Page 131 of The Omega Exchange: Omnibus (The Exchange)

Chapter Forty

Nik

Each month brings a new set of challenges for Melody. She’s been working a lot in preparation for maternity leave, but she’s so exhausted that I think we’ll all be grateful once the baby is out, and we can help harbor some of the responsibilities.

We have her thirty-two-week appointment and everything looks great.

My moms come for a visit and throw Mel a small baby shower.

It’s then I realize we need to encourage her to make some female friends in the area.

She likes a few of the ladies in our Lamaze class, but my mom mentioned it’s probably not a good idea to count on those friendships lasting since everyone will be in their own baby bubble once they give birth.

Mel spent some time on the treadmill tonight, which is good because the doctor mentioned staying active can help make her delivery easier. She jumped into the shower after, but I’ve been lounging on the bed waiting for a while, and she’s still not out.

I push myself up and aim to check on her. I heard the water cut off a few minutes ago, and now I’m wondering what the problem is. I knock gently but get no answer. I poke my head inside and do a double take.

Mel is kind of lying on the edge of the tub, which is separate from the shower. She’s stretched out with her back against the wall and one foot on the ground.

It’s the shaving cream smeared over her forehead and the red face that has me striding toward her.

“Hey, gorgeous, whatcha doing?” I ask squatting down at her side.

“Failing at shaving, apparently.” She sniffles, glancing away. “I’m starting to get a bush, and I can’t believe none of you mentioned that my legs are practically at woolly mammoth proportions.”

I snort, grinning and patting her thigh.

“I’m kind of digging the hair. I love you, hairy beast or bare.” I cup her extremely round belly and focus on keeping my eyes on hers. She’s nude, and it’s very difficult not to stare at her heavy tits and the baby belly. They always seem to ratchet up my baser instincts.

She’s still frowning though. I can recognize my joke didn’t land like it would have a few months ago.

“I did a quarter of a leg and realized,” she sobs. “I can’t reach the rest.”

“Can I help?” I offer, biting my lip. “I’d quite like it if you’d allow me to.”

Mel frowns, sniffling. “I feel so unsexy. I’m sorry you’re stuck with me.”

My hand slides up her neck and into her hair. “None of that. Focus on the bond and you’ll notice how hard I’m fighting the urge to fuck you senseless. I find you absolutely beautiful and utterly adorable, but I know you need a different kind of care at the moment. Allow me to provide it.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure I love the fuck out of you.”

It’s a little past three in the morning the night after my moms leave when I wake up drooling on Miller’s arm. That’s one thing they fail to mention about the lifestyle. I’ve woken up with a hard on against my ass more times than I can count in the last few months.

I slide out of bed and aim to find my omega. Her panic is clear once I’m fully awake enough to pay attention to the feeling. There’s light spilling from under the door to the nursery.

I toss it open and stomp inside, prepared to see what the problem is. I know the alarm is set, so I’m fairly confident no intruders made it inside. There are also guards at the gate to the neighborhood twenty-four hours a day.

I stop dead in my tracks, glancing around, trying to figure out what the fuck happened to the nursery. I paid a highly recommended professional organizer to set the baby’s room up for maximum efficiency.

My thirty-three-week pregnant omega is sitting on top of the changing table, which incidentally is pulled out from the wall. The step stool is nearby.

Mel is rubbing the stretch mark cream over her belly and she jolts when she spots me.

“So you picked an awesome real wood changing table,” she says, giving me something between a grimace and a smile. “I’m impressed that it can hold me up.”

I’m baffled by the bottles of glass cleaner, wood polish, and antibacterial wipes that sit next to her.

“Hey, gorgeous. Want to tell me what the hell you’re doing up there?” I ask, approaching slowly.

I’m not sure if this is the weirdest dream I’ve ever had . . . or I’ve got no fucking clue. My eyes are continually drawn back to the baby belly. It’s a huge turn on all the time. Maybe it’s weird, but watching her rub the lotion all over her stomach is kind of giving me a hard cock.

I constantly ache to fuck her. It seems to be a real theme the further along she gets.

“I needed to clean,” Mel says, pulling her shirt down.

“But I couldn’t reach the ceiling fan on the stool, so I moved the changing table over.

Only once I got up here, I couldn’t get back down.

I was making a plan of action when my stomach started itching and the stretch mark cream was within reach, so I grabbed it and then you came in. ”

Dr. Jamison did warn us about nesting.

“Okay.” I chuckle, shaking my head. “Let’s get you down from there.”

“Thank you,” she mumbles.

I wrap my arms under hers and lift her off the changing table. “Just for the record. Next time you need to clean, wake one of us up. You’re really lucky I’m not spanking your ass raw right now.”

“What?” she gasps indignantly. “Why?”

“You could have fallen.” I give her a serious look. “I’d much rather you wake me. I’m happy to keep you company.”

I run my hand over the back of her head and bend to give her a kiss.

“Ready for bed?”

“Yeah, I got tired twenty minutes ago. I just had to work out how to get down.”

I snort, shaking my head.

Melody is nearly thirty-six weeks when the baby enters the next zip code before Mel even gets close. Not that we’re really traveling much these days.

Mel is in full nesting mode, and that’s fine because we all prefer to keep her close to a bathroom whenever possible.

I’m not sure, maybe I’ve just never paid much attention to pregnant women, but she seems bigger than normal. At our last appointment, the doctor mentioned it could be because she’s carrying high. Whatever that means.

Either way, she’s adorable. She’s all boobs and belly, but the last few days her face has gotten a little puffy with water weight. I would be worried, but Oliver very quietly assured us that it’s completely normal.

We’ve got to leave for her doctor’s appointment in less than fifteen minutes. They’re supposed to be checking to see if the baby has made it head down yet.

The stubborn little lady still wasn’t aiming the right direction at Mel’s last appointment. The doctor didn’t seem too concerned, but it’s been a worry of mine.

I take the turn into the pack bedroom and stumble a few steps. Mel is lying on the floor with one shoe on and the other several feet away. The bottle of stretch mark cream we rub on her belly every night is sitting open a foot out of Mel’s reach.

She sniffles, wiping at her face and glancing away when she spots me. She crosses her short arms over her giant belly and I chuckle.

“Want to tell me what happened, or should I take a guess?” I ask, squatting down at her side.

This is kind of becoming our thing. Anytime I find her in a precarious situation, which is happening more and more often these days, I always ask the same question.

“I dropped the bottle,” she says, tipping her chin in the air.

“And you tried to pick it up?” I laugh. “I thought we learned that lesson last time.”

“I kind of kicked my shoe away too, so I was going to rearrange them both at once. It didn’t go to plan.”

“All right, let’s get you up.” I circle her back with my arms and lift. Once she’s standing, I help her into her other shoe.

“I’m surprised my flats even fit with how swollen my feet and ankles are.” She sniffles.

The belly brushes my cheek as I stand up.

“I love you, gorgeous.” I nuzzle my cheek to hers.

“I love you, too,” she huffs.

She seems annoyed, which is not exactly unusual these days, but I chalk it up to the fact being pregnant is very clearly kicking her ass.

“Ready to see if the little lady migrated south?”

“Yeah, let’s go,” she agrees.

“How’s your ice cream?” I ask, tossing my arm over the back of the booth.

“Heaven, it’s basically sugar and cream made into heavenly goodness,” Mel moans, swirling her tongue around the small amount that’s left of the double scoop ice cream cone.

Mel’s doctor’s appointment went well. The baby is head down and gaining weight like she should be. My level of excitement is only matched by pure fucking terror. I’m going to be a father in a few short weeks. It’s an unreal feeling, but I can’t wait.

Like I told Carver, if I can keep hold of a football with four two-hundred-and-fifty-pound linemen trying to take me out, I’ve got zero worries about dropping her.

My major concern is Mel has been off since this morning. She’s blocking enough of her feelings in the bond that I can’t tell exactly what the problem is, but I am going to try to find out.

“I’m glad you like it.” I wipe a smudge of ice cream off with a napkin. “Would you like to tell me what’s been bothering you all day?”

My arm wraps tighter around her shoulder as she glances away. I toss the napkin down and tilt her chin to face me.

“Please, tell me what’s got you upset. Let me be here for you.”

Mel sighs, setting her ice cream down in the small cardboard tray. “My mom isn’t planning to come. I asked if she wanted me to schedule her a flight, but I should have known she wouldn’t travel.”

“That’s hard.” I pull her closer. “Oliver’s mom is planning to come for a few days, and she’s over the moon excited.

My moms want to come back too, but they’re going to give us some time to settle into a routine.

Unless we need them. If we do, then we’ll call.

They will drop everything to get new baby snuggles. ”

“I know.” Her eyes squeeze shut as I try to figure out how I fucked up so royally when I was trying to help her feel better. “That’s the way it’s supposed to be with grandmas. At least that’s the way I’ll be.” She runs her hand over her belly like she’s making a silent vow.

Where the hell is Miller? He always knows exactly what to say to settle her down. I’m stuck with Carver on this little excursion, but he’s outside keeping the couple paparazzi at bay. Who knows why they’re so obsessed with the fact Mel is pregnant, but they haven’t left us alone.

“I’m also worried about what’s going to happen with Ben. Has he responded to the papers we sent?” Mel asks. Her brow crinkles, and I wish I could fix everything for her.

My hand comes to rest on her belly. It’s a tight fit since she almost touches the table with how far it sticks out.

“Not yet,” I say, brushing my nose against hers. “But that’s just a courtesy. He can be on the birth certificate if he’d like, but thanks to the pack laws, it won’t prevent our pack from being listed.”

It’s a goddamn blessing that our country realized a few years ago that it was a slippery slope to only allow biological fathers to be listed on the birth certificate. Those new laws are the main reason we went ahead and filed the pack paperwork.

We’ll have a wedding or pack commitment ceremony once the little one arrives, but we needed to make it official before then because it gives all members of our pack equal parental rights to the baby.

“I know. I just feel like maybe it’ll hurt her feelings one day . . .” Mel sighs, glancing away.

The bond truly is a gift at times like these.

If I didn’t have that insight into where her head is at, I’d likely worry that she’s still hung up on the cowboy asshole.

However, her feelings toward him are clear.

She still cares about him, but she’s no longer in love with him.

Which is good because he’s a total piece of shit.

Mel hasn’t heard from him since we were in Texas. It’s not exactly shocking, but I do wish he’d either sign the papers to dissolve his rights or make a goddamn decision that he’s going to put in the work to be a father. It’s not looking good based on his behavior up to this point.

“She’ll have more than enough men fighting for the chance to hold her hand while she takes her first steps, or threaten her first boyfriend to keep his hands to himself unless he’d like to end up in a shallow grave.” I grin.

“I love you,” Mel whispers, pushing her mouth to mine.

I kiss her back, pouring every bit of my love into the bond.