Page 22 of My Omega's Gift

“Exactly…and other things.” The other-things list had to be huge. So far, the baby only had the handful of things Elias snuck into our lasagna bag that day.

“Okay. That sounds good.” I thought about my dwindling funds. Forty-something dollars wouldn’t get much, but it was better than nothing. And Kurt planned to cover the rest, citing that’s what families did. Still…I felt bad.

After finishing breakfast and taking showers, we set out.

The drive was stunning, the road winding through snow-dusted trees. The small town we arrived at looked like a Christmas movie set. Storefronts were draped in garland and wreaths, windows filled with decorations. Along the sidewalks, little booths offered handmade crafts and local goods.

The first stop was the baby store. When he said Elias mentioned it, I assumed it would be a general store with some baby items, but no—it was entirely devoted to babies. There wereproducts here I didn’t begin to understand the purpose for, even after looking at the display. Babies were tiny, and yet they had an entire store full of products devoted just to them.

Kurt headed straight for the car seats. He stood there staring, and I joined him, equally clueless. There was a section for newborns—that much I understood—but the rest was overwhelming. All the seats looked the same to me.

“Did you need help picking something out?” a salesperson asked.

I said, “No,” at the same time Kurt said, “Yes.”

Leaning into his side, I changed my answer and listened as the salesperson gave us a rundown of the features and safety standards. Most of it might as well have been Latin. We then asked what she recommended for something simple and safe. We should’ve led with that. A few moments later, they guided us to a model that seemed perfect.

“Is that all today?”

Kurt took my hand, intertwining our fingers. “No, we need some essentials. Mind if we leave that at the counter until we are finished?”

By “essentials,” he meant a mountain of items: clothes, cloth diapers with snaps—who knew those were a thing?—pacifiers, crinkly toys, soft-and-fuzzy sleepers, and swaddle blankets. With every addition to the pile, my nerves grew. This was going to be expensive…more expensive than any other shopping trip I’d ever taken.

Once the salesperson left so we could take “one final look around,” I voiced my concerns.

“It’s money we have, I promise,” Kurt said, kissing me softly. “When we get to the pack, I’ll show you what we have and what we don’t. Trust me on this—we’re fine.”

“I trust you with everything.” If he said the money was fine, I believed him.

On the way to the register, we passed a section of handmade stuffed wolves. One caught my eye—it looked just like Kurt.

“I think we need a daddy wolf.” I picked it up. It was $43.99 and with tax, I had just enough for me to buy it on my own. When Kurt reached for it, I shook my head.

“No, I want to get this for them.”

He nodded in understanding.

At the register, I paid for the wolf while Kurt handled the rest. The salesperson helped us carry everything to the car. To my surprise, guilt didn’t hit me over how much Kurt had spent. We were a team. What was his was mine, and what was mine was his. He wasn’t buying things to hold over me later, like others had in the past. He was providing.

Once everything was loaded, we strolled through the Christmas market, sipping cocoa, eating homemade marshmallows, and buying a Baby’s First Christmas ornament.

“Thank you for the wonderful outing.” I kissed my mate under the mistletoe hanging from the lamppost. “I love you.”

“As I love you, omega mine. As I love you.”

Chapter Sixteen

Kurt

This time, the pains did not stop.

Christmas Eve morning dawned bright and clear, and once again, soft moans emerged from my omega’s lips. “Alpha, I think this is it.” He rolled into a ball around his belly and panted. “I hope I’m not ruining your Christmas.”

“How could your getting ready to bring our baby into the world ruin Christmas? I seem to remember another baby being born on the same day—or at least that’s the day it’s celebrated. I think our child has chosen to share this special day.”

“Unless they resent having a Christmas birthday,” he said, panting. “Maybe I can hold out.”

“Omega, it’s Christmas Eve in the morning. If you try to ‘hold out’ until after Christmas, that would mean two days of pain for you, even if it’s possible for you to do that. Our baby is ready, and it’s entirely their call. Now, what can I do to make you feel better?”

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