Page 47 of Donner

"It's ours on February first. Maintenance is painting it for us and installing new carpet. I'm sorry your Christmas present will be a little later than I'd hoped."

I opened my mouth to tell him that would be perfect, but the emotions of the day overwhelmed me, and I let out a sob instead.

"Fucking hormones," I lied. I was so happy nothing had gone wrong. I spent so much time worrying about everything, and it was a relief to make it through one Christmas Eve and the following morning without an epic fight with my dad, or a near crash with the sleigh, or missing deliveries for a swath of the northern hemisphere. I wrapped my arms around Beau's neck as he swayed with me in a slow dance, easing back my tears.

Then, a new wave of sorrow hit me. "I didn't get you anything," I choked out. "I'm so sorry."

"Jax." Beau's soft voice drew my gaze to his. "You're the best gift anyone has ever given me. You're all I need. You and the babies." He kissed my temple and nudged me toward the bedroom. "You've had a long night. Let's get some rest."

The walls of my bedroom were decked out in a soft blue light that reflected the blue of my curtains, turning my room into a winter wonderland. I let Beau undress me and then I sank into a deep, dreamless sleep with Beau wrapped around me.

When I woke, the clock on my nightstand read a quarter after three in the afternoon. The scent of chocolate and cinnamon drew me out of bed. I pulled on a pair of sweats and followed my nose to the kitchen, where Beau was frosting cookies.

"My mom and I used to do this together on Christmas Day," he said, offering me a tube of frosting.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

He had a dot of green frosting on the tip of his nose. I wiped it with my index finger and licked it off before I answered.

"For sharing this tradition with me."

He nodded. "It's the first time I've done it since she passed. I thought it could be something we can do together, with the kids."

"I love it." I plopped my tube onto the counter and carefully extricated the other from Beau's hands, setting it down so I could wriggle between Beau and the countertop. I cupped his face and tugged him down for a kiss. "I love you."

I hadn't said it before now, which seemed silly. I loved Beau from the moment we first kissed, and I knew he was my mate. I'd been holding back, the way my dad reserved judgment on everything and everyone. I wasn't waiting for Beau to make a mistake, per se, but I'd been foolish to think it would change. I would always love Beau. In some ways, I'd always been in love with him. He was my fated mate. I'd been waiting for him my entire life.

I felt his lips curve beneath mine before he deepened the kiss. Finally, he pulled back with a satisfied smile. "I love you, too."

Chapter 28

Beau

In school, I'd never learned what went into having one baby, let alone twins. I was quickly educating myself on what it would take. We needed the larger apartment just so we had enough storage for all the baby gear that kept piling up. We had a housewarming party in our new apartment the first week of February, which resulted in all kinds of weird stuff I swore my mom never had for me, and I turned out just fine.

Afterward, people would drop by my office to introduce themselves to "Donner's mate," and leave me a onesie, or a pack of sippy cups, or a book, or a soft stuffed animal. I thanked them all, but I drew the line at the stuffedAlienface hugger. Jax and I agreed that toy needed to go in a bin for when the kids were older. A lot older.

Winter finally loosened her grasp on us. I could now take the bus in a fleece-lined jacket over my long-sleeved dress shirt and jeans instead of my fleece-lined down parka. The sun shifted from never rising to never setting in a matter of months, which was eerily strange and beautiful, especially when there were no clouds in the sky.

I was lucky Jax's room regulated our wake-up and bedtimes with simulated sunrises and sunsets at the same time each morning and night. Some might have found it boring, but it comforted me when everything else around me seemed so strange. It was a far cry from Miami, but I didn't mind the cold. Our little underground nest was warm, safe, and cozy, which was all I needed besides Jax.

Jax started showing at just over halfway through his pregnancy. By the final month, he was so uncomfortable he wanted to have the babies, already, and be done with it. I did my best to ease his pain with nightly massages and belly rubs, but it always worried me when I found a giant reindeer in our bed instead of Jax's cuddly human form. His fur was soft, and his breath was warm when he rested his heavy head on my chest, but it always unnerved me a little. I supposed if Jax ever woke to find a giant eagle in bed with him, the roles would have been reversed, but my eagle enjoyed the great outdoors far more than our apartment.

"Sorry," Jax had said after the first time. "My back feels better after spending some hours in reindeer form."

"Never be sorry," I said, holding him close and rubbing every inch of exposed skin available to me.

Once, he came home early so he could shift. Mize took over for me so I could leave, too. After Jax shifted, I ushered him into the elevator and we took it to the roof, the building's only outside access. I'd needed hands to press the elevator buttons, but I quickly disrobed and shifted into my eagle form. Even the summer breeze was cool on my skin, but my eagle loved the crisp air.

Together, Jax and I flew over the North Pole. The magic field that hid us from the rest of the world's satellites gave us the perfect boundary to explore. We dipped and spun in the currents, enjoying every moment together, light as the air.

I let Jax set our pace, following him back to the apartment building when he started to lag. He fell asleep on the couch while waiting for the pasta to boil, and then we went to bed early.

The next morning, Jax shook me awake before the alarm.

"My water broke."

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