He sat next to me and called our house manager Vivian and told her to find a personal chef that specialized in cooking for pregnancy. I didn’t know there were personal chefs who did that, but Vivian didn’t miss a beat.
“We’re going to get you the best food. No more sodium. Magnesium and lots of rest.”
“Sounds like a thrilling time.”
He didn’t laugh with me. “Rowan Marwood, stop joking about this.”
“Marwood? We aren’t married, Talon.”
He kissed my lips with great passion. “We are mated and bonded and marked. That means more than a marriage certificate or saying some vows in front of a human priest. Perhaps I haven’t called you by that name before but you are Rowan Marwood.”
I hadn’t really thought about it before.
“I’m taking this seriously, mate. I am. I don’t want anything to happen to either one of us, okay?”
Talon squeezed my hand. “I would not make it if…”
“Don’t,” I whispered. “Don’t even entertain that thought. We will be fine.”
He nodded and kissed me on the forehead, telling me he had some work to do and would be back. Despite rebelling against the idea, I gradually felt myself falling asleep.
“Rowan.” The mattress sank next to me. “I have to go to the club. There are some things I need to sign and a short meeting with the other owners.”
My eyes flew open and panic gripped my chest. “Without me?”
“You can’t come with me and be on bed rest.”
I turned my head to try and hide the tears I knew full well I couldn’t. “You’re going to the club without me.” I wrapped my arms around my tender chest muscles.
“Mate, I don’t like the accusation I hear in your voice. I am part owner at Cuffed. I have meetings to attend. I have responsibilities in order to provide for us.”
“I don’t mean to accuse, Talon. I…I am feeling like a spare part right now. A person of use and yet, useless. My emotions were already all over the place, and now I’m stuck here.”
“You are not useless, and I never want to hear that again. You are in bed because your body is overtaxed with growing our baby inside of you. You are making another life in that body.”
“There will be so many omegas there. Omegas slim and trim and ready. I…”
Talon sat up. The atmosphere around us changed, popping and zipping with his anger and hurt. Hurt above all. “Rowan, think. Think. Am I the type of man who would go to a club and cheat on you? You think so little of me that I would betray you with another? You are my fated. My mate. My bonded. You bear my mark and hold my babe in your body. How could you?” he asked. “My love, how could you?”
With the last question, his voice cracked. I’d hurt him. I didn’t even believe he would cheat on me—ever. But the jealousy and aggravation about being cemented to this bed, even though it had only been hours, drew out the worst parts of me.
I’d broken my alpha’s heart.
Chapter Twenty
Talon
I was so shocked that my omega feared my being around others who he thought I might find more attractive than him. Nobody drew me like him. My wolf and I were endlessly and helplessly in love with Rowan. We followed him with our eyes when he crossed the room and felt the light leave with him when he went to the kitchen for a snack.
Most of which he was restricted from doing now.
And don’t even get me started about my admiration for his growing our baby in his body. He was doing something I had no ability to accomplish and probably not nearly enough courage even if I could. This had not been an easy pregnancy, and he hadn’t felt good for most of it. Yet he almost never complained.
After our exchange of words, I still had to go to work, but I stayed no longer than I had to then went out to walk around for a bit and think. My heart ached for Rowan and for me. I had not looked at another omega with anything beyond casual or friendly interest since he walked into my office the day I hired him. And I thought he understood that.
After a couple of hours, I turned back to pick up my car from the club lot. I needed to return to my omega and try to work out our differences. All couples argued, and surely it was nothing insurmountable. Fateds were still people and still subject to moods and feelings and we would just have to talk things out.
My ex had hurt me enough to make me want to never get close to another omega, yet all those feelings fell away as soon as I set eyes on Rowan. Or certainly shortly thereafter. And I’d never talked to him about the past because it seemed so irrelevant, but perhaps that was a mistake. We were to some extent the product of our pasts no matter how much we loved one another, and it was time to open up and let some of that out.