A Chance at Love Page 7

  Nathan was a senior associate at one of the most prestigious firms on the coast, the little amount of money that it cost to get a plane ticket meant absolutely nothing to him.

  The drive to the airport was as easy as ever, and Nathan and Patrick were easily able to navigate their way to the baggage claim.

  Nathan had really underestimated just how much he would dislike Patrick being out in public. It was one thing to be at the office or out at a nice dinner. The people at either of those places generally knew a thing or two about personal space and never got too close.

  The people of the airport had no such qualms.

  As he and Patrick made their way to the baggage claim, they were bumped and jostled, and Nathan had to restrain himself from snarling at every person, alpha, omega, or beta, that got too close to Patrick and their baby.

  Patrick was his omega. What were all of these people doing so close to someone so obviously taken? Patrick seemed to feel Nathan’s tension and turned to give Nathan a small smile and a shrug. Well, at least Patrick wasn’t too bothered, but Nathan couldn’t turn the intense feeling of possessiveness off.

  Suddenly, Nathan saw Patrick stiffen beside him and out of the corner of his eye he saw Patrick’s face light up.

  “Mom! Dad!” Nathan saw Patrick’s face crack into a wide grin as an older omega woman and a tall alpha approached them.

  As soon as the pair reached them, the woman swept Patrick up into a warm hug. “It’s soo good to see you again honey.” She grinned, and Nathan could immediately see where Patrick got his gentle demeanor from. They even looked alike, with their ash blonde hair and vivid blue eyes.

  “It’s good to see you too.” Patrick mumbled into her neck. He pulled back and tugged his father into a hug that was just as tight.

  Eventually Patrick pulled back, and he turned back to Nathan with the flush that Nathan knew so well spread across his cheeks.

  “So,” Patrick said hesitantly, “mom, dad, this is Nathan. Nathan, these are my parents.” He seemed nervous, though Nathan was unsure of who’s opinion Patrick was more worried about.

  “It’s nice to meet you.” Nathan said, holding out his hand to Patrick’s father who took it in a firm grasp.

  When he went to shake Patrick’s mother’s hand, she just laughed and swept him into a warm hug. “It’s so good to meet you at last, Patrick has told us so much about you.”

  Nathan smiled. “You as well.”

  He was nervous, but he was able to keep any of his nerves from showing. He just wanted to make a good impression on Patrick’s parents. Meeting someone in person was completely different than meeting someone on the phone.

  Nathan was successful in his work life, he knew that he could provide for Patrick financially, but he also wanted to prove to Patrick’s parents that not only could he provide for their son but that he was the right alpha to love and cherish Patrick.

  As he helped them load their luggage into the car, he could see Patrick’s father looking at him and when he caught Nathan looking back, the older alpha gave a slight, almost imperceptible, nod, and Nathan felt some of the tension bleed out of his shoulders.

  Okay, this might not actually be so bad.

  —

  The next few days were far easier than Nathan had expected.

  He had been concerned with trying to impress Patrick’s parents but it soon became apparent that they were just as kind and easygoing as Patrick himself.

  Patrick’s mother and father were gone most of the time the first few days. They had flown in Tuesday and the conference went from Wednesday to Friday night, which was convenient for Nathan and Patrick as they still had to work.

  On Saturday, they took Patrick’s parents on a tour of the city. They hit all of the touristy spots and Nathan and Patrick generally avoided, and then went to Patrick’s favorite hole in the wall cafe to get lunch.

  Thought the entire week, it was incredibly evident just how much Patrick’s parents meant to him and just how close they were.

  Nathan felt a pang of envy but he quickly squashed it. He couldn’t change the past, there was no point in dwelling on it. What he could do, however, was make sure that their child grew up in the same safe, warm, and loving environment that Patrick grew up with.

  Nathan never had the chance to have that sort of familial closeness, but he was determined to do everything in his power to make sure that his child knew nothing but happiness and a loving family.

  For the past month, he had been thinking about how he wanted to propose to Patrick. The simple gold band was practically burning a hole in the bottom of his sock drawer.

  He knew that he wanted to make it special somehow, but he didn’t know how. One thing he did know for certain, however, was that he needed to do this.

  Towards the end of their lunch, Patrick excused himself to go to the restroom. As soon as he was completely out of sight, Nathan turned to Patrick’s parents.

  “I know this has all happened so fast. You barely know me and I barely know you, but what I do know it that I love you son, and I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with him.” Nathan took a deep breath.

  Patrick’s parents were both looking at him, but not with shock or horror. Nathan knew that it was obvious what he was about to say, and they were both looking at him with matching smiles on their faces.

  “I would like to ask Patrick to marry me soon.” Nathan said firmly. There was no question about it, he was going to ask Patrick no matter what his parents said, but at the same time Nathan knew that the approval of Patrick’s parents was important to him. “But first, I would like to ask your approval.”

  Patrick’s mother was the first to crack. Nathan could see so much of Patrick in her, the way that her eyes cranked and the way that her smile nearly split her entire face. She reached across the table to grip Nathan’s hands. “Yes.” She said emphatically. “Patrick loves you and we can tell how much you love him. We would love to have you as part of the family.”

  “She’s better at words than I am, but welcome to the family son. You have our permission to ask for Patrick’s hand.” Patrick’s father said gruffly and smiled at Nathan.

  “You keep saying that it’s fast, but you know, Bill and I were married after only four months.” Patrick’s mother smiled softly. “We’re going on thirty years now. Sometimes when you know, you know.”

  Nathan grinned, but just as he opened his mouth to say something, he saw Patrick weaving his way through the restaurant to get back to the table. He quickly schooled his features and diverted the conversation to something much more innocent.

  Inside, Nathan’s heart soared.

  Everything was falling into place and he couldn’t wait to see what the future held.

  CHAPTER 9 - PATRICK

  “ARE YOU SURE that you want to go out to lunch, what if…”

  “Nathan.” Patrick’s voice was firm. “I swear you worry too much. I’m not due for another week, we can go get lunch. Stop making it a big deal.”

  “I’m your alpha. It’s my job to worry.” Nathan said softly and pulled Patrick into a hug. Patrick went into his arms, grumbling good naturally all the while. While Nathan’s possessiveness occasionally got on Patrick’s nerves, he knew that the alpha meant well.

  The farther along Patrick had gotten in his pregnancy, the more protective Nathan had become. Patrick had decided to stop working a week early, just to be on the safe side, and just stay home to prepare the apartment for the baby.

  They had decided to convert the third bedroom, which currently served as Nathan’s home office, into the nursery. The walls were painted a bright, cheery, blue, and all of the furniture had been assembled. Patrick just had to put the finishing touches. He couldn’t stop rearranging the decorations and he was pretty sure that he had moved the diaper can about ten times out.

  It would be nice to get out of the house, even if for just a bit.

  The restaurant was just a block down the street from the apartment so they walke
d. One of Patrick’s favorite things about living in the south was the warm winter weather, well, warm compared to North Dakota. He was wearing a light jacket whereas Nathan was bundled up, complete with a scarf and hat.

  When Nathan had walked out of the bedroom, Patrick had taken one look at him and burst out laughing. Nathan did the same thing every time he had to go out and it never ceased to amuse Patrick.

  “It’s too cold to walk.” Nathan grumbled as he passed through the door.

  Patrick just rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to retort, but a sudden jolt wracked his body and he froze in his tracks. He looked up at Nathan with wide eyes. “I think my water just broke.”

  —

  The next few hours were an absolute blur. Patrick had heard stories of people that had remained in labor for hours and hours, but he was apparently lucky.

  By the end of the night, he was holding his little baby boy in his arms. Patrick was pretty sure that he had ever love another being so immediately or so wholly.

  He had Nathan’s head of dark hair and Patrick’s icy blue eyes, with a smattering of freckles across his high cheek bones. He was the absolute perfect mix of both of them.

  “He’s perfect.” Patrick heard Nathan breath from beside him.

  “He is.” Patrick said softly. “What do you want to name him?”

  They had discussed names over the past few months of course, but they had decided to wait until their little boy was born to actually decide.

  “How about Tristan?” Nathan asked softly. “After your grandfather.”

  Patrick felt his face crack into a wide smile. That was the name he had been leaning towards as well. He looked down at the tiny bundle that was nestled safely in his arms. “Hi Tristan.” He whispered. “We’ll be going home soon.”

  Patrick turned to look at Nathan and he couldn’t help the gasp that left his lips at the sight that was before him.

  Nathan was still next to the bed, but he had dropped down to one knee and was holding a tiny wooden box out in front of him. Inside the box, there was a thin circle of gold with a single diamond set flush against the center.

  Patrick’s heard began to race. There was only one thing that could be happening now and Patrick was beyond ready. He and Nathan may not have been together for a long time, but there was not a doubt in Patrick’s mind that Nathan was the one.

  They had talked about marriage, talked about spending the rest of their lives together, but it was one thing to talk about it in theory and entirely another to be faced with the concrete reality of it.

  Patrick felt like his heart was soaring. Piece by piece, his life was falling together into something better than he could have ever imagined. He loved Nathan and the little family that they were creating together beyond belief.

  “Yes.” Patrick whispered immediately, his cheeks hurt from how much he was smiling. The answer was yes, it was always going to be yes. He couldn’t imagine a better man, a better father for his child. There was no one that he would rather spend the rest of his life with than the alpha who was kneeling before him.

  “You don’t even know what I was going to ask.” Nathan teased. “Come on, I’m trying to make it romantic here.”

  Patrick had to hold back a snort. He knew Nathan, and he knew that there was no other reason that the alpha would be kneeling before him.

  Nathan just sighed good-naturedly and opened his mouth to speak again. “Patrick, I know we have only known each other for a short amount of time, but you’re it for me. If you’ll let me, I want us,” He gestured to Patrick and Tristian, who was still sound asleep in Patrick’s arms, “to be a family, permanently.”

  Patrick stayed silent for a moment, then he broke down. “Yes, the answer has always been yes.” He whispered. “Now get up here and kiss me.”

  EPILOGUE - NATHAN

  “YOU’RE GOING TO be fine.” Johnathan huffed as he straightened Nathan’s bow tie for probably the fifth time.

  Nathan had taken to fiddling with his tux whenever he got nervous or impatient, which had happened quite frequently over the past hour.

  When Nathan had imagined his wedding day, he hadn’t quite imagined so much waiting.

  The actual planning had been easy. Through a combination of the wedding planner that Nathan had hired and Patrick’s parents, it had been easy to book the venues and coordinate all of the bits and bobs that went into a wedding.

  None of that had mattered to Nathan. They could have gotten married at the courthouse for all that he cared, as long as he got to marry Patrick. It didn’t matter if they were in a fancy church or on the beaches of Bali, all that mattered to Nathan was that at the end of the day, Patrick would be officially, permanently, his.

  They had ended up deciding to have a small, intimate, ceremony with just their close friends and family.

  Nathan was pretty sure that the ceremony was supposed to have started already, but the music hadn’t started for the wedding party to walk out yet.

  He couldn’t help but be impatient. Soon after they had woken up, Patrick had been whisked off by Tyler to get ready from the big day, and they had been told that they couldn’t see each other until the actual ceremony. Even Tristan had been taken by Patrick’s parents so that Nathan could get ready without having to also care for a six month old.

  It was something about bad luck, which Nathan frankly thought was bullshit but he wasn’t going to make a fuss.

  All in all, Nathan hadn’t seen either his son or the love of his life in over six hours, and he was beyond ready to have his son back in his arms and Patrick back by his side.

  Just then, music began to play and Johnathan gave Nathan a light shove, followed by a wide grin. “Come on, let’s go.”

  Nathan didn’t trust himself to speak so he just followed.

  The small church that they had chosen looked simply amazing filled top to bottom with flowers, but everything around Nathan suddenly became a blur of color and noise the second that the music changed and Patrick stepped foot out onto the aisle.

  It was almost as if time stopped for a moment.

  Nathan had never seen anything as breathtaking as Patrick in that moment. When the door had opened and he had stepped through, the evening sun that shone behind him had make Patrick look like he was bathed in an ethereal golden light.

  As Patrick walked down the aisle towards him, Nathan was pretty sure that he forgot how to breathe.

  The ceremony itself was utterly forgettable. All Nathan could focus on was Patrick standing before him, gorgeous and unforgettable in his white tux.

  Nathan was the luckiest alpha on earth to be able to spend the rest of his life with this amazing omega.

  It was a good thing that Nathan had practiced his vows, over and over, because he was having difficulty concentrating on anything but the pure joy and love in Patrick’s eyes.

  “You may now kiss the groom.”

  The words startled Nathan out of the daze he had fallen into, and he immediately reached up to cup Patrick’s face.

  “I love you.” He whispered, looking into Patrick’s brilliant blue eyes, which were welling up with tears. That wouldn’t do. Nathan couldn’t stand to see Patrick cry, even if they were happy tears.

  “I love you too.” Patrick whispered back, and Nathan leaned down to kiss him gently.

  He could hear more talking and cheering in the background, but nothing mattered more to Nathan in that moment than the omega in his arms.

  Nathan had the omega of his dreams, a wonderful son, and a life that he couldn’t have even imagined even a year or two ago.

  Things may not always work out as planned, but Nathan wouldn’t have it any other way.

  IF YOU LIKED A Chance At Love, check out Leanne Summer’s Sweet Beginnings Bakery series. These five books are filled with smart, witty, omegas and kind alpha’s that you’d be happy to take home to your parents. The series included His Omega All Along, His Omega to Keep, Finding His Omega, His Omega’s Second Chance, and Becoming His O
mega.

  Take a look at the first book, His Omega All Along, below.

  Taylor has a problem. He has been in love with Alex, his omega best friend and roommate, for as long as he can remember.

  Alex owns Sweet Beginnings Bakery in downtown D.C. and he has two constants in life, the delicious baked goods he serves to his customers and the fact that he is madly in love with his alpha best friend, Taylor.

  Neither Taylor nor Alex is willing to risk their friendship and upset the careful balance that exists between them, but everything changes when Alex is roped into going to a wedding as Taylor's fake boyfriend.

  After the fallout from an inevitable night of passion, Alex and Taylor are left to pick up the pieces of their shattered relationship.

  It may have been a mistake, but this mistake may give Alex and Taylor a shot at the family they had never thought possible.

  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07P3HH294