11. Walt
11
WALT
The morning sun sliced through the curtains, casting a warm glow across the room. I stretched and felt for my omega. The sight of Trey in my bed, curled up under the sheets with his chest rising and falling always made waking up a joy. His presence in my life was not what I had expected, but it was certainly what I needed. And now that I had him, I was never letting him go.
Over the past few weeks since he moved in, I'd noticed some subtle changes in him. The morning light seemed to linger a bit longer on his pillow before he woke up. His scent had also changed. It was sweeter and…clean. Almost like a rainy day. It clung to the air, and I was sure I knew what it meant, but I wasn’t sure if Trey was ready to acknowledge what he probably already knew too. All the signs of pregnancy were there, but we hadn't spoken the words aloud, afraid of jinxing it.
"Morning." Trey finally blinked awake and reached for me.
"Morning, love." I squeezed his fingers gently. "Did you sleep well?"
"Like a rock." His smile was sleepy but genuine. "What's on the agenda today?"
"Luca and I are heading out to go fishing. Thought we could enjoy a fresh dinner tonight, straight from the lake."
"Sounds great." Trey let go of my hand and stretched, his shirt riding up to reveal the smooth skin of his still-flat belly. “Have fun and bring me a big one.”
I laughed when he waggled his eyebrows at the innuendo. “I sure will.”
Luca and I had a productive day on the water, but when I returned later, the pride of catching a massive trout was overshadowed by the concern for how Trey would react. Or more accurately, how his stomach would react.
"Look what we've got for dinner." I held up the fish in all its glory.
Trey's face started out happy but quickly went pale. Before I could reach out to steady him, he bolted for the bathroom. The sound of retching soon followed, and my heart clenched.
I set the trout down and hurried after him, knocking lightly on the door. "Babe, you okay in there?"
"Give me a sec." The toilet flushed and the sink turned on while he got himself cleaned up.
I leaned against the wall and waited as my heart beat fast. This was it—the undeniable sign we couldn't ignore any longer. Before he came out, I grabbed the pregnancy test I'd bought earlier in the week, I held it behind my back as the door creaked open.
"Sorry about that." Trey looked so tired as he stepped out. Maybe I’m coming down with something.
"Yeah, I think you are.” I shoved the test at him and our eyes locked. "It's time we found out one way or the other."
His hands trembled slightly as he took it from me, but his gaze never wavered. "Yeah, you’re right."
The minutes required to wait for the result felt like they stretched out for hours. But when the indicator showed a positive sign, Trey's gasp filled the room. “Oh my god. It’s really real.”
We looked at each other with shiny eyes as a mix of joy and disbelief passed between us.
"We're gonna be dads," I whispered, my voice thick with emotion.
"Can you believe it?" He laughed and stared at the test stick. "Us as parents."
"Names!" I blurted out as reality hit me in the face. "We need to think of names."
“Oh, um, okay.” Trey leaned against me with his head on my shoulder. "None of my main characters, but something strong. Unique but not too unique."
I frowned. “We might need the internet for that.” For some reason, not a single name came to mind. “Oh, and a nursery. We’ll need to redecorate." I was suddenly obsessed with the idea of converting a guest room into a haven for our child. “Do you have any themes in mind?”
"Adventure, maybe? With maps and explorers?" Trey's voice was playful as his imagination kicked into gear. “I haven’t actually had more than two seconds to consider it.”
"Oh, what about literature? We can just fill it up with books and characters from stories." I grinned, thinking of how his novels would line the shelves as inspiration for our little one.
Trey laughed as he kissed my cheek. "Why choose? Our baby will have the world at their fingertips."
"The whole damn world!" I repeated his sentiment as I wrapped my arms around Trey. "And more love than they’ll know what to do with."
"So much more." Trey sighed as he pressed my palms to his flat belly. “I can’t believe our future is happening right now.”
“It’s only just beginning, love.”