Jeremy

“Have you told your family that you’re having a baby yet?”

Alex had just brought a bunch of canned food back from his old apartment so our cupboards were stocked. Between that and the eggs and vegetables from my dads’ garden—not to mention the amazing leftovers Alex brought home from his parents’ house—we were eating really well. We’d just sat down to a huge salad and some french dip sandwiches when he brought up my family. A subject I wasn’t too thrilled about.

“No. I guess I’ll have to soon, though. There’s no way I’ll be able to keep it a secret from them for long.”

Alex didn’t say anything right away. I could tell something was on his mind, but I didn’t ask. I just wanted to avoid anything having to do with my family for the time being. They were fine and I loved them. Well, most of them. But they were really different. My dads were great. They acted relatively normal most of the time, but the rest of my family … lets just say they weren’t the most sophisticated people in the world, and I wasn’t sure if I actually wanted Alex to meet them.

“Yeah, I’d better tell my dads. I’ll arrange to have you over for dinner some night this next week so they can meet you. They’re both really curious about this guy I’ve been spending every night with for the last couple weeks.”

“Sure,” I said, staring at my plate. I’d been wondering for a while if he’d mentioned anything about me to them. “Do you think they’ll care?”

“Care about what?”

“Well, we’re not exactly from the same background. Do they want you to mate with someone a little less …”

“White?” he asked with a laugh.

I was a little startled that he said the word out loud. I’d actually been thinking more of the fact that I lived in a trailer and drove around with a gun rack, but Alex had a way of cutting right through all the bullshit.

“Yeah, well, that. But other stuff too, I guess.”

Alex stared at me for a moment, then smiled and went back to eating. “My dads don’t care. I’ve gone out with white guys before, and guys with no money. But a beta that transitioned to an omega? Never. That’ll get a conversation going for sure.”

“So, you haven’t told them about what happened to me?”

“No. I figure it’s private … it’s your business, not mine. And if you want to tell them you can.”

“Thanks, I appreciate that. I still don’t know if I want the whole world knowing. It’s a lot to have to explain to total strangers.”

“Yeah, I can imagine.” Alex nodded and continued to devour his sandwich, then stopped mid-bite and looked up at me with a furrowed brow. “Do your dads care that I’m not white?”

“Honestly, I have no idea. They haven’t said anything, though. It’s not that my family is totally racist or anything, but no one has ever brought anyone home that didn’t … look like us, I guess.”

“You mean they tend to stick to their own kind?” Alex asked.

“Yeah, that sounds about right.” I wasn’t sure if what I said upset him, but it was the truth, and it wasn’t something anyone ever said out loud either.

“Well, they’re not the only ones. Lots of families are like that. It’s kind of scary to do something different from what your use to, or what your friends are doing. But the thing is, were not really that different—not on the inside, anyway. Your dad and pop kind of remind me of mine in a way. Old fashioned, wanting to keep the family close. It’s sweet, really.”

I smiled as I watched Alex devour the rest of his food. He seemed to understand me in a way I’d never expected. It made me realize how stupid I’d been to judge anyone on their status or skin color or sex or anything. If Alex could see right through all the bullshit to the fact that we were the same inside, I knew I could. And I hoped my family would be able to too.

After that night things were so different. But it wasn’t just the sex, it was everything. There was something about letting myself give in to Alex that shook me to my core. It was something I think I had been needing for a long time, but was afraid to admit. And having an easier time accepting my new status and the pregnancy seemed to come with that letting go too.

But I knew it all had to do with Alex. He had an affect on me that I just couldn’t describe. He made me feel safe to be myself, even when I still wasn’t sure what that meant.

The group I went to every Wednesday night really helped a lot too. It was amazing talking to other guys who’d gone through the exact same thing as I had. And they all had stories of people they knew—betas of all shapes and sizes—turning into the omega’s overnight.

Dr. Livingston said it was becoming much more common in recent years. He told us that his partner had been researching the phenomenon for almost a decade, and while they still didn’t understand how the changes happened, these science guys were convinced it had been caused by something that happened with the environment—like plastic packaging or changes in the atmosphere.

There hadn’t been a pregnant female beta or omega in a long time, and Dr. Livingston said that the transitions betas were going through was probably the result of an imbalance being corrected, to use his words. It was mind blowing to think that the universe could work that way—figuring things out and fixing itself on it’s own—and the whole idea actually made me start to feel kind of special. Something I’d never felt about myself.

I finally stopped ignoring my body and pretending there wasn’t a baby growing inside it, and I started wearing clothes that showed off my belly. I only wore them around the house, but it was a start.

I still had no interest in going back to my old job or seeing any of my old friends. It’s not that I was embarrassed or ashamed anymore, as much as I didn’t trust them. I knew the second I set foot anywhere near those assholes they’d rip me to shreds and make me the butt of their jokes, and I didn’t need that.

They were the kind of people I didn’t need in my life anyway. Not when I had someone as amazing as Alex, not to mention my parents. They’d always been there for me no matter what, and it meant the world that they accepted Alex and my change without question.

Some time had passed since we had that conversation about telling people about my condition, but more than I had realized. I was already three months pregnant and showing when I got two calls that I’d been expecting for a while. Dreading, was more like it.

The first was Joe, my old friend from Portville. I knew he’d be calling eventually, but somehow I hoped I could just drift away from that crowd and no one would give a damn. When I saw the call I immediately rejected it and the screen went black. Alex was sitting next to me on the couch, though, and he saw the call.

“Who was that?” he asked.

“No one. Just someone I used to hang out with.”

“A friend? Or something else?”

There was a long pause before I started to answer. I didn’t really want to tell Alex about Joe. Now that I had gotten some distance from him, I was actually embarrassed that I had ever hung out with such and asshole. When I opened my mouth to tell Alex about him my phone buzzed again. But this time it was a text and I had to respond to it.

“Fuck,” I said, staring at my phone.

“Is it your friend again? It sounds like he really wants to talk to you,” Alex said, putting his arm around me and scooting up next to me in bed. He laid his hand on my bump and rubbed it absentmindedly while he looked at my phone. I was almost four months pregnant at this point, a little over a month away from my due date, which meant I was clearly showing.

“No, it’s my cousin. He wants to set up a date for me to cut his kid’s hair. Probably his and his husband’s too. I’ve done it for years, but I hadn’t heard from him in a while so I was hoping maybe they’d gotten someone else. I don’t really want them to see me like this.”

“You still haven’t told your family?” Alex asked. “It seems to me like you would want their support. Is it because of me?”

“No, of course not,” I said, looking at Alex in the eyes. He looked confused and concerned and I felt like a total asshole. “I mean, even if they did have a problem with your skin color I wouldn’t give a damn. It’s just that … they don’t know I’m an omega now. They don’t know I’m pregnant. I honestly don’t know how to tell them. I’ve always been the kids big uncle Jeremy. We would play this game where one of them would ride around on my back and the other three kids would chase me and try to pull me down. I don’t know what they’ll think if they see me like this,” I said, rubbing my belly.

“You know, kids usually handle things better than adults. They seem to be more open-minded and more willing to accept change. Sometimes it takes a whole new generation to make big changes because the older ones only feel safe when things stay the same. I’m sure those kids will love you just as much now as they did when you were a beta. But, wow. Four kids?”

“What?” I asked. “You think four is too many?”

Alex laughed out loud, then kissed me on the head. “I think whatever you want is perfect. If you want to have four little rug rats running around here I’ll be right down there on the floor with you giving them horsey rides.”

I laughed and gave Alex a kiss, then looked around the living room of the trailer. “There’s no way we can have that many kids in this place,” I said. “I don’t think we could even fit one kid in here.”

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that. I’m trying to figure out how I can make more money, but I just don’t know when I can fit more work in.”

“No, I don’t want you to do that to yourself again. I’ll see if I can come up with something.”

“I don’t want you to worry about money, Jeremy. That’s my job.”

“No, it’s both of our jobs. I’m not going to let you take that responsibility on all by yourself.” I looked down at my phone for a long moment, then typed in a text.

“What did you tell your cousin?” Alex asked.

“That I’m headed over there right now,” I said looking into his eyes. “Will you come with me?”

“Of course. I can’t wait to meet them,” Alex said with a smile.

I gripped Alex’s hand as we stood outside my cousin’s double-wide, then looked into his eyes to work up my courage. A kiss and that sexy smile that curled up on the side of his mouth was all I needed to get me to knock on the door. Immediately I heard shouting and a stampede of footsteps, then the front door flew open.

“Uncle Jeremy!” All four of the kids were jumping up and down and screaming as I stepped into the kitchen.

“Hey, you guys,” I said giving them all a hug as they crowded around me. “Everybody, this is Alex.” I turned and introduced Alex to my cousin Luke, and my four nieces and nephews, Crystal, Brittany, Jace, and the baby, Ronnie.

I picked the two-year-old up and balanced him on one hip. “I can’t believe how big he’s gotten. Wasn’t I just here a couple months ago?”

“Um, speaking of getting big,” Luke said with a smile as he took Ronnie into his arms so he could get a better look at my stomach. “What the hell is going on? That doesn’t look like a beer belly to me.”

“Yeah … uh … I …”

“Are you pregnant Uncle Jeremy?” Crystal asked as she wrapped her arms around me and put her ear to my belly. “Is there a baby in your tummy?”

“Yeah, sweetie. Your uncle Jeremy is … pregnant,” I said with a lopsided smile. I could feel my face getting warm and I couldn’t bring myself to look at my cousin. But when all four kids jumped up and down and yelled I couldn’t help but laugh. “I had no idea you guys would be so excited.”

My cousin walked across the room and gave me a big hug. “This is amazing, Jeremy. Seriously, I don’t even know what to say. And you must be the father?” Luke said as he turned to Alex and gave him a hug as well.

“Yeah, I’m the father. I’ve been staying up at Jeremy’s place for the last couple months.”

“Oh, you must be the one who’s been helping Howell and Larry cut down the timber on their land. They told us some friend of Jeremy’s was helping them out big time.”

“Yeah, we’ve all been working on that together. It’s a big job, but I really like that kind of work.”

“Well, they consider you a hero. They’ve been needing to get that done for years now, and they’ve been needing the money too. Hey, if you’re interested I know my dad was talking about doing the exact same thing. None of this forest land has been cleared for … well forever. And it really needs it. We were thinking of thinning it out and maybe replanting some saplings in the spring. Would you be interested?”

“You’re kidding,” Alex said with a smile. “That would be amazing. I’m sure we could work something out. Jeremy and I were just talking about how we were going to be able to afford a place big enough for a family.”

“I think if we all put our heads together we could come up with something,” Luke said. “We have carpenters and electricians and plumbers in the family. I’m sure they’d all be willing to—”

“I don’t want to ask anybody for anything,” I said, cutting my cousin off. “Besides, I’m not sure how many people I want to tell yet.”

“Oh, come on! This is amazing news, Jeremy! Why the hell wouldn’t you be shouting it from the rooftops?”

“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m an omega now, and this is all still a little weird for me.”

“No one will care, Jeremy. They’re going to be thrilled for you. I’ll tell you one thing we absolutely need to do—and I don’t want to hear any arguments—is a good, old-fashioned, redneck baby shower.”

“Oh, hell no!” I said, even though I knew it was futile to try to argue.

“Oh, hell yes,” Luke said. “I’d say we should be able to get something organized by this weekend. Or next weekend, if that’s more convenient for your family,” he said to Alex.

“Let me check,” Alex said as he pulled out his phone and gave me a sly smile. “I like this guy. He doesn’t take no for an answer.”

“Yeah, you would.” I made my way over to the kitchen table and sat down. “Oh, my God, my back has been killing me.” I closed my eyes and when I opened them up again Luke was busy on his phone. “Please don’t invite everyone, Luke.”

“Just keep your pants on over there. It’s my house and I’ll invite who I like.”

“Not Uncle Jeffery.”

“Yes, Uncle Jeffery.”

“Oh, no, then that means Aunt Shirley? No!”

“Oh, hell yes, Aunt Shirley is coming. She loves you, Jeremy,” Luke said with an evil laugh. “She’d never forgive me if I didn’t invite her.”

“What’s up with Aunt Shirley?” Alex asked.

“Oh, she’s just a gossipy, loudmouthed, old broad who owns a salon. She’s always loved Jeremy, though, cause of the whole hairstyling thing he’s got going on.”

“What hairstyling thing?” Alex asked as he looked at me with bunched up eyebrows.

“Hasn’t he told you? He’s been doing hair since he was a kid. He used to practice on everyone back in the day. He’s really good too.”

“Can we stop talking about this?” I moaned. “I’d like to get the haircuts done before the end of the year, if you don’t mind. But, I’m telling you, my back is killing me. I don’t think I’m going to be able to stand up for these haircuts. You’re gonna have to figure something out so I can stay right here in this chair.”

“Oh, I hear ya,” Luke said. “I thought I was gonna die that last month with Crystal. But then, with every single kid, it just got worse.”

“Don’t say that, I don’t even want to think about it getting worse than this.”

“Are you too thinking about having more than one?” Luke asked.

“The thought crossed my mind, but now I’m not so sure.”

“Well, as soon as the first one is born you won’t remember any of the pain and discomfort and hormones going crazy. Not until you get pregnant with the next one. Then you’ll remember, but by then it’ll be too late. Mother nature is cruel that way.”

“It looks like this weekend will work fine,” Alex said as he sat down at the kitchen table and set his phone down. “Can my family bring anything?”

“Sure. They can bring whatever they want. I’ll just make sure we have the basics for a redneck barbecue.”

“What’s that?” I asked. I honestly had no idea what my cousin had planned, and I was kind of scared.

“Oh, you know, Spam, squeeze cheese, Kool-Aid,” he said with a big smile. “Come on, Jeremy, you know I’m kidding. We’ll defrost some venison and put that on the grill, and we’ll have corn on the cob and potato salad and that sort of thing.”

“Okay, I think I can handle that,” I said as I started in on Crystal’s bangs.

“But you gotta know there’s gonna be a little bit of white-trash food sprinkled around. You know how much Aunt Shirley loves them little smokies.”

“Oh, the ones wrapped in bacon?”

“Yeah, and sprinkled with brown sugar.”

“God, I love those things too,” I said, my mouth already watering.

“See, it won’t be so bad.”

“Yeah, I’m not so sure about that,” I said, already dreading this coming weekend.

“So, yeah, Alex, your family can bring whatever they want. Salads, finger food, anything that would be good at a barbecue. Oh, my God, this is so exciting. And I don’t want you two to worry about baby clothes or anything like that. We have tons of stuff up in the attic that you can have. Clothes, furniture, a changing table, everything. It’s all had the hell beat out of it from four kids, but everything’s still in decent shape.”

“That’s amazing, Luke. Thank you,” Alex said. “I was really hoping I wasn’t going to have to borrow money from my parents for baby clothes.”

“No problem at all,” Luke said, slapping Alex on the back. “I’m more than happy to help. Okay, let’s get the show on the road because I need to start planning this thing. I gotta find everyone’s number so I can get them all here this weekend.”

“Who’s everyone?” I asked, looking up at my cousin.

“Get that stupid scowl off your face, Jeremy. There’s nothing for you to worry about. All you have to do is get that big belly of yours over here on Saturday morning. It’s gonna be an all-day event.”

I looked at Alex and he laughed out loud. “Holy crap, Jeremy, you look scared to death.”

I stared at Alex and Luke as they both continued to laugh, then the kids join in, cheering about the all-day party. But I wasn’t laughing at all. Alex was right. I was absolutely terrified.