Page 13 of Calling from the Heart
Jeb kept grinning at him, and he couldn’t decide if it felt so good or if it hurt. What if this joy, this happiness, was all because of the baby? Like Thanksgiving -- everyone had welcomed him in, hugged him, patted his belly. No one had screamed, like the fact that he was pregnant explained everything.
He knew he’d screwed up -- in so many ways. Part of him worried that there was no way that all this estrangement of the last five months could be repaired.
Another part of him was pointing out that Jeb had been the one who had tried to call and come over, and Owen was the one who had ghosted everybody. Owen was the one that had walked away; he had been scared and pregnant. Really pregnant.
“What are you thinking about, baby?” Jeb’s voice was so gentle, and he didn’t deserve it.
“How stupid I am.” Owen chewed on his bottom lip, his heart aching. “I wasted so much time, but I was so scared that you would tell me that you didn’t want me, that you wouldn’t want this baby. I just freaked out. I was on birth control. I swear to you, Jeb, I wasn’t trying to get pregnant. And all of a sudden I was in a position where you’d said you didn’t want forever, and I’d somehow I’d fucked up and now...Now it’s forever.”
Jeb sat them down, gaze serious as a heart attack. “First, let me tell you this. You did not fuck up. You are not solely responsible for our baby. I know how babies are made. And yes, there was birth control, but I also am a grown up. Alphas make babies, and it’s always a risk. Mistakes happen, accidents happen, babies happen.” Jeb grabbed his hand. “This isn’t on you; this is on us. We made a baby together. Yeah. I was all about ‘I don’t wanna have forever’. That was self-defense to protect my heart. You’re everything I ever wanted in a lover and a partner and a friend. It scared me. I never thought that I’d fall in love. And then suddenly I was in love with my kindergarten teacher omega.”
“You are?” Owen held on tight. “I want more than co-parenting, or sharing custody, or you being my baby daddy. I want you, Jeb. Like, really.”
“I want you too. So bad. Can we work on this? I know it will be hard to trust me to begin with. I protested. A lot.” Jeb’s smile turned wry. “And I bet you think, ‘What if this is just because of the baby?’”
He stared into Jeb’s eyes even as he nodded. “It crossed my mind.”
“Well, it’s not. But I know you’ll need time to believe it. But it was the kick in the ass I needed to come get you back.”
“Yeah. We can work on it. Promise.” After all, Jeb was saying what he needed to hear. “You gonna forgive me?”
“Of course I am. I have to tell you though, I need to be involved with all the rest of it. I want to see the ultrasound pictures and go to the birthing center with you. And I want to talk names. I want to feel her move. I want to help with building a crib and painting a nursery.”
Owen couldn’t help when he chuckled and rolled his eyes. He had a one bedroom walk up. There wasn’t going to be a nursery.There was going to be a bassinet where she slept beside him in his bed.
“You can come help me pick out a car seat, too. The clothes that she’s gonna come back to the condo in, the whole thing.”
Jeb nodded. “Whatever you want, baby.”
Owen wasn’t one hundred percent sure that Jeb was all about him staying in his little condo, but they weren’t at a place yet where that was going to be an issue. Even if he had already given his notice for his lease. He hadn’t given notice at work. God, what did that say about him?
Jeb kissed him hard enough to derail his train of thought. “Oh, love. You’ve got to stop stressing. It’s Sunday. Let’s go have beans and bacon and potatoes. We’ll go get some stuff from your condo. Maybe do a little bit of shopping for Christmas decorations.” Jeb grinned at him. “Next Christmas we’re going to have a little girl. That’s pretty exciting.”
“It’s wild, isn’t it? Come on.” He grinned over at Jeb, his emotions swinging right back up to joyous. He was so tired of being on this hormonal ride, but it was easier now with Jeb just being here.
“Is it gonna be okay with you if I tell my parents?”
One of Owen’s eyebrows winged up. “Are you trying to suggest that your sister hasn’t already done that?”
Jeb shook his head. “She thinks it ought to come from us. I do too. They’re going to be grandparents after all. What do your parents think?”
Owen’s cheeks started to burn then. “They think I’m an idiot for being in love with her daddy and not telling him I was pregnant. They’ve been really good though. Excited for me. I wish they weren’t so far away, but...” He shrugged. “They both have lives still. And LA is a long way off. They want to come out if I have a baby shower, though.”
“If? Oh, honey, if you think for a minute that my sister won’t take that bull by the horns, you’re out of your mind. She lives for shit like this.” Jeb snorted, and he had to laugh.
“Okay, when, then.”
“Yep. You just need to tell her when you want it.”
“Okay. I’ll check my calendar and stuff...” His belly snarled ferociously. “So can we go? Do you want food or to go get some stuff from my place first?”
Jeb grinned and stood, helping him up. “Food, of course. Then we’ll go back across the river. It’ll be good. I do want to head to Montrose or something, buy some Christmas lights.”
“Do you have a tree?”
“A little one, but I think it’s time to get a grown up one; what do you think?”
They bundled up and headed out of Jeb’s glorious old Victorian. The road where the house stood was filled with families. He could see Kynan, out there playing with his babies in the fresh snow.
