Page 79 of Knot what I want for Christmas
“That’s what you think, Clay Jackson,” Annie always says, scrunching up her nose and wriggling her fingers.
Maybe my best friend is a witch and does possess magical powers. Or maybe she just saw what me and Clay had been blind to all those years. The attraction between us. This magical connection. The fact that we were made for each other, all four of us
We spent that first six weeks after Christmas doing the long-distance thing. But after our first heat spent together, we realized how much we meant to each other and in the spring – when the days were filled with sunshine and the grass in the ranch was emerald green – I moved to Silver Creek.
A year and three quarters later, I’m still here and happier than ever.
Clay pulls the truck up outside the big house and turns to me in his seat.
“It’s not too late,” he tells the three of us. “We could fake a stomachache or tell them a fence needs mending urgently.”
“Clay Jackson. We are not missing this for the world.”
He groans. But I know he secretly loves all this. He loves his family, he loves this ranch, and he loves me. I reach across the space between us, kiss his cheek, and then go to meet Annie, who’s waiting for us on the porch, tapping her wristwatch.
“You’re late,” she says, addressing her complaint at her brother.
“You’re always late,” he tells her. “If you got rid of that truck and–”
“Don’t start,” she says, taking my hand and pulling me into the warm embrace of the house.
Mr. and Mrs. J are already inside, a feast spread out on the kitchen table, and so is Travis, the once hot barman who now owns the bar,The Dirty Boot, and is running it alongside my best friend.
“Who wants an eggnog?” Mrs. J asks, producing a tray of drinks and shoving them toward us.
“Not me,” I say. “I just need to use the bathroom.”
I leave my new family laughing and chattering in the kitchen as I sneak upstairs with my package from the drugstore. Once inside the bathroom, I lock the door and pull out the package inside. I’ve never done one of these tests before. I think I know how they work, but I read the instructions ten times through anyway just in case, and then spend the next few moments trying to work out how exactly I’m going to pee on a stick without peeing on my hand too, all over the floor.
Finally, hovering above the toilet, I find the angle, do the business, and place the test to one side, pulling out my cell phone and starting a timer. The stopwatch is halfway through its countdown when there’s a knock on the door.
“You alright in there, sweetheart?” Clay says from the other side. “You’ve been in there a while.”
“Me?” I squeak. “Fine, but…”
I go and unlock the door, finding Clay isn’t alone. Tucker and Nash are there too.
“We were worried about you,” Nash explains. “We thought maybe something happened at the clinic today or you were feeling sad.”
Sometimes the grief about my mom still hits me and knocks me off my feet. But it’s happening less often now. And when it does come on, it lasts a lot less time. Not that I’ve forgotten her, not that I don’t miss her, but it’s getting easier, especially with these three men in my life. They’re one hell of a distraction, one hell of a sexy distraction at that.
There’s also times when my job at the vet clinic can be difficult, when an old dog is ill or a horse is hurt. Sometimes I need a hug from my alphas and reminding of all the good things there are in the world. I’m not surprised they’ve come to check on me.
I usher them inside and lock the door behind them.
“What’s going on?” Tucker asks. “If you’re feeling needy and greedy little Omega, this might not be the best time, what with Clay’s parents right downstairs, but I’m always willing–”
“Nope,” I tell him, and point toward the stick resting by the sink.
“What’s that?” Tucker says.
But Nash has spotted what it is. “A pregnancy test,” he says in wonderment.
All three of them look at me again like they did in the truck.
“You think you’re…” Clay starts.
“Maybe, possibly.” I stopped my contraception medicine a couple of months ago and I had my heat just over six weeks ago – a heat which featured a hell of a lot of breeding talk – unlocking a kink I never knew I possessed! “There’s a good chance I am, especially as my period’s late, but you never know.”
