Page 117 of The Omega Exchange: Omnibus (The Exchange)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Oliver

“How do you feel about your carbon footprint?” I ask as we wait for the others to arrive. The doctor’s office is pretty dead, but they fit us in as their first appointment of the day as a favor to Farrah.

“What?” Mel asks. Her wide blueish-gray eyes blink, but it’s the warm, happy feeling that fills my chest that does my head in.

We’re fucking bonded.

No one can take her from me now. And the icing on the cake? She’s happy to be stuck with me for life.

I can feel it in the bond. It blows my goddamn mind, but I do know I’m going to keep her so fucking well cared for that she never regrets her decision.

“Oliver?” Mel asks, giving me a goofy smile.

“I scheduled a flight for us to Virginia on a private plane. That way we don’t have to fly commercial, and it’ll be easier if you’re sick.

It’s never really mattered to me one way or another, but I’m thinking it might make our lives easier.

Leaving Virginia . . .” I frown trying to find a nice way to put this.

“People tend to recognize Nik, and they will ask for his autograph and end up holding us up.”

“Wow, I never considered that type of thing when he mentioned that he’s famous.” She bumps her shoulder against mine. “What about you? Do I need to keep my guard up around anyone with a ballpoint pen?”

I laugh, shaking my head.

“They all make fun of me for that.” I pull her closer to my side with an arm around her shoulder. “But I promise to always try to protect you.”

“My ex once pushed me in front of an angry goose,” she says, giggling. “Gilbert, who is actually a girl by the way, was quite angry that we had the audacity to walk into his grandma’s front yard.”

“Wait, what?” I ask, snorting a laugh. Then reality catches up and that pisses me off. An alpha shoved his omega into danger to protect himself? God, what a loser.

“Yeah, apparently Gil has good tastes because she loathes Ben. She’d fly around me to try to get to him.” She smiles up at me and my heart skips a beat.

I can’t help myself. I wrap my hand around her head and pull her mouth to mine for a soft kiss.

“So you’re okay with flying private to get to Virginia?”

“Yeah, that was very thoughtful, but won’t it cost a lot?” She squints at me.

“It’ll be worth it for this flight, especially since we have so much extra crap to bring back.” Including all her courting gifts, some she hasn’t opened yet.

There’s some commotion at the door, and Miller stomps inside the waiting room. He makes a beeline for Mel, but it’s the look on Nik’s face that says I’m in for it.

Lovely.

Carver follows them in, grinning dangerously.

I can only imagine how gleeful he was to rat me out. That asshole. He should remember, payback is hell.

The door to the back of the office opens, and a younger nurse smiles. “Melody? Are you ready to come on back?”

My heart gallops in my chest, but I shove myself out of my chair without asking if I’m welcome. This is my bonded omega. No one can legally keep me from her unless Melody asks them to. Which she doesn’t. She wraps her small hand in mine and gives me a terrified smile.

“Let’s do it.” I nuzzle my cheek to the top of her head, pouring comfort into the bond. Her fingers shake against mine, but I do everything I can to settle her nerves.

The nurse asks Melody a bunch of questions and does a few preliminary things.

Everything is fine until she asks Mel to step on the scale. I’m not expecting the overwhelming wave of panic that floods the bond.

I shoulder check Nik and Carver, and we all turn around.

Miller apparently gets a free pass on everything because I notice he doesn’t follow our lead and Melody doesn’t get onto him about it.

“Real quick, could you just,” Melody says, grabbing my hand once she’s done. She yanks me over to the scale and nods to it. “Could you weigh him?”

The nurse chuckles but goes with it.

“Oh no, keep your shoes on. It’s fine,” Mel says, laughing kind of frantically.

I don’t catch my weight because I’m trying to figure out why I’m the only one getting this impromptu weigh-in.

“What was that about?” I ask Carver as the nurse guides us to a room.

“Not a clue,” he replies, laughing. “Women are mysterious creatures.”

I frown. I’m pretty sure he does know, and he’s leaving me out of the joke.

We make it into a spacious exam room. It’s way larger than the one at The Exchange. The nurse goes over a bunch of stuff with Melody.

Mel has to leave the room to do a couple tests. I’m unsurprised when Miller follows her out.

I grab my phone to confirm the flight for later this afternoon.

“You fucking bonded?” Nik growls as soon as we’re alone. He crosses his arms over his chest, glaring down at me.

“Yup.” I lock in all of our details and close out that window.

I need to shop for engagement rings, but one of the pregnancy books mentioned her fingers will likely swell.

“You’re telling me she consented to bonding?” Nik asks, sounding indignant.

“Oh yeah. I’d even go so far as to call it enthusiastic consent.” Carver chuckles.

I ignore them both and continue to scan for appropriate size and styles of jewelry.

“At least it’s guaranteed she’s ours,” Nik finally mutters.

I bring up another window and check to see if there are pictures with carat size and small fingers for reference.

I want it to be a respectable size without going overboard.

I don’t think Mel is the flashy type.

I read once that you’re supposed to spend two months’ salary on an engagement ring, but it’s ridiculously large when I check the chart. Seven carats seems wider than her actual finger.

It’s better to go with a higher quality of stone and keep it somewhere under three carats. If it’s smaller, I think it’ll be easier for her to accept it. Then there’s the fact that she’ll need something low so she doesn’t scratch the baby. The pictures of settings are extremely helpful.

I personally think the low-basket option is the best, but I’m willing to see what the guys have to say.

I need to find a covert way to determine her ring size.

Mel, Miller, and the nurse come back into the room. Dr. Blake is a younger guy in his mid-thirties. He isn’t wearing a ring and Nik is tense every time he gets close to Melody.

He nods to the nurse and asks her to help Mel get set up.

I don’t know what that means, but he stretches a hand out, waving to the door, and all four of us follow him into the hallway.

Shit. I got hyperfocused and forgot to pay attention.

“Did I miss something?” I ask, glancing between the guys.

“We’re going to do an ultrasound and see if we can get a firm conception and delivery date pinned down,” Dr. Blake says, typing away on his phone.

“Since I know you’re not sticking around the area I’m not going to give her the full routine.

Especially since they’ll just redo it all once you pick a primary doctor in Virginia.

But I have to ask. Do you know which one of you is the father? ”

The four of us awkwardly glance back and forth. Apparently Farrah didn’t share that piece of information.

“No,” Miller says, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Got it,” Dr. Blake says, nodding. “Do any of you have any health problems or genetic disorders that could have been passed to the baby?”

We chorus a quick no.

Dr. Blake glances between us and nods. “All right, well you’ve got some time before you see the doctor you’ll stick with for the duration of the pregnancy, so give it some thought. I’m going to try to keep the cost down since I know she doesn’t have insurance.”

“What?” Nik’s jaw falls. “No, you do whatever needs to be done. We’re privately paying.”

Dr. Blake chuckles. “I wouldn’t phrase it exactly like that when searching for a permanent OB, but I’ll do everything necessary today to ensure she’s good until you make it back to Virginia.”

“Thank you,” Miller says.

“All right, give us five minutes to do a couple of quick things and Lexie will call for you,” Dr. Blake says, stepping over and knocking on the door.

“It’s right on the cusp, but I think we’ll do the abdominal ultrasound first. If it isn’t clear then we’ll go from there.

” He mutters the last bit like it’s more to himself and disappears into the room, closing the door behind him.

“Why isn’t he letting us in there?” Carver asks.

“The first visit usually includes a pelvic and breast exam,” I say mindlessly. “I’m sure he’s trying to give Melody some modesty.”

“Are you going to pull the dick’s medical records?” Nik asks like he’s been following his own train of thought.

I nod because that’s exactly what I’m planning to do. If the doctor will need to know her ex’s family medical history, then I can pull the information easily enough.

“Not from my phone. I’d prefer to do that on my laptop from behind my firewalls.”

“Sounds good,” Nik agrees.

A surprising wave of panic swells in my stomach. My eyes widen as I shove my glasses up. It’s not my anxiousness that I’m feeling.

“She’s nervous about something.” I shake my hands out because it’s bleeding into me so strongly that it’s difficult to focus.

“You can come in,” the nurse says, poking her head out the door.

“You should hold her hand and maybe see if you can get close enough that she can get a few hits of your scent,” I tell Miller as we all file back inside.

Melody is stretched out on the exam table, and the doctor is swiping an ultrasound probe over her stomach. I instantly regret suggesting Miller comfort her.

I want to do it.

I settle for stumbling forward until I can get a good view of the screen.

“Ready dads?” Dr. Blake asks. “You’re about to hear the heartbeat.

Don’t be alarmed. At this stage, the baby’s heart rate can be anywhere from 140 to 170 beats per minute and that’s just average.

We put you at eleven weeks five days for gestation, and it usually does start to slow a bit as we approach twelve weeks, but let’s see what we’ve got. ”

“Are you okay?” Miller asks, cocooning himself around her head. The fingers of their left hands are interlocked while his right forearm wraps around her head. It’s such a tender moment that I yank out my phone and begin to snap pictures.

“Can we record it?” Carver asks, swallowing thickly.

“The heartbeat? Yeah, go for it,” Dr. Blake replies, chuckling.

The rapid whooshing sound that fills the air makes my knees weak.

“Fuck,” Nik says, staggering back a step.

Melody’s eyes get huge as she peers around Miller. I knock my shoulder into Nik and nod to Mel.

“Damn, gorgeous,” Nik says, elbowing Miller back. “I guess you really are growing a human being in there.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” she whispers.

Nik kisses her forehead. I pull my phone up, taking a picture even though my hands are shaking.

I need more baby books now. We only have twenty-eight weeks or so, and that’s if the baby comes on time.

“Are you okay?” Carver asks, giving my shoulder a squeeze.

I nod. “Melody and I bonded, which I read was safe during pregnancy, but is there anything I should know?”

Dr. Blake chuckles. “You’re in for about twenty percent pain crossover during delivery. The more bonds you have the more the pain will transfer. It’s a great way to share that misery.”

Melody’s eyes fly to mine and she looks worried.

I head over to her and slide between Nik and Miller. “I’ll gladly help shoulder that pain if it’ll lessen the burden for you.”

“Famous last words,” Dr. Blake says.

The asshole.