Page 48 of Ready or Not
Huh.
Okay, so she’s definitely still pissed.
Chapter Fifteen
Vale
My life used to be kind of exciting. A single woman in my early twenties, just living life. The club was questionable, at times, but it wasn’t a terrible environment.
It was even fun, on occasion.
The sum of my life now is leaking boobs and a weird affinity for Cooper’s scent. Oh, and Mercy is panicking because his family has officially made it into town. The last part is strangely cute. He’s a full-grown man who seems a little terrified of his mother.
I have no idea why the thought makes me giggle, but it does.
Sunday afternoon and night pass uneventfully. The guys crawl out of bed early Monday morning, much to my dismay.
They’re warm and comfy. It makes me sound spoiled and awful, but I wish they didn’t have to work. I’d much rather keep them close, so I know they’re safe.
I’ve been able to feel their tension since the impromptu meeting with their coworkers yesterday. I don’t press for information that I truly don’t want. Instead, I snuggle back against my pillows and do my best to sleep until they get back.
It doesn’t work, but I do take a shower and eat breakfast with Marina.
The woman answered my frantic questions yesterday about leaking breasts and listened to me complain about being drawn to her son’s scent. She might be a saint, considering she brought me breast pads this morning.
I don’t know if that’s really the name, but they’re made for breastfeeding moms and go right in my bra.
We both do our best to keep the conversation away from Cooper’s disappearing act. Hearing about how her other son’s omega has been trying to get pregnant for the last six or seven heats makes me feel extremely guilty.
Dr. Garza and his pack are waiting until the end of the year to see a fertility specialist, but the fact I got pregnant outside of a heat when I wasn’t even trying seems like a cruel joke from the universe.
Then again, this entire situation is a mess.
Marina stays with me until the guys get back, then she leaves to take food down to the command center. And yes, that’s what they call it. I thought Mercy might have been joking about that, but apparently not.
Mercy comes in first, seeming quite frazzled. “My family has arrived, and my mother is already complaining about the accommodations. I could use a snuggle.” He guides me over to the couch and brings me to rest in his lap with my knees on either side of his.
“I missed you this morning,” I whisper, staring up into his dark eyes.
“Me too, love.” He nuzzles his nose to mine. He hasn’t repeated his half-delirious admission of love, and I haven’t said it either.
I do care deeply about him, though even I can admit it’s really quick. My entire life, I’ve heard that’s how it goes with alphas and omegas, but experiencing it myself is an entirely new world.
“I’m fucking starving,” Cooper calls out from the kitchen. “Tell me my mom left breakfast somewhere.”
I run my fingers over Mercy’s wrinkled brow. “There are plates in the oven for the four of you.”
“Fuck, yes,” Cooper says, sounding quite pleased.
Bishop and Holt come into the living room. My head swivels to look at them and back at Mercy. A weird rock seems to form in my stomach, and Braxton Hicks contractions aren’t to blame, for once. Both my bonded alphas are doing their best to block the bond, and that’s all I need to know.
“No!” I say as my head shakes. “No way.”
“You already know?” Mercy asks, frowning even deeper. “Just from the bond?”
“I can understand that they don’t like something, and that tells me I won’t like it either.” I turn to look at Bishop. “You said you wouldn’t leave again until the baby was born.”
“I did.” Bishop takes the seat next to us on the couch. “We got some unfortunate news yesterday.”