Page 325 of Labor of Love

When I told him everything I had was in my car, he’d not only retrieved all of it, but he’d apparently recruited others to help fill in the gaps. Buying me things I needed but couldn’t afford. Filling my refrigerator with real food, not the cheap, highly processed stuff I’d lived on most of my life.

“It’s okay, angel,” he said. “I’ve got you.”

And I believed him. With every fiber of my being.

Even if it was crazy, I couldn’tnotbelieve that this giant Alpha would take care of me.

For the first time in eight months, I could admit to myself how terrified I’d been. And then I let the feeling go.

Viktor had me.

“I was thinking the dresser with the changing table should go here,” I said, pointing to the corner nearest where the crib had been set up. I glanced at Viktor’s mother, Vivian, who grinned and nodded, and then over her shoulder at Viktor where he hovered in the doorway to the nursery. “What do you think?”

Viktor’s face didn’t really change, but somehow, I could tell he was surprised by me asking his opinion.

I smiled at Vivian. “Could you give us a minute alone?”

She tucked a strand of silver hair behind her ear. “Sure, sweetie. I’ll go and check on Casp and Alaric. They’ve been a little too quiet in your room, so I suspect they might be slacking off.”

She cupped my face, brushing her thumb against my cheek, before scooting out of the nursery and closing the door behind her.

I couldn’t resist closing the distance between Viktor and me. I’d pulled on a pair of shorts, but I still wore his T-shirt over top, its length making it look like I was still bare underneath. When I’d come out of my bedroom after saying I was going to change and he saw me still wearing his shirt, the scent of Alpha seemed to fill the entire apartment, his brothers snickering at him.

But I hadn’t laughed. Despite being the size of a house, I didn’t think I’d ever felt more sexy. He’d looked at me with such hunger, and now, closed in the nursery, he seemed almost scared.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, then dropped my eyes as a terrible thought occurred to me. “Is it too much?”

He cleared his throat. “Is what too much?”

My face began to heat, and I almost wished I hadn’t asked to speak with him alone. But even after spending hours with him and his family as they helped me prepare the place for me and Little Bean, who’d be here in less than a month, my conviction that Viktor was a trustworthy Alpha hadn’t wavered.

Except, I seemed to have gotten ahead of myself.

I’d assumed what he wanted instead of asking, thinking that by calling his brothers and mom and helping me in more ways than I could count, he’d been trying to show me that he could be a good Alpha for me. A good provider. Someone strong and capable to help with Little Bean.

I may have been reading too much into it though. Maybe he was just an amazing person who had seen a struggling, super-pregnant Omega and stepped in to help but didn’t actually want anything other than that. Maybe he didn’t even like kids. Or he could be interested in another Omega but hadn’t mated with them yet. My stomach soured at the very idea, but I tightened my jaw to hold back my chin from quivering.

I didn’t want him agreeing to something he didn’t want just because he felt sorry for me.

“This,” I said softly, gesturing around the room.

The crib mattress didn’t have a sheet on it yet because it was in the huge To Wash pile that also included new onesies and outfits, as well as stuff from Oren’s son that he’d outgrown, but Viktor’s Omega brother couldn’t guarantee were clean when he’d shoved them in totes to make space for new stuff. There was also a worn-out rocker, one of the few pieces of furniture I’d brought with me. I’d picked it up at a yard sale two weeks after I found out I was pregnant.

All in all, it painted a pretty clear picture of who’d be occupying the room soon enough, but Viktor still didn’t answer as he gazed around, brows furrowed.

“I can’t ever repay you and your family for what you’ve done, but if being here, helping…” I took a deep breath and forced myself to finish, rubbing my hands over my distended belly. “If that part is too much, I understand. You didn’t sign up for this, and I shouldn’t just assume things.” I forced myself to meet his eyes. “You don’t have to stay. You don’t owe me anything.”

Viktor’s brows lowered over his eyes, and he studied me for a long moment. Even though my cheeks flamed hotter, no doubt turning me into a lobster, I didn’t look away. This moment felt too important. If I wanted more than just the crib, food in my fridge, and a couch to binge-watch television on, I needed to make sure he knew.

I couldn’t let him and my chance at a happy ending slip through my fingers.

“You don’t owe me anything either,” he said slowly, then licked his lips. “But what… what doyouwant?”

I couldn’t help but smile at him. I had a feeling he was remembering my earlier declaration of not needing an Alpha in my life. I didn’t blame him for being confused. “I think I’d like to see where things between us could go,” I said carefully, my heart thumping in my chest. “My instincts are telling me to trust you, that you’ll keep us safe. And even if I don’tneedthat, I want it. Badly.”

I blinked, and Viktor had closed the distance between us, one of his huge hands cupping the back of my head, the other resting on top of mine. Right over where Little Bean was kicking in my belly.

He pressed his face into my neck and inhaled deeply. “Fuck, this scent,” he murmured. “It’s been teasing me all day. From the second you first walked past my apartment.”

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