Not the way the fairy tale was supposed to go.
Making dinner, I stared at the test. I didn’t have the energy to make anything other than oven-baked chicken tenders and some microwave steamed vegetables, but there was fiber and protein so I called it a small win.
Time to bite the bullet.
I went into the bathroom and took a shower, complete procrastination on my part, and then peed on the stick. I laughed while telling myself the instructions in the mirror the same way I did to our patients.
Now to wait.
A noise from the front of the house startled me. I rushed to see what was happening. The yelp that left my mouth made Edris laugh. He opened his arms for me and I jumped into them, wrapping my legs around his torso.
“You’re here!” I said, kissing him all over his face and then his lips.
“I’m here, omega. Damn, I do like the way you welcome me home.”
He put me on the kitchen counter and then captured my lips like we hadn’t seen each other for years. It felt like years. Every second without him in my life dragged on.
“I missed you,” I whimpered, reaching for the hem of his shirt.
“Missed you more.”
My phone let out a shrill from the other room and I froze in place. “What’s the alarm for?” He was unbothered by the sound, already trying to undo his pants.
“Wait. Stop. We need to talk.”
I hopped off the counter and ran to turn the alarm off. It was screaming at me to face my future. To face my alpha with the truth.
“What’s going on?” Edris came into the bedroom and kicked his shoes off, placing them neatly under his side of the bed.
“I’ve been feeling kind of weird the past few weeks.”
“How so?”
I shrugged. “Nausea. Tired all the time. Some foods make me want to gag.” I hated to keep him in suspense, especially over something so important.
“Are you sick? I don’t…what does that have to do with a timer?”
“Edris, I think I’m pregnant. That’s what the timer was. Only a few seconds before you came in, I took a test. The timer…it’s for the test.” Now, I was overexplaining. Great.
He stalked across the bedroom and kissed my forehead. “You might have my cub in you?”
I laughed. What an alpha thing to say. “Or my pup. Or our baby.”
My alpha didn’t crack a smile. His eyes ticked to the bathroom and then back to me. “Should we check the test?”
“We should. But I’m so nervous. Come with me?”
“I’d go with you anywhere, omega.”
We took a few steps into the bathroom and I picked up the test and looked at it. Two lines.
“What does two lines mean?” Edris asked. I could hear our hearts beating hard. This was a life-changing moment. And we were here, together, to share it.
“It means we’re having a baby.”
I was off my feet again as Edris tugged me off the ground. His joyous laughter filled my home. “I can’t believe it. We’re going to be parents.” Putting my arms around his shoulders, I pulled him tight and kissed him hard.
“I’m…I think we need to celebrate.”
