Page 83 of Labor of Love

EPILOGUE

ALLEN

Pain lances through my middle. I lean against the wall, holding my swollen belly, breathing through the pain until it passes. I put a note in my phone of what time that contraction hit and how long it lasted.

Making my way through the house, I find my mate sitting at the dining room table. A thrill goes through me as I think about Dario being my mate. It’s still hard to believe the two of us have gotten together. Who would have thought hiring an alpha would lead to mating that same alpha? Not me.

I walk over to him, careful not to disturb him. After quitting his job at the agency, Dario started doing a lot of transcript work for a company that hosts a streaming service. He gets to watch every episode before it airs and get all the transcripts up to date. It’s a super cool job that he’s enjoying. I like that it makes him happy.

Leaning over, I kiss the side of his neck, right over his mating bite. It’s so pretty against his dark skin, showing the world that he’s taken. I’ve never been possessive in the past but there’s something about Dario that brings it out of me.

“Hey,” Dario murmurs, pausing the video and taking his headset off. “What are you up to, little omega?”

That pet name has stuck and it makes lightning shoot down my spine every time he calls me that. I smile at him, stealing a quick kiss before walking into the kitchen.

“Just checking on you. How much do you have left?”

“Just finishing up right now actually.”

“Perfect timing,” I tell him with a grin. “Do you have the car packed?”

“Of course. Everything is ready. We’re just waiting on Titus.”

“Well,” I say slowly, grabbing myself a glass of water. Another contraction hits and I wince, doing my best to breath through it. I hold the glass so tight I’m worried it might break. Thankfully, the contraction stops before that can happen. “I think the waiting is just about over.”

That gets Dario’s attention. He looks up at me from over his laptop, tilting his head. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I think we should think about heading to the hospital soon.”

“What? Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

I roll my eyes. “Everything is okay. I’m just having a baby.”

“What? Right now?”

“Not right this second,” I say with a chuckle. “I’ve been having contractions for the last couple hours but they’re finally close enough together for us to head to the hospital.”

Dario’s reaction is instant. He shuts his laptop and starts running through the house, yelling that I should have told him sooner. Such an overprotective alpha. There’s a reason I only told him now. I knew he’d worry himself into a frenzy if I’d told him sooner.

He gets everything packed into the car and starts to drive away, only turning around when he realizes I’m still standing at the front door.

Eventually, we get to the hospital and after a few hours of labor, Dario and I welcome Titus into the world with his giantbrown eyes and curly black hair. I’ve quite literally never seen a more perfect baby in my entire life.

“He’s beautiful,” I whisper, turning watery eyes towards my mate who’s staring down at our baby with wonder.

“He really is. Just like you,” Dario says, leaning over to kiss my sweaty head. “You did so well, Allen. I’m so proud of you, sweetheart.”

“Thank you,” I whisper, my chest overflowing with love and affection. “I’m so glad I hired you that day,” I say with a startled laugh.

“Me too.”

We share a chaste kiss over our baby’s head before he’s letting out an annoyed cry. The two of us part. I chuckle, knowing this will be far from the last time Titus interrupts us. I grab a bottle and bring it to his lips, giving him what he needs.

“I love you,” I whisper into Titus’ thick black hair. Then I look up at Dario. “I love you too. I feel like the luckiest omega alive.”

Dario steals another chaste kiss. “And I’m the luckiest alpha. I love you, Allen. Thank you for giving me everything I didn’t know I needed. This might have started as a job, but it’s ending in forever.”

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