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“Today’s the day,” Mateo announced.

He was excited because a new bed was arriving. We all were excited. The current bed would be cleaned, sanded down, and repainted before being donated to a local homeless shelter. But the mattress was a goner. We’d bought a new one, which had been delivered to the shelter yesterday.

We’d spent hours scrolling through online furniture sites and finally chosen the bed that made us happy.

When Scotty made no move to the bathroom, I sat up, resigned to having to get up. “I’ll take a shower first.”

“Okay.” Mateo yawned. My mate or I should say one of my mates. We three were mated and marked, bonded forever. Colton, Mateo and Scotty.

There was a heaviness to his voice, but he’d just been thoroughly fucked. But when I emerged from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around my hips, both my mates were asleep. This was Mateo’s morning routine. He always snatched another hour of sleep, which allowed Scotty and I to knock off work early while Mateo closed up in the evening.

“My dick was so good it sent him into a stupor.” Mateo opened one eye. “You get the breakfasts started, and I’ll unlock the front door.” He glanced at our bear shifter. “Let him stay here a while longer.”

Placing my lips on Scotty’s brow, I whispered, “Sleep as long as you like.”

The B&B was full and, with people ordering their meals at different times, it was midmorning before I looked around and discovered Scotty hadn’t made an appearance. Our washing machines were running nonstop, and I needed him to take the rest of the bedding to the local laundry and pick up a load of fresh food from our friend Morgan.

But that wasn’t why I was taking the steps two at a time. Scotty didn’t stay in bed and shirk his duties. Him staying in our apartment was out of character.

“Colton?” Mateo’s voice at the bottom of the stairs held a hint of panic. I didn’t answer, but heavy pounding let me know he was right behind me.

He’s breathing, was my first thought as I charged into our bedroom. Scotty was huddled under the covers, his eyes closed. The rise and fall of his chest reassured me. But, as Mateo tore into the room, my gaze fell on a bowl beside the bed.

“A barf bowl,” Mateo gasped. “Poor baby. He’s not well.” He felt Scotty’s brow. “He doesn’t have a fever.” My turtle mate kissed our bear mate’s head, and he stirred and blinked before fixing his eyes on me.

“What time is it? Did I oversleep”

“Don’t worry about that. You’ve got an upset tummy. Stay in bed.”

Mateo dragged me toward the door and whispered, “At some point he has to get up. Our new bed is arriving and being assembled. And every other bed in the B&B is occupied.”

I pointed out we had a sofa, but Mateo fidgeted with a dish towel tucked into his waistband. “He should see a doctor.”

Placing both hands on Mateo’s shoulders, I comforted him by saying, “It’s a minor stomach upset. If he drinks plenty of fluids and rests, he’ll be fine tomorrow or the next day.” But Mateo’s chewing his bottom lip, and his eyes darting to Scotty had me adding, “If he’s no better by this evening, we’ll take him to the doctor.”

He nodded. “He shouldn’t be alone.”

“He won’t be for long. The bed’s due to be delivered soon.”

We gave Scotty a quick wash, and he brushed his teeth. After putting Scotty in clean pajamas, we got him on the sofa and covered him with a quilt. We bundled the bedding into the hamper, and Mateo stayed with our mate while I went back to work. He sent me ten-minute updates by text.

The guy who did minor repairs for us at the B&B arrived with two friends to dismantle the bed and remove it so the new one could be put in its place. I couldn’t leave the front desk. Withboth my mates off work, I had no time to check on whether the putting together of the new bed by the delivery guys was proceeding as it should.

But when the workers thumped down the stairs, chatting among themselves about their plans for the evening, one handed me a form to sign saying the bed had been delivered and assembled. I wouldn’t normally sign something without seeing the finished job, but I was confident Mateo would have messaged me if there was a problem.

“And congratulations,” the guy said as he took back the form.

It was unusual to be congratulated on getting a new bed, but it was a milestone for us. “Thanks. We’re looking forward to it. It should make for a more comfortable night’s sleep.”

“Huh?” He scratched his head.

Now it was my turn to be confused. “You’re talking about the bed, right?” Had Mateo let slip that the three of us were mated? It wasn’t a secret among our friends, but we didn’t usually share the details of our relationship with strangers.

“He’s going to have a baby. I recognize the symptoms. My mate’s pregnant with our third, so I’m an old hand at this.” He took one look at my face as I clutched my chest and tried to breathe. “Oops, I ruined the surprise, I’m guessing.” He slapped me on the shoulder. “Sorry about that.”

The front door slammed, but I was already halfway to our apartment. I burst in the door as Mateo was feeding Scotty a cup of broth.

“You’re not sick, Scotty,” I informed him.