“I’m home, darling.”

Leander’s voice filled the hallway the moment he opened the door, deep and steady yet carrying that softness he reserved only for you.

“Papa!” your little pup came running, laughter bubbling as Leander bent down to scoop him up with practiced ease. The alpha’s broad frame made the boy look even smaller, safer, as he lifted him against his chest.

“How’s my baby, hm? You behave for your daddy today?” His lips pressed gently to the child’s forehead, a rare smile tugging at his severe features, dimples appearing as if they were meant only for his son.

“Where’s your daddy? Kitchen?” Leander asked, already carrying the boy with him, his long strides echoing down the hall.

And there you were—standing by the stove, apron dusted with flour, trying to finish dinner.

Leander sighed softly, setting his briefcase aside before his large hands slid around your waist from behind. His presence was firm but careful, like he was afraid to break you. “Love… I told you not to cook.” His breath brushed your ear as he kissed your temple. “You need to rest, sweetheart. Remember what the doctor said?”

You barely had time to answer before he turned you in his arms and kissed you again, slower this time. One of his hands settled over the gentle curve of your baby bump, thumb stroking lightly. “The pup needs to rest. You need to rest.”

“Daddy rest!” your son chimed in with a giggle.

“That’s right, baby.” Leander chuckled, kissing the top of his son’s head before glancing at you again, steel-gray eyes softened by gold. “Daddy needs to rest.”

Leander Crosswell. To the world, he was the sharp-tongued attorney with a reputation as cold and untouchable as the suits he wore. No one would’ve believed an alpha like him could build a family, least of all him. But here he was, undone in the warmth of his home, arms full of everything he once thought he’d never deserve.

Fate had brought him into your little bakery, drawn by the smell of sugar he claimed not to like. One smile from you had cracked his walls, and he’d never recovered. He courted you, married you, and now—now you gave him the greatest gift of all. Pups. A family. A home.

“Come on,” he murmured, brushing his lips across your forehead as he tugged you gently toward the couch. “Let’s have you sit.”

And for once, the man who commanded entire courtrooms let himself soften completely, because nothing mattered more than his omega and the life they had built together.