Page 65 of Vegas Baby!

“I believe you. I’ll do my best to be a good omega, but I can’t make any promises.”

Luke snorted. “Aves, you’re already damn near perfect.”

“You’re going to give me an ego talking like that.”

“Tragedy. When your ego gets too big to fit through a doorway, I’ll worry, but until then I’m going to compliment the woman I love.”

His words warmed down to my toes.

Lukewas my alpha.

If only teen Ava could see me now.

Ava was so cute.

She had fussed with her hair and outfit all morning until it was time to leave, finally settling on a lavender maternity dress and her hair in a single braid over her shoulder. She wrung her hands nervously, so Micah and I laced our fingers with hers as we walked into the restaurant.

Micah’s mom was on her feet in an instant, dressed in a crisp green skirt suit, her hair in tidy box braids that ran from black at the roots to purple at the tips. I’d known her since Micah and I met in high school and she was basically a second mom to me.

“There’s my boys.” She pulled Micah into a hug, then me, then Luke, before turning her attention to Ava and Bryce, dragging them into their own hugs. “You two must be my new daughter- and son-in-law.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. McKenzie,” said Ava.

Micah’s mom barked a laugh. “No need to be so polite. You can call me that at work, but in private you can call me Mary. Micah told me so much about you. Come, sit.”

Mary immediately began to grill both of them on their lives. They both took it in stride. I remembered the exact same treatment when Micah had brought me over the first time. Mary thrived on knowing anything and everything about people, and she made certain she knew plenty about Ava and Bryce while we worked our way through breakfast.

“I’d like to offer both of you positions at my nonprofit,” Mary said. “Ava, obviously that would be when you decide to return to work, if you do. Bryce, that would be whenever you feel like starting.”

Ava choked. “That’s so generous.”

“I promise you it’s not. I’ve already done background checks on both of you, including learning all about the wonderful work you did with the community housing project in California. Bryce has done an exceptional job in his career choice as well, though I wouldn’t blame him for choosing to take a significant break from the workforce with a pregnant omega. The point is, the jobs are there if you would like them. We’re always looking for dedicated people who have the skills and attitude to make a difference.”

“I’ll definitely keep that in mind,” Ava promised.

“I wouldn’t mind helping out with a project or two until the baby is born, but I wouldn’t want to take on full-time hours until after parental leave.”

Mary nodded. “Completely understandable. Now that that’s out of the way, we should talk about the baby shower. This will be my first grandbaby. My other children are woefully slow in that regard.”

“It’ll be the first for all our parents, I think,” I said.

“We’ll have a proper event, then,” Mary replied. “Is that all right with you, Ava?”

My omega nodded. “I’m fine with whatever you plan.”

“Dangerous words,” I said with a laugh.

“It has to at least be equal to the party we threw when you finished your paramedic training,” Mary told me. “I assume you’ll want it to be held at home so Ava can retreat to the nest as necessary. All the catering will of course be pregnancy-friendly so Ava can indulge in anything she wants. I’ll make sure there’s a full selection of mocktails as well.”

Mary looked like a kid at Christmas. She loved being able to celebrate her family, and thankfully Ava was pretty chill about it. Mary was definitely the most involved of all our parents so far as I knew. My family was a close second, but Micah’s clan was tight-knit. I couldn’t wait for Ava to meet everyone.

By the time breakfast was finished, Ava looked mildly overwhelmed.

“Ready to go home for a rest?” I asked her.

“Yes, please.”

My phone dinged, a notification popping up that the delivery of Ava’s remaining nursery purchases were on their way to us.

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