Page 34 of Sincerely, Pack Pucked
“From the one blurry picture I’ve seen, I think you’re not terrible.”
My eyebrows rose, loving the way she was teasing me. I was a glutton for punishment, and I probably shouldn’t have asked, but I wanted to more than anything.
“Well, if the picture was blurry, then I guess it’s my duty to send you another one. I can’t have you forming judgments based on a subpar-quality image. Since you’re unwilling to meet in person, I will book a studio and get some high-def photos of my abs! Then again, if J is to be believed, your true fetish is for feet, especially hobbit feet.”
Her next message began with a cackle of laughter. “He told you about the feet? I assure you, my pleasures do not involve feet.”
“What do your pleasures involve? If I can be of service in any way, I am more than happy to oblige.”
She was quiet for a moment. Crap, was I pushing her too far? I wanted to know everything there was to know about this girl. Her fears, her kinks, everything. Only, I had to go about asking in a very specific way, because she was like a frightened deer that would bolt the moment she felt uncomfortable.
“I’m happy to go first if you want. I have a small obsession with chocolate cake…” I said, doing my best to lighten the mood.
“Chocolate cake is the best cake,” she agreed. “I have been craving good old-fashioned vanilla cake, though. It seems the baby has rather basic tastes.”
“Sometimes basic is what you need. What flavor of cake would you say you are?”
“Vanilla,” Maple said softly. I could picture her scrunching her nose as she said that.
“Nothing wrong with a little vanilla! Personally, I consider myself a fancy wedding cake, because I am a pretty boy!”
Maple’s giggle was stunning. “Okay, pretty boy. I like that.”
More than anything, I wanted her to likeme.
“Okay, important question time. Favorite cookie?” I smiled as I launched into several food-related questions. I already knew half the answers, but hearing them in her sweet voice was the best thing ever.
Chapter 11
Mable
“Is this your first sonogram?” the tech nurse, who smelled like freshly cut grass, asked as I lay on the medical table in the doctor’s office.
The clinic didn’t have many available appointments, so I had to wait a few weeks, but it was finally time for me to see my baby. From what I understood, most clinics had technicians who operated the sonogram machine and then doctors who gave the results. But because of the nature of omega pregnancies, there were nurses-slash-sonogram technicians who could do both, and I was seeing one of them.
Emotionally, I had been on a roller coaster—one minute, I was totally at peace with the idea of becoming a mother, then an hour later, I would be freaking out. Having a baby was a significant change. More than anything, I wanted to call my mother, but I knew news of my pregnancy would stress her out. Her health hadn’t been the best over the last few years, so I wanted to choose my moment.
If it hadn’t been for Pack Pucked, I probably would have gone insane from the lack of people to discuss my pregnancy with. I had briefly considered calling Bethany, a sort-of friend I used to work with, as she had recently had a baby, but I didn’t want todisturb her. She was freshly postpartum and probably needed all the rest she could get.
“It is.” I nodded.
“How far along are you now?”
“Fourteen weeks and three days!” I smiled as I lifted my T-shirt.
“Do you know your date of conception?” she asked curiously.
I nodded. “It’s pretty obvious, considering the only time I’ve had sex in the last few years was during my heat, fourteen weeks and three days ago.”
The sonogram tech laughed lightly. “Well, that information is always good to know, but that is not exactly how we calculate pregnancy. We actually calculate based on the date of your last heat cycle. If you conceived during your heat, though, then your calculation is probably quite accurate. The first thing we’re going to do today is take a few vials of blood. Is that okay with you?”
“I’m not exactly a fan of needles, but I understand that they are necessary,” I said with a grimace.
“Just wait until you get to the glucose test, that was my least favorite part when I had my own babies!” As she spoke, she pulled out a small tray with a few empty vials for my blood and needles. She asked me a few other basic questions, such as what my diet was like and my sleeping habits, if I was having any bizarre symptoms, and she seemed satisfied with what she was hearing.
Thankfully, the blood draw was over quickly, and she was so skilled at it that I barely felt a thing.
“All done!” She smiled brightly at me.
