He rubbed at his eyes with his free hand, tears spilling over his fingers. “You are…you are nothing like them.”
“I sure hope not.” I wanted to gather him to me and soothe him, tell him everything would be perfect forever, but life wasn’t like that. And he needed to shed those tears, ease the pain inside him before he could move on. “I swear to you to do my best to be a good mate and a good dad if you will allow me to be.”
Despite the droplets still sliding down his cheeks, he offered a watery smile. “Let’s go see our new home.”
We loved the house and made an offer on the spot. Then we went to my place and made love, but this time, I didn’t hold back. He already carried my young, and now, he wore my mark. Somehow, I’d forgotten entirely that I needed to ask his thoughts about the club ownership. But I knew what I wanted to do. I just needed to make sure he agreed with me that it was the perfect move for our family. And when I brought it up in the wee small hours, he hugged me and told me he was thrilled that my dreams were coming true.
Actually, all of them. One way or another.
Chapter Eighteen
Hudson
The app said my baby, our baby, was the size of a cantaloupe. Strange to compare a living, breathing being to a fruit, but at least there were updates and I had an idea of how much he or she weighed.
What I did know was that my belly hadn’t gotten the memo. It was more like a basketball or a small watermelon.
Thank goodness they made extra-stretchy scrubs and my pregnancy hadn’t given me an aversion to blood, other than seeing it in crime docs.
“Is today the day?” my friend Davis said as we sanitized our stations between patients. One this morning had fainted on me, and Davis’ first patient screamed so loudly during his draw that the other staff rushed in, thinking there had been an accident or an emergency. It had been one hell of a day already and it was only noon.
I’d already eaten three times and still was getting impatient for lunch. “Today is the day. But there’s really not a lot to be done. Evander hired someone to get what I wanted out of the apartment, but the furniture…there was nothing that I really wanted. His house is beautifully furnished already.”
“We still need to have a housewarming party.”
“Maybe. We don’t really need anything.”
He nodded. “How’s the nursery coming? I’m living vicariously through you since I haven’t found my mate yet.”
“The nursery is being painted this week, I think. I have to check our schedule.”
Evander bought us a digital wall calendar that was hooked to an app on our phones. We could see each other’s schedules along with doctor’s appointments and things like my book club onSundays. Everything was in there. It was the only way we could make time for one another with his more demanding schedule.
We decided on a very faint mint green for the nursery and white furniture. Evander went nuts buying everything the baby sites said we needed. Last night, I came home to a brand-new glider rocker all put together in the corner of the living room just for me.
“Are you excited about moving in?” Davis knew some of my history. We had lunch and yap sessions almost every day.
“I am now. Did I tell you Evander put my name on the new house? He didn’t want me to think my home could be taken away. It was to make me feel more secure.”
Davis stopped moving and turned to me. “You found a good one, Hudson. I know it’s hard for you to trust but he’s showing you how much he truly loves you.”
“I know.”
At the end of the workday, I went home and found that moving in was taking place without me. There was a truck in the driveway. Workers filed out of the small moving van holding boxes with my handwriting on them. Mostly books.
In the doorway, letting everyone in was Evander, dressed in sweatpants and a tight shirt. If there were omegas among the movers, they were getting an eyeful. He shouldn’t be allowed to dress like that in public, too sexy for his own good.
He bounced down the stairs and walked over to me. I’d parked on the curb since there was a moving van in the driveway. “Welcome home, Hudson.”
I laughed and leaned into his hug. “I basically already live here.” After finding out I was pregnant, Evander wanted me to sleep over every night. Even the nights he was working. His house, our house now, was in a better part of the city, and the neighborhood gated.
I certainly didn’t mind.
“That’s true but now you never have to leave.” His hand skimmed over my belly. He didn’t mind how big I was getting. In fact, he liked it. Enjoyed how my body was changing.
I wondered if he would still say that once my watermelon was fully grown.
“Any chance we have some dinner left over? Would it be rude to eat in front of the movers?”
