Page 37 of His Pretty Omega
He gave his sister a pointed look. “Claudia just likes to be a rebel and refuses to do so.”
“Tell me, Seth,” she turned her dark eyes to me, “do I look like a Miriam?”
“Uh, well, no?”
“Good answer,” she beamed at me. “He can stay.”
Alex snorted, “Next we have Carmen, the loudmouth that bellowed my name earlier.”
“It’s the only way to be heard over all of you,” she defended.
“Third born we have Araceli, followed by Veronica, and last, but not least, Elena.” Alex introduced them all, and I just hoped I would remember what name went with what face.
“There’s going to be a pop quiz later,” Veronica warned me, her brown eyes sparkling.
“Bring it on,” I sassed with more confidence than I felt. That was a flurry of names and they all looked so much alike it might take a minute to figure out who waswho.
Alex glanced around, then called, “Madre, Padre, bringabuela. We have some news.”
Standing close to Alex, as his immediate family, minus his brother-in-laws, and assorted nieces and nephews, gathered around us, staring intently, my stomach fluttered with nerves.
“What is it, Alejandro?” his mom looked worried, as she took a seat on the sofa next to Isabella. Eduardo sat next to his wife, holding her hand.
Alex looked at me, his gaze so warm, so dare I sayloving, that I couldn’t do anything but stare into his eyes.
Nothing else mattered but the two of us. The way he made me feel. I was aware we were living in a bubble full of fated mates pheromones, but I didn’t care. I would gladly stay in this bubble forever, with Alex.
“Seth isn’t just my boyfriend,” Alex told them. “He’s–we’re–fated, like you andPadre.” He directed that towards his mom.
There were collective gasps throughout the group, other than his dad, who was quietly translating to his grandmother.
“And,” Alex put his hand on my stomach and I saw every set of eyes follow the movement, “we’re expecting a baby. At the end of July.”
The group exploded in a chorus of congratulations and hugs. Isabella, after understanding what was happening, stood in front of me. Grasping my cheeks in her hands,she stared at me for several seconds, before she patted my cheeks, giving me a warm smile and a nod of her head.
“We’re so happy for you,” Mama Claudia, as I dubbed her in my head, dabbed at her eyes. “So happy. When is the wedding? You are going to mate claim him, aren’t you, Alejandro? There are so many things to plan! July will be here so soon!” She lightly slapped his arm. “Why didn’t you tell us sooner! So much to do.”
“Madre, stop,” Alex chided, “we haven’t made any of those decisions yet. Seth is going to be moving in with me, but really, that’s as far as we’ve gotten. We hadn’t been dating long,” he urged me with his eyes to go along with his story, “when we found out we were expecting.”
Yeah, he was definitely fudging the timeline and truth, but I didn’t blame him one bit.
“We’re still in the getting to know you stage.”
“Bah,” she fussed at him, throwing her hands up. “You knew each other well enough to make a baby.”
My stomach growling saved us by the bell, and then I found myself fussed over more than I’d ever been fussed over in my life.
Before I could blink, I was sitting at one of the tables set up outside, next to a portable heater, with a plate piled high of all kinds of delicious smelling food.
Alex had overseen what his sisters put on my plate, so that nothing was too spicy, explaining that while I had lovedspice before, the baby was not a fan. I was really hoping that changed before too long.
Finally, I had my fill, and leaned against Alex, rubbing my baby and food belly.
“I could seriously eat a pan of that rice, but I’m so full I can’t eat another bite. That was all so good.”
“That’s ourmadre’scilantro lime rice,” Veronica, or maybe Elena, told me. “You think this is good, wait until you try ourabuela’stamales.” She made a gesture of a chef’s kiss. “So good, and no one in the family can make them as good as she does.”
Yawning, I self-consciously covered my mouth with my hand. “Sorry, it’s been a busy few days.”
