Page 144 of I Replaced His Husband
Seeing Adam’s intense attention and remembering how blunt he could be, I let out a low, warning growl, pitched just right for a beta to hear.
Adam flinched, snapped out of it, and looked at me. I gave a small shake of my head, silently telling him to zip it. He swallowed hard and… asked about Kay’s car, leaving the nest topic alone.
I caught a grateful look from Kay. It made me happy, because it was further proof of how in tune we were, how well I could read his needs.
But… turns out Adam hadn’t completely dropped it. Well, he wouldn’t be himself if he had.
Later that same day, while Kay was taking a nap after our session of passionate lovemaking, he came to find me on the patio and shared a theory.
He said Kay hadn’t really built full nests while he was with Maurice, and he thought there could be a specific reason for that. Adam believed it hinted at a certain emotional immaturity in their relationship, or maybe more accurately, in how Kay had felt during it. Like he’d relied entirely on Maurice and the figurative ‘nest’ Maurice created with his own energy. I agreed with him; those had been my thoughts, too.
But I also made it clear to him that I’d prefer any talk about the nest to stay between us, and that Kay’s privacy shouldn’t be disturbed in any way. No comments were welcome. I explained that Kay was sensitive about this, and I expected Adam to hold back completely, not even staring, just to avoid making Kay uncomfortable. Adam eagerly agreed, apologizing for zoning out in Kay’s room.
The truth was, not only I but also Adam and Marco were genuinely happy to see Kay’s mental health improving, something that his robust nesting clearly reflected.
Kay had found peace within himself, in his omega nature, and that came with real strength, the same kind of strength I’d seen in my dad every day, even after everything he’d been through. Watching that strength come alive in Kay wasbeautiful and deeply satisfying. For the first time, I started to more profoundly understand just how important nesting was for omegas, how intricately it was woven into who they were.
As for us?
It was… wonderful.
We had long talks, endless hours of cuddling, slow walks on the beach hand in hand like lovers do… We even made small trips to neighboring towns, going to restaurants and stores with products for children, though we were avoiding the center of White Cliffs and local folks. We didn’t comment on it, and I kept to myself that people here considered Kay acursed beauty, but he clearly felt it pretty well on his own, and we had this silent agreement to keep our distance from the resident population.
During those weeks, I got to know Kay. I mean,reallyknow him, as he opened up to me, one layer at a time. We weren’t just lovers; we became real friends, the kind who fully trusted each other.
We’d often sit out on the big patio behind Marco’s house, just soaking in the view of the sea. Sometimes I’d lie with my head in Kay’s lap, and he’d stroke my hair while looking at me with this tenderness I’d never seen before.
Other times, it was the opposite; he’d curl up in my arms on the couch, and I’d run my hand gently over his face, sometimes letting it drift down to his belly to feel Ray’s light kicks. When I put my ear to his stomach, I could hear the baby’s heartbeat. It filled me with this quiet, overwhelming joy.
This little life was growing inside him, a life I’d helped to save and protect, my energy keeping him healthy.
One afternoon, just a week before the birth, we were relaxing together when I leaned close and whispered to Kay, "You know, since we’re True Mates, my infertility has been healed, but I don’t know how you feel about having morechildren besides Ray. Still, I want you to know that I’ll accept your decision, whatever it is."
Kay blinked, and his eyes moved over my face a little absently, as if he’d drifted off into thought, though his cheeks were slightly flushed. Then he whispered,
"Well, I appreciate that, but… I’ve always pictured a bigger family, not just one child. I have two brothers myself, and as you know, they’ve always been a huge support for me. So if you’d like to have a few kids too, I’m on board. Maybe three or four…" He blushed, and gave me a soft smile, full of warmth and shy hope.
I grinned widely. "I’m so glad you said that! But…" I hesitated. "It doesn’t change anything, I’m going to treat Ray like my own. I’ll love him and give him everything I’d give my firstborn. And if you’re okay with it… I’d like to adopt him. Give him my last name."
Kay reached up and quickly wiped his cheek. "Your last name? Hmm… is that a proposal in disguise?" He let out a small huff.
"Maybe it is," I laughed, a little embarrassed. "But you deserve a way better proposal than this. Something really romantic. I was planning to wait until after the birth, when we’d have some time to ourselves. I was going to cover the whole room in rose petals and candles, you know, go all out. But I’ll say it now anyway. Even though True Mates are technically considered married, I still want to have a real, official wedding with you."
Kay gaped for a moment, then his face lit up and he sighed dramatically. "Fine! I agree, but I still expect the rose petals and candles version. Deep down, I’m a romantic!"
I reached over and gently stroked his belly. "Then you’ll get it. Oh, Ray agrees too, I felt him kick! I think he wants to schedule it for… next May?"
???
Kay’s labor started right on his due date, like his pregnancy had followed some exact schedule. We headed to the hospital, where the Sanderses had arranged for a private room just for him, complete with his own doctor and two omega midwives.
Honestly, Adam and Marco were probably more nervous than I was. Kay’s in-laws kept sending us texts every few minutes. They seemed unsure about coming in person, probably worried they'd add to the stress and crowd around Kay. I really appreciated how respectful they were about keeping their distance.
The contractions were strong from the beginning, and Kay let out loud groans. But I had a plan, something my father once shared with me, the secret behind why all my dad’s births had been almost painless. I sat behind Kay and focused, just like my father had taught me, picturing my energy absorbing the sharpest edge of his pain. After a while, I felt him relax a little, his breathing growing slower and deeper.
"Wow," he murmured, "that contraction wasn’t so bad. Are you working some kind of True Mate magic, Rain?"
I laughed and kissed the back of his neck, which was damp with sweat. "It’s a trick my father taught me. Let’s see how much of the pain I can take from you."
