Page 86 of The Omega Exchange: Omnibus
Melody scoffs, glaring at my sister and Luke's brother.
"Want me to knock his ass out for you?" Tom asks. He's dead serious. "It might jostle his brain cells enough they start working."
"No," Melody says, shaking her head and wiping her eyes. "Do you think I could sign up for The Exchange? I have a heat coming up, and I really can't imagine going back to our small town after this."
"Sure," Tom says, shrugging. "Not our location, but one of the others? Definitely."
"I've spent too many years looking like a fool because of him," Melody says, playing with Colin's tiny hand. "But I needed to see this in order to finally move on."
I give her a nod and an encouraging smile. Because, seriously, what else can I do?
"Fuck," Tom growls, staring at me with undisguised hunger. "I can't wait until it's our baby you're holding."
My heart pounds wildly as Tom scoops Colin out of my arms and grins down at him. Colin always feels so tall when I hold him, but he looks tiny in comparison to Tom. I swear my ovaries weep at the sight. I have to bite my lip to keep myself fromblurting out, "I love you." It's still way too soon… I'd sound like a total freak.
Luke comes sauntering in and lights up when he spots us.
"Hey, little man," he says, scooping Colin out of Tom's arms. "Think it'll be a boy or a girl?"
I shrug, swallowing thickly. "I'd be happy with either."
"Boy first," Tom grunts. "Need to make sure he can look out for any girls when we're not around." He scratches at his jaw. "Otherwise we might have to look into homeschooling."
Luke snorts a laugh.
"You're pregnant?" Melody asks.
"It's too early to tell, but I haven't gotten the post-heat cramping or…" I grimace.
There are a bunch of other gross symptoms I don't want to list aloud.
"Wow, yeah, that's a good sign. Congratulations," she says, eyeing Colin in Luke's arms. "I'm sorry for everything in the past."
Luke's attention is still firmly on Colin, who's trying to stick his finger in Luke's ear.
"It worked out for the best," Luke says, smiling at me. "I know it's not my place to say anything, but Mel…" He trails off. "I don't think Ben's ever gonna change."
They talk a bit as Tom pulls me over into his lap. He lays his giant hand over my stomach and grins. My heart races as I snuggle back into his strong form and soak up the craziness of the morning.
"What's this?" I ask later that same night. We're in the guys' suite, since it has the Christmas tree we decorated.
"I never got to give you my courting gift," Luke says, flashing me a dazzling smile. He pulls me into his lap.
Archie and Connor are mulling about, but Tom is strangely nowhere to be found.
"Here you go." Luke pulls a box from beside his thigh and places it in my lap. "Go on, open it."
Connor comes over, holding his phone like he's about to snap pictures.
I pop the hinge lid and gasp. There's a beautiful silver locket. It has a book engraved on the front and on the back it says, "Travel Anywhere."
"I love…" I stammer. "It."
That was a close one. 'I love you'very nearly slipped out. I don't know if it's the bond and being able to feel their emotions toward me, but yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what this feeling is.
I lean up to kiss Luke's jaw. "Thank you."
"Here, let me put it on for you," he murmurs, taking it from me.
