Page 381 of Bride of Choice

“My Jo- My Jojoknee,” he croaked. “Oh, my Jojomine.” Rek trembled so hard it was a struggle for him to hold tight. “Rek- Rek so happy. Haves my Jojomine. My Jojomine gives Rek baby. Rek so happy. Rek very happy.”

Holding him to me as he sniffled against my belly, I brushed my hand over the top of his head comfortingly as we gave him a moment.

“We have baby!” He lifted his head to look from Jeh-kal to Celuk, who were smiling along with him.

Tears stained Rek’s face. He didn’t seem to care. He was comfortable with them. In my absence, they’d bonded, I realized.

“We so happy,” he told me.

“Girl baby,” Kirch chimed in, getting a dirty look from me to hush it and let him have something.

Kirch threw his hands up. “Kirch happy too!”

“Girl baby?” Rek kissed my belly once more to pull back and smooth his hands over my stomach. “My Jojomine gives Rek girl baby?” he whispered.

I blushed at the awe filling his voice.

“Celuk say him find my Jojomine. Celuk… Celuk gives Rek back my Jojomine, and baby. Gives Rek everything.” Rek got choked up again, standing to kiss me once, twice, hug me, then stumble his way over to Celuk and practically tackle hug him.

Celuk embraced him back, bumping the side of his jaw along Rek’s temple the way I’d seen other males show affection to their fellow beast-husbands amongst their family groupings.

“Odious and Goober back?” Rek asked. He even went as far as holding out his arm to Jeh-kal, waiting for Jeh-kal to do it back, then gently bump temples with him, and then stumble his way back to me.

Hugging me to him once more, he kissed me three times in quick succession before curling me back against him.

“I’m glad I brushed my teeth before we got here,” I admitted.

Jeh-kal snorted out a laugh. “Babies pukes no stop Jeh-kal.”

Lifting my head, I made a face at him that matched the gagging noise Kirch was making. “Ew,” I said softly. Ew was enough.

“My Jojomine sick?” Rek’s hands began to hover over me, worry thick in his eyes.

“Need sleep. Do too much. Rothy say take easy,” Celuk said simply.

As I silently agreed it was probably best not to bring up the whole spotting thing to Rek in his current condition, Jeh-kal did not share those sentiments. “No spots blood with baby no mores,” Jeh-kal grunted out.

“Blood? Blood spots? My Joanie baby bleed?” Rek fretted.

“I was overdoing it. I started to spot,” I quickly interjected. “I don’t plan on walking for hours on end anymore with Bump brewing. I feel much better now. I’m just tired and-”

A harumph noise left Rek and he took my hand, then wrapped his other arm around me, to escort me down the hall. “Kirch make stew. Not good like Rek’s or my Joanie’s but not awful like Lukar and Doogie’s.”

Celuk burst out laughing at that.

“Kirch food not bad!” Kirch called after him. “Hmmph. It not burned.” Lower, he grumbled, “My Mina and babies eats it. See? Hear? Thanks Kirch get. Pfft!”

“Why it smell funny?” I could make out Jeh-kal ask loudly with a snuff.

“It not smell funny! Jeh-kal nose broke! Maybe Jeh-kal smell funny. Sniff upper lip!” Kirch caterwauled, to Celuk’s further amusement.

Rek’s bedroom was much bigger than before. His bed had plenty of room for him, me, and a few additions.

He had a closet with my clothes hanging up in it. There was a whole section of outfits I didn’t recognize.

“When did I move in?” I joked.

“Rek make room for my Jojomine.” He looked exhausted as he stood beside the bed, waiting for me to finish admiring it before turning to him.

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