Lucas McCallister was born into a stable, caring home. His fathers gave their two sons a lot of love, and Keith and Simons deep affection for each other taught the boys the importance of love and respect for their partner.
Lucas had always looked up to his older brother, who was nine years older than him. Dorian wasn't only kind but adventurous, playful, brave, and always there for Lucas. Dorian took care of his little brother and always let him play with him and his friends. He was Lucas' role model, and the younger boy wanted to be just like his brother. But Lucas was filled with guilt that had plagued him for many years. He was in love with his brother's boyfriend.
Lucas loved Finian from a very young age. He always wanted to see the red-haired boy, always tried to be close to him. Everyone thought Lucas was just looking at Finian as an older brother. But that wasn't the case. Lucas loved Finian so much that it hurt, and every day Lucas had to see him with his brother. He could see how much the two really loved each other. Lucas had to see them hugging, kissing, getting engaged and later married. Lucas always knew he had no chance, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop the feelings he had for Finian. And it took many years before Lucas got over his first love. It wasn't easy because Finian was always where Dorian was. And it hurt so much, more than Lucas could ever describe in words. But he loved his brother far too much to have any ill feelings towards him.
Everything changed when Lucas met Isaac. He was eighteen years old, Isaac was twenty-five. For Lucas, it wasn't love at first sight, but after a few dates with the beautiful black-haired omega with the piercing dark brown eyes, Lucas was without a doubt very taken by the beautiful man. In just a few weeks, his feelings for Finian changed from love to how they should be. The familiar feelings you normally had for a brother-in-law you cared about.
Isaac Tekle and Finian were completely different from each other. Isaac was impulsive, hot-headed, passionate and playful. His hair was black instead of red, his eyes so dark brown that they were almost black instead of Finian's green and Isaac's skin was not pale but dark brown. And he was an omega.
They met when Lucas was shopping for new clothes, and Isaac happened to work in the first store Lucas visited. Isaac had seen Lucas come in with his friends and everything about the platinum blonde man attracted omega. His face, his body, hair and eyes. Isaac had approached Lucas and shamelessly asked if the younger man wanted to have a cup of coffee with him. Lucas was startled, but he quickly agreed. He was single and had never even dated anyone before. So they went to a trendy café, talked for hours, and the first date was perfect. However, it wasn't until the second one that Isaac learned that Lucas was seven years younger than him. Isaac later told Lucas that he was thinking about not meeting Lucas again, but he simply couldn't. Lucas was so interesting, so special and attractive, that Isaac didn't want to let go of him.
Lucas could see that Isaac was shocked when he heard how old Lucas was, and he was relieved when it didn't seem to matter to the older man. Lucas wanted to continue dating Isaac, and the relationship lasted for four years. The first three years were really good. They loved each other, had fun together and never quarrelled. They had a relationship that was exactly what Lucas had always wanted. After a year, they got an apartment together, and they planned to get engaged when Lucas graduated from university. But it was at school that Lucas met Tyler, and he was introduced to Tyler's friends. Through these friends, Lucas and Isaac started hanging out at clubs, rave parties, and EDM festivals. And it didn't take long before their new friends persuaded them to try drugs. Still, after six years, Lucas couldn't admit that he was the one who got Isaac to try drugs for the first time. The enormous guilt made him suppress the heavy memories, and Lucas convinced himself that they began to do drugs together. The once stable Lucas just wanted to party and take his ecstasy, cocaine, poppers and mushrooms. Until one day, he took too much cocaine and overdosed. After he was discharged from the hospital, Lucas voluntarily went to rehab, and that was when his relationship with Isaac began to fall apart. Isaac drugged him, and at the same time, Tyler told him that Isaac had been cheating on him for two years. Devastated, Lucas left and never saw Isaac again.
Lucas never really got over the pain from being betrayed until he met Kenji, and he started healing. Kenji was the person Lucas had been waiting for. Someone honest, kind, loving and with whom Lucas wanted to spend the rest of his life. Sure, Kenji behaved a little weird sometimes, like the whole thing with Shiro. And how Kenji was so easily accepted into Britain's toughest educational program in computer science and that he never seemed to talk to his parents. But Lucas was willing to ignore everything because he really loved being with Kenji.
Lucas thought he and Kenji were perfect together. They had the same taste in music and movies. They enjoyed playing retro games, going to live shows in small clubs and trying out different restaurants. And not to mention their sex life, it was truly amazing.
Lucas had had his fair share of one-night stands. In desperate attempts to forget Isaac, he had slept with so many people that he had lost count. But nothing could even compare to what he had with Kenji. Lucas was so in love with Kenji that it sometimes felt unreal how he could have been so lucky to have met someone as wonderful as Kenji was almost too good to be true.
At the moment, life felt really good. Lucas' job went well, his brother's family was happy, despite everything that happened, and his relationship with Kenji was perfect. Kenji mostly studied from home, and when Lucas came home from work, Kenji was always there and welcomed him home with a kiss. They ate dinner together every evening, then watched a movie or played a game, and when it was time to go to bed, they had sex almost every day. Lucas couldn't really ask for more.
Three days after Shiro's release party, Lucas worked late at the office, and Midori was home. The omega was sitting on a kitchen chair. His face was pale, and he was filled with panic. In his hands was a pregnancy test, and Midori stared at the stick. There were two lines. There was no mistaking it. He was pregnant.
At first, Midori sat quietly for a long time. He had always known that there was a possibility that he could get pregnant. After all, he didn't use any contraception. And the thought had struck him that if he had a child, he could really hurt the McCallister family. But now that he was sitting there with the test, he was shocked. He didn't want a baby. Not with Lucas. He wanted Shiro to carry his children. That's how it was supposed to be. Not like this.
Midori actually disliked children. He thought they were disgusting and annoying. He just wanted a child with Shiro because he thought that would make Shiro happy. Midori also wanted his genes to be mixed with Shiros, which would result in the perfect child. It would have Shiro's appearance and talent and Midori's intelligence. A beautiful, gifted child that everyone would envy.
The kid inside him would definitely turn out to be a moron. Lucas was neither smart nor talented. He was so mediocre that it was almost laughable. It was lucky that he wasn't so ugly. But the baby would have those heinous McCallister genes. Idiots, every single one of them.
As Midori sat there in the kitchen, with his legs shaking violently and the pregnancy test in such a firm grip that his knuckles turned white, he wondered if he should have an abortion or just throw himself down a flight of stairs and hope that the fetus would die. And even Midori knew it was an awful thing to think about, but he felt he needed to get it out of him quickly.
Midori's thoughts raced, and within a few minutes, he began to rethink everything. He once again pondered if this child couldn't be used as the perfect revenge on the McCallisters. Revenge towards those who thought they could take his Shiro as if they had any right to him. They would love the baby, and then when he finally took Shiro back, he would take the baby away so they could never see it again. And then he could finally make Shiro pregnant and have the child he was supposed to have. Yes, it actually sounded good, Midori thought, and he felt how he began to relax. He had full control over Lucas, and the naive fool didn't suspect anything. It was a perfect plan.
Now calm, Midori took the test in his hand, went from the kitchen to the living room and sat down on the sofa. He knew Lucas would come home any second, and he didn't have to wait long until he heard Lucas shout that he was home from the hall. Midori put on his Kenji mask, called for Lucas, asking him to come to the living room. When Lucas came in, Midori looked at him with his face full of tears and the pregnancy test in his hard grip. Lucas looked anxiously at his boyfriend until he saw what Midori was holding in his hands. Lucas stared at it, then turned his gaze to Midori, who could see how shocked Lucas was.
"Are you pregnant?" Lucas asked, and his weak voice trembled.
Midori nodded without saying anything, and he waited. He could see the shifting expression on Luca's face, from shocked to excited. When Lucas suddenly ran up to him, went down on his knees and hugged him, Midori had to fight not to giggle. He knew Lucas would react that way. So predictable.
"Do you want to keep it? It's up to you to decide, and I want you to know that I will support you in whatever decision you make," Lucas said, but Midori could see the anxiety in his eyes.
Midori had already known that Lucas wanted a child, and it was obvious that he had been right. Midori nodded and tried to look nervous.
"I want to keep it, but only if you want it."
Lucas didn't hesitate. He hugged Midori, and he gently kissed his forehead. When Lucas started crying, Midori could relax completely. Lucas looked at him, tears streaming down his cheeks, and there was a big happy smile on his face.
"I'm going to be a dad. Thank you, my beloved. I will take care of you and our child, and I will always be there for you," he said and placed a light kiss on Midori's lips.
Midori smiled and kissed Lucas back.
"I know, and you will be the perfect father."
Lucas was practically beaming, and he kissed Midori again, this time deepening the kiss. Midori went along. He could feel the love, the joy, but Midori didn't feel the same at all. He didn't love Lucas and never would, but he could admit that the kiss was nice. Lucas really knew how to make Midori feel good. And he wanted it. He longed for it. For the pleasure and to feel Lucas inside him. That was the only time Midori didn't think of Shiro, and the sensation that Lucas was giving him was all that mattered.
The kiss was so hot that it made them both breathe heavy, and they looked at each other with lust-filled eyes.
"I want you," Midori said in a hoars whisper.
"Is it safe?" Lucas asked.
He wanted nothing more than to take Midori to bed, but he was afraid that the baby would get hurt. Midori smiled and gently put his hand against Lucas' cheek.
"Don't worry. Our child will be safe."
Our baby! Lucas wanted to cry with joy, but he kissed Midori again and lifted him in his arms. As he carried him to the bedroom, he kissed his boyfriend. Lucas laid Midori on the bed and gently took off one garment at a time while kissing every part of his naked body. Midori closed his eyes, and through his separated lips came sweet moans as Lucas approached his lower part.
Lucas was so gentle when he made love to Midori. He showered him with kisses and sweet pleasure. And Midori really enjoyed it. So much so that he had a fleeting thought that it would be perfect if he could keep Lucas and continue having sex with him. Just as the idiot Dorian had two partners, so could Midori. That would be wonderful. And by the third orgasm, Midori could only think of Lucas, of his warm skin, his deep blue eyes that looked so tenderly at him and Lucas' soft lips against his skin. And as he slowly fell asleep, Midori felt more satisfied than ever before.
Lucas looked at Kenji. The man lay close to him and slept. It was rare for the omega to fall asleep before Lucas and the alpha looked at him with a look filled with affection. His eyes wandered down to Kenji's belly, and Lucas had a sweet smile on his face. He gently put his hand on Kenji's stomach and closed his eyes. In there was his child, and just the thought made Lucas' eyes fill up with tears. It was incredible. He had always wanted to have a child, to have a family. Just like the one he grew up in and the one his brother had. Lucas wanted to take care of Midori and their children. And he would shower them with love. Lucas was really happy and excited for the future.
Two days after Kenji had told the good news, Lucas was out buying a present he wanted to give Kenji. He was a little overwhelmed by everything, but it felt great. He wanted to call his family and tell them he would be a father, but Kenji had asked him to wait. The omega wanted to be further along before telling anyone. It was difficult for Lucas, who wanted to tell his fathers, Dorian and his family. He wanted to tell his friends. But he could wait until Kenji thought it was the right time.
Lucas was in his own little world and didn't pay attention to where he was going until he almost collided with another person. Startled, Lucas' stopped and looked down on the shorter person. His eyes widened, and he took a step back.
In front of him stood an omega with long, dark braided hair, almost black eyes and dark brown skin. The man stared at Lucas, and he was just as surprised as him. None of them said anything. The two men just stood there staring at each other. Until the other man closed his eyes, turned around and started walking.
"Isaac!"
Lucas' voice could barely be heard in the cacophony of talking people that passed them by. But the man heard him.
The brown-haired omega stopped immediately and slowly turned around. Lucas would never forget that look on the man's face. Shock, sadness, worry and, to Lucas' surprise, joy. Lucas couldn't tear his eyes away from the man. It was as if he hadn't changed at all, even though they had been apart for four years and Isaac had become thirty-three years old.
Isaac still had his braided hair, his designer clothes along with sneakers, now blue. But the tarnished look was gone. No red eyes, his face was more round, and his skin glowed. He looked like he had done when they first met, before the parties, before the drugs. Lucas thought he looked good. Almost too good.
"What a surprise to meet you here. How have you been?" Isaac tried to smile, but Lucas could see that it was hard for him, and he heard Isaac's voice tremble.
Lucas wanted to laugh out loud, but he stopped himself. How had he been? Terrible, devastated, sad, and there had been several times he had wanted to die. But Lucas just smiled.
" It's been good."
But Isaac could hear that the words were not true, and the smile was false. Isaac saw that Lucas hadn't been okay. After all, they had spent four years together. Isaac had known Lucas better than anyone.
"It's nice to hear. And you look really good."
"You too."
The two men shared a look that told them they were thinking the same thing. That the last time they saw each other, they were both struggling to recover from drug abuse. They had cried and screamed at each other. Things they had never done in the four years they were together.
"I have to go, but it was nice seeing you," Lucas said suddenly and turned around.
He couldn't just continue to stand there. It made him remember things he didn't want to think about. Both good and bad. Lucas had to admit that most of the memories were good. Like when they moved in together or went to the Maldives for a month or the time they had sex in the back seat of a car somewhere near Killarney.
"Lucas, wait!"
When the blonde man heard the unexpected desperation in Isaac's voice, he turned around.
"I was never unfaithful."
The tension between them was extremely heavy when the former lovers looked at each other.
"I just wanted you to know."
Lucas stared at Isaac as the man turned around and quickly began to walk away. A thousand thoughts went through the alpha's mind. Lucas remembered how devastated he had been when Isaac didn't deny that he had been cheating on him. He remembered the tears, the pain, the feeling of being worthless.
Lucas didn't realize that he started running until he passed Isaac, turned and stood in front of him, which frightened the shorter man. Isaac's brown eyes were huge as they stared at Lucas.
"If you never cheated you on me, why did you lie? "
"Because I needed you to hate me."
"Why?"
"So you would leave me."
"Why didn't you just break up with me then?"
Isaac looked away. His face was filled with pain.
"I couldn't."
"But you had no problem drugging me."
Isaac looked up again and shook his head firmly.
"It wasn't me who drugged you. It was Tyler. He put the drug in your glass, and then he blamed everything on me."
If Isaac had anything to gain from lying to him, Lucas would never have believed him. But Isaac and Lucas had nothing to do with each other anymore, so why would he lie? Lucas was filled with an almost desperate need to know more.
"If that's true, why didn't you say anything? Why didn't you tell me the truth? Please, Isaac, you have to explain it to me because I don't understand."
"I couldn't because Tyler threatened me, and I was scared."
It was believable because Tyler had turned out to be a real asshole, who would have no problem drugging him, or even worse. Tyler hated Lucas with passion, mostly because the ash-blonde alpha wanted Isaac. Tyler had also been the one who told Lucas that it was Isaac who drugged him and that he had slept with other guys. Isaac hadn't denied the things Tyler said, so Lucas thought everything was true.
"You should have trusted me. I could have protected you. Damn, Isaac, I thought you loved me," Lucas said, his voice weak.
Isaac swallowed hard, and Lucas could see the tears glistening in the man's eyes.
"I did love you. More than anything."
Lucas bit his lower lip, and he felt the tears burning in his eyes.
"So why? Why did you lie to me? Why did you want me to leave you? Please, I deserve to know."
Isaac nodded to himself as if he had come to a decision, and after taking a deep breath, he looked straight into Lucas' eyes.
"Because I was pregnant and didn't want to ruin your life."
At that moment, it was as if Lucas was thrown into a desolate world, empty of everything. It was just him and Isaac there, and the only sound he could hear was, 'I was pregnant, over and over again.
"What?" Lucas managed to say.
"Tyler somehow found out, and he told me that if I didn't keep quiet about the drug, he would tell you that I was pregnant."
Lucas could hear what Isaac said, but he couldn't process it. Isaac had been pregnant.
"Was I the father?" Lucas whispered in a trembling voice.
"Yes. I haven't slept with anyone else since the day we met."
Holy shit! Bloody fucking hell!
Lucas started having trouble breathing, and his knees felt weak, like he would faint.
Isaac was about to say something when he heard the voice of a child calling.
"Daddy, Äbay called you so many times."
Lucas could see that Isaac panicked as he turned around. Towards them walked an older woman, and by her side was a little girl with warm brown skin, and her slightly wavy brown hair went down past her shoulders. Her eyes were the same colour as sapphires, and Lucas had no doubt. This was his child. And it was the most beautiful girl Lucas had ever seen.
The girl looked at Lucas and tilted her head to the side.
"Hi, who are you?" The girl asked.
Lucas couldn't answer. What would he even say?
"This is daddy's friend. Lucas, this is my daughter Lucy."
Lucas' gaze wandered from the little girl to Isaac.
"Lucy?"
Isaac nodded, looking slightly flustered.
"Yes, Lucy."
Lucas said nothing more. It was too much. He felt weak and as if he would vomit at any second. Isaac noticed it and turned to the woman.
"Mom, can you take Lucy home? I'm going to talk with Lucas for a bit."
The woman with the black, short curly hair nodded. Her light brown eyes were filled with sympathy.
"Please call me when you're on your way home."
The woman then approached Lucas and put her hand on his arm. Her touch was gentle.
Lucas had spent a lot of time with Natsinet, Isaac's mother, and he had always liked her. She was a kind, caring person, and Lucas had missed her greatly.
"You don't have to believe me, Lucas, but I promise Isaac will not lie to you again. I have seen him plagued by regret for the last four years, and I know how much he's missed you. So I beg you, please listen to him."
Lucas barely managed to nod and watched as the woman and the girl began to walk away. The girl glanced over her shoulder, and with a sweet smile on her lips, she waved at him. Lucas automatically waved back, and he couldn't take his eyes off the girl.
"Come, Lucas, we're going to this café," Isaac said, gently taking Lucas' hand in his.
Lucas didn't protest. Instead, he let the shorter man lead him into the building next to them. It was a small cafe with dim lighting and quiet chillout music. Lucas followed Isaac to a table and sat down on the chair that Isaac took him to. However, Isaac didn't sit down.
"Would you like something to drink?" He asked.
'Beer, vodka, whiskey,' Lucas thought. But said he wanted a coke, and Isaac went to the counter. Lucas stared at his hands. They rested on the table in front of him, and they trembled violently. Lucas took a deep breath, then another, and tried to calm down. It didn't work at all. He was going to faint. He was sure of it.
Isaac quickly returned, sat down and placed the glass of coke in front of Lucas, and the man immediately drank half of it.
"Are you feeling better?"
Lucas didn't answer. It was as if he had forgotten how to talk.
"I'm sorry. I really am. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything after all. But when I saw you, I just couldn't stop myself. I was so happy to see you."
There was a deep sadness in Isaac's voice, and remorse filled his eyes.
"Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?" Lucas' sounded so bitter that Isaac flinched. He had never once heard Lucas sound like that. Sad, brokenhearted, in pain, but never bitter.
"You struggled so hard to get over your addiction, and you had your studies on top of that. I was scared I would ruin your life."
"I was a complete wreck after what you did. I seriously wanted to die. Why didn't you trust me? Why did you think I couldn't take care of a child while recovering and still graduate. Did you not think that I would fight for you and our child. Am I really that unreliable?"
Lucas looked so hurt, and Isaac's chest ached so much that it felt like his heart was going to shatter into pieces.
"No, you were perfect, Lucas. I've never met anyone like you, but I was terrified. We weren't ready to become parents, not with everything that was going on. I thought about how hard you worked to become drug-free and how well you did at school. I didn't want to ruin your life. But when I went to the hospital to have an abortion, I couldn't go through with it. After all, it was our child."
Isaac thought that Lucas would walk away, yell, or even hit him. But, instead, he looked straight at Isaac, and the tears began to fall down his cheeks. Isaac was surprised, so much that at first, he couldn't move. But after a little while, Isaac leaned over the table and put his hands over Lucas'.
"You deserved to know the truth, and I regret so much that I didn't tell you four years ago. I understand if you hate me, I understand if you never want to see me again. We can go our separate ways and never see each other again," Isaac said, and he tried to sound strong, but he was worried. He had finally met Lucas again, and he didn't want to lose him once more.
The tears didn't stop for a while, but when they did, Lucas shook his head.
"I don't want that. I want to know more about my daughter. Who she is, how she grew up. I want to be in her life."
To say that Isaac was surprised by Lucas' words was an understatement. He had never expected Lucas to say anything like that. But he could hear the determination in Lucas' voice, and he felt both relief and immense happiness. Isaac had never stopped loving Lucas. He didn't want to break up. But at the time, he was overwhelmed, scared and filled with such guilt that he could no longer be with Lucas.
Isaac had fallen in love with Lucas from the first moment he saw him in the shop he worked in. And he enjoyed every second they spent together. Isaac even started taking drugs, going to clubs just to be with Lucas. But when Lucas took the overdose and went into rehabilitation, Isaac learned that he was pregnant. Isaac immediately stopped taking drugs. It had never been that important to him in the first place.
Finding out he was pregnant was scary. Isaac was twenty-nine years old and old enough to have children. But Lucas was still young. He was only twenty-two and struggled with rehabilitation and school. That Tyler found out that Isaac was pregnant made Isaac decide that he had to let Lucas go. Isaac was so unstable at the time, so he used Tyler's lies as a reason to make Lucas hate him. Isaac fled with a broken heart and a growing baby in him. Isaac had never regretted anything so much as that. He had his mother, but he missed Lucas so much that it felt like his body was breaking apart. He was afraid. Being pregnant, giving birth and raising Lucy alone was scary. And when Lucy was two years old, Isaac began to think about finding Lucas and telling him about Lucy. But he never dared to. But now that he met Lucas, he couldn't let the opportunity pass him by. Isaac knew that Lucas would be shocked, upset and probably angry. But when Lucas said he wanted to get to know Lucy, Isaac was happier than he had been ever since his relationship with Lucas ended. Isaac knew that Lucas would never trust or love him again. But that Lucas wanted to be in Lucy's life was the most important thing.
Lucas sat completely quiet on the other side of the table, and Isaac gently held Lucas' hands in his, and he smiled.
"Thank you, Lucas."
Lucas didn't smile, but he didn't look angry either. Isaac understood that Lucas was shocked. But he had no idea just how shocked he was.
In just a few days, Lucas had not only learned that he and Kenji would have a child but also that he was the father of a four-year-old girl.
And all Lucas could think was:
'What the hell am I going to do now?'