Page 65 of The Kingpin's Omega Lover
“Get in line.” But Malori was secretly looking forward to giving birth this time. He was free, he lived freely with his baby’s father, and their child would never know a day without his or her parents. “It’s true what they say, though. You really don’t remember the pain. Only the joy of holding them for the first time.”
Or the moment you held them for the last time. Like his daughter.
Malori rested his cheek on King’s shoulder and closed his eyes. Three days after securing Aleks Yovenko, King had made contact with Marta through another business associate, using Aleks as leverage to make the call happen. Malori hadn’t been allowed to listen and wasn’t privy to all the details, but King had made several concessions to the woman in exchange for the information that they couldn’t get from Aleks.
With promises in place on both sides, King had traded Aleks Yovenko to Marta for several legal documents, as well as reassurances from King that he would cease his attempts to punish her for auctioning off Kensley. Kensley had agreed to the deal before King presented it to Malori. It was a huge personal sacrifice on Kensley’s part, but it helped knowing that Oswald was still intent on punishing Marta for kidnapping his sister.
Marta was unlikely to get away with her ample crimes much longer.
The most important document Marta traded was the adoption papers for Malori’s eldest child. An adoption to a painfully kind couple who had provided a wonderful life for his daughter. A life Malori had agonized over for weeks and, ultimately, decided not to rip her away from.
He would grieve that loss for the rest of his life, but Malori also woke up each morning confident he’d made the correct choice for the course of hers. He slept each night knowing that Ziggy was watching from afar, and that he would send notice if her life veered even a fraction off course. Only then would they interfere.
Nothing would ever replace his daughter in Malori’s life, but he could move forward knowing she was happy and loved.
King’s hip beeped. He pulled his cell out of his shorts pocket and chuckled at the screen. “Davia is asking what we want for breakfast,” King said. “How do you want your eggs?”
“Two, over easy.”
“Perfect.” King thumbed the reply, then put his phone away. The best part of island life was how infrequently any of their phones rang. Life was slow, simple, and safe.
“I need to rinse off before we eat,” Malori said. “I’ll meet you and Thorn in the dining room.”
“Okay.”
Malori kissed his man then stepped around him. Crossed the sand to the patio and went into their bedroom. He shed his swimsuit in the bathroom and washed quickly in their large, walk-in shower. By the time he’d dressed and joined his two men in the dining room, Bishop and Kensley were there, too, both baggy-eyed and yawning.
Rook was a very demanding baby.
“Is Rook finally asleep?” Malori asked.
Kensley glared over his mug of herbal tea. “For now. I love that kid with my whole heart, but damn. Somedays, I swear he’s allergic to sleep.”
Davia entered the dining room with a platter of hot bacon and fresh toast. She’d become a loyal housekeeper, nanny, and cook for their expanding family, and Malori was grateful for her every single day. She adored children, excelled where their quartet failed, and helped create a warm home environment. After checking how Bishop and Kensley wanted their eggs, she returned to the attached kitchen.
Malori made a quick sandwich out of a halved piece of toast, some butter, and a strip of bacon broken in half. His growing bean wanted food, so he ate what was in front of him. When the eggs arrived, Malori ate his two perfectly over-easy eggs, too, with more bacon and toast. Davia was amazing at producing eggs to order.
She’d opened up more about her past, how she’d come to work for Aleks, and his abysmal treatment of her. Her quick decision to give Thorn back to Malori and make no mention of Aleks’s disappearance made so much more sense.
Naturally, her loyalty was being well compensated.
Thorn finished his toast before the adults were done. King released him from his high chair and into Davia’s care. Thorn adored the woman, who had taken on a bit of a grandmother role. But Thorn had also known Davia since near-birth, so Malori would never begrudge them their bond.
Malori ate toasted bread with butter and jam until his stomach hurt. The locally-baked bread was ten times better than any bread he could remember eating, even the artisan stuff King had ordered for the penthouse. Everything tasted better here, and it wasn’t because everything he ate was seasoned with freedom.
It was also seasoned with love and hope and joy. Three things he’d found because Kensley had come into his life. Three things he’d found because Kensley had a charus and an older brother who’d move heaven and earth to save him. Three things he’d found because Malori had been shot in the shoulder, instead of the heart, and because of the simple, unspoken, unbreakable bond he’d had with King from that very first moment.
He had his son, a baby on the way, and a man who loved them fiercely, without question—all because the universe had finally stopped taking from him and started giving.
“What is it?” King asked, his hand covering Malori’s wrist.
Malori blinked. “Huh? What’s what?”
“I’m not sure. You seemed…not upset. Distant?”
“Got lost in thought.” Malori twisted his wrist so they were palm to palm. “I’m grateful for this. All of this. I don’t think I say it enough.”
“You don’t have to say it, angel. I see it when you smile. There’s an energy in your eyes that wasn’t there until we left the city.”
