Chi looked around for the baby, but he wasn’t there. Before he could ask Axel where his nephew was, Malachi’s omega father entered the kitchen, his arms full of baby.
“Papa,” Malachi said, instead of a good morning. He shouldn’t have been surprised to see his father here. From the moment he’d texted both his parents to let them know he’d found his mate, they’d wanted to meet him.
The two of them had shown up at his home yesterday when he’d been wallowing because he’d had to stay away from Alfie. His papa had even volunteered to speak to Alfie on Chi’s behalf. He’d shutthatdown before they could finish.
But a day for them was pushing it.
“Son,” his omega dad replied innocently.
Chi rolled his eyes and raised a brow at his dad.
“Don’t give me that look, Chi.” His papa held his gaze. “I only came to help Axel out with Mason.”
Malachi didn’t doubt that was the part of the truth, but he knew that it was only half of it.
“Whatever you say papa.” He had to admit, he was also looking forward to introducing his mate to his father.
The door opened and he couldn’t help glancing over to see if it was his mate, but it was just Malek joining them.
He leaned back in his seat and picked up the mug of coffee that had appeared in front of him courtesy of Axel.
He watched as his brother walked over to Axel and wrapped an arm around his mate’s waist. Instead of the shot of jealousy that used to go through him, he imagined the day when that was him and Alfie.
Malachi didn’t need to be told the moment Alfie walked into the room—he felt him immediately. Their mate bond was nowhere near what it could be, but it was growing, and Malachi couldn’t wait to see what it became. Chi couldn’t help looking forward to the day that he woke up and felt the unbreakable link between himself and his mate.
Alfie smiled shyly at him and waved, so Chi jumped out of his seat and walked over to stand beside Alfie. Chi couldn’t help the flutter in his chest when Alfie moved closer, their bodies touching.
Twenty-One
Alfie
When Alfie walked into the kitchen and looked around, he wasn’t exactly sure what he was looking for until his gaze landed on Malachi. He managed a small smile and a wave, immediately cursing himself for waving like an idiot, but just seeing Malachi had made his heart beat faster.
Malachi stood up from where he sat and came over to Alfie, and, in front of everyone, he placed a kiss on Alfie’s cheek, then whispered in his ear, “I missed you last night.”
Alfie looked up so he could see Chi’s eyes, and all he saw was sincerity in them. It made him brave enough to whisper, “I missed you too.”
And he had.
It was almost like once he opened his heart to the possibility, there was this link between him and Malachi. Not to mention the fact that when he was around his mate—yeah, he was trying to use that more and more—the aches disappeared. He knew as Malachi explained that it was his pheromones. Even with that knowledge, all his heart and head got from that was this man soothed his pain. Literally.
Chi’s eyes lit up like he’d just been told that his team had won the Premier League. No guy had ever looked at him like that.
Alfie grinned, and in the same low voice added, “You can ask anyone. I am not an early riser, but I hoped you’d already be here.”
Instead of a kiss on the cheek, this time Malachi lifted him off the floor and placed a kiss on his lips. Alfie forgot about everyone else in the room for a moment and wrapped his legs around Chi’s waist, letting himself be swept up in the kiss. Malachi was sweet and tender as he took Alfie’s lips. His tongue danced across the seam of his mouth, and Alfie opened for him and allowed him to enter. Fuck, Malachi tasted amazing—the lingering sweetness, his tea, and whatever breakfast pastry he was eating… But underneath all that was this amazing man who looked at Alfie like he hung the moon.
The clearing of a throat pulled both of them out of the kiss. Alfie’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment, getting so caught up that he forgot they had an audience, but Malachi simply grinned and whispered, “Ready to meet my papa?”
If Alfie thought he was mortified before, he wanted to jump off a cliff when he realised he had basically humped Malachi in front of his father.
“Oh crap.” Alfie hid his face in Malachi’s chest and heard chuckling from the man who seemed to not want to put him down, although he did try to get down—granted not a lot—but Chi wasn’t the only one laughing.
“Son, why don’t you introduce us to your mate before he gives a beetroot a run for its money in the colouring department,” an amused voice that obviously belonged to Chi’s dad said.
“You know you could have gone without the beetroot comment if you really wanted to spare him.” Malachi started walking with Alfie still in his arms.
“You could put him on his feet,” Malek teased from where he stood, his arms around Axel.
