Page 154 of Labor of Love

Once I flushed away the sickness and turned to him, it was like we were both hit with reality at the same moment.

“You’re pregnant,” he shouted just as I said, “We’re having a baby?”

Then we laughed and cried, right there on the bathroom floor. We were far too happy to leave the space despite it not being the more romantic one to realize you were becoming parents.

In the weeks since moving in with my Alpha, I’d been knotted more times than I could count. Never did I stop to think about pregnancy or birth control. The power of finally being mated and claimed was overwhelmingly the only thing I cared about.

Even my work had taken a backseat as I pushed all my current deadlines away. Sure, I’d have to pull out my laptop soon and send apologies to everyone. Even then, there wouldn’t be any real repercussions since most of my clientele were also shifters. They’d understand the minute I told them I found my mate.

But a baby…

Yeah, that was a wake-up call.

Not that I was upset or anything. It was more a shock that left me untethered.

How were we going to raise a child together? What would it be like having a little version of me or my mate running around? Were we going to have more than one?

So many questions, yet I couldn’t seem to ask even one.

After a few minutes of silence between us, my mate finally pulled me up and took me to the living room. He wrapped me in a blanket before easing me down on the couch.

I watched him disappear into the kitchen, only for him to come back with a steaming cup of cocoa and something that looked like candy.

“What’s that?” I asked as I took the warm mug. Cradling it between my hands eased some of the chill that had worked through me after being huddled on the bathroom floor.

My mate kneeled in front of me. He opened the candy and held it up.

“This is ginger candy. It’s supposed to help with the nausea.”

“You… you already had this? Did you know I was pregnant?!”

He shook his head quickly. “No, I didn’t. I grabbed these the first time we went to the store after you came home with me. I saw them, and my wolf demanded I pick them up. At the time it didn’t make sense, but maybe that part of me knew this day would come. Or maybe it hoped for it. I won’t claim to be able to predict the future.”

“Your wolf told you to get them?” I was still stuck on that tiny detail.

“He did. While I probably could have argued about it, I figured it was easier to let him have his way, especially out in public.”

His smile told me there had to be a story behind that choice. I couldn’t wait to hear about it one day.

“Thank you, Alpha. You’ve taken such good care of me.”

Leaning forward, I wrapped my mouth around his fingers and sucked the candy between my lips. The tart flavor burst on my tongue.

Oddly enough, the effect was damn near immediate. I sank back into the couch, my body languid for the first time since I had bolted to the bathroom.

“You look like you’re happy with it,” my mate said with a hint of teasing in his voice.

I grinned at him as I pulled my cocoa up for a sip. While the two shouldn’t have complemented each other in taste, I could admit the warmth of the drink and the soothing taste of the ginger were the perfect combo in the moment.

“I’m feeling much better. Thank you for this. I didn’t… “

His hands came up to cover mine. “I know,” he said softly. “This is news to me too. But we’re going to get through this no matter what. Together, we will be the best parents around.”

I laughed at his enthusiasm. “Oh, will we?”

“Yep! The only real competition we have right now are my friends Nolan and Barrett. They’re new parents who are doing their damndest to give that kid everything in life. It’s admirable in a way, though I don’t let them know that.”

“They sound fun. I’d like to meet them.”

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