Page 29 of A Bunny for the Bear
"Three minutes my ass," I mumbled as I walked over and wrenched it open. His aunt stood there breathing heavy with her husband still trailing down the sidewalk.
"You couldn't wait for me woman," he shouted.
She shook her head as she tried to catch her breath. "Which one of you is going to tell me what's going on?"
I stepped to the side and let them both in. Once they sat on the couch, my mate stood behind me and gently eased his hands around me, laying them flat on my stomach. "We have some news we want to share," he said.
Aunt Souli didn't miss a beat. She jumped from the couch screaming and clapping as Uncle Champ covered his ears.
"Babies! You're going to have babies. I knew you were pregnant."
I laughed. "You knew? Why didn't you say anything?"
Uncle Champ stood this time and pulled his wife into his side. “She wanted you two to figure it out on your own. Said that you were both grown men and this was your doing. I told her she was going to have to say something sooner rather than later because we know bunnies tend to have babies fast.”
"Thirty days from conception," Hutton said as if it was something he already knew before ten minutes ago.
Aunt Souli covered her mouth as she gasped loudly. Dropping her hand, she rushed over to me. "We have so much to do. That's not nearly enough time for everything I have planned."
I looked from her to my Alpha and then Uncle Champ both gave me amused looks that let me know they weren't going to bail me out of this one.
I shrugged and told her, "You're the boss. Just tell me what I need to do to help."
She bounced on her toes, then pulled me into a hug. "You're a smart man, Ross. You're going to make an excellent papa to these babies. Now someone get me a notebook and a pen. I've got a list to make."
"Like aunt, like nephew," Champ said as he watched Hutton retrieve the items she needed.
As I stood with the three of them, we listed everything the two of them could come up with. I basked in the family I had found. Fate had delivered me here, yes, but their welcoming of me and this change in our lives was wonderful. I knew that no matter what happened next, they would have my back.
These four little babies, whatever they were, be they bunnies or bears, would feel so loved. They would have what I never did.
For that, I loved this family even more.
Chapter Twelve
Hutton
I realizethere are not enough hours in the day as I get ready for bed each night, and there's still a million more things left on my to-do list.
I could admit that finding out my mate was a bunny shifter took me by surprise. Of all the animals I had imagined him being, that was not one of them.
Of course my mate is perfect just the way he is. I had zero complaints.
If it weren't a shock enough of what he was, then I definitely felt the blow the moment he told me he was pregnant. And to add fuel to the fire, his pregnancy would only last a month.
We were already at the halfway point. I spent most days wondering if we would be ready in time. Even with the help of my aunt and uncle and some of the people in town, I still didn't see how we would have everything.
There were clothes to buy and diapers to purchase. We had to decide if we wanted to do cloth or disposable. We were unsure whether or not the babies would be born as bunnies or bears.
They could have even been both, according to Dr. Hepbuck. He was the same doctor who explained to me what a heat cycle was.
I almost told the guy off for not explaining to me that my mate would be super fertile. Then I remembered that he had no clue that my mate was a bunny shifter either.
My aunt had known though, and I made sure to tell her that it was not fair to keep that part of the information from me. She shrugged and told me, "It's not my business."
I gave a bitter laugh because everything in this town was that woman's business.
Today was an especially busy day. I had gotten everything moved into the other side of the duplex that I was using it as storage. We’d also put baby items we couldn't fit in the place we had now over there.
