Chapter Fifteen
Tak
I’d spent the night in my omega’s arms, and even though our babe was pea-sized, I loved that they were with us, cocooned and safe in my belly, under the care of our alpha.
Hearing about how he struggled after his parents died broke my heart, but it also gave me greater confidence in my alpha. He’d been torn down to shreds and then built himself up to be a self-motivated worker. And a gorgeous one at that. He would be an amazing provider for our child, and those things he’d gone through had made him strong and resilient. He’d become one hell of a man.
I’d woken up several times in the night, thinking about all the what-ifs and could-be scenarios that were now within my grasp. It wouldn’t be easy. That much I knew. Chris would be gone on trips more often than I would like, and in order to run my shop and raise a child, I wouldn’t be able to go with him as much as I hoped he wanted me to.
Riding in the back of a truck didn’t sound all that wonderful to me, but what did was sharing time with Chris in his adventures, even if it was work. We’d wasted years and years, and I didn’t want to be without him for another second.
I knew there would be work trips that he would have to take without me, especially when the pregnancy progressed and times when my store was busy, around the fall festivals and Christmas.
There would be spans of time without my alpha.
But there were sacrifices and choices in every relationship to make them work, if they were worth it.
All I had to do when I got worried in the night was to turn over and look at Chris’s face next to mine and revel in the strength of his embrace around my body to know it would all be worth it.
We would make our love worth it.
“Good morning, omega,” he groaned and nuzzled his scratchy stubble against the back of my neck.
“Good morning.”
“I’m gonna go pick up a few things. Do you need anything? Want anything?”
I ran my thumb over the shape of his full lips. “Not that you can get from a store.”
He chuckled and nibbled my chin. “We have all day for that. I can’t think of a better way to spend a Saturday. When I get back, I’ll make sure you’re well taken care of, omega.”
I sighed and tried not to let my fantasies of when he got back carry me away. “While you’re gone, I’ll get dressed and check on some things. See if I have any online orders to be filled. Or...do you want me to come with you?”
Gods, I sounded desperate. He got up and hopped into a pair of jeans but held the T-shirt in his hand while he brushed his teeth. After he was done, he leaned against the doorway. “I’d love for you to come with me, but I have some things to take care of. I’ve got to check on my truck and call in to see if my route is still on for Monday. Just some work things. I’ll be back in an hour, hour and a half, tops. And maybe I’ll have some breakfast, but no promises.”
I perked up at the idea of breakfast. My stomach didn’t revolt against the notion of food like it did the day before. I had no clue about pregnancy, but from the movies, nausea was a thing that came and went. Hopefully mine went for good. I loved food too much.
“I’ll make the coffee.” I pushed the covers back and stood up, fueled on by the thought of my caffeine brew.
“Um, Tak, is that such a good idea?”
I almost choked and strained my neck turning to see what he could possibly be talking about. “When is coffee not a good idea?”
He smiled, but only on one side. “When you’re pregnant.” His gaze shot down to my belly. I stood stunned for a moment. So many things were changing so fast, I could barely keep up.
I sat back down on the side of the bed and completely deflated. “Nine months with no coffee?”
Chris came and knelt in front of me, trying not to smile by biting his cheeks. It wasn’t working. I could see the laughter in his eyes.
“Tak, love, you’re trading coffee for our babe. Good trade, right? Sounds like it to me.”
I nodded, but with a pout on my face.
He’d taken my hands in his and rubbed his thumbs in circles over the backs.
When he released them, I reached out and ran my fingers over his shaved head and watched as he bent forward and placed sweet kisses across my belly. “Is it weird that I love this little one already? I mean, how could I not? We made it. You and me.”
“I can’t believe you and me is a thing,” I whispered, trying like hell not to cry.
“You and me will always be a thing from now on, Tak.”
We stayed like that for a few minutes, him worshipping my belly with kisses while I reveled in the you and me of it all.
I tipped his head back so I could look into the depths of his brown eyes. “If you love me, you’ll find me something comparable to coffee this morning. I don’t know what, and I don’t know where, but there has to be something.”
My face heated saying the words. Yeah, Chris loved me. I’d have to get used to it.
“Do you doubt your alpha?”
“Never. I’ll see you in a few, right?”
“Absolutely. Don’t pick up anything around here while I’m gone, either. You’re not supposed to lift anything heavy while you’re pregnant.”
I yelled to the hallway where he was beginning to go down the stairs, “Bossy!”
“Concerned!” he yelled back, and I laughed.
Just when I thought I’d get back up and start the day somehow, without caffeine, I heard the pounding of footsteps up the stairs. Chris came back in, at a sprint.
“Forget something?” I asked, looking around to see if his wallet or keys were laying around.
“Yes. This.” He marched toward me and then took my mouth with one swoop and kissed me until I was dizzy. “Happy Birthday, Tak, my love, my omega. That’s what I forgot.”
And before I could say another word, he was back down the stairs and the door shut behind him.
I laughed to myself as I fished some clothes out of my dresser.
I had an alpha, the one I’d waited for all my life, and his babe growing inside me.
Best birthday ever.