Page 391 of Bride of Choice

“No,” Jeh-kal grunted out, his gaze never leaving my belly.

“How are the kids doing?” I asked Rosa, as if I didn’t have my belly covered with hands ready to feel a kick and she wasn’t looking a wee bit put out to be so far down on the baby news list.

“We tried to keep what happened from them as long as possible,” Rosa kept starting and stopping. “We- We were hoping to hear good news first, you know, before we said anything, but news travels fast, people talk, sometimes within earshot of little inhuman hearing ears. After it hit a month, we had to tell them. The boys didn’t quite understand what was going on. Kehko took it the hardest.” Rosa was tearing up again. Noyel wrapped an arm around her, tucked her into his side, and placed a kiss to the top of her head.

“I’d like to see them soon,” I croaked out, fighting not to get all emotional on her ass as she tried to do the same for me.

“They’ll love that.” Rosa nodded, her throat working convulsively.

A small kick tapped Celuk’s hand. Celuk let out a surprised little, “Hoh,” and moved his hand for someone else to have a turn.

Rek greedily placed his hand over the spot, shooting Jeh-kal a warning look.

Jeh-kal bared his teeth at him, a silent snarl, but let him have his way.

“Rek turn,” Rek grumbled, though he glanced away. His free hand fiddled with the hem of my nightgown. Muffling a grumble in his throat, he slid his hand over a little to make room for Jeh-kal.

“Jeh-kal no make, but Jeh-kal baby, too,” he grumbled.

Rek wriggled his nose, his face scrunching up as he gave Jeh-kal a funny look. “Rek no make neither. Why say silly things? Rek no care who make. Baby Rek’s, all same.”

Jeh-kal stared at him unblinkingly. “Hit face too hard, last sleep-fall?” he grunted out.

“Sleep fall?” What in the world were they talking about.

“Rek better,” Rek grumbled, cupping his free hand over his nose protectively.

My gaze darted between them. I was so fucking lost.

“Rek was really, uh… feeling under the weather,” Rosa mumbled diplomatically, instead of calling Rek weak, “and he passed out a few times. Mashed his face pretty good that last time,” she admitted with a wince. “I heard he lost some of his sense of smell…”

“Bad. Crooked. Like this.” Celuk mimed a horribly broken schnoz. “Snore LOUD ‘til Lukar fix,” Celuk playfully added, giving Rek a look that dared him to argue the fact.

Rek ran his fingers down the bridge of his nose. “Not crook-ed now. Lukar fix good.”

“Not smell goot, not know Rek make baby,” Jeh-kal pointed out.

“Beg pardon?” I blurted, gaping down at them. Rek made the baby? Was I hearing him right?

Celuk grumbled something at Jeh-kal as Rek and I stared at him, stunned stupid.

“Rek make?” Rek’s voice shook as he lifted his hand to place the side of his face to my belly.

Jeh-kal had a Fuck, I messed up look on his mug.

Slowly, Rek’s arms wove around my waist. Turning his face away from Rosa and Noyel’s view, he shook as he clutched me to him. “Rek make,” he repeated, his voice cracking as his shoulders shook. “Rek make…”

Rosa glanced from Rek to me, her brow furrowed in confusion. Maybe this is a bad time. Sorry. We’ll come back later. Love you, she mouthed.

The second the door was closed behind them, Jeh-kal became King Jabberjaw. “Jo say like Buu make baby. Smell Rek make baby. Not know how say to Jo, no’ hurt Jo. No’ know how Jo take.”

He was babbling, garbling the words into one big, long sentence.

“It woulda been bad timing, Buu ditching me and then you telling me the baby wasn’t his. I agree.” Nodding along absently, I brushed my fingers through Rek’s hair comfortingly. This was Rek and my baby. I could scarcely believe it.

“Rek ‘kay?” Jeh-kal asked, eyeing Rek’s shaking form.

Loud sniffles sounded from my side, Rek’s face hidden in his arm. “Rek happy,” he burst out, then sniffed louder.

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