“I’ve already told you, but this is the best news ever.”
Zinn returned his grin. “I never imagined feeling this way again. Excited about the future.”
Calder reached for him, but Zinn rocked back on his heels. “No. Let me get this out.”
Calder’s lips flattened but he nodded.
“I’ve had a lot of time to think over the past twenty-four hours, ever since I saw Ryde. And I keep coming back to the idea that in every version of my future, you’re there. Before this baby, even before you offered to help with my heat, you offered your friendship like a lifeline. Whether you were the Calder who took a chance and gave me a job, the Calder who let me get to know his sons, the Calder who suggested I design cakes, or any of the other Calders who was there for me, even when I pushed you away. You were always making me feel safe.”
“It’s been my privilege, sunshine. Doing all those things for you brought me back to life as well.”
“I meant what I said last night. You’re my alpha. And in every way that counts, you have been for a long time. You’re my alpha in the way I always imagined it could be.”
“I love you.” The words popped out of Calder’s mouth without warning, straight from his inner alpha. He inhaled Zinn’s sugar maple aroma. It was mixed with something else now. His own scent. Because they’d made a baby.
Zinn ground his hands together. “Cap?”
“Hmm?”
“I love you too.”
Calder’s head snapped back. He hadn’t expected to hear those words, not yet.
And Zinn had more words.
“I love you. And I don’t want to spend any more time being afraid of trusting you or this happiness. For the first time in my life, I can take what I want with no conditions. No questions asked. No one telling me it’s wrong or that I’m not allowed to decide.” Zinn hoisted himself up onto the counter, crooking his finger at Calder. “Come here, alpha.”
Calder’s knees nearly buckled at the omega’s gravelly voice. The hungry look in his eyes. He moved forward until he stood between Zinn’s spread thighs. “Here I am.”
Zinn wrapped his legs around Calder’s waist and looped his arms around his neck. He pressed an open-mouthed kiss to the patch of skin exposed by the undone buttons of Calder’s shirt. “I’ve never made love to anyone outside of heat,” Zinn mumbled into his chest. He looked up. “Will you make love to me? Make me yours not because of this baby or because you want to keep me safe, but because we choose each other.”
Calder leaned down to kiss his lips softly. “Anything you want, my omega.”
He laced his fingers beneath Zinn’s ass and carried him toward the stairs. He was no longer a widower who had buried his heart with Denni, just as Zinn was no longer the omega whose parents had stolen his life. They were two men who had decided to live.
In his bedroom, Calder deposited Zinn gently on the mattress. He kicked off his shoes and removed both their shirts before kneeling in front of the omega to take off his socks and shoes.
“What do you want?” he asked.
Zinn looked half-drunk as Calder rubbed the arches of his feet. “I don’t know,” he said dazedly. “Other than you inside me.” Suddenly, he sat up straighter. “The boys are out, right?”
Calder laughed. “We have at least a few hours.”
“That’s good. So we can take our time.”
“Yes. We’ll get to the part where I’m inside you—I want that too—but I plan to enjoy this. Savor it.”
Zinn offered another lazy smile. “I never imagined anyone savoring me.”
Calder kissed Zinn’s ankle before tugging off his pants. Within moments, both of them were naked and he was back on his knees before the omega. He worshipped him with his eyes as his hands massaged his calves. Zinn fell backward onto his elbows, humming his pleasure.
As Calder paid homage to the sweet dimples behind Zinn’s knees, he had a flash of memory. Fumbling through sex with Denni. Calder had been so young, and often felt inept in the bedroom, especially the first few years.
With Zinn, it was the opposite. He was clear-headed and sure of himself, all-in from the moment he’d offered to service Zinn’s heat. And he planned to make sure his omega enjoyed every benefit of his confidence and experience.
“Your scent is so strong,” Zinn whispered. “Pine and clove like a holiday forest. It’s hitting me like a drug.”
“Those are your pregnancy hormones talking.” Calder trailed his mouth up Zinn’s chest, urging him onto his back until he was braced on his forearms above him. “Because you have a piece of me inside you.” He nosed into Zinn’s neck, scenting him urgently. His tongue lapped over the sensitive skin.