Zinn moved in with Calder during his second trimester, and they held their own commitment ceremony shortly before the baby was born. Zinn remained adamant about not getting legally married, although he did change his last name to Rosen.
Now, five months after that, they were finally settling into a rhythm.
Ryde spent several nights a week with Calder and Zinn, but the households often got together, meeting for board game nights at the Rosens’ house, or barbecues in the Pashuks’ backyard. Assaloved seeing Ryde around Calder’s sons, and as a big brother to Lachie.
He just wished Valentin could stop being so weird about the baby.
Tonight, the two families were attending opening night of the high school drama department’s spring production. Ked had a starring role, as did Kino’s younger brother Zane, who was in Ked’s grade at school.
Assa glanced toward the other side of the auditorium and saw three of Kino and Zane’s five fathers—Teal, Ronan, and Niall. He smiled and waved, guessing that the other two men in their polycule were home with their many younger children.
“Hey, where is Zinn?” Assa asked. “Are we saving a seat for him?”
“He’s in the back with Lachie,” Valentin answered, sounding strained. “I saw him on my way in. He said he wanted to stand near the exit in case the baby got fussy.”
Calder peered at Valentin before flattening his lips. “I offered to hold the baby, but Zinn has me on filming duty,” he said, holding up his phone.
Assa spotted Zinn by the side entrance with Lachie on his shoulder.
The omega winked.
Assa delighted in seeing Zinn with the baby. The resilient omega was finally getting the fatherhood experience he had always deserved. He hadn’t gone back to work at Felton’s, declaring that he would eventually, but wasn’t ready yet, so Calder had hired another cake designer. But Zinn still explored his creativity at home. Recently, he’d begun teaching Ryde the fundamentals of painting with oils.
Although Assa was not as close to Calder as he was to Zinn, he loved the alpha dearly and considered him an integral part of his life. Not to mention he was still one of the most beautiful menAssa had ever seen. It had been nearly ten years since they’d met over the phone that fateful day at the assisted living facility, and Calder still took his breath away. Perhaps even more now that he’d gotten to know him as a father and a friend.
It was interesting that of all the men in Ryde’s life, Calder was the oldest and Zinn was the youngest. They complimented each other in so many ways. Zinn maintained a zest for life and a desire for freedom that a younger alpha might find intolerable. But Calder took all of Zinn’squirksin stride. Zinn taking his sweet time to move into Calder’s house? Fine. Zinn wanting a commitment ceremony rather than marriage? Fine. Zinn having conflicted feelings about Valentin? More than fine, since Calder did everything in his power to make sure Valentin understood he was neither jealous nor resentful of their connection.
The day after Lachie was born, Valentin had politely declined to hold him in the hospital when Zinn offered. Calder watched the exchange, then pulled the younger alpha aside.
Assa overheard them talking in the hallway.
“I understand this is perhaps strange now. Uncomfortable, even,” Calder said. “But when the day comes that it isn’t strange—and it will—you should know that I want you to be a big part of Lachie’s life. Take your time to feel however you’re going to feel, but when you’re ready, we’ll be here.”
Assa had gotten used to Calder making statements like that. It made sense, after everything he’d been through with his first husband, that he’d remained steadfast in his good humor and equanimity.
The lights in the auditorium flashed on and off.
“That’s the thirty-second signal,” Calder said, pressing buttons on his phone. “Hopefully I don’t mess this up.”
“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Wes said, playfully punching his shoulder. “Just don’t drop it.”
“And probably keep your thumb away from the lens.” Valentin smiled.
A baby cried out and Assa looked over to see Zinn place a pacifier in Lachie’s mouth.
Next to him, Valentin tensed again.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Zinn
Zinn kissed a sleeping Lachie and laid him in his crib, turning on the frog lamp on the nightstand. It had been a long night. After the play, they’d gone to the pizzeria with half the McGinn family and arrived home close to eleven. He hoped the baby would sleep through until morning.
Lachie looked peaceful, his pink bow mouth moving adorably in slumber. Still, Zinn was uneasy. Because of Valentin.
At the pizzeria, the baby had been passed back and forth between the Pashuks and the McGinns, bounced and cooed over while Calder and Zinn enjoyed the reprieve.
Next to Zinn, Teal exclaimed over Lachie’s size, “Our youngest, Shyla, is five now. I forgot how little they are at this age.”