Page 56 of Omega's Triplets

Once in her room, she lifted the edge of her mattress and pushed the pregnancy book beneath it. It would be just like Harley to come up here and swipe it while she was out, just to get her goat. He would give it back when she asked, Maddy knew, but she preferred to think of him searching fruitlessly and having to accept the fact that he’d been outsmarted.

She changed into a more modest shirt—she’d been wearing stretchy tank tops around the house, and they didn’t leave that much to the imagination, thanks to her swelling breasts. Then she ran back downstairs and out to the garage.

Jamie was waiting on his bike, the engine already running. He handed her a helmet. “Ready to go?”

She climbed on behind him. She could see what he’d meant about them not being able to do this for much longer. Her stomach was only slightly bigger than normal, but already, it made it a little challenging to hold on as securely as she would have before. In a few months—maybe even just a few weeks—she wouldn’t fit on the bike at all.

Jamie pulled out of the drive and down to the highway.

As they raced along, Maddy closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of the wind whipping her hair back from her face. She wasn’t taken along on motorcycle rides that often. The men liked to go out at least once a week, but Maddy wasn’t included in those jaunts, and she knew why. It was part of the eternal effort to keep her safe. Ordinarily, she liked that, but it was hard to be happy about it when she was being left out of something so enjoyable, so freeing.

Today’s ride seemed too short. They pulled to a stop in front of a big box store. Jamie parked the bike, slid off, and helped Maddy to do the same.

“Can we afford to shop here?” she asked, looking up at the store’s giant logo mounted above the entrance. “I thought money was tight.”

“It is tight,” Jamie said. “But we’ve got Amy’s first three paychecks to spend today, so that should allow us to get the basics.”

Maddy felt awful. “We can’t take all of Amy’s money,” she protested.

“Amy’s a member of the family. What she earns is to be shared equally for the common good. That’s how packs work,” Jamie reminded her. “All our resources belong to all of us.”

“Like me?”

He kissed her. “Not like you. You’re not a resource. I’m sorry you ever felt that way.”

He wrapped an arm around her waist and led her into the store. The shelves were filled with all kinds of beautiful baby things, from adorable outfits to brightly colored toys.

“Necessities only,” Jamie said, leading Maddy past a display of wall decals and over to a row of bassinets.

They loaded up their shopping cart. It was hard to know exactly what to buy, not knowing how many babies they were expecting, so they decided arbitrarily to plan for five. “If it’s less than that, we can return some things,” Jamie said. “And if it’s more, five ought to be enough to get us through the first week. They won’t all be sleeping at once anyway.”

In addition to the bassinets, they bought strollers, a huge playpen, and what felt like a lifetime supply of infant onesies and diapers. “Expecting triplets?” the clerk said, raising an eyebrow as she checked them out.

Jamie and Maddy shared a private smile. “Something like that,” Maddy agreed.

“Can we have these things shipped to us?” Jamie asked.

“Yes, we offer that service,” the clerk said. “Write down your address here.” She gave them a form. Jamie filled it out and handed it back, and the clerk stapled the receipt to it. “You’ll get your things in a few days,” she said. “Good luck to you both.”

They stopped at a bar on the way home, although they both ordered ginger ales. “Ginger will be good for the nausea,” Jamie explained as they found seats on the patio.

“I’m not having any nausea right now,” she said.

“Really?” He looked pleased. “Maybe that part’s over. It’s supposed to stop in the second trimester.”

“How do you know that?”

“I read it in a book Harley bought.”

“Youread that book? You guys are such shits! I can’t believe nobody was going to share it with me!”

“You didn’t ask for a book! I didn’t know you wanted one.”

Maddy dipped her fingers in her drink and flicked ginger ale in his face.

***

IT WAS MARK WHO TOOKher to his bed that night, and Maddy was glad, because Mark rarely wasted any time, and she had been itching for a good fuck all day.

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