"Charlie, my little beauty. I love you too, more than anything in the world. If I've never said the words, my mistake for worrying it was too soon. Everything else happened so fast. I wanted you to know I'd given my love time to grow appropriately, and my affections weren't completely pheromone-based."
"Your explanation sounds so silly when you say it out loud, but… I was doing the same thing."
We shared a laugh. Then I studied him closer. "What happened to make you say the words today?" I didn't think it had anything to do with his sadness about so many of his brothers leaving yesterday, but maybe their departure made him remember all over again how fast life can change. Which was why I should've said the words already, dammit.
"Don't overthink it, Lucian. And don't start getting protective or trying to carry me everywhere when I tell you this, okay?"
Lifting a brow, I searched his gaze. "Beauty, don't ask me to make a promise when I don't know why. The only thing I can swear is to do my best to restrain my inner caveman, fair enough?"
His instant reactionary giggle never failed to warm my heart. "Works for me. So I was already suspicious because my stomach has felt weird the last few days, and I've noticed some foods haven't been smelling right. Those are minor signs, but I was watching for them because Eli warned me true mates usually conceive immediately. And then Romeo touched my hand and dropped the bomb in the middle of breakfast."
My head was spinning again, this time for a much more important reason than a mere orgasm. "Charlie, are you saying what I think you are?"
"Yes, we're having a baby. I'll have to visit the doctor in Eli's pack to know how far along I am, but yeah. And if you don't mind spoilers, Romeo told me what we're having."
Rocking my head from side to side, I took a moment to consider it. Did I want to know? And more importantly, could I handle not knowing when Charlie did? Not to mention I'd be asking him to keep a pretty big secret for the next few months. Or at least until the first ultrasound. Putting either of us through so much was silly. Especially when my beauty was probably dying to tell Eli, if he hadn't already. Hell, his brothers all knew, so why not?
As if reading my mind, Charlie smiled regretfully. "I'm sorry my brothers found out before you. Romeo blurted it before he stopped to think. I hope you know you're the first person I'm officially telling. Heck, I even swore my brothers to secrecy. I planned to tell you last night while we were stargazing from our porch swing, but then my parents came over and stayed so long after dinner. We got caught up in conversation and missed our porch time.”
Even though I knew it was true, I loved hearing him refer to our porch time. In the three and a half weeks we'd been together, sitting on the porch before bed had become our tradition. We'd cuddle on the swing and drink a hot beverage while watching the stars. It was the most peaceful and glorious moment of my day, and I looked forward to it the minute my eyes opened in the mornings.
"Don't worry. You're telling me now. And yes, I definitely want to know what we're having. I don't want to make you keep a secret. Plus, we both know how nosy I am."
My joke got me another giggle. Charlie moved to whisper in my ear. "Congratulations, charming. We're having a girl."
And easy as pie, I fell in love all over again. This time with a tiny little blob of cells, my daughter. A daughter. Holy shit.
Flipping him over onto his back, I blew raspberries against his stomach before pressing a wide circle of kisses around it. Charlie squealed and giggled the whole time, undoubtedly both from excitement and the way my whiskers tickled his tender flesh. When I sat up again, I bounced on my hands and knees beside him like an overgrown pup. "I can't believe we’re having a little girl. That's amazing, beauty. You're going to have to watch me so I don't spoil her to death."
Charlie gave an evil laugh. "From what Romeo said, we might want to be careful. He says she's going to be smart as anything and a total handful."
I jumped up and scooped him from the bed, cradling him against my chest as I spun in a circle before heading out of our room. "Of course she will be every bit of those things. With us as parents, we can't expect anything less. Our baby girl will be smart and beautiful. And probably spoiled. We should get used to the idea."
My voice traveled, preceding me into the breakfast nook, where Tina and Essie were gossiping over a cup of tea and poring through a recipe book. They both looked up with their mouths hanging open.
Tina pressed a hand to her heart, her lip trembling as she spoke. "Did I hear you right? Are you having a baby?"
Waving a hand, Essie nodded sagely. "Of course they are, dear. They are true mates, no? They probably conceived straight off the bat. Most do, from what I've heard."
"You're not wrong. I'd forgotten how fast I got pregnant with Ford." Tina seemed so happy, she was glowing.
I set Charlie down at the table and turned to get my coffee. At this point, when he officially shared our news, it felt anticlimactic. “Since you've worked it out between you, the answer is yes. Lucian and I are having a baby. And according to my brother who has a touch of the sight, we're expecting a girl."
Essie nodded as she crossed herself. "Ay, anyone blessed with the sight would know."
By the time I sat down with my coffee and a cup of tea for Charlie, the two ladies were busy talking nurseries and something called a layette. I drained half my cup before a break in their conversation.
"Excuse me, ladies. If I may be so bold, isn't it a little early to be worrying about this? We haven't even been to the doctor yet. We're going on his brother's vision and his own wonky stomach."
Charlie lifted a finger. "And don't forget different foods have been smelling off to me."
The women nodded in tandem, while Essie patted my hand. "The signs are all there, Alpha. Your mate is pregnant, and it's never too early to plan."
Tina's eyes widened. "It really isn't, trust us. His pregnancy will fly by before we know it."
Shrugging, I reached my cup again. "Then plan away. Let's get this figured out. I don't mind talking about our baby the whole day anyway, but especially when it puts the smile I'm seeing on Charlie's face right now."
When they both immediately turned to look at him, Charlie blushed, but his smile didn't fade. Tina scooted around and went for a hug, and for the first time, I noticed Charlie eagerly return her embrace.
Eleven
Charlie
About two months later…
Eli watched patiently while I walked back and forth with Stevie on my shoulder, rubbing his back and trying to calm him while the little guy screamed. With every step, my baby bump felt heavier, or maybe it was simply my sudden fear I was going to suck at this parenting gig. When I turned back his way, I looked at Eli in dismay.
"What am I doing wrong? I can't handle knowing your child's suffering because of something I did or didn't do. His diaper was changed, nothing was pinching, and I made sure his clothes were fitting properly. He drank the entire bottle, and I got a good burp. What does Stevie need that I'm not providing?"