“Yes. Four months.” He stalked over, handed me the flowers, and kissed my forehead. Ripley had changed since our mating, mostly since opening up about his brother. He didn’t hate Christmas so much anymore, and I hoped that what I had to tell him didn’t make him clam up again.
“Are you going to do this every month?” I asked, laughing as he nuzzled his beard against my neck.
“No. I didn’t even plan this one, but I saw these flowers. They’re happy and beautiful, just like you.”
Ripley was everything I’d wanted in an alpha.
“Hey, I want to talk to you about something. Let me put these in water and then we can sit down,” I said.
My poor mate. His smile faltered at my words. He trusted in our relationship, but he was also learning to trust that good things could happen in his life again.
Perhaps this would help.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Impatient. It’s good news. At least, I hope you think so.”
He let out a long sigh, but the tension and nervousness came through our bond. “Come sit, omega. You’re making me twitchy.”
I walked over to the living room and sat on the couch next to him after kissing him deeply. “I’m nervous too. You know I’ve been feelingoff lately.”
He nodded. “You threw up again this morning?” Ripley had been out doing some work on the gardens when I woke.
“I did. And it got me thinking. I’ve been drained of energy a bit and feeling some butterflies in my stomach, so, yesterday, while I was in town, I bought a pregnancy test.”
With eyes wide, my mate scooted closer to me on the couch, taking my hands in his. “You took it? Tell me, Jude. You’re killing me.”
“I’m carrying our baby, Ripley.”
His breaths grew shallow. “You’re sure?”
“Five pregnancy tests. Five. All positive. We’re having a baby.”
One moment, I was on the couch and the next, I was gathered up and cuddled in my mate’s lap. “Jude, my love. You’ve made me happier than I ever thought possible.” He peppered kisses all along my jawline, making me chuckle.
“I thought it would be too soon for you.”
He shrugged. “You are my true mate, the one I’ve been waiting for. Of course I want children with you. Ihope they all have your cute nose and sunshine personality.”
I pouted. “I was hoping for a little rowdy Ripley.”
“Doesn’t matter. Does it? Our pup is going to be beautiful. Thank you for telling me. I was worried something else was wrong with you. I intended to talk to you today about going to the healer. You’ve not been yourself lately. I found my thoughts revolving around catastrophe.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
Chapter Nineteen
Ripley
The guest room of our cabin would make a perfect nursery. We had to put off some of our business plans, of course, because Jude was sick for the first trimester. He was in no shape to find a business location, much less do all the leg work that would be involved in setting it up. So, we decided to wait until he could do it without jeopardizing his health or that of our young.
The sale of my company went through quickly once I let the three people who had approached me with offers know I was open to discussion. It turned into a bidding war, and by the time I drove home in my repaired truck to sign documents and pack up my condo—which I’d also sold—I had garnered enough to give us both a great start with our new enterprises. Mine would also have to wait because with Jude’s morning sickness and the kindness of the local community, the orders flowed in for his baked goods.He needed help. A sous chef. And it seemed it was going to be me.
But I didn’t mind. Everything we did together was a joy, and Jude was infinitely patient with my all-thumbs approach to baking. I helped him. On the day of his first appointment with Quinn, the local healer, we came home to find an emergency rush order for wedding cookies. Fifteen dozen, personalized, and intended to be used for place cards. That meant names of the bride and groom as well as that of a guest had to be written on each cookie along with beautiful silver decorations. They needed them in one week.
He was so nauseated, the healer wanted him to rest, and he refused to turn down any jobs. This one, in particular, was exciting to him because it came from across the country, and he believed the alpha groom could get him more work in the future if he liked the cookies. So, we divided and conquered, me taking on the less technical and him the decorating. It was pretty basic, a vanilla-bean sugar cookie, and Jude could have made them in his sleep, but not me.
Somehow, with a lot of help, I was on the way, mixing, rolling, cutting, and baking while Jude waited for the first batch to cool then began the delicate frosting calligraphy and decorating. At first, I was nervous and slow. I burned a batch, but after a while, with my omega’s tutelage, I was on the way and we were working like a well-oiled machine.
