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The sound of their pup crying broke the silence that had settled over the two-bedroom apartment Jensen shared with his mate Jared. Cracking his eyes open, he forced himself up and onto his feet, using the arm of the couch to balance himself. His equilibrium had been off since he’d start showing with their second pup. Rubbing a hand over the small swell of his stomach, he started to make his way toward the second bedroom - what used to be his bedroom before Jared had mated with and claimed him as Jared’s mated omega - to what was now their first pup’s bedroom. “I’m coming, Lucas,” he called when he heard their pup cry out again. Taking a few hesitant steps, he stopped when he heard his mate’s baritone voice coming from the second bedroom. He blinked owlishly, looking around to see Jared’s messenger bag and jacket hanging from the coat rack by the front door. “Jared?” He hadn’t heard Jared come in but then again he had probably been asleep. With him carrying their second pup, he tired easily and often napped when Lucas was napping.
“Hey,” Jared called with a dimpled grin as he stepped out of Lucas’ room carrying their pup in his arms. He saw the confused look on Jensen’s face and gave a soft chuckle. “You were asleep when I got home and I didn’t want to wake you. You’ve been tossing and turning in bed lately and I know you haven’t been sleeping that well. I had hoped I got to this one,” he patted Lucas’ back, “before he woke you.”
“I can take him,” Jensen instantly responded. Raising his arms up, he opened them to accept their pup. “He’s probably hungry after his nap.”
“Probably,” Jared agreed, “but I can feed him. Is there a bottle in the refrigerator?” Jensen normally let their pup suckle from him but he knew Jensen still had a bottle or two ready in the refrigerator in case he wasn’t readily available for their pup. Jared started for the kitchen area only to stop when he heard Jensen’s voice.
“Jared…” Jensen called when his alpha turned from him. He could feel his chest becoming heavy with milk and the overwhelming need to release the pressure. Having their pup suckling from him would help with that feeling. While Lucas was nearly nine months old, he still preferred to have their pup suckling from him for the time being. He’d deal with weaning Lucas from the milk he produced as he got closer to whelping their second pup. He knew he couldn’t handle two pups suckling from him and Lucas would be old enough to be bottle-fed but right now he was dealing with enough changes in his life and wasn’t ready to tackle anything else.
Jared turned back to see a distressed look cross Jensen’s face. He looked down to see Jensen’s chest swelling and he knew what that meant. The hungry cry of their pup had triggered Jensen’s body into producing milk to feed their pup. “Oh…” he breathed out. “Yeah, sure…” he was still in awe of his mate. He was in awe that Jensen was his mate and that Jensen had been as in love with him as he had also been in love with Jensen. He hadn’t been thrilled to find out that Jensen had hidden his omega status from him. If Jensen’s suppressants hadn’t failed, and if he hadn’t returned home early from a weekend away, he might never have known that Jensen was actually an omega and not the alpha he had been pretending to be. Upon learning of Jensen’s secret and catching the alluring scent of an omega in heat, his omega in heat, he’d claimed and mated with Jensen. There was no way he was letting Jensen go after realizing that Jensen was meant to be his mated omega. Since the night he had claimed Jensen, they had been happily mated. Now, not only had he been blessed with Jensen as his mate, but Jensen had also given him his first pup, Lucas, and was now carrying their second pup.
“Why don’t you get comfortable?” Jared nodded toward the couch, watching cautiously as Jensen turned and made his way back to the couch. He couldn’t help himself as he hovered over his mate as Jensen lowered himself back down onto the couch, using the armrest to steady himself. Once he knew Jensen was comfortable, he lowered Lucas into Jensen’s outstretched arms, and then took a step back, watching as Jensen unbuttoned the shirt he was wearing, a shirt that happened to be one of his old dress shirts, and nestled Lucas so their pup was able to suckle from him. His breath hitched at that sight. The sight of Jensen feeding their pup never failed to amaze him. The sight of Jensen swollen with his pup was one that stole his breath. He loved the idea that he had managed to get his mate pregnant for the second time. He loved lying there in their bed with his large hand spanning Jensen’s stomach, feeling the warmth of his mate’s skin against his, and now he was able to feel the small fluttering movement of their growing pup. His focus shifted from their suckling pup to Jensen’s face. His mate looked so content. Jensen was resting with his head against the back of the couch cushion, his eyes were closed, and he had a small smile on his face. Seeing that, he couldn’t fight the desire to join his mate and their pup. Closing the distance between them, he gently took a seat next to Jensen hoping not to jostle Jensen while Lucas was latched onto him. Reaching out, he rubbed his thumb along Jensen’s jaw.
Jensen hummed in response to Jared’s gentle caress. He loved when Jared touched him. He loved the feeling of Jared’s larger and more muscular body against his. Jared’s skin was warm to the touch. He wasn’t sure if it was an alpha trait or just something in Jared that ran hot but he loved the warmth Jared gave off when Jared crowded against him. He still couldn’t believe that Jared had chosen him. He was such an undesirable omega as far as others, especially other alphas, had been concerned. He’d never thought Jared would want him as his omega. He was nothing like the petite omegas Jared had dated in the past. And, most of those omegas had been female. But then again, he’d hidden his omega status from everyone, not wanting anyone to know what he really was. It was easier for him to pretend to be an alpha than to be rejected as a possible mate. The only reason Jared had discovered his secret was because his suppressants had failed while Jared had been away. Jared had been on an extended weekend getaway with an omega he had been seeing. The omega had happened to meet her mate on that trip which resulted in Jared returning home earlier than he’d expected to find him in the throes of an unplanned heat. Jared had caught the scent of an omega in heat. Thinking it was another omega in his bedroom, Jared had pounded on his door demanding to be let in. When he’d opened his bedroom door and Jared realized he was the omega in heat, he’d thought his world was about to crash in around him. To his surprise, Jared had announced that Jensen was his mate and had claimed him after mating with him and he couldn’t be happier to be mated to Jared. Opening his eyes, he raised his head to look at Jared. “What?”
A lazy smile spread across Jared’s face as he took in the sight of his mate holding their pup while Lucas suckled from him. He loved seeing Jensen wearing something of his. After Jensen had taken one of his hoodies to nest with when he had been in heat, he’d insisted that Jensen keep the hoodie. Even now, when Jensen felt that he needed comfort while he was at work, Jensen would wear his hoodie. Now, Jensen had taken to wearing his old button-down shirts. They were more comfortable for Jensen to wear since he had started showing and it was easier for him to unbutton them to feed their pup. The sleeves might have been longer on Jensen, forcing his mate to roll them up but other than that Jensen had no issues with wearing them. “I just love you.”
“You’re just saying that.” Jensen chuckled softly and then repositioned Lucas, switching the pup to his other side so they were both more comfortable. “Especially since I’m carrying another of your pups.”
“Yeah, you figured me out,” Jared countered with a deep chuckle. “I’m just mated to you so you’ll carry my pups. After that, I have no use for you.”
“I knew it.” Jensen plucked Lucas off of him and raised the pup to his shoulder gently patting Lucas’ back to help settle him.
Jared leaned into his mate and pup, scenting them before kissing them. “What would you like for dinner?” he asked as he got to his feet. He knew Jensen was probably hungry and tired and he enjoyed preparing their meals. It was just something he could do to take care of his mate. Jensen had reduced his hours at work once they had discovered that he was carrying their first pup. Jensen tired easily and had experienced severe morning sickness with his first pregnancy. At one point toward the end of his pregnancy, he had been put on bed rest. Thankfully Jensen had been able to work from home or he was sure Jensen would have lost his mind. Now Jensen worked from home part-time. With their second pup on the way and with their move from the apartment they currently resided in to the four-bedroom home they had just purchased, he had a feeling it would only be a matter of time before Jensen made the decision to stop working altogether. He was fine with whatever his mate decided; he just wanted Jensen to be happy. If staying home to raise their pups was what Jensen wanted, he would support Jensen’s decision. If Jensen decided he wanted to continue working, he was fine with that as well. He would never tell Jensen that he had to give up working. If he needed to help out more, he would happily do whatever it took to care for his family and ensure that his mate was happy.
“Something that’s easy to make. How about pasta? I think there’s a jar of sauce in the cabinet,” Jensen suggested.
“Sounds good. I can make garlic bread.” Jared saw the grimace on Jensen’s face. “Is that a no on the garlic bread?”
Jensen shook his head. “Just the thought of that makes me queasy.” Thankfully so far he hadn’t been hit with severe morning sickness like he had when he’d been carrying Lucas. He did his best to limit any food that made him nauseous, and every day was a new challenge in figuring out what might cause him to become queasy. The last thing he wanted was to deal with severe morning sickness while taking care of their nine-month-old pup. The other thing he was hoping to avoid was being placed on bed rest. He knew there was no way he would be able to care for Lucas, Jared, and their home if that happened. So far, he hadn’t had too many issues with his second pregnancy, but there were still five months to go and he knew anything could happen. He also hadn’t really spoken to Jared about his desire to stop working. While he worked part-time he was finding it difficult to be pregnant, care for Lucas, Jared, and now try to pack up their apartment. He was thankful that the publishing firm he worked for allowed him to work from home but he felt that everything was becoming too much for him to handle. He wanted to devote his time to their pup while Lucas was still young. He didn’t want either of their pups to be in daycare. He wanted to be a stay-at-home omega. He just wasn’t sure how Jared would react to that idea. He hoped Jared would at least be open to the idea. Jared made enough money working as a senior accountant that they would be able to live comfortably. He just didn’t want Jared to resent him for wanting to stay home. He also didn’t want their pups resenting him if he wasn’t able to stay home with them. His family was the most important thing in his life.
“I’m going to get dinner started,” Jared announced as he got up and made his way into the kitchen. With the open concept of their apartment, he was able to see Jensen and Lucas cuddling on the couch. After filling the pot with water and setting it on the stove and starting the sauce simmering in another, he rounded the counter to set the table. With that done, he leaned against the breakfast bar to take in the sight of his mate and their pup. He noticed the dark circles under Jensen’s eyes made him appear haunted-looking. He took a deep breath, holding it as he crossed his arms over his chest before exhaling. “I want to talk to you about something.”
Jensen looked up from Lucas with an alarmed look on his face. Jared had a slight smile on his face and he could tell by that look that Jared was trying not to cause him any concern. “What… what do you want to talk to me about?” He could feel his heart sinking as he was flooded with a sense of panic.
Feeling his mate’s rising panic Jared held his hands up. “It’s nothing to worry about. I just wanted to talk to you about… I want you to consider leaving your job.” He watched as a look of shock crossed Jensen’s face. “Just think about it, that’s all I’m asking. I know you’re tired. Who wouldn’t be taking care of one pup while pregnant with another and trying to work, part-time? I make enough for us to live comfortably on. I just think it would be great for you to stay home with our pups.” He gave Jensen a moment to digest what he’d just said to him. When Jensen remained silent, he continued speaking. “If it’s not something you’re interested in, that’s fine. I’ll support your decision, whatever it might be. I just want you to know you have that option and I care about our family. I care about you and what makes you happy.” He took in a sharp breath when he saw Jensen staring at him. “Just think about it.” With that, he turned his attention back to preparing their meal, making his way around the counter to finish cooking while Jensen placed Lucas in his playpen where they would be able to keep an eye on their pup while they ate.
At first, Jensen didn’t know what to say. Jared had caught him off guard with his declaration of wanting him to stay home. His first reaction had been to protest, to tell his mate everything was fine, that he was fine and handling the caring of their pup, their home, and his mate just fine. But as he sat there for a moment he realized that had been a knee-jerk reaction. “I’ll think about it,” he finally said as he placed Lucas in his playpen and joined Jared at the kitchen table for dinner. “How was your day?” He wasn’t ready to admit to Jared that he had been thinking of leaving his job or that he wanted to stay home to raise their pups. He wasn’t happy trying to divide his time between working and taking care of his family. He thought he had managed to mask his discontentment but somehow Jared had picked up on it.
“Busy, like always. Actually, more so now that I’ve been promoted.” Jared gave Jensen a mischievous grin. He had mentioned that he had applied for the now vacant supervisory position in his department but really hadn’t said much else about it until now.
Jensen’s head snapped up and he dropped his fork onto his plate. “Wait… What?” He knew Jared had been hoping to be promoted from senior accountant to supervisor of his department but hadn’t dared to ask him anything further on the possibility. He watched as a dimpled smile spread across Jared’s face. “You got the promotion! I’m so proud of you.” He reached over and grabbed his mate’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks…” Anything else Jared was about to say was cut off by the sounds of Lucas babbling and banging his toys.
“Someone is very proud of his papa,” Jensen announced as he pushed himself away from the table to check on Lucas. Bending down, he pulled Lucas up and into his arms, swaying side to side as he stood next to the playpen holding their pup. “Papa got the promotion. Isn’t that wonderful?” He gave Lucas a peck on the cheek before placing him back down in the playpen so Lucas could play while he and Jared finished eating. Walking back over to the table, he stopped next to Jared and kissed him before reclaiming his seat. “It’s too bad I’m pregnant or I’d suggest celebrating with a glass of wine.”
Jared reached over and grabbed Jensen’s hand. “I don’t need a glass of wine to celebrate. I have you, Lucas, and the pup you're carrying. That’s all I need. How about after we finish eating I pack up a few more boxes while you give Lucas a bath?” He wanted to give Jensen a break from the packing he’d been doing for the past few days. He knew the packing had been slow going for Jensen and he had specifically told Jensen not to overdo it or try to pack any heavy objects. He was more than willing to do as much of the packing as he could while not making Jensen feel like he wasn’t capable of doing something on his own. He never wanted to make Jensen feel belittled or have Jensen think he thought of his mate as a delicate and breakable omega. He knew Jensen was as strong as any alpha, maybe even more so.
Jensen looked around their apartment. He had done what packing he could in his condition. The majority of what was left to pack up was the kitchen, their clothing, and Lucas’ room. The apartment Jared had found had come furnished so they didn’t have to worry about that. Plus, when they moved into their new home, the new furniture they had purchased would have been delivered by then. Jared had taken care of having the walls repainted and the house cleaned before they stepped foot inside. He appreciated Jared’s attention to the smallest of details and his mate’s thoughtfulness to his needs. He also knew it was the alpha in Jared that instigated the need in his mate to make sure their family was taken care of. “Sure, that sounds good. I think I have enough energy to bathe your pup.” He chuckled when he saw the incredulous look on Jared’s face.
“My pup?” Jared scoffed.
“Yes, he’s yours when he’s rambunctious and mine when he’s asleep or just wants to cuddle.” Jensen shrugged when Jared made a plaintive noise in the back of his throat. “It’s just how it works.” Chuckling, he pushed himself away from the table and started to pick up his plate to carry into the kitchen only to stop when Jared reached out to grab his wrist.
“Leave it. I can take care of that. You go deal with my wayward pup.” Jared flashed Jensen a dimpled smile, watching as his mate shook his head and joined him in laughing.
“Okay, Lucas, it’s time for your bath and then bed.” Jensen picked up their pup and started for the bathroom only to stop and turn back to Jared. “Wave bye to Papa.” He lifted Lucas’ right hand and helped the pup wave at Jared. “How about you do not drench me and I won’t try to drown you?” He heard Lucas make a gurgling sound and nodded in agreement as they disappeared into the bathroom.
Standing by the kitchen table Jared listened as Jensen spoke softly to Lucas explaining how he was turning on the water and was going to undress their pup. A fond smile crossed his face at the thought of how caring Jensen was with Lucas. With a contented sigh, he picked up their dishes and made his way into the kitchen to clean up, and then started packing up what he could. When he was finished, he found Jensen in Lucas’ room sitting in the rocking chair, humming softly as Lucas suckled from him before being put down for the night. He knew not to speak loudly when they were like that. “So, is he ready to be put to bed?”
“Yeah, he’s just about out,” Jensen whispered looking down at the pup in his arms. Lucas looked so much like Jared in his opinion. He had Jared’s fox-tilted eyes along with the same hazel eye color. Lucas also had Jared’s skin tone and chestnut-colored hair. The only resemblance he saw of himself in their pup was his lips. Other than that, Lucas was the spitting image of Jared. Gently pulling Lucas away from himself he handed their pup to Jared, watching as his mate placed Lucas in his crib. He held his breath waiting to see if Lucas was going to stir or cry out in protest at being pulled away from him. He hated the fact that Lucas was so far away from them but he knew he couldn’t have a crib in their bedroom. After whelping Lucas, the pup had slept in a bassinet next to their bed but Lucas had grown out of it, forcing them to use the crib they had been gifted with. He wasn’t happy about the change but knew it was a necessary one. Lucas needed to sleep in his own room and he and Jared had needed to be intimate without fear of waking their sleeping pup. He was also happy that in their new home their pups would be close to them and not on the other side of the house like Lucas was in their apartment.
Jared turned to see the look of apprehension on Jensen’s face. “He’s asleep and he’ll be fine. If he fusses we’ll be able to hear him over the monitor.” He extended his hands to help Jensen up from the rocking chair, gently guiding his mate out of Lucas’ room and toward their bedroom. Once inside he pulled Jensen into his arms. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” Jensen confirmed, rising up onto his toes so he was able to kiss Jared. Before too long he wouldn’t be able to do that, not with a pregnant belly getting in the way. He felt Jared deepen the kiss as Jared tightened his hold on him. He didn’t pull away until his lungs were screaming for oxygen. “I really am proud of you,” he said once he had caught his breath. “Your boss would have been a fool not to promote you.”
“Thanks.” Jared pulled away, watching as Jensen began to undress. His breath hitched in his throat at the sight of Jensen’s pale freckled skin. He wanted his mate but he wasn’t going to push Jensen. Slowly, he pulled his focus from Jensen to undress, letting his clothes fall to the floor without care when he heard Jensen calling out to him.
“Alpha…” Jensen said as he stood naked next to their bed.
Jared licked his lips in appreciation of the sight of his naked mate. “Omega,” he responded in a low voice. “Are you trying to tempt me?”
“Maybe,” Jensen said as he climbed onto the bed, lying so he was on his back looking up at his mate. “Is it working?”
“Definitely.” Jared climbed onto the bed between Jensen’s legs, nudging them to open further to accommodate his larger frame without putting a strain on Jensen’s body. He surged forward to capture Jensen’s lips in a searing kiss mindful of his mate’s pregnant stomach and trying his best not to crush Jensen under his body weight. “Are you sure?” he panted out after their kiss ended. He wanted Jensen but he wouldn’t force his mate into mating with him if Jensen was too tired.
Reaching up, Jensen ran his hands through Jared’s hair, pushing it back from obscuring his mate’s eyes. “Yes, I’m sure. I want you.” Lifting his head off the pillow he craned his neck so he was able to nip at Jared’s lips. He gave a plaintive whine when Jared pulled away from him only to gasp when he felt Jared’s lips on his left nipple. Even though Lucas had suckled from him not that long ago, what Jared was doing to him with his lips and tongue, was coaxing his milk to the surface. “Jar… Jared…” He bit his bottom lip as he moaned when Jared latched onto his nipple and started suckling from him.
“You taste so good…” Jared murmured as he let go of Jensen’s left nipple to latch onto the right one. While he suckled from that nipple, he snaked a hand between Jensen’s legs, delving between the globes of Jensen’s ass until his fingers found his mate’s slick hole.
Jensen felt his toes curl as a shudder ran through him when Jared’s talented and nimble fingers began to work him open. He did his best to push back onto his mate’s fingers but it wasn’t enough, he wanted to feel Jared’s cock splitting him open. “Please… Alpha… Jared,” he panted.
Jared pulled off Jensen’s nipple to look up at his mate. Jensen was lying with his head on the pillows, his eyes were closed, and Jensen had sucked his bottom lip in between his teeth. He noticed the flush of Jensen’s pale skin, making his mate look like the picture of sin. “What do you want?” he asked and then licked over Jensen’s pebbled nipple, smirking when he heard Jensen gasp.
“You… I want you… please…” Jensen begged knowing Jared wouldn’t make him wait too long before his mate gave in to what he was asking for. He whined at the sudden loss of Jared’s fingers when Jared withdrew them.
“Roll onto your side,” Jared husked as he pulled away, giving Jensen the room his mate needed to roll away from him and onto his left side, propping a pillow under his pregnant stomach for support. As soon as Jensen was comfortable he molded himself to Jensen’s backside and used Jensen’s slick to ease his throbbing cock into his mate’s tight heat. He moaned in pleasure at being inside his mate and heard Jensen calling his name.
“Jared, Jared, Jared,” Jensen chanted trying to get his mate to move. He felt Jared kissing his neck and his right leg being moved to give Jared room to move, hooking it over Jared’s thigh. He leaned back into Jared as his mate began to thrust into him pulling gasps and moans of pleasure from him.
Jared started out with shallow thrusts which quickly intensified as his knot began to form. He knew it wouldn’t be long before he was tied with Jensen. With one powerful thrust, he forced his knot past Jensen’s sensitive rim, tying them together as he bit down on Jensen’s neck. He heard Jensen moaning his name and he knew what his mate needed from him. Snaking a hand past Jensen’s thigh, he took his mate’s hard cock in his hand and fisted Jensen until Jensen came, calling his name. Hearing Jensen’s pleasure-laced moans caused his cock to twitch and had him chasing his own orgasm.
As his breathing returned to nominal, Jensen felt Jared’s large hand rubbing over his stomach and heard Jared's whispered words of how Jared loved him. “Love you, too.”
“Mine,” Jared growled possessively and held Jensen closer to him.
“Always. I’ve always been yours.”
“I love you,” Jared murmured and then captured Jensen’s lips for a heated kiss.
When the kiss ended Jensen figured it was time to tell Jared the decision he had made about leaving his job to stay home with their pup. “I thought about what you said earlier, about me staying home…”
“You don’t have to make a decision now…” Jared cut in.
“I want to be a stay-at-home omega. I don’t want to be away from Lucas or the pup I’m going to whelp. I don’t want to put them in daycare. I’ve been thinking about it for a little while but I wasn’t sure how to bring it up or how you’d feel about it.”
Jared rubbed his hand up and down Jensen’s arm hoping to soothe his mate’s distress. “I’ll support whatever decision you make. I just want you to be happy.”
“And I am happy. I love you, Lucas, and this pup,” Jensen said as ran his hand over his stomach. He and Jared had made the decision to wait to find out what they were having. They had liked the excitement of wondering if he would whelp a boy or girl with Lucas and had decided to do that again with this pregnancy. “I just think I’ll be happier devoting my time to taking care of our growing family.”
“If that’s what you want, if that’s what you feel is best for you, then you have my support.” Jared kissed Jensen’s shoulder and then dropped his hand to rub over Jensen’s stomach feeling the slight movements of their growing pup.
“Thank you. I really appreciate your love and support. I’m going to give my notice. I won’t leave them high and dry. I’ll give them a month and offer to help with the transition of the person who replaces me. Then after that, I’m going to just be your mated omega and care for Lucas and eventually this pup.”
“You’re so much more than just my mated omega to me. I hope you know that. You’re the heart of our family and the love of my life.”
Jensen felt his cheeks beginning to burn from Jared’s words. At first, he wasn’t sure what to say. He had never been one to take a compliment very well. He always felt self-conscious when he was the center of attention. “Thank you. You’re the love of my life.”
Knowing how his mate was feeling tense, Jared kissed Jensen hoping to get his mind focused on something else. “How about we try to get some sleep? We’ll be tied for a while.” He tightened his hold on Jensen and buried his nose in the crook of his mate’s neck taking in the scent of his content omega.
“That sounds good,” Jensen said with a yawn and then relaxed into Jared’s arms. He was happy with his decision to stay home so he could take care of his family and was relieved that his mate approved of his decision. And to his amazement, Jared had brought up the idea of him leaving his job, encouraging him to do so. He knew he was lucky to have such a wonderful mate. “Love you,” he murmured before drifting off to sleep.
“Love you,” Jared confirmed, softly kissing Jensen’s cheek. His mate was content and he was happy with that was his last thought as he gave up fighting against falling asleep.
Whatever changes life threw at them, they’d deal with them as they came.