Page 34 of The Alpha: Part Three
The first stop is the functional one. I pick up several new sets of scrubs in varying sizes. I don't know what my body is going to look like over the course of the rest of this pregnancy, so I'm planning ahead. The next stop is the place where I usually find things I like. Their maternity section is amazing and I find the majority of the rest of what I need, including a few formal dresses that Seth encouraged me to get because we'll be attending several charity events for both the WCC and the East Coast Council before the baby comes. I've tried on so many things that I'm a little past exhausted and working hard towards hungry, but we have one more stop. I mentioned needing new pajamas and bras, which means a trip to Ben's favorite store in the mall. Marah-Jayne's.
“The chingadera store!” he grins, wiggling his eyebrow. “Do I still get to go back with you to try everything on?”
“Only if you're the one trying it on,” I tell him. I'm not having another marathon of trying things on just so he can see me do it.
He laughs at me and rubs his hands together. “What are we after today?”
“Bras,” I huff. “Just bras, Benjamin. We don't need me wearing a bunch of lingerie right now. I just need some new bras. That's it.”
We get more than bras. And Ben follows me into the dressing room like he always does. I can't wear any of the strappy, lacy things he piled into the basket; not functionally anyway. Michael and Seth are sitting in chairs in the waiting area and trying to hide the fact that they're pouting about it. The dressing rooms are small and there's barely enough room for Ben and me in here.
“The purple one next,” Ben says, lifting the lacy “nightgown” up by the strap. “Turn around. I'll undo the one you're wearing. Are you feeling okay? I know you're tired. We'll put you to bed when we get home.” He reaches behind me to release the clasps of the ridiculous blue push-up bra he wanted to see me try on and pulls it off of me, making no attempt to hide his oggling. “I might even let you rest.”
Okay, this one is nice. I thought it would be tight or itchy, but it's so light and comfortable; and the gauzy material splits vertically so that my belly peeks out. I turn to the side to see how it looks and meet Ben's eyes in the mirror.
“We're getting that one.”
I shake my head. “It's going to look outrageous when I'm even bigger than I am now.”
He bends to slide his hand across my stomach. “It's going to look gorgeous. We're getting the green one, too. If you weren't so tired, we could break this one in right now.”
Unfortunately, I am too tired. “Let me have a nap when we get home and then we can break it in.”
Once we get home, I do get the nap I desperately need, but nothing gets broken in because Mateo calls in a panic because Amber's water broke.
“I know you're pregnant, too, but please, Des, hurry.” Mateo clips as politely as he can. I can tell he's pacing because I hear Amber hiss at him to stop. “I'm just nervous, mi amor. I have to walk around.”
I stifle a yawn and begin the process of getting up. “Is she having contractions? They may not have started yet.”
I listen to the scuffle happening on the other end of the call and then Amber answers. “No contractions. I'm fine, just a little soggy. I was getting up from the sofa when it happened. Should I take a shower or get into the tub?”
I get to my feet and grab the bag I packed for when Amber went into labor. “Either. Whatever you're more comfortable with. We'll be there soon. Try not to kill my brother before I can get there.”
“No promises,” she laughs and ends the call while I yell for Seth and the twins on my way down the hall.
Seth almost smacks into me when I walk into the living room. “What's wrong? Are you alright?”
I reach up and grab a handful of his shirt to pull him down for a quick kiss. “Nothing's wrong. I'm good. But we have to go to Mateo's right now.”
“Why?” Seth asks, going for his shoes by the door. “What happened?”
“Amber's water broke.”
“Shit. Ben! Michael! Come on, we have to go!” He grabs the keys from the hook without tying his shoes.
“We heard, Seth,” Michael laughs. “We were just in the kitchen. Do we need to pick anything up on the way? Do you need anything from the hospital?”
I slide my feet into my shoes, wiggling my heels down into them. I'm not at the point where I can't bend over and tie them, but I am at the point where I'd rather not. “No, I made sure everything was set up last week. I'll call and have a van on standby, though. Just in case. She won't need it. Amber's been storybook this whole time.”
Some omegas spend hours and hours in labor. I've even known several who were in labor for a couple of days. Not Amber. It took her all of half an hour to go from her water breaking to consistent contractions, and now they're about two minutes apart. All of her alphas have been banished from the room because they were hovering. They didn't go far. They're just outside the door, but at least they're out of the room and Amber feels like she can breathe. Only Tony has been allowed to stay.
To be fair, her alphas were doing quite a bit of hovering. It wouldn't have bothered me, the very idea that my pack would be more than a few feet from me during my labor makes me feel hollow. But every omega is different and every choice they make for their journey is the right one for them, and I'll be no different.
“Is it time?” Mateo whispers from the doorway. “Is he here?”
“Do you hear a baby crying, Mateo?” Amber bites out.
“I was just checking on you, princessa.”
