Greg, get your ass over there and sit the hell down. I don’t know why the hell you’re still working nights when you’re seven months pregnant and big as a house. Damn, man. Your feet are so swollen, I’m gonna have to roll your ass out of here.”

I glared at Tank. “Seriously? You heard me asking Elvira about whether Vitamin E or Cocoa Butter was better for my stretch marks, and you’re going to size shame me? What the fuck, man?”

Tank grinned unrepentantly. “Calm your tits, Gregory. Of course, you’re fuckin’ huge. You’ve got a baby on board, bud. You’re supposed to be large and in charge. You’ll get your figure back once that little angel arrives. And for my money, I’d go with shea butter—it has a nice mix of vitamins and fatty acids. It’s anti-inflammatory too.”

“Who are you and what did you do with my friend?” I stood blinking at the large alpha, stunned by this conversational turn.

“What? Am I not allowed to know things? Now move it. Go sit down and pop your feet up on one of those bar stools while I finish closing up and do the mopping tonight. You need to get that swelling down in your feet.” Tank shooed me over to sit by Seamus. He’d been nursing an orange juice and while he sat watching us with a bored smirk.

“So, why don’t you tell me again why you’re insisting on working. It can’t be because of any loyalty to this dive,” Tank said as he tied off the bag of garbage and set it aside while he put a new bag in the can.

“I told you, I need the insurance and the extra money is going straight to savings. I don’t know how much I’ll be able to work once the baby arrives. Or if I’ll be able to work the same as I have been anyway. It’s all up in the air and I haven’t figured it all out yet.”

I shrugged and looked down at my swollen ankles, wondering if it really was worth it to be putting my body through this shit job. Maybe it was time to talk to Braden and see what options he might have to offer. I doubted his gaming paid all that much, but what the hell did I know?

“And you really don’t want to know what you’re having, huh? Or did you change your mind and find out since the last time I asked?” Tank was whipping through the closing tasks faster that I’ve done in the past few months. Able-bodied fucker.

“Sure and I could be tellin’ ya if yer wanted to know,” Seamus offered. “I’ve been told I’ve a knack fer knowing such things.”

“No,” I shook my head. “I honestly don’t want to know. I know Braden was disappointed to have to wait, but I didn’t want to get myself all psyched up with expectations for what my son or daughter would be. I thought maybe if I was surprised at the birth there’d be far less chance of that happening. Sorry, I know I sound like a weirdo—and rightfully so.”

Seamus looked over at me. “And how are things goin’ with that slacker ya got at home? Is he plannin’ ta be at the delivery, or will he be busy playin’ a fuckin’ video-game?”

As always, he’d instantly irritated me by criticizing Braden, so I may have been a little curt when I responded. “Of course, he’s going to be there. He’s not an idiot, just because he makes his living playing video games. Trust me, he wouldn’t miss this birth for the world. Braden is always there when I need him.”

Seamus gave a strangely satisfying smile. “Aye, glad ta hear ya say that. Maybe he can be counted on after all?”

I thought about it for a second, and realized that the little ginger was right. I really could count on Braden more than I would’ve ever thought in the past. Since I felt a little shitty now about getting snarky with Seamus, I decided to chat with him a little.

“I suppose I should probably think about buying baby gear pretty soon. I mean, even though the peanut isn’t due for a couple months yet, it could realistically come anytime. And I’ve basically got… nothing. Not a damn thing. I must be the worst omega in the world, because I have zero desire for nesting or any of that domestic shit.”

Tank took Seamus’ empty glass and put in the dishpan. “You can take your time on pretty much everything else, but I’d advise at least getting a bassinet, bottles, formula, and some diapers for now. And a car seat. You can fudge along on everything else and figure it out as you go–as long as you have those basics.”

“Hmm. I wonder if Braden would be willing to put up a crib in his room, maybe turn it into a nursery or something? I mean, he sleeps with me now anyway. He only uses his room as a glorified closet. Do you guys know how soon we should try and plan to move to a bigger place for the baby? That way Braden wouldn’t be forced to give up his personal space, and maybe then we could get a yard. Kids need yards, right?”

“Dogs need yards. Babies, not so much. So I’d say you have time,” Tank winked as he began mopping the floor.

“Fer me money, I’d say this were conversation ta be having with yer alpha. If he’s as grown-up as ya say he is, these are the kind o’ things ya should be talkin’ ta him about. But that’s just me talkin’, laddie.”

I looked over to thank Seamus, but he’d disappeared again after sharing his thought. How the hell did he even do that? Yet again, there was a gold coin sitting on the counter in front of his empty stool.

I picked it up and turned it over in my fingers. The coin was smooth, almost like a blank that was ready to have an image stamped on it. The thing was pure gold though—I’d checked.

“Can you believe this shit, Tank? Seamus leaves one of these gold coins every time he hangs out. I wasn’t ever going to charge him for his juice. I figured he works here, so what the hell, right? But every damned time, he leaves me one of these coins. Hey, since you’re the one who finished up my closing duties, why don’t you take this one tonight?”

Tank shook his head. “Nope. You’ve got a baby on the way. You need every last one of those gold coins you can get your hands on. Trust me, kids aren’t cheap. I should know, I’ve got five of them at home.”

I stared at Tank in surprise. He’d never been one to talk about his personal life, and I’d had no idea that he had that many children. It was funny how much people I saw every day could surprise me.

* * *

“Hey, babe. How was work?” Braden greeted me at the door like he did every night. He and I both knew how much he hated me working now. But he also respected my need to to be autonomous until I’d decided what I wanted to do next.

“Should I bother bitching about how tired I am or how much my feet hurt? Or will you just say I told you so?”

Braden raised a brow, but ignored my snotty comment, which immediately made me feel like crap. He was so good to me, and all I did was snipe at the poor guy all the time. I didn’t deserve him.

Shaking his head, Braden pulled me close. “Stop with the inner monologue. You’re fine, and yes, you do deserve me. Now let’s go. I have a hot bath waiting for you with epsom salts and tea tree oil. I want to get some of that swelling to go down while you sleep, and Google says this will help.”

“I swear you’re fucking psychic,” I grumbled as he led me to the bathroom. True to his word, the bathtub was filled and ready for me.

“No, I just know you. Now stay here, this body is mine to unwrap,” Braden winked and stood me in the middle of the bathroom. He slowly pulled my shirt off, then bent to tease a nipple with the tip of his tongue.

His hands rubbed over my swollen belly, then hooked over my stretchy waistband and shoved my pants down. As he pushed them down, Braden slowly lowered himself to his knees, as though moving down along with my pants.

“I don’t know whether to feel spoiled, or embarrassed for you to be face to face with my stretch marks, or jealous that you can get up and down that easily.”

Braden grinned up at me. “Lift your right foot,” was all he said. As I complied, he removed the shoe and pants from that leg before repeating the process with my left. Now I was completely nude and vulnerable, yet didn’t feel anything other than cherished.

His hands moved gently over my swollen feet and ankles, then slowly up the sides of my legs, before softly grazing my stretch marks. After he’d traced them with his fingertips, Braden licked along the angry red lines.

“You know, you might have a problem, right? Some pregnancy fetish or something?”

Braden chuckled. “Stop. You’re trying to distract me, and we both know it. There’s nothing to be ashamed of with these marks. They’re a sign of power, vitality... that you brought life into the world.”

“No, they’re stretch marks. They literally mean that my skin was stretched too far and had to compensate.”

Braden shook his head. “No, hon. They’re called tiger stripes. And you earn them every day. They’re sign of you being a total badass.” He rose and took me by the hand.

“Come on, badass. Let’s get you soaking, I don’t like the look of those ankles tonight.”

I sighed happily as Braden helped me lower myself into the warm water. Braden might have looked like a slacker bro dude to the rest of the world, but I knew how thoughtful and caring he was.

That was okay though. The rest of the world didn’t need to know. They weren’t getting him anyway. I was keeping the alpha... I’d already decided that before he’d ever asked.

I relaxed back into the water, feeling decadent while Braden washed my hair, then carefully scrubbed my body. My cares washed away with the dirt and grime of the day, under Braden’s loving hands.

It was weird that my old buddy and bro was now my tender, loving partner, and father of my child. I was right when I’d told Seamus earlier that Braden was always there when I needed him.

In fact, tonight proved that he was there even before I knew I needed him. I needed to talk to him about all of the things in my head… like the insurance, and a nursery for the baby.

Maybe tomorrow. I was just so tired after my shift, talking wasn’t all that appealing at the moment.

“It’s cool, we talk about whatever it is you want to talk about tomorrow,” Braden said as he rubbed my feet at the other end of the tub.

I opened my eyes, blinking at the bright room. “Wow. I was dozing off. How did you know I wanted to talk? Are you really psychic and I never knew it?”

Braden snorted. “Not hardly. You were mumbling your thoughts again, like you do when you’re really tired.”

I opened my eyes a little wider. “Maybe I should rethink this whole sharing a bed now. You’re probably getting all my secrets.”

Branden smiled softly. “Not the important ones… not yet anyway. It’s okay. We have all the time in the world, ‘cuz I’m not going anywhere.”

“Good,” I yawned. “Because I’m gonna need either your help or a crane to hoist my ass out of this tub.”

“That’s my guy. Ever the romantic.”

I smiled tiredly at Braden. “Only for you, bro.”