Drey just snorted again. “And I suppose you don’t have any idea why, hm?”
I was sure that Drey could actually hear the self-satisfied grin well before I responded. “What kind of Alpha would I be if I didn’t strive to meet the needs of my gorgeous, pregnant Omega?” I shot back.
“Good for you, Sy,” Some of the humor leeched out of Drey’s voice and was replaced with sincerity. “I got the impression that it’s been a long-damned time since anyone has made that young man a priority.”
My heart clenched at the overwhelming truth in that statement. “Maybe in the past,” I said softly, watching as a delivery van pulled to a stop in front of the house. “But not anymore.” Hoping to cut off the driver before he could ring the doorbell and wake Paul, I headed for the front door. “I’ve got to go, but I’ll let you know when I receive the letter from you.”
Drey agreed and I ended the call, shoving the phone into my pocket as I reached the door.
“I have a delivery here for Paul Rogers,” the nervous young man squeaked out, thrusting a large basket overflowing with artfully arranged flowers toward me.
“I’ll take it.” Shifting the basket to my left hip, I scribbled a digital signature on his tablet with my finger and turned back into the house. Mentally ticking the flowers off on my list, I tiptoed into the bedroom to place them on the dresser where Paul would see them as soon as he woke.
Two birthday deliveries down and three more to go.
Leaning down to brush a kiss over Paul’s slightly pursed lips, I smiled when he sighed. He’d kicked the covers off at some point, leaving his body bare to my perusal, so, red-blooded Alpha that I admit I am, I ogled him shamelessly for a minute before dropping another kiss on his tummy -this one for Bun- and drawing the sheet and light blanket back up to cover him, leaving the heavier comforter down around his feet.
“Sleep well, Tiger,” I whispered in his ear as he snuggled into the covers. “I’m watching over you and the little one.”
Even in his sleep, I knew he heard me because the wrinkle in his brow eased and a small smile curved his plump red lips.
I was so lost.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Paul
When the alarm set on my phone beeped, I rolled over and stretched, catching sight of a beautiful basket bursting with colorful flowers before I could even reach for the adjustable bed remote. Luckily, the dresser holding them was on the way to the bathroom, so I buried my face in the fragrant blooms on my way to pee.
On closer inspection on my way back, they were actually blooming houseplants, each one in an individual pot that was then nestled into the massive willow basket. Pulling on the plush green bathrobe that I’d more or less stolen from my host shortly after I’d arrived, I plucked the card from the basket and went looking for him.
The card was promptly forgotten when I found Sylas balancing on the top step of a six-foot ladder, looping a garland made of multicolored balloons around the ceiling fan.
“Sylas?” I called out quietly, not wanting to startle him. “Should you be doing that? It, uh, doesn’t look very safe.”
“Hey, Birthday Boy.” Sylas finished tying the ribbon and then looked down with a smile. “How’d you sleep?”
His body shifted making the ladder jerked slightly and I froze, swallowing hard. “Sylas, please get down before you fall.”
“What?” Sylas looked amused. “Tiger, I’m not up that high.” He shifted again, making the ladder groan and my mind flashed back to the night that my Dad had wrecked, the groaning of metal as the Jaws of Life had attempted to wrench the wreckage apart to pull his lifeless body free.
A scream tore free of my throat, but I barely heard it as I crumpled to my knees, clasping my hand to my mouth as my stomach threatened to revolt. My chest tightened and I struggled to breathe. Through the tears filling my eyes, I saw Sylas falling through the air, but was too distraught to register that he’d jumped from the ladder and landed safely on his feet.
“Baby, you’re shaking.” Sylas dropped to the floor beside me and scooped me into his arms, holding me tight. “What’s wrong?”
I couldn’t talk through the sobs choking me, so I buried my face in his chest, clinging to him.
“Paul? Can you talk to me?” Sylas’s voice was thick with worry and even his scent washing over me wasn’t helping me. “Please tell me what happened?”
He rose to his feet and reached down to pull me to stand, but my legs wouldn’t cooperate and Sylas barely caught me as they buckled. Sylas blew out a deep breath and carefully lifted me, carrying me over to sit on the sofa.
“Breathe with me.” The touch of command in Sylas’s voice finally seemed to break through the cloud of panic in my head and I tried to slow my breathing to match the rise and fall of his chest. “That’s better,” Sylas said encouragingly, his hand stroking my back through the thick plush of my robe. “Keep breathing.”
After several moments of silence, my throat finally relaxed enough that I thought I could speak. “I..sorry.”
Sylas tsked and continued to rub my back. “No apology,” he said in a soft but firm voice. “Can you tell me what happened?”
I sucked in a breath but could only shake my head helplessly. “I..I don’t know. As soon as the ladder started to creak, I flashed back to my Dad’s car accident.”
