“Nah, you wouldn’t.” Spike grinned. “Only this will swell.” He reached down, patting Micah between his thighs. Dregs of sticky come smeared down Spike’s fingers.
It was late. They’d spent the past two hours on a video call with Kai, stripping and fucking, Micah on his hands and knees, his belly so swollen that it almost brushed the bed. Right now, he was leaning against Spike, just catching his breath.
Their omega was so beautiful.
“Say it,” Kai rumbled, leaning closer. “You heard him. Spike’s not gonna stop until you do.”
Spike grinned at his brother. “And you know Kai’s right.”
Micah laughed, shaking his head. “The two of you are impossible.”
Probably why they were all huddled around their laptops, talking late into the night.
Two months ago, Kai had brought Micah’s bed sheets back to Colorado with him. He’d also worn Spike’s used clothes on the trip there, and Spike had made sure to mark Kai all over with juniper before he’d left. He’d left some bite marks on Kai’s shoulders, too. Then, his thighs. They weren’t quite as numerous as the scars Kai had left on him, but it was a start.
In just another month, Kai would be home for the off-season. And then he would be here every day, close enough to touch. Spike couldn’t wait. He knew Micah was excited, too. And just as excited about the baby in his belly, the bump now basketball-sized.
Any day now, Micah would go into labor. It made Spike and Kai just the tiniest bit antsy.
“But you do know you’re beautiful,” Kai said, looking pointedly at Micah. “Definitely the strongest omega we know.”
Time and again, they’d told Micah all the reasons they loved him. Kai had sent little postcards addressed to Micah, with just a few short handwritten lines. You’re beautiful. You’re worthy. You’re loved. And Micah would stare at them for a while. Spike had tucked the postcards into Micah’s closet, just above his clothes, so he’d see them every day.
Over the past two months, Spike had watched as Micah began to believe them. He walked with more confidence now, his shoulders straighter, a smile on his lips.
Micah sighed. “All right. I’m beautiful.” He smiled, though, at ease when Spike raked his gaze over Micah’s face.
“You know it,” Spike whispered, kissing Micah’s narrow shoulders.
“Kiss him for me,” Kai growled.
Spike leaned around their omega, tipped Micah’s face up, and kissed him thoroughly on the lips, darting into his mouth. Micah groaned. On the other end of the video call, Kai rumbled with approval.
Spike stroked Micah’s scars. The ones on his face, and the ones down his chest, his arm, his leg. Sometimes, Spike completely forgot that the scars hadn’t been there before. Other times, they reminded him of Micah’s struggles to stay alive after that fire, and the insanely strong person his omega was.
Gods, he wanted Micah to be truly his and Kai’s. That final step, the one people knew not to mention so much anymore. It wasn’t like Kai was flying back just to propose. It didn’t make financial sense.
“I need to pee.” Micah winced.
Spike helped him off the bed, watching as Micah waddled over to the bathroom, half-closing the door behind himself. He could still hear the conversation, though. So Spike jammed his finger on the Lower Volume button, and stuck his hand under the mattress, where he’d shoved a tiny box.
“Kai,” he whispered, glancing at the door to make sure Micah was still in the bathroom. “They arrived today.”
Kai leaned in, reaching forward to tweak the volume on his end. His eyes gleamed with anticipation. “Show me.”
Spike cracked the velvet box open. They’d ordered a set of custom rings from Meadowfall Dreams, the best jeweler in town. Inside were three wedding bands—two thicker white gold ones, and one slender band, also white gold.
But the unobtrusive gemstones were the important part: On Micah’s ring, a gray moonstone and a brown smoky quartz sat on either side of a sapphire, promising safety. On Spike’s ring, the smoky quartz held together moonstone and sapphire, bringing them together. And on Kai’s, sapphire and quartz flanked the moonstone, a vow of intimacy.
The gemstones were the colors of their eyes, and together, the different arrangements represented their relationship—that no one dynamic was stronger than the others, that each of them would always be most important to their two bondmates.
Spike couldn’t wait for Micah to see them.
“Kinda pixelated from here,” Kai said, but his eyes glowed with approval. “What do you think?”
“Mine fits.” Spike wriggled. “And I think we gotta get Micah’s resized—his fingers have swollen up a bit more. I couldn’t fit his on when he was napping. It fits on his pinky, though.”
Kai thought about it. “Might need to wait until after the birth. I’ll get him a necklace. Easier than constantly resizing his ring.”
“Sounds good.” Spike glanced up when the toilet flushed. He shut the box, cramming it back under the mattress. Raised the laptop volume again.
Micah stepped out of the bathroom, a hand on his belly and a frown wrinkling his forehead. “I think it might be starting.”
Spike stopped breathing. “What’s starting?”
“The contractions.” Micah bit his lip, tensing. Then he hunched over with a low groan, and Spike’s insides clenched. He bounded off the bed, crossing the room to scoop Micah into his arms.
“I’m booking a flight,” Kai said, clicks and keyboard-tapping sounding from the speaker. “Gonna take four, five hours to get there.”
“You have a match tomorrow!” Spike said. Micah panted in his arms.
“I can take a couple days off for the birth. I’ve already talked to Coach.”
Spike set Micah gently on the bed. He rubbed Micah’s back, then his belly, dropping kisses all over his face. Held Micah until Micah stopped hunching around his belly. “We’ll get you to the hospital as soon as we can,” Spike murmured, trying not to panic. “Hang in there.”
When he recovered from the contraction, Micah huffed weakly. “It’ll
