Page 52

Beth

“ I ’m a whale!” I groaned as I rolled out of my nest.

I was officially eight months pregnant. Life had been shockingly wonderful since we had bonded. We had our little family and routine, and for the first time ever, I was truly happy.

My credit card had been fully refunded, so I had dropped the lawsuit against my brother.

Part of me had wanted to keep pushing forward because I knew full well it was Heather who was responsible for the refund and not him.

Sadly, Gideon had let me know that actually pursuing legal action now that all the money was back could prove to be difficult, and I had far more important things to be focusing on.

Though, the lawsuit had clearly done something because my family had left me the hell alone for a few months, and I was enjoying the peace and quiet. I didn’t even miss them—how insane was that?

Now I was even more in tune with the guys, and I honestly couldn’t remember what life was like before we bonded. Waking up with them near, the cuddles, the constant companionship. It was bliss.

Well, other than the discomfort, lower back pain, and sore chest, but hopefully those were just short-term things until our child was evicted from my body.

“You are not a whale,” Cullen insisted from where he was sprawled out next to me, pulling me in for a hug.

“Whatever you are, you are downright adorable,” Jensen said as he walked into the room, a cup of tea in hand for me.

He was wearing his scrubs, scheduled to do another shift at the hospital.

I had intended to ask him a question about something trivial, but that quickly went to the recesses of my mind when I took in the sight of him.

There was something about when Gideon wore a well-tailored suit and when Jensen wore his scrubs. It made my lady bits weep, and my ability to think rationally turned to goo.

It didn’t help that the pregnancy hormones were making me so goddamn needy.

Not that the guys were complaining.

“Why are you looking at me like that, sweetheart?” Jensen asked, cocking an eyebrow. The handsome jerk knew exactly what I was thinking.

Instead of replying, I simply stuck my tongue out, making him laugh. “For that, you don’t get to join me in the shower,” I said primly.

Cullen chuckled from behind me as he dragged me fully back into the nest for a hug, my back plastered to his front.

Jensen’s eyes widened. “Can I take a rain check? I have to go to the hospital, but…”—his gaze raked hungrily over me—“then again, I could be late.”

“Nope, she’s all mine,” Cullen declared, kissing the back of my neck.

The nest was now a permanent culmination of our scents.

It was amazing. There was also an abundance of bedding.

As an omega, I was a big fan of throw pillows and blankets, but I had gone a little overboard in this nest. Sometimes one of the guys would crawl into the pillow mountain and I would lose them entirely to the squish.

“Sorry, maybe next time.” I smiled at Jensen.

I was exhausted, the size of a whale, and wearing one of their T-shirts and a pair of underwear.

I looked far from sexy, yet they looked at me like I was the best thing they had ever seen.

One of Cullen’s hands rested on my belly.

He, and the others, took every opportunity to touch my stomach because every now and then, our little baby decided to kick or move.

The first time she had rolled over in my stomach, I was so confused. The sensation had been so different from what I was used to.

Now I was very used to it. My baby was a wriggle pants.

Jensen sighed, a long-suffering sound. “Why do I have to be responsible?”

I shrugged, while Cullen responded, “See, you should have gone into the restaurant business. Late starts mean morning fun.”

“I should get up. I’m seeing Kennedy today,” I mumbled as I tried futilely to get out of Cullen’s grasp.

Jensen frowned. “Is she going to terrify you with more horror stories about pregnancy?”

“Hey, her information on lightning crotch was very informative.”

“You were terrified for weeks that your vagina was going to feel like it had been hit by a thunderbolt.”

I pouted. “It was a genuine concern! Now, go do doctor things.”

Jensen strode over to the bed, leaning down to give me a quick kiss goodbye. “Be good, sweet girl.”

“I’ll try.” I beamed as Cullen started kissing my neck.

Once Jensen was out of the room, I turned to face him. “And what are your plans for the day?”

Cullen cocked his head to the side in thought. “I suppose I am going to spend the morning with my beautiful omega before she decides to go be a social butterfly.”

I nodded, wrapping my arms around his neck. My belly was squished between the two of us, and the baby kicked in response.

“It feels like someone wants breakfast.” Cullen laughed, looking down at my stomach.

I groaned. “I always want food. It’s a problem. I’m going to be the size of a house before I give birth.”

Cullen kissed my nose in an annoyingly cute gesture. “But a very cute house.”

I glowered at him. “Just for that, I’m going to shower alone.”

Cullen’s face dropped. “Cruel!”

“Don’t you have something else to do, maybe play golf?”

“Golf?”

I nodded. “It’s an old man sport, so I assume you play.”

Cullen’s eyes widened as he spluttered. “I mean. I—well, I do, but I am not old!”

“There’s no shame in it. When you get more advanced in age, you need a slower sport…” It was impossible to keep the grin off my face. Messing with him was too fun. There had been a great many old jokes made. Usually, they ended in orgasms for me, which was hardly a deterrent.

I smirked, leaning over to give him a quick peck on the lips. “You’re about to turn forty,” I whispered.

“Right. I’ll show you who’s old!” he declared, pulling me into bed and spending the next hour showing just how energetic he could be.

Even though I said I was going to shower alone, Cullen still followed me. Now that my center of gravity had changed so much, I was a little wobbly on my feet. The overprotective butthead insisted on being near in case I fell in the shower.

“Hey, Bethany…” Joey clambered into the nest.

“Hello! How was school?” I asked as I pulled her into my arms for a hug. Her scent was getting more and more defined by the day. It was hard to discern exactly what it was, but it was sweet, that’s for sure.

I would bet my entire bank balance that she was going to be an omega.

“School was good. We made cards for Mother’s Day and planted some strawberry plants in the greenhouse. Can we get strawberry plants?”

The mention of Mother’s Day made my heart rate stutter, but I kept my face neutral. “We can get some strawberry plants this weekend if you want.”

Joey nodded. “That sounds good. Do you know what’s for dinner?”

“Daddy C brought some chicken from the restaurant. The one that you like.”

Joey smiled, nuzzling into my side. “That’s yummy.”

It was. In fact, that particular dish was quickly becoming one of my favorites.

“How much longer until my little sister is here?” she asked.

“A few weeks now. They’re getting wriggly!” I scrunched my nose playfully.

Joey giggled. “It’s small in there.” She touched my belly lightly. “They must be squished.”

“But remember, the baby is small as well. You saw the little pajamas Daddy Jensen got the baby last week.”

Joey’s eyes widened. “Those were teeny-tiny!”

“They were, but they’re teeny-tiny because they’re inside me!”

Joey nodded, leaning over and putting her head on my belly. “I wanna meet you, baby!” she said to my stomach.

My heart turned to pure goo.

“How did I know I would find you two cuddled up in the nest?” Gideon asked as he entered the room.

“It’s the best room in the house.” I shrugged and Joey nodded emphatically.

“It is, Daddy. If you get me a ball pit room, that may be the best room, but for now, this room is comfy, and it smells nice.”

“Well, how about we grab our dinners, then make a nest in the living room to watch movies?”

Joey sat up straight. “I want to build the nest!” she declared, scrambling out of the nest surprisingly fast and darting out of the room, no doubt to start her little project.

“You’d better have plenty of nesting supplies, or that little omega may turn vicious.” I giggled, holding out my hands. “You’re going to have to help me out of here. I’m stuck!”

Gideon smiled indulgently at me, taking a few steps forward and grabbing my hands. In one swift but soft movement, he had me on my feet.

“I came prepared. We’ve been ordering a lot of the things you guys have been buying for your nests in duplicate for this very scenario—also, in case Joey spilled ketchup on anything. I’ll warn you now, the sofa nest will be filled with dinosaurs…”

My smile was warm, if a little tired. “That sounds perfect. Those squishy dinosaurs make excellent pillows.”

He hadn’t let go of my hands yet, opting to hold them between us. The contact was nice; any way I could touch my guys made me happier.

Going up on my tiptoes, I rubbed my face in his neck, scenting him.

Frantic little footsteps thundered into the room as Joey reappeared. “Oh, before I forget, this is for you! Now, blankies!”

She shoved some sort of paper into my hands before scampering off as quickly as she came, a little whirlwind of excitement and giddiness.

“What you got there?” Gideon asked. “Usually, she gives me the boring school permission slips.”

I chuckled. “She only gives them to you because she knows you’ll tell Cullen or Jensen off if they sign anything without you looking over it, even a permission slip.”

He smiled indulgently at me. “Rightly so. Never sign anything without letting your lawyer look at it. I’ll protect my family, no matter what.”

“Those pesky PTA moms.” I giggled. “Such a threat.”

“Well, Jennifer Lowe wasn’t harmless…”

“But after you filed a complaint, she moved to another school district, so she’s not my problem anymore. Do you still have that appointment tomorrow?”

“I do, but I can cancel. It’s just a check to see if I’m at all dilated now that I’m looking my due date in the face…” Turning my attention to the paper in hand, my words trailed off.

It was a Mother’s Day card.

Addressed to me.

Instantly, tears welled up in my eyes, and Gideon looked between the card and me with surprise.

“You’re crying?” he asked, a panicked hint to his voice.

“Good tears!” I insisted. “This baby is making me cry at the drop of a hat, but I’m so happy that Joey gave me a card. Are you okay with that?”

Gideon pulled me in for a hug. “You, Bethany Noble, are the only mother that child has ever had, and she is damn lucky to have you.”

That just made me cry harder.

I was so lost in my tears that, at first, I didn’t feel the trickle of water running down my leg.

“Uhh…Gideon?” I asked breathlessly.

He furrowed his brow. “Yeah?”

Taking a deep breath, I steadied myself.

“I’m pretty sure my water just broke.”