Page 26 of The Alpha Grizzly's Mate

Colson

I loved my new life. I loved living in the den. I loved my new mate. I loved being the cool uncle to the cubs. There was nothing that I didn’t love. Nothing except knowing I owed my father favors. I pushed it down the best I could, but it wasn’t easy. Even gone, he still ruled my life, just in a different way.

Today, we were going to tackle making the kids’ bedroom into more than a guest room they used. We wanted it to feel like theirs in all ways. We’d picked up some bunk-bed sets that needed to be put together, a few cans of paint, and the people in the den had given us a couple of old dressers. It was going to be epic. Or at least more epic than the old-lady vibes the room currently held.

The kids were on a playdate with Aunt Patty. She was going to show them how to make homemade play dough. I had a sneaky suspicion I was going to be washing a lot of the salty dough out of hair tonight.

Mav and Tyrus were helping with our construction attempt. Sadly, even with four of us working on the bunk beds, it was a lot more difficult than any of us anticipated. I hadn’t realized how many pieces went into what amounted to two stacked milk crates. When all was said and done, Tyrus decided they weren’t quite sturdy enough. He and my mate reinforced them until those things could have an entire den of cubs jumping on them and not budge.

I was grateful but also exhausted. Beyond exhausted. I’d been feeling that way a lot lately and was ready to get my energy back.

We grabbed some lunch and then it was time to paint the entire room.

Originally, we’d planned to paint first, but we realized we might end up scuffing the walls as we built the beds. Given the number of times we knocked into the walls, it had been a good call. We’d have had to. Paint twice.

My mate pried open the paint can, and the scent slammed into me.

It was rancid.

My stomach lurched.

I bolted out of the room, barely making it to the bathroom before I lost everything I’d eaten that day.

“Here, love.”

I looked up to see my mate with a damp washcloth.

“Thanks.”

Levi knelt beside me, rubbing gentle circles on my back. “You feeling better, Colson?”

“No. I mean, yes.” I took a shaky breath. “Puking stinks, but I’m doing okay.”

“It must’ve been something you ate.”

“No. It was that paint. We need to take it back and get a new can. I didn’t know paint could spoil.” If I never smelled that scent as long as I lived, I’d die happy.

“Take it back? Spoiled? It’s just paint. It doesn’t spoil.”

I shook my head. “Didn’t you smell it? It’s rancid.”

“Oh.” He smiled brightly. “Oh.”

“What does that mean?” Why was he happy? We had a room to get ready and no supplies to do it with.

“Oh, it means…why don’t you clean up and then join me on the bed?” His voice was soft, almost amused. As he reached the doorway, he added, “I thought I heard something this morning, and now—now I’m sure I did.”

“I’ll be right out.”

Once I got cleaned up and washed out my mouth, I felt a thousand times better.

I plopped onto the bed beside him and clung to him—hoping I didn’t have something contagious. How selfish I was. I wasn’t willing to give up his touch, even if it put him at risk.

Come to think of it, I’d been really clingy for the past couple of days. Levi didn’t mind. I kinda got the impression he liked it. Still, it was odd.

“What do you have to tell me?”

“This morning, when you were sleeping, I thought I heard—” He placed his hand on my belly. “I thought I heard a baby.”

---