Page 19 of When She Needs Them Most
“Whoa, that’s crazy.” Kase chuckles, staring at my stomach as it moves. Sky noses around as her paws scratch the back of the cushion. She sniffs the belly, and her brown eyes look a little confused as Luna pushes back. “Can I?” He nods to my stomach.
I haven’t been asked that by a man. Pushy old women in the grocery store? Oh, they ask all the time, even when she’s not moving.
“Yeah.” I smile back, grabbing his hand and pulling it to where she’s wiggling. Of course, she immediately stops, just to be difficult. “Give it a second.”
“I’ve got all the patience in the world.”
I’m smacked with his nutty, blueberry scent as he leans closer. Maybe I’m saturated in it from napping all over him because it seems to be everywhere.
Kase runs his fingers over my stomach, and I glance away. My instincts want to climb on top of him, so he can’t get away while I bury my face in his throat.
My God, my impulses are out of control. The urge to whine and beg until he marks me with his scent has me biting my lip to hold back the sounds.
Luna wiggles, rolling a knee or an elbow against his hand.
“Holy shit, that’s so cool. You’ve got an actual tiny person in there.” Kase laughs, rubbing his hand over the movement. “I bet you’re excited as hell to meet her.”
“Definitely,” I agree, exhaling heavily. “Nervous but excited.”
“You’ve got this. I’m sure all first-time parents worry.”
“Yeah,” I agree, still struggling against my instincts. Pregnancy is weird. My emotions and hormones are all out of whack. “The idea of doing it alone didn’t seem as scary as actually doing it.”
“Can I ask about?—”
“Luna’s dad and I weren’t together when I found out, but I did tell him,” I blurt out before I can stop myself. I have no idea why I always feel like I have to defend myself.
It’s not really anyone’s business, but I get it.
People wonder.
They’ve got questions.
It’s only natural, considering how rare it is for an omega to be pregnant and unbonded.
“Clark died a few months ago, but we weren’t…” My head shakes as my eyes fall shut. “He had bigger things going on than this. It’s okay. He did everything he could for me and Luna. He left me the money that I used to rent the house.”
“I’m sorry,” he says, still caressing my stomach.
It’s been so long since I’ve been touched, and that, combined with talking about everything, has me all out of whack. “No, it’s okay. I get why people wonder.” Ready to move on from this topic, I shift restlessly. “I need the restroom.”
“Let me help.” Kase moves his arm from the back of the couch to between me and it. “Down, Sky.” The giant dog huffs her displeasure, but she still jumps down. Kase slides to the next cushion and helps me scoot to the edge. He uses his forearm around my lower back to help pull me up, and then we’re both standing. He awkwardly pats my stomach with the hand still on my belly.
“Thank you,” I whisper, bolting for the bathroom before I burst into tears over something ridiculous—like a man helping me stand up. I can’t remember the last time I climbed off the couch without it being an ordeal. I’ve clearly got to get the hell out of here. I’m a hot mess, and subjecting them to my mood swings seems cruel, when they’ve gone out of their way to be so kind.
Chapter Eight
Kase
Chelsea seems upset after her nap. I don’t like it. I’m frustrated that I can’t determine what upset her. Snuggling on the couch may have been the wrong call. She seemed okay when she first woke up, but I’ll admit, I’m not nearly as adept at tracking social cues as I am at processing facts and statistics. My brain loves to find patterns and work out puzzles.
We eat together at the table, but the warmed-up grilled cheese and soup doesn’t seem to hit the spot, since she leaves the majority untouched.
“Do you know if they’re back yet?” the little omega asks, shoving her hair behind her ear.
“They haven’t texted.” I grab my phone, just to double-check that it’s still true. “Nope, but we could go over and tackle some small stuff, if you’d like?”
Something in me says she’s going to try to sleep over there tonight, even though the repairman isn’t coming until tomorrow. Texting Arden and Linc, I ask them to make sure they snag a heater or something. And not one of the scary ones that burn down houses if they get knocked over.
