Page 15 of An Omega Fox for Walker (Beartastic Summer of Love #4)

Walker

I was very grateful that my mate didn’t judge me for the state my home was in when I brought him there.

Or, worse, turn and run. Who could blame him?

I had my list of projects, which was cool, but when we walked in together, I suddenly saw it as another person might.

As my mate, who had agreed to move in with me undoubtedly would. I cringed.

It had been a fixer-upper when I bought it, and, at first, I’d done a lot but as work got busier, I did less.

After all, with my working hours, I basically slept there, did laundry…

never entertained or anything like that.

If I wanted to see friends, I met them at restaurants or sometimes their homes.

Fixing up a home had never been my favorite thing, just a necessity, but Fennec?

He not only had a gift for remodeling and redecorating, but he loved it.

And as summer rolled into fall, we had a rhythm going together that I loved, grateful he was staying with me and looking forward to each morning when I rolled over and saw him next to me and every night when I returned from work for a big kiss and hug of welcome.

At least until the morning when I found the space in bed next to me empty and realized the sounds that woke me an hour before my alarm was due to go off were someone being sick. My mate being sick. I scrambled out of bed and toward the closed bathroom door.

“Omega, can I come in?”

“N-no…yes…I don’t know.” Gagging took over before any more words might have clarified what I should do, and I twisted the knob. It wasn’t locked, so I opened the door and stepped inside to find Fennec kneeling in front of the porcelain bowl and being sick.

“What can I do to help?” I stayed a few steps back, not wanting to upset him but dying to drop down beside him and hold his head. Then I did it anyway. “Omega, did you eat something I didn’t?”

He shook his head, lifting it and bracing his arms on the seat. “No. I don’t know what it is. This is the third time this week.”

“And I slept through the others?” I was horrified.

“No, remember, I didn’t get up when you did a couple of times?”

“Sure.” I’d been surprised because we usually had breakfast together, but I’d just figured he was tired. We were still basically in our honeymoon period and sometimes stayed up later than was wise. Worth it, but I didn’t want it making him sick.

“Are you okay enough to stand up if I help you?” I stroked his hair back. “Want to try?”

“All right.” He let me take his arm and ease him to his feet. “Maybe I have some kind of a bug.”

“Or maybe we need to take a few days and relax. Remember, I still have a month of vacation. Would you like to take a long weekend and go where we can relax and breathe. Want to?”

He offered me a tired smile. “I can’t think how living here and enjoying making our home into our dream home isn’t relaxing. It’s a privilege and I love doing it.”

“Well, then I would like to go. Will you come with me? Or maybe we should just go to the healer and see if something is really wrong. I don’t like you feeling sick, mate.”

“Let’s take a trip. I’m sure the fresh air will do me good.”

“And if whatever this is has not resolved when we get back?” I offered him my best alpha stern glare.

“Then I promise we’ll go to the healer and find out what is up with me. But I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

My fox was still not able to shift or even speak to his animal and although he didn’t complain, I knew it worried him.

It worried me only in that I wanted him to be the happiest possible omega, and hated that there was something I couldn’t fix for him.

My bear had been reaching out with no results, but he was sure the fox was in there somewhere and just unable to communicate or shift.

Our mini vacay was awesome. We drove an hour or so out of town to a little cabin Airbnb and just wandered the forest and hiked a little, ate good food that we brought with us to cook and generally had a wonderful time.

I thought for a while that the stomach issue was resolved, but on our last day, I caught him being sick again.

He came out of the bathroom, looking pale and I instantly knew.

“Omega, is this the only time this has happened?”

“No.” He would not meet my eyes. “But I feel much better, honestly.”

“When we get home, we are going right to the healer and find out what is going on with your stomach.”

He nodded, still staring at the floor, and I cupped his chin and lifted his face toward me.

“It will be fine, omega. It probably is a stomach bug, but I don’t want to take a chance with you, ever.”

“Actually, I think it might be something else.” He cleared his throat. “Alpha, we haven’t talked about this subject at all, but do you want cubs?”

“How fast can you pack?”

“Oh my Goddess, you are getting rid of me because I might be pregnant?”

I gathered him in my arms and kissed him, despite his protests that he might have bad breath.

How could I care about that. “Omega, we are rushing back to town to find out if you’re pregnant so we can celebrate.

How long have you suspected?” My bear was awake and excited too.

He hadn’t been able to tell me the moment it happened because of his inability to communicate with the fox.

“Not long. Just today. I kept thinking it was food poisoning or something but then, this morning, I had a feeling. It came out of nowhere. Actually, more than a feeling. Walker, I am sure I’m pregnant.”

And I had a faint hope that the surety was coming from his animal. But I couldn’t say that and get his hopes up. “Let’s go do a test.”

“Do you think it would be all right if I converted the second guest room to a nursery? We could even open a door between our room and it and—”

I held up a hand to stop him. “It’s our home, omega, and whatever you want to do to it is fine.

I’ve already made arrangements to put our name on the deed, but I was planning to surprise you when the document was ready.

Let’s go do the test, just as a matter of form, so we can get a healer appointment.

I want them to tell us how to best help you through the stomach issues. ”

I might have been tempted to drive a little faster than was safe, but knowing I had both my omega and the tiny beginnings of a new family in the car kept me under the speed limit. My bear and I would protect these two and any others we had with our lives.

And shower them with all our love.