Page 30 of His Prodigal Alpha

At over six months pregnant and trying to squirrel away every spare cent I could, I wasn’t turning down a free meal.

Plus, we’d been texting each other since the night we spent in my apartment, and I had to admit that I liked Rex. I wasn’t just attracted to him; I was starting to like the person he was underneath the hot cowboy getup.

Rex was a nice guy. Over texts, I learned that he was adopted after his biological mother died, and he told me about growing up on a ranch in Texas. He didn’t say a lot about his relationship with his adoptive parents, and I knew better than to ask, but I started to form an understanding of why he’d never seen himself as the kind of man to settle down. He was used to being transient. He was used to people using him and waving him off when they didn’t need or want him around anymore.

I could relate to that.

He also seemed to be making a genuine effort to prove that he wasn’t going to run away from our son the way his father had run away from him. Even if he was taking things slowly with me like I’d asked him to, he wasn’t afraid to talk about the baby. I appreciated that, even if it chipped away at the wallI was trying so hard to keep up to protect my heart.

So I agreed to a date. A real date. Even if it had only been a few days, Rex had stuck around and respected my wishes. There was absolutely no reason to turn him down after his obvious effort. At least, no reason that made sense to me. Besides, we were going to be parents together, it made sense to get to know each other properly.

Rex left the clinic with a huge smile on his face and returned at closing time to pick me up.

“Have I mentioned how good you look today?” he asked in his honeyed accent as he grabbed my coat from the coat stand by the clinic door and helped me into it. “It’s all I can do to keep my hands to myself.”

I snorted and started to do up my buttons. When I’d bought it, the coat had been far too big for me. Even now, it was too roomy in the shoulders and around my chest. But my belly was already straining the buttons’ reach around my abdomen, and I worried the coat wouldn’t be large enough to get me through the rest of winter.

Feeling ungainly and tired, I could only shake my head. “Are you having issues with your vision now? Shifter sight not as clear as it should be? ’Cause I can ask Brandt or Eric to give you a checkup.” I threw my thumb over my shoulder and half turned, as if I was actually going to find one of the doctors.

“Don’t play coy with me, kitten,” Rex laughed, then bent to kiss my cheek and place one of his big palms over my stomach. We both felt our son kick out at the contact, even through the multiple layers of thick fabric I was wearing. Rex smiled. “You’re gorgeous. Besides, I’ve gotta admit, knowin’ that it’s my baby in there? I’ve got this whole primal caveman pride thing goin’on right now.”

Three days.

He’d known about his son for three days.

Well, okay,technicallyfour.

But still…he’d gone from freaking out to being possessive about my belly? Thathadto be part of our alpha/omega dynamics, right? Especially because, for my part, I was internally preening at his declaration instead of being weirded out.

Rolling my eyes, I asked, “Are you going to feed your baby, then? Because he’s starving…and so am I.”

“We can’t have that.” Rex placed his hand on the base of my spine and gently pushed me towards the door. I called out a goodbye to Eric and Brandt as I was ushered outside, instantly pulling my coat tighter around me.

December was brutally cold and, considering I was used to a slightly warmer climate during winter, I was hating every minute of it.

“Let’s get you in the truck, kitten.”

Rex kept his hand at my back for the short walk to his parked vehicle, then he helped me up into the shiny red cab. I missed the warmth and pressure of his hand when it was gone. My back was getting achier the larger my belly got, and Rex’s touch had eased some of that discomfort.

If this date goes well, I might ask him for another massage…

I just about moaned out loud as the thought filtered through my head. At that point, even if the date was a disaster, I would still be tempted to ask him to work on some of the tension in my back. It was the least he could do, seeing as it was his cub causing all the pain.

Rex climbed into the driver’s seat and buckled his seat belt. “Now, there’s only one restaurant open in town, but if it doesn’tgel with your cravings—”

Accidentally cutting Rex off, I let out a loud yawn, the force of it stretching my jaw wider than I felt was humanly possible. My cheeks burned and I ducked my chin.

“Sorry,” I apologized, yawning again. It was almost like a switch had been flipped in my head the second I’d gotten comfortable in his passenger seat. My earlier exhaustion suddenly felt bone-deep. My eyes were getting heavier by the second. It didn’t matter that I was starving, I was also desperate for a nap. “You mentioned cravings?”

“What are you craving, darlin’?” Rex’s tone was soft and patient. “We don’t have to go out. Not while you’re so tired.”

“But…our date…” I protested, though it was a half-hearted effort at best. I did feel guilty for changing our plans, but I couldn’t control the oppressive tiredness I was feeling. Apparently it was normal to feel this way during pregnancy, but that didn’t make it an easier pill to swallow.

“We can go out another time,” Rex assured me. Unlike other men I’d dated, he didn’t sound frustrated to have our plans changed. He sounded warm and understanding. “We’ve got time, Damon.”

“That’s really sweet,” I replied, yawning again. My eyes were drifting shut despite my desperate attempts to keep them open.

The truck rumbled to life and the gentle jostling as Rex carefully drove down the dirt path to the main road was somehow even more relaxing than just being cradled in the warm passenger seat.

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