I don't answer immediately because lying to him now would undo everything we’ve been working toward.
"Yes."
"So this baby doesn't just tie me to you, it makes you untouchable. It gives you everything your father ever used to control you." His fingers press harder into my palm. "I can feel through the bond, that you're not scheming. I know this isn't a trap. But it feels like one, Dominic."
"I know it does." I squeeze his hand back. "And yes, I calculated what the heir clause means on the bench thirty seconds after you told me. That's who I am and I'm not going to pretend I didn't think it." I stop walking and turn to face him on the sidewalk. "But I would burn that clause to the ground before I'd let you think our baby is a business strategy."
Whatever he finds on my face makes his grip on my hand ease.
"Don't burn it. Use it." The corner of his mouth twitches despite the tears still drying on his cheeks. "Use it to bury your father. Just don't use it on me."
"Never on you."
We keep walking as the apartment building comes into view. Amos is standing in the doorway, completely still with his arms at his sides and his glasses pushed up into his hair. Mattaniahstops at the bottom of the stairs and looks up at Amos. He lets out a small sigh, the weight of what he’s about to say vibrating through him.
I try to push some confidence through the bond, watching as our Omega’s emotions play out on his face. It takes him several seconds to say anything but when he does, there’s no beating around the bush.
"I'm pregnant." He says, the word comes out stronger this time than it did on the bench.
Amos comes down the stairs, holding back until he gets to the sidewalk and reaches Mattaniah, cupping his face, his mouth pressing against Mattaniah's forehead. His scent washes over both of us, gone warm in a way I haven't caught on him in years. "How far along?" Amos’ voice wobbles slightly.
"Two weeks. Maybe. I took two tests."
"Two tests is a sufficient sample size." Amos' laugh comes out wet. "I would have recommended three but two is sufficient."
Mattaniah's composure breaks as he folds into Amos' chest. I step forward and press against Mattaniah's back, the three of us content to hold each other there for a moment.
It feels like forever before we finally make our way inside, Amos moving toward the kitchen to start some tea before Mattaniah curls on the couch with his feet in my lap and his head on Amos' shoulder after he returns. The pregnancy tests sit on the coffee table between us.
"You suspected," Mattaniah says to Amos. "In the kitchen this morning, when I couldn't keep the blocker down."
"The blocker rejection combined with post-heat timing was a strong indicator." Amos' thumb traces slow circles on Mattaniah's shoulder. "I wasn't sure, and I didn't want to put that on you before you had the chance to find out for yourself. Your body was protecting the pregnancy by rejecting anythingthat could interfere. It's actually a good sign, Niah. It means the hormones are strong."
"A good sign?" Mattaniah's voice is thin. "My body staging a coup against my blocker regimen is a good sign."
"That's not a coup, that's instinct doing exactly what it's supposed to do." Amos' voice is gentle. "Your body knew before you did."
Mattaniah is quiet for a long moment. His feet press against my thigh and I wrap my hand around his ankle, grounding the contact without gripping.
"I'm not ready," Mattaniah says. "But I'm here."
Amos pulls him closer and presses his mouth against Mattaniah's temple. "How are you feeling physically right now?"
"I'm nauseous and tired, and my chest hurts." He pauses before continuing. "My scent changed. I noticed it at the park. There's something sweet underneath everything else that wasn't there this morning."
"It's vanilla and honey." Amos says it quietly, his nose still close to Mattaniah's hair. "I can smell it. It's going to get stronger."
Mattaniah turns his face into Amos' neck and breathes in. "Tell me something with numbers in it, something that makes this feel less terrifying."
"Omega pregnancies following breakthrough heats after prolonged suppressant use have a higher rate of successful implantation than standard conception." Amos' voice settles into the cadence of someone explaining something complicated to someone he thinks is smart enough to follow. "Your body spent seven years storing the reproductive energy your blockers were suppressing. When the heat broke through, everything your system had been holding back released at once. The pregnancy isn't an accident, Niah. Biologically, your body was more ready for this than most planned pregnancies."
"So what you're telling me is that my body has been planning a baby behind my back for seven years."
"What I'm telling you is that you and your baby are healthy and the numbers are on your side." Amos laces his fingers through Mattaniah's. "I already pulled five studies on post-suppressant Omega pregnancy outcomes. The data is good."
"You pulled five studies in three hours."
"I pulled five studies in the first forty minutes. The rest of the time I was building a prenatal nutrition plan cross-referenced with your blocker withdrawal timeline."
