Page 25 of Such a Sweet Omega

Chapter Twenty-One

Jabez

Things moved very quickly once we found out Beale was pregnant. I was still scared, but also happy and excited, and determined not to let my fears govern our life together. Fate had given me another chance to live and love, and I was not going to throw it back in her face.

Especially since my omega was blossoming every day. Once he’d gotten past the first few months, the nausea faded and he became the happiest handsomest pregnant omega on the face of the planet. Or maybe I was just a little prejudiced.

Like today, when we were going to buy nursery furniture. The store didn’t even open for an hour, and Beale was already in the front seat of the car, bouncing. “Hurry, alpha. I want to get there before it’s all gone.”

“The cribs and car seats?” Why would they all be gone?

“And the diaper bags and the dressers, bottle warmers, just everything.” He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes at me. “You didn’t forget, did you?”

“No. I have the list so we won’t forget anything.”

“That not what I mean. Today is the big sale. I told you.”

He probably had. I’d been working so many hours I barely knew my own name. “I’m sorry, omega. I see why you’re in a hurry to get there.” I tried to make it up to him by driving through his favorite donut place, but all that accomplished was putting us at the end of a very long line of pregnant omegas and their alphas. This must be a great sale if all those pregnant people were willing to stand there like that. Beale was spending less time on his feet every day. I pulled into a parking space anyway.

“Oh no.” He had his face pressed to the glass. “We are late.”

“Maybe we should try another day,” I suggested.

“And miss the sale?” His voice vibrated with outrage at the very idea. “Everything is 20 percent off today only.” He unclicked his seat belt and climbed out of the car.

I didn’t need to buy discounted furnishings, but my omega had been careful with money his whole life and since we’d decided he would quit working after he had the baby, he had doubled down in the idea of stretching a dollar. But as we took our place at the end of the line, I had my doubts about the wisdom of this particular savings plan.

“Omega mine, maybe we shouldn’t do this. It’s a lot of standing.” And probably by the time we got into the store, all the things on our list would be gone.

“Well, you don’t have to stay. I can take a rideshare home after I shop.” There was that sassy omega again. “But I am not having our baby sleep in a designer crib I paid full price for.” Oh yeah, not only was he into stretching that dollar, he wanted quality as well. “Besides, a bunch of these bloated omegas won’t even make it until the store opens.”

“Speak for yourself,” the omega in front of us snapped. “I will get that car seat I’ve had my eyes on even if I have to stand up until my ankles become cankles and flop over my shoes.” A glance down confirmed they were well on the way to that as we spoke. Not that I was foolish enough to say so.

After a while, the line began move forward, the omegas ahead of us shuffling like creatures from a zombie movie after having stood there for who knew how many hours. Word came down the line that the doors were open and they were allowing people to enter. Forty-five minutes after that, the double glass doors came into sight and with them the chaos beyond. Omegas were wrestling for items, alphas hugging the walls in, if not terror, certainly discomfort. Their mates would shove items into their arms then dive back into the fray. Some of them were nomore than days from delivery, and if no babies were born in there today, it would be a miracle.

“Really, Beale, I think we should give up. Those people have already ransacked the store.”

“They don’t know where to find some of the good stuff,” he asserted. “I came by the other day and took pictures then made a diagram, see?” He held up his phone to show me. “So, here’s the plan.” He laid out what he’d be doing and what I would then tucked his phone back in his pocket and pushed into the store.

If I never again did something like this, it would be too soon. It was not worth the money we saved. To me. To Beale, every piece in the nursery would be a triumph to remember. So it was worth the bruises and the patch of hair I was sure I was missing from when I bent down to pick up a cloth diaper from the floor that an omega thought belonged to them.

Life would never be dull with my sweet and sassy omega.

And I hoped our baby would take after him.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Beale

This was not the place where I wanted to have our baby, but after a night filled with not only my water breaking but ever intensifying contractions and pain, well, it was our only choice.

Given what Jabez had gone through with his previous mate, we’d made a plan that was full proof.

At least, that’s what we’d hoped for.

I had monitors all over me. Tracking my heart rate, my blood pressure, and more all over my belly, tracking contractions and the baby’s heartbeat.

A nurse came in and asked me if I wanted some ice chips to which I said yes.

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