Page 28

Beth

A fter we found out about the baby and I learned all about Joey’s mother, life returned to a semi-normal state.

Well, as normal as it could be while knocked up.

Morning sickness was also part of my new routine. Every morning when I rolled out of bed, I was immediately grabbing my favorite cheese-flavored crackers that were shaped like fish.

The guys quickly picked up on my coping mechanism, and every time I saw them, they had little snack packs of crackers stashed in various places for me in case I got nauseated.

It was adorable, really, that they cared so much.

Every now and again, I found myself watching Joey as she did her homework, played in the den, or cuddled up with her fathers, watching TV.

How her mother had been able to just walk away from her blew my mind.

I wasn’t even biologically connected to the child, but I knew that walking away would be impossible for me.

I had a couple of hours between classes, so I sat in the library, looking through my meticulously labeled and color-coded planner. I relied heavily on it to keep track of everything, given all my activities.

Pulling up a web page, I started researching the phases of pregnancy and things I needed to know. I marked down when each trimester would end, when I would need to book a sonogram appointment, and even roughly what size the baby would be.

In my mind, the baby was the size of a chicken nugget, and that wasn’t going to change. The idea of me carrying something the size of a watermelon in my stomach was terrifying, and I didn’t want to linger on that thought too long.

As I turned the pages, I frowned to myself. Something was going to have to give. My schedule was jam-packed, even now that I’d finished my shifts at the café. I hadn’t even known about my pregnancy for that long, but I was already exhausted.

“It’s about time I saw you!” a familiar, sweet voice called out before a set of arms wrapped around me from behind, her violet and vanilla scent making me smile.

“Hey, Kennedy,” I greeted, standing up so I could hug her properly. The woman was just a few months postpartum, but she looked phenomenal. Her skin was clear, her hair shiny, and she was beaming like there was no tomorrow.

“We have so much to talk about. Come on. We are getting lunch. I am so mad at you. I don’t know why you think it’s acceptable to answer my texts with simply I’m pregnant then refuse to answer your phone!”

I smiled sheepishly. That hadn’t been my best moment, but I’d been somewhat overwhelmed after learning I was pregnant.

“I’m sorry. There was a lot going on.”

Kennedy waved off my concern. “I assumed so, which is the only reason I didn’t come to your place to find you, though I had a feeling I wouldn’t find you there. Come on. We can talk about this while getting lunch. I am baby-free for a few hours, and I plan to enjoy it.”

“Who’s on baby duty?” I asked as I shoved my books into my bag.

“Storm and Charlie have the babies. I think they’re taking Charlotte to get new shoes because she’s growing out of hers so fast. Children grow like weeds, I swear.”

There was a little Italian restaurant on campus we both loved, and thankfully, it wasn’t busy so early on a Thursday. We were seated and ordering our food within minutes.

“So, how far along are you?” Kennedy asked, taking a sip of her soda.

“Ten weeks, roughly? I found out last week, but we only had sex during my heat, so it’s pretty obvious when it happened. That was early August, before Joey had her break.”

“And how are you feeling?”

I didn’t meet her eye as I stirred my soda with its straw. “Physically, I’m feeling great. I’ve had a bit of morning sickness, but nothing more than that right now.”

“And the dads? They’re Joey’s family, aren’t they?”

I nodded. “They seem really eager to help.”

“Are you guys together?”

I grimaced. “I’m not sure. We’re taking things really slow because of Joey. They already have a daughter we need to think about. We’ve had…moments. A few dates, but this changes things.”

“True, but they also have a pregnant omega they need to think about now. Oh! They have calzones here…” She trailed off, looking at the menu.

“They’re good,” I agreed.

“What are you going to do about work? I assume you’re not going to be able to teach on the ice much longer if you’re pregnant. And didn’t you already quit your barista job? Are your guys willing to support you? It’s the least they should be doing.”

A long-suffering sigh escaped my chest. “I’m not sure, honestly.

I love skating, but it’s not recommended while pregnant because of the risk of falls.

What would I even tell my students if they knew I was going on maternity leave?

I’m sure I would lose all my clients, because who wants their child around a pregnant omega who has no pack?

They’ll think I’m a terrible influence.”

Kennedy rolled her eyes. “Beth, you are the furthest thing from a bad influence. Your alphas should be willing to help, though.”

“Oh, they would—they’ve offered—but I’m not sure I want to accept. I’m basically the nanny they knocked up. Yes, we’ve gone on a few dates, but I’m still not sure where we stand. Can I really put all my faith in them?”

Our conversation paused for a moment as our food was delivered to our table. Kennedy cocked her head at me, her expression thoughtful.

“I’m not saying to put all your faith in them. Still keep your savings. Still keep yourself safe. But it wouldn’t hurt to start accepting more help from them,” Kennedy said as she cut into her calzone. “Are they still paying you for looking after Joey?”

I grimaced. That was a point of contention for me.

“They are, but I’m not sure how I feel about that. It feels kind of icky to be getting paid by the guys you’re sleeping with.”

Kennedy snorted. “That makes it sound like the weirdest prostitution ever. I totally see why that could be difficult, though.”

“Even if I stopped taking the money, they would make the money appear. They’re so stubborn about making sure I get paid for what I do. Sometimes I just want to take Joey for ice cream because she’s a sweet child and I want to spend time with her.”

Kennedy cocked her head to the side with a small smile. “How does it feel knowing that you’re going to be giving birth to her brother or sister in a few months?”

“Fucking terrifying,” I admitted, taking a swig of my soda. “You’ve told me enough horror stories about pregnancy that I am convinced this thing is going to destroy me.”

Kennedy giggled. “I’m not sorry. You need to be aware of what can happen. When I was pregnant with Charlotte, I had so many people telling me that birth was beautiful and easy and postpartum was a breeze.”

I distinctly remember Kennedy’s postpartum with Charlotte, and it was anything but a breeze. She had been on her own for the pregnancy and birth. I had wanted nothing more than to be there with her, but my family had insisted I come home for a few weeks.

Looking back, I deeply regretted going to my family instead of being there for my best friend.

“But it was so much easier with Samuel, right?”

“It was in a lot of ways.” She hummed in agreement. “With my pack around me, a lot of the baby work was eased, but my body was still a wreck. Unfortunately, no amount of help is going to stop your boobs from feeling like they’re going to fall off or your lady bits from burning up a storm.”

“Loving the reassurance here, Kennedy.” I chuckled before I nibbled at my pasta. It was delicious, but the topic of conversation had me feeling a bit queasy. I needed to know what was going to happen, though.

Kennedy shrugged. “You’ll be happy at the end that I was honest with you. I expect to get so many random texts from you over the next few months, asking if whatever symptom you’re having is normal. I would have killed to have someone I could text like that during my pregnancies.”

“I appreciate it. I really do. I’m just a bit overwhelmed. I hardly had any time for myself before, and now I’ve got to grow an entire human?”

“Something’s going to have to give.”

I glowered at her. “Sometimes I hate the fact that you’re right.”

She grinned. “It’s a gift, really.”

That evening, I was still mulling Kennedy’s words over in my mind. I knew she was right, that something had to give, but I had no idea what.

“You’re thinking awful hard there,” Jensen said as he found me sitting at the breakfast bar, planner in front of me. “Where’s Munchkin?”

“In the den, watching one of her animated movies. I’m just trying to schedule some things. Given this”—I gestured toward my stomach—“things need to shift.”

Jensen walked over to me, looking at the planner over my shoulder as he lightly rubbed my lower back, his salty scent and his hands turning my body into goo.

Fuck. That man had magic hands. All thought left me momentarily as he started massaging my sore lower spine.

“That does look awfully packed,” he mused.

“It won’t be soon. I’m probably going to have to give up ice skating until after I give birth. I can still help Joey learn from off the ice, but I don’t think I’ll be able to keep up my regular lessons.”

“Yeah, that would pose a risk to the baby, but I know you love teaching.”

“I can always go back after I give birth, I suppose. I just feel silly because I quit my job at the café, and now I’m losing the teaching job.”

“We can increase your pay for watching Joey.”

I turned to him with a glower. “You really think you can keep paying me while I’m pregnant?” I ran a hand through my hair. “Doesn’t that feel a little sketchy to you?”

Confusion flitted across his face before he took on a more determined look.

That probably wasn’t a good thing for me. His hands came to rest on either side of the counter, trapping me there.