Page 362 of Bride of Choice

He nodded. “Think ‘bout Joalee’s mates in village?”

I thought about them almost constantly. “Will they be excited about the baby…? Did they assume I’d died? Had any of them waited for me…? How long did they look? How much I miss them. Are they missing me? Stuff like that.”

“What think ‘bout, think ‘bout Buu?” he grunted out softly.

“Well, I think about us going back to the village a lot. About you holding the baby once they’re born-”

“She. Girl,” he said softly. “Bebeh es girl.”

“She?” My hands fell over his where they were gently caressing my belly. “You mean- It’s- We’re having a girl?”

Nuzzling my hair, he gave a sharp grunt confirming his statement.

“Kirch is going to be so jealous,” I whispered, then laughed.

“Say Kirch with the Meanie. Why Kirch jay-lous Joalee haves girl bebeh if him has the Meanie? Him no have girl bebeh with the Meanie? Kirch not have him’s Low-tea?”

“He’s greedy. He wants another one so badly it’s adorable. He loves his boys to pieces but he’s a total girl-dad. Lottie is his spoiled princess.”

“Him not have Joalee girl-bebeh,” Buu grumbled as he curled himself around me protectively. “Buu no let Kirch take.”

“I promise he won’t. It’ll just make him all grumbly for another one of his own. He’ll get all puppy dog eyes with Mina. It’ll be hilarious.” My smile fell, realizing just how much I missed not just my mates but everyone else, all the crazy goofs of the Yetidom. My support group guys. The whole lot. Were the guys getting along without my punch to the face pearls of wisdom? Had Debdo made up with his mate yet? Did he take my advice and knock his silly shit off? Did Cohrd make up with his fellow mate husband brother guy after they got into that big squabble over who had to feed the kep-keps?

Again and again, my mind wandered back towards the village and all the faces of the folks I was homesick for.

A soft warble left Buu. “Tell,” he entreated.

“I don’t want to,” I admitted. I didn’t want to live in it, to voice it, then I’d be bluer than blue and I knew it.

“Miss Joalee mates,” he murmured knowingly.

Oh, I did, something awful, but I couldn’t dwell on that for too long. It was just too damn painful.

We were here for however long we were going to be, and that was that.

After a brief hesitation, he grunted out, “Joalee… healer helps Joalee with the puffs?”

A short laugh left me. “That’s a nice way of putting it but, yeah, Dorothy and her mate have helped others with pregnancy swelling before. She’ll probably force my ass into bedrest and demand my mates comply with her decree. She’s as bossy as me.” Grimacing, I voiced my biggest fear out loud. “I hope it’s not, like, pre-eclampsia. What I wouldn’t give for a blood pressure cuff right now and some way to get a set of labs done or whatever needs to be looked into.”

“What peed-clams-see-ya?” It sounded like Buu had stopped breathing for a moment.

“It happens with pregnancy sometimes. The pressure of your blood goes up and stuff and it can get ugly,” I told him quietly. “It’s not good for mommy or baby.”

“No sound goot,” he grumbled softly.

“It can be really bad.” My throat tightened. “It’s not that,” I bluffed. If something happened to Bump, I’d be devastated. My hands went to my belly as fear shot through me.

“Be ‘kayed, my Joalee mine. Be ‘kayed.” Buu brought one of my hands to his face to kiss my knuckles. A soft warble started up in his chest, small but comforting, growing louder but keeping that same soft cadence.

I fell asleep in his arms, trying not to wonder if I’d ever see any of the people I loved ever again, forcing all of my fears and worries deep down until my brain could finally calm down enough to find rest.

Chapter 46

“Joalee? My Joalee? Wake. Come. Wake. Warm things on. Up. Come. Up.”

“Ugh. I don’t wanna,” I grumbled, then tried to roll over, to find that I could not.

Scowling, my eyeballs popped open. “What ungodly hour is it?” I grumbled. First the pickaxing, and then the wild monkey love— which I was a-okay with, but now this?— a girl’s gotta get her beauty rest!

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