Page 24 of Such a Good Omega

“I did. A few months ago. Made to order by the hands of skilled craftsman, not by a machine. You don’t like them?”

In less than an hour, we had a fully furnished nursery. We’d had it painted a beautiful mint green last month. I tried to paint it myself, but Talon wasn’t having any of that idea.

I walked over to the cradle, which had a gliding movement, and pushed it a bit, running my hand over the wood. “It’s stunning, Talon. Really.”

My alpha’s chest puffed out. While I was the one in our relationship who thrived on praise, he loved it as well. Everyone deserved someone in their life who built them up. Pushed them to be their best. Fueled their confidence. Showered them with compliments that came straight from the heart.

“You did so well in choosing these. I couldn’t have picked better myself. Thank you for being so generous and making our baby’s nursery so special.”

He came over and wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my neck. “Omega, you make me feel ten feet tall and stronger than the strongest shifter when you say things like that.”

I gasped and turned around. Grabbing Talon’s hands, I put them over my belly. “Say something again. He kicks lately when he hears his papa speak.”

Talon’s eyes widened. “He knows me?”

I nodded. “Speak to your babe, alpha.”

Talon sat on the newly delivered rocking chair and pulled me to stand in front of him. He positioned his face in front of my belly and unbuttoned my shirt so that my stomach was exposed. “Little one, you are so loved. Your daddy and I already know that you are special and smart and beautiful. We can’t wait to meet you. Do you hear me, little one?”

Our babe kicked several times and the last time, simply pushed his foot toward the front of my belly and kept it there.

“I can see the imprint of his foot. Let me…” Talon frantically reached for his phone and took a couple of pictures and showed me.

Sure enough, our babe was showing off to his papa. His foot pressed against my skin so it protruded just enough to see the outline. By the last picture, it was gone.

Then Talon shocked the hell out of me. He cried. I’d never seen him shed tears before. He was always rock steady. Calm. Secure. Self-assured and firm in his morals and beliefs.

“Talon?” I asked.

He tugged at me, wanting me to sit in his lap. “You have given me everything, omega. I can’t believe how damned lucky and blessed I am. The day you walked into that club, I knew my whole life would never be the same. Thank you for giving me this life.”

Chapter Eighteen

Talon

Turned out, Amir was more advanced than just about any other healer I’d ever heard of. He had all sorts of equipment in his office like an ultrasound machine. And we had an appointment for its use. Rowan had expressed doubts, not liking the human tech much, but at his last appointment, Amir had expressed some concerns and a desire to get a look at the baby. He would have done the test right then, but the machine needed a repair or calibration or something, and we had to wait a week. He suggested we go to another healer he trusted, showing me there were others who used tech, but Rowan dug in his heels and refused.

So, here we were, with my mate’s shirt pulled up to reveal his swollen belly and the healer squeezing gel over the skin. “Do you want to know the gender?” Amir asked. “Or keep it a surprise?”

We hadn’t even discussed it. How funny. “What do you think, Rowan? It might make shopping easier if we know.”

“True.” He patted the top slope of his tummy and then grimaced and looked at his hand. “Ugh.”

Amir handed him a paper towel. “Yeah, it is kind of ugh. But it does a great job, and at least we have a warmer for it now. Used to be pretty cold.”

“I kind of like not knowing yet. Like we’re getting to know them a bit at a time. Right now we know they kick.”

We all laughed and then settled into quiet while the healer moved his device over my mate’s skin.

Finally, he stopped. “Okay, you’re looking good, little person whose gender shall be known before too long. They are not in a position at the moment where anything will show, if you get my drift. Look at the screen.” He turned the monitor to face us, and we eagerly absorbed our first view of the baby who would be joining us in a month or so.

“They are very big, aren’t they?” Rowan’s voice held the appropriate concern of the man who was going to have to push that baby out of his body.

“For a baby with two wolf shifter dads, I’d say a little big, but nothing to indicate a problem. How are you feeling, Rowan?”

They discussed some recent symptoms. Sleeplessness due to an active baby, something the healer joked was only going to get worse when the baby was delivered and ready to howl. Back ache. Braxton Hicks contractions. Heartburn with certain foods, swollen feet and ankles…

At that, Amir frowned. He set down the device and turned off the ultrasound machine. “I’m going to take your blood pressure now.”

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