The only thing Zinn was sure of was that the five of them were inextricably linked, along with Ryde, Calder’s sons, and the new baby. What that would look like in practice was still to be decided, but for the first time in eight years, it felt like all the holes in his soul had been patched.
“There is a lot to discuss,” Calder said sagely. “But we don’t have to solve it all tonight. Now that all of us have the same information, we can choose how we want to proceed.” He glanced at Zinn. “And you have a loud voice in all this, sunshine. No one will take your choices away ever again.”
“Thank you,” Zinn said, his love for both alphas melding in his heart. “We should probably rescue Ryde from the nurse. Poor kid’s probably wondering why they need to know his favorite subject in school to treat a strained wrist.” He laughed. “And I could still really go for some pizza.”
Chapter Forty-Six
Valentin
Valentin knocked cautiously on Wes and Assa’s door. Tucked under his elbow, a large box containing a tool kit appropriate for an eight-year-old was wrapped with a neat red bow. Valentin had learned that Ryde was like Zeller—dang it! Zinn—in that he excelled at art, and he understood that the Pashuks were Ryde’s parents, but he couldn’t help hoping that he’d passed on his handyman skills to his son.
It had been three weeks since they’d all gotten the shock of their lives at the hospital, and the men were still settling into a new normal.
They had gone for pizza that night and kept the conversation topics light. Valentin stayed fairly quiet, listening and learning the dynamics between the others, surreptitiously watching Ryde on the far side of the booth. He marveled at how much the boy looked like Zinn. Calder’s teenaged sons, one of whom worked at the restaurant, said the same thing when they were introduced.Apparently, it was their first time meeting Assa, Wes, and Ryde, not just Valentin.
A few days later, Wes and Assa invited Valentin to dinner, without Zinn and Calder, and they explained to Ryde that Valentin was his alpha father. They expanded on what they’d told him previously, that Zinn and Valentin hadn’t wanted to give him up but were compelled to do so. They were quick to reassure him that everyone was happy with the way the situation had turned out.
Ryde took the information in stride and was enthusiastic about getting to know his birth parents, if his fathers approved, which they heartily did.
Valentin was fascinated by his son’s thoughtful questions and easy acceptance of his new family dynamics.
It reminded him of the Zeller he’d known, the young omega who was essentially a prisoner of his parents but still chose to be optimistic and find joy in art, books, and whatever else made him smile. Zeller’s resilience was evident in his child.
No.Zinn’s resilience.
Valentin was determined to get it right. Because time had moved on.
Time moving on was also the reason Valentin, Assa, and Wes had continued dating.
Ryde didn’t know they were more than friends, but he would need to be told soon, because their bond grew stronger each day. With Ryde in the picture, Valentin felt closer to the couple than ever before. They were being discreet about the intimate side of things while the situation unfolded, but had agreed their connection was too genuine not to pursue. They just needed to be careful.
Another thing Valentin had to move carefully on was defining what his relationship with Zinn would look like.
The omega captivated him as much as ever. He was still the fierce and highly competent person he’d always been. Only these days, the entire world saw it.
Valentin had loved him for so long, and would always love him. But it was different now. And there was no going back. Calder was Zinn’s partner.
Calder was the father of the baby Zinn would actually be able to raise.
A few weeks after the night at the hospital, he’d met Zinn for lunch. Just the two of them. He’d picked him up from Felton’s and gotten a tour of the place, allowing him to see how talented Zinn was with cake design. Calder shook his hand with a kindhello, then shooed Valentin and Zinn out the door so they could speak privately.
They were eating burritos at a picnic table outside a taco truck when Zinn told Valentin very matter-of-factly that he was pregnant. He explained how awful his heats had been when he’d lived with his parents, and that he’d been planning to use a service until Calder stepped up to help. After everything Zinn endured, Valentin couldn’t be anything but grateful the other alpha was there for him.
In the back of his mind, Valentin had always thought he would reunite with Zeller one day. It was the reason he’d never had sex with any other omegas—he wanted Zeller to be the only one. And he’d been correct about them reuniting. He just never imagined it would result in simply friendship.
But Zinn was happy with Calder and his sons. He had achieved a well-deserved peace in his life. And Valentin was building a future with Wes and Assa.
“I want you to know that I’ll always love you,” Zinn said, squeezing his hand. “I feel like we were robbed of our future… In another universe, we’re raising Ryde together, and this baby I’m carrying is yours. And we’re happy.” He smiled. “But in thisuniverse, Ryde’s parents are Assa and Wes, and we’re so lucky to have them in our lives, and you’re in a relationship with them, and I’m with Calder. And now that we’ve uncovered all the riddles from the past, I wouldn’t change anything. Because I wouldn’t want our son to be different than he is. And I wouldn’t wish for Assa and Wes, and Calder, to not be a part of his life.”
Valentin took a deep breath. “You’re right, of course. And in this universe, I will always love you too.”You will always be the only omega I ever call mine.“We will be part of Ryde’s family, somehow, and I hope you will let me be in your life as well.”
“Absolutely. Calder and I want the Pashuks to know this baby. We plan to be as generous with our son as they’ve been with Ryde. And that means you, too.”
“You’re truly okay with it if me, Wes, and Assa are in a permanent relationship?”
“Not gonna lie. It’s a little weird.” Zinn shrugged. “But it’s probably one of the least weird things that’s happened in the past few months. I’ve known that they’re poly. I don’t judge it. I will say I didn’t realize you leaned that way”
“I’m honestly not sure if I do. At least, I’ve never used that label on myself. It’s less a poly thing and more a Wes and Assa thing.”
