they stepped out of the office, back into the waiting room.
“Four more months,” Sam said, smoothing his hand over his belly. “Seems a long time, and yet not at all.”
“What do you want to name our son?” Valen asked. That sounded... strange. Our son.
“Landon?” Sam said. “I don’t know. I’ve liked that name for a while.”
Valen nodded. Harris set his hand on Sam’s back and Valen’s, steering them to a row of empty seats. When they were seated, Valen snuggled up against Sam. “I like Landon.”
“Landon it is,” Harris said. “It’s a good name.”
“But whose family name should he have?” Valen blurted.
“Yours,” Harris said.
Valen suspected Landon Fields-Tolstoy was a little too much to ask for. “What about Landon Fields-Brentwood?”
Or “Fields-Tolstoy-Brentwood,” Sam said, laughing. “That’ll be such a pain to write on homework.”
“It really would.” Valen winced. “By that logic, Landon Fields would be the best name.”
Harris frowned. Valen nudged Sam toward Harris. Harris sighed, reaching around Sam to smack Valen’s shoulder. “Always wanting your way, V.”
Before Valen could reply, the receptionist called, “Sam Brentwood!”
“I’ll get the payment,” Harris said, standing.
“I feel bad,” Sam said, his gaze trailing after Harris. “You guys have been paying for everything.”
Valen caught Sam’s hand, pressing kisses to his palms. “Big H is fine with it. Besides, he’s a dad too, right?”
Sam opened his mouth, then sighed, leaning into Valen. “I guess.”
To stop Sam from worrying about the money, Valen said. “When we pick you up from work later, I think Harris is gonna eat you up. You’d better get ready.”
Sam’s breath caught. He met Valen’s eyes, read Valen’s seriousness. And then blushed.
“C’mon, you’ve been with us five months,” Valen said. “Or maybe about three with Big H. You know how he is. He doesn’t mind spending the money.”
“Yeah,” Sam said, curling his fingers into Valen’s hand. “I’m still... surprised that you’re sharing him with me.”
“He’s perfect, isn’t he?” Valen grinned. “And you’re perfect, too.”
“So are you,” Sam said, but Valen didn’t believe him.
He leaned in instead, pressing a slow kiss to Sam’s lips, slipping into his mouth.
Mine, his instincts roared. Sam and Harris were perfect, and Valen wasn’t going
