***
I rolled over, wishing I could talk to the me from over two months ago. The version of me who had just found out they were pregnant, that they could shift into a wolf. Back when the world was bright and new and my feet didn't ache most of every day.
I reached for my phone to check the time, noticing a few messages from chat. Just normal Bun-Reg-Chuck banter. At least Chuck had relaxed since his last freak-out. He'd claimed that he'd been going through personal stuff that had spilled into chat and that he was sorry. I accepted his apology, but still hadn't told Nash much about what had happened. He still got weird when I talked about my chat friends.
I had faith that would change. I just had to show him how important they were to me, but also how normal we were. Like real friends, without the messy parts of seeing each other. I wasn't sure Nash understood the concept of friends, at least not my concept of it. He had his cousins and his brother, Riley, and me, and that seemed to be about it. I supposed he was friendly with his work pals, but he never wanted to hang out with them after shifts to grab beers or anything. The new guy had asked several times, but Nash had always said no.
Nash stretched. I thought he was still sleeping, but he tugged me around with a purpose to his movements. "You wake up and reach for your phone, omega? I'm jealous."
"You're always jealous," I said with a smile. Somehow, on Nash, green looked good. Probably because he never placed anger or blame on me when he was jealous. Which he often was, of everything. Yesterday, he'd confessed to feeling left out because I'd spent the day smiling at Bran Jr. while his dad attempted to go back to work for a few hours.
It was a heady feeling, being the center of someone's life. I didn't hate it.
Forgetting my phone, I nuzzled into his chest. My stomach stopped me from pushing as close as I would have liked. I'd grown as round as any person impregnated under mysterious circumstances would be. For some reason, I'd thought I wouldn't grow so large since I was a dude and all. But my belly stuck out in an unmistakably pregnant way. For the most part, I was confined to the house, only going into Walkerton with an escort and a large jacket. I'd moved my things from my apartment in town to Nash's. No one even mentioned it. That I would move in was just assumed by each of the Walkers. I'd thought at first it was because of the arsonist, but we'd made no progress on that front in weeks. There simply wasn't any evidence. In that time, I felt only welcomed.
And though we were a group of men living together under what most would call extraordinary circumstances, for the most part, life went on as usual. Nash had his shifts at the firehouse, Wyatt worked the bar, and Aver and Branson seemed to have more clients than ever. Lots of people were getting ready to entertain outside and needed their help constructing outdoor grills and patios. Riley had his projects and the baby to keep him busy at home, and now he had a few hours a week in the office—part of his reintroduction to work.
And I had my books.
All in all, we lived regular lives, if you didn't think about how there was likely an arsonist targeting us, the fact that I was pregnant, and we could all turn into wolves.
Oh, and that I hadn't seen my penis in far too many days.
Nash's hands spread over my belly, lifting my shirt. He rubbed from top to bottom, left to right. He said it was his way of saying good morning to the little guy or girl. This morning, though, his hands dipped lower, to the part of me I wasn't sure still existed.
The moment his hands gripped my dick, I knew. Yes, I had a penis, and oh my lord, it had been too long since I'd touched it.
Nash touched me now, stroking slowly, stoking the fires of my desire.
"Nash, won't you be late?" I gasped, gripping his wrist.
"I don't care," he replied with a low rumble.
"I do! It's my party today!"
We'd reached the day Nana had carved out for my baby shower before I'd even taken the test. Nash had finished her list, most of it just cleaning up clutter. She had a neighbor to tend to her animals whenever she was away.
"I'll be quick," Nash murmured, though I didn't believe him in the slightest. He wrapped all of his fingers around me, stroking with a firm grip while he used his other hand to tickle my backside, teasing as he explored deeper.
"Yes!" All the thoughts of the party or arrival times vanished, paling in comparison to Nash's touches. I flexed, clamping down on his fingers, making him groan.
"Squeeze me tight, omega," he ordered, stroking me to the brink of orgasm before abruptly stopping.
I panted and gasped. "That was rude."
Nash just chuckled, adding a second finger to the first while increasing the rate of his strokes. He kissed me, our tongues meeting and passing like old pals on the street. I could never get enough of Nash. Could never taste enough, never go deep enough. He left me content and satiated but in a way that seemed to reach no limit. There was no ceiling to his skill, and in the months since we'd become official—for lack of a better term—he'd shown me ways of orgasming that I hadn't known existed.
When I came, he held onto me. My shuddering breaths had to have tickled his ear and neck, but he kept me close, murmuring how perfect I was the entire time.
Clarity returned, brushing away the hedonistic haze, and I glanced at the clock. "I think there's enough time," I said, trying to slide to my knees.
Nash urged me back. "This isn't tit for tat, omega. Sometimes I just want to love on you."
How could I have a problem with that?
An hour later, I hopped out of the car with Riley and Bran Jr. Nash walked us into Nana's. She had the front room decorated with brightly colored flowers. I wasn't sure where she'd gotten them at this time of year, though I was pretty sure they hadn't been purchased from a store. Mrs. Boxer was there, the first surprise of my day.
I turned around to try to hide my belly, bumping into Nash in the process. He caught me, his gaze narrowing over my head while he searched for the cause of my panic.
"Don't stand there letting the warm out," Nana said from the kitchen.
"Mrs. Boxer is here," I said, feeling very dumb. Anyone with eyes could see that.
"Hello, Phineas. I haven't seen you since you moved out."
"I still have my lease," I replied absently. Was her eyesight so poor she couldn't see the prominent belly sticking out of me like the figurehead on a pirate ship?
"Then you have no excuse," she pouted.
Well, I could think of a few. I was pregnant now. That excuse came to mind pretty quickly. "I'm… sorry?"
"Apology accepted." Mrs. Boxer turned to Riley next, reaching out her arms. "Now let me hold this little niblet. As good as a sausage, he is." She pretended to eat Bran's arm, much to his delight.
I looked from Mrs. Boxer to Nana. "Are we early?" I didn't know who else I would invite, except maybe Paul.
"No," Nana said without offering more.
Nash hugged me from the back. He clasped his hands together under my belly. He had to hold me too tightly to do the same thing over my belly. "I think what he's asking, Nana, is what the heck is going on here? Is this what baby showers are?"
I wouldn't ever say what I thought so brashly, but what Nash said was basically what was going through my mind.