Page 19 of Building Haven
We picked up a lot of different fabrics at the store, most of them for various purposes for the nest and some for clothes.We’re going to be making our own pillowcases, so they’ll be easy to swap out if Vera and Mathew need different textures, or to clean, a couple of sets of curtains.We’ll be making permanent curtains, to go in front of the brand new full-length glass doors that open to the balcony, and some temporary ones we can use as-needed to change the size of the nest.
The whole idea of being able to choose any fabric and type and size for whatever we wanted in the nest got all of us so excited that we decided to all work together to make everything ourselves, instead of buying them ready-made.So we’ve now got boxes full of fabric and not really an idea where to start.
“I think that’s supposed to go in front of the doors.”Jorge’s sitting next to one of the other boxes with fabrics.“There should be four pieces of it.So we can cover the whole wall on that side and not only the doors.Oh!”He pulls a cloud of something almost see-through and very sparkly from his box.“This is supposed to go up against the ceiling, and the fairy lights can be put behind it to keep them in place.Gives the idea of a night sky.Vera was very much into the idea.”
He carefully puts it next to him on the floor.We’re sitting in what’s going to be the baby room.The contractors finished the new floor late yesterday afternoon, so we cleaned the room thoroughly this morning so it can be used as our temporary sewing room.
The upstairs room I want to use as a sewing and crafting room isn’t finished yet, and this way we’re close to the nest, which is what we’re going to be doing most of the sewing for anyway.The idea of dragging the curtains halfway across the house, from the library —the only other room we can really use right now— to the nest and back, if we need to make adjustments didn’t seem like a good idea.
“There’s supposed to be some thin cotton fabric, that’s also for the doors, to keep out the worst of the sun, not to make it dark.”He rummages around in his box, but doesn’t seem to find it.“Is it in your box?Or maybe it’s in one of the boxes downstairs...”
He leans back on his hands, grinning at me.“By the time we get around to finally putting together the baby room, I have a feeling we’ll be great at making everything ourselves.Our kids will have the most intricate baby blankets, pillows and curtains.And probably more clothes than they can wear in all their lives.”
We feel like we’ve got all the time in the world right now, but I know that’s only temporary.Mathew’s clients are giving him some time, to let his brand new Omega and pack settle, but I know they expect him to be back to ‘usual’ soon enough.He’s already been given more time and space than most people would have been given, but that’s partially because he’s the best at what he does, so they’re willing to be patient, and partially because he went from being on his own to running a pack of five, which everyone can understand is a big adjustment.
I stand up, stretching as I walk over to the windows, looking outside.“I have a feeling that this quiet time we’ve got going on right now isn’t going to last much longer.We’ll soon be so busy that doing any sewing or other projects around the house will have to be done in small moments of time we can fit around our work.”I’ve not taken any jobs since I got here, mostly so I could focus on the pack, but also because I don’t have many connections in this area, so not many people I can get jobs from.
“I’m thinking of asking Mathew if I can become part of his team.What do you think?”I glance back to Jorge, who’s now looking at me much more seriously.
He gets up, joining me at the windows.“Won’t that create a conflict of interest with some of your clients?”
“Maybe with a handful, but they were on the cutting block anyway.And I can take some of my clients with me, which will let Mathew spread out into regions he’s not got many contacts yet.”I pull up my shoulders.“Of course, not any of the clients that I got through Erika.But I’ve got plenty of my own.And not having to deal with all of it on my own, the money, the contacts, things like that, it would make life a lot easier.”
Jorge touches my arm, his fingers warm on my skin.“You’ve always gone solo.Do you think you can give that all up?”His voice is quiet, his pheromones worried.“That will be a pretty big change, you know?You’ll give up a lot of control and you’ll probably have to work in a team, no sneaking around on your own.”
“I know.”That’s why I’ve not brought it up with Mathew yet.Giving up my independence to do my job the way I like it and what I think is the best way, is scary.But I know that Timothy, Derrick and Derrick’s teams are very capable, so giving some things over to them doesn’t seem like such a bad compromise, if it means not having to do some of the ‘admin’ side of the work.And that would mean I’ve got more time to focus on the pack and that feels much more important than my independence right now.
But this could all just as easily fall apart.I’ve not worked with them before —apart from that short time when they came into the restaurant to help— so I don’t know if this is even realistic to think about.
If we don’t work well together, then the whole idea is void anyway...
12
Vera
I gaveup on learning how to knit for the day, my arms started to feel strange and the longer I stared at the stitches, the more confusing they seemed to get.So, instead, I’m sorting through the pillows we have in the old nest and seeing which ones need extra or new covers and which ones are fine to go with the new theme.
When we bought these, we only looked at the shape and how fluffy they were, we didn’t really pay attention if the colours matched, to each other or the rest of the nest.But now we’ve got a colour scheme for the new nest —sky and fields of flowers, giving the idea of warm summers and calm dreams— I want the pillows to match with the rest, to give it a more harmonious experience when you walk inside.
Though, the large pink heart-shaped pillow might be a problem...I really like it and love to hang out in it because it’s so soft and big, but it doesnotmatch the new nest at all.If the sun hits it directly, you’re nearly blinded by how fluorescent pink the thing is and the new nest colours are much more muted.So I’ll have to find a new location for it.
I did look online to see if they had one in blue or green, but they apparently only come in pink, and sewing my own cover to pull over it is too much of a hassle.The thing is shaped like a heart and getting all the curves right is going to be hell.Added to that, the current cover is super soft and fluffy and finding fabric like it is going to be tricky.
Maybe I can leave the pillow in our bedroom, where it’s been ever since we got it.Though, with the new big bed, there’s a lot less space for it, and it’s kind of in the way.
I stand up and go over to the pillow in question, dropping into it, letting it cradle me as much as possible.Groaning, I roll into a ball and rub my face against the fluff.I’ve been using my brain way too much today and I don’t want to think anymore.I’ll get back to that tomorrow, I’ve had enough for one day.
The bedroom door opens and Caleb looks inside, smiling when he spots me in the pillow.“Can I join you?”He closes the door behind him before he kneels next to me.
I shake my head and reach out to him, he pulls me out of the depths of the pillow and keeps me in his arms, surrounding me in his dark forest pheromones.They seem extra appropriate right now as I also notice the scent of sawdust on him.“Let’s cuddle on the bed instead.”It’s much bigger and if I have Caleb to crawl up against, I don’t need a pillow.
He lets out a deep laugh and climbs on the bed, still holding me against him with one arm, before he settles against the headboard and cradles me against his side, my head on his shoulder, his arm around my back.“You look like you’ve had enough of today.”His voice is soft and he kisses my hair.
“Yeah.”I nod slowly, his pheromones, heat of his body and his steady heartbeat making me feel drowsy.“This last week has been so busy, I feel like I’m tired all the time now.”
“We have been really busy, and all the loud noises around the house probably don’t help, plus, you’re pregnant.It’s totally normal to feel tired, you know?”A soothing rumble starts up in his chest as his arm tightens around me more.“You don’t have to keep pushing yourself if you’re tired.Not everything has to happenright this moment.”
“I know.”I let out a long breath as I listen to his heartbeat and his rumble, trying to sort my thoughts.“But I don’t like it when I’m the only one who’s relaxing when everyone else is working so hard.”
