Appetite for an Alpha (Omega Quadrant #4)

Chapter 20

20

Two months later…

B rett toured the finished apartment with Pierce at his side. He’d found a few very minor issues that needed to be corrected, but otherwise their home was finally ready. They had less than a month to furnish it and move in before the baby came. Fortunately, Brett was in nesting mode. He’d already ordered plenty of furniture, household items, and baby essentials. Some of it was stored in the guest bedroom next door. The rest he just needed to give delivery the green light.

“Are you happy?” Pierce asked Brett when they’d made a full lap.

“Once these few small things are taken care of, yes,” Brett said before handing the list to the contractor.

“We can knock all of this out in less than an hour and be out of your hair.” Their contractor smiled. “I was serious about the job offer. If you ever want to leave the restaurant, there will always be a position as project manager open for you. I don’t think any of my jobs have ever gone this smoothly.”

Brett squeezed his mate’s arm. “I can’t leave my alpha to suffer without me.”

“I knew that would be my answer, but the offer stands,” the beta said before turning to call his guys over to wrap up the few fixes.

“I suppose we should call the furniture store and have them set up delivery as soon as possible,” Pierce said.

“I’ll handle the furniture and decorating,” Brett murmured. “You’ve got to get down to sign the papers for the old theater and call the architect in.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to go with me?” Pierce asked.

Brett rubbed a hand over nine months of baby. He felt like an inflated balloon. “I was barely able to walk here from next door. I swear, if you put a massive baby with a big head in me, I’ll never forgive you.”

“I take all the blame for that baby inside you?” Pierce asked, grinning.

“Yep. I have to carry him around so you can carry the blame.”

Pierce chuckled, shaking his head. He lowered his head and snuck a kiss.

“I’m not leaving you here alone,” Pierce said. “Maybe Senior will come over. I can run down and sign, then run back up.”

“I have another month until I give birth. I’ll be fine if you go,” Brett said. He pouted. “Another month… how am I going to survive another month of this?”

“Maybe Avery can come over and hang out with you while I go,” Pierce said absentmindedly.

“The baby’s not coming for another month, Pierce. I can manage you gone for an hour.” Pierce hadn’t left his side for more than a few minutes for two weeks. Brett was starting to get tired of his alpha hovering over him.

Pierce reached for his phone and dialed. “Hey, Avery. Can I ask a favor?”

Brett sighed before shuffling back to the apartment. He had lists of things they needed to do in order to get the apartment ready, and there was little time for him to argue with his single-minded alpha. As soon as he lowered himself in the old chair, he tackled the first item. Calling the furniture store to set up delivery.

Pierce appeared. “Avery’s coming over.”

“Lovely,” Brett murmured, rolling his eyes. “A babysitter.”

Pierce knelt at his feet. “I forewarned you I would be an alphahole. You accepted it. You can’t back out now.”

“I wouldn’t call what I said acceptance,” Brett said just before the store answered. “Yes, this is Brett Boyd. I’d like to finally set up our delivery.” He paused a moment, listening to the available dates. “Can’t we get anything sooner? I’m getting closer and closer to my due date, and I really want to get us settled in the next two weeks.” He smiled when a new offer came. Brett grinned at Pierce. “Tomorrow afternoon? Perfect.”

He hung up and did a little chair jig. “Tomorrow we get furniture and can live in our apartment.”

“After I get back, I’ll start moving the stuff in the guest bedroom over,” Pierce said.

“Avery and I can handle that while you’re gone.”

“Um, no you can’t,” Pierce said. He pulled out his phone and made a call on speaker.

“Hello?” Avery asked. “I swear I’m on the way, Pierce.”

“I just wanted to inform you that my omega isn’t allowed to lift anything and carry it next door,” Pierce said, glaring at Brett.

“If it’s not heavy, I can. There’s a few bags full of baby clothes and blankets that are perfectly fine to lift.”

“Those massive bags in there? No,” Pierce said. “Absolutely not.” He sighed. “Maybe I should postpone the signing and stay here to move everything.”

“No,” both Avery and Brett said in unison.

“Go sign the papers,” Brett said, poking Pierce’s shoulder.

“I’ll go. As long as you promise no lifting. I’ll carry everything when I get back. Everything. Do you hear me?”

Brett sighed. “I hear you.”

“Do you hear me, Avery?”

“Loud and clear,” Avery said on the other end. “We’ll be there in about fifteen.”

“Thanks,” Pierce said before ending the call. “Please, Brett. Promise me you won’t lift anything.”

“I promise. No lifting.”

Pierce sighed. “Okay. I’m going to trust you and head on down since Avery’s close. Call me if anything happens. Anything.”

“I never thought I’d ever say this to you, Pierce Lambeau, but get out of my ass already. Go.”

Pierce fought a smile. “Fine.” He kissed Brett and wandered down the stairs.

As soon as he was gone, Brett jumped up and headed for the guest bedroom. He’d loaded a bunch of the baby’s stuff in the crib Pierce had already assembled and the thing was on wheels. Pushing wasn’t lifting. He’d not promised to not push. After adding a few more items to the loaded crib, he unlocked the wheels and pushed it out of the bedroom and through the apartment. When he got to the door, it was a narrow fit.

But then it got stuck on the doorjamb and he tried to ever so lightly lift it to no avail. The thing was too heavily loaded. “Damn it.” He eyed the new apartment door and wondered if any of the workmen were still there. “Helllllooooo?”

No one answered him.

Where the crib was stuck, he couldn’t move past to pull it, either. He waddled down the stairs, keys in hand, and went in through the apartment’s front door on the street that all the old tenants had used when the building had been full. He got to the other side of it and attempted to pull it over the jamb. And failed again.

He entered their new apartment and called out again. “Helllllooooooo?”

It echoed around him.

“Damn it!”

He wanted to sit down after all the stairs, but there was no furniture yet. He couldn’t get back into their apartment without going down and back up again, but he was too tired to do that again so soon. He whined, stuck once more. He lay across the top of the overloaded crib and waited for backup.

When Avery strolled upstairs with Emory in his arms, he shook his head. He was inside the apartment and eyed the crib through the door and Brett on the other side. “What have you gotten yourself into?”

“I’m stuck,” Brett said, pouting.

“You promised Pierce you wouldn’t move anything,” Avery admonished.

“No, I promised him I wouldn’t lift anything. The crib has wheels. I rolled it,” Brett said.

Avery shook his head.

“I want to get the nursery ready. I have almost everything I need right here to do that.” Brett fake sobbed. “I have to nest! Help me!”

“I remember those days,” Avery said with a sigh. “Gimme a minute to set up Emory’s play area and I’ll help you get it over the hump.”

“I love you,” Brett murmured.

Twenty minutes later, they rolled the crib into what would be the baby’s nursery, right off their bedroom.

“Fancy,” Avery said. “I love this little nook. So close to you, but separate, too.”

“Then he can move to a farther bedroom once the next baby comes,” Brett said. “Once we’re done, maybe it’s a big closet or a little office or who knows?”

“We’re already talking about more babies?” Avery asked, lifting a brow.

“Not so much talking… but I didn’t ensure this place had five bedrooms for no good reason. One for us and four for babies.”

“You want four?” Avery asked. “Go spend an evening at Uncle Gray’s house with four little terrors and you’ll change your mind.”

“Already did and I didn’t change my mind,” Brett murmured. “If anything, it made me secure in my decision.”

Avery shook his head. “You’re nuts.”

“Maybe, but I was given a chance I never thought I could have with the alpha I love. I’m grabbing ahold and making the most of it.” Brett smiled. “I always wanted a big family. A big, loving family. Not like mine.”

Avery offered a wistful smile. “You’ve gotten everything else you wanted, so why not this?”

Brett began moving the bags out of the crib and sorting through them. “I know you only wanted one and to have a small family, but I like big and loud and full of love.”

“Well, a small family ours might not be,” Avery said, staring at Brett.

Brett eyed Avery a few seconds. “Are you pregnant again?”

Avery nodded, his lips twerking into a smile. “I am.”

Brett sent up a hoot and hugged his best friend. “Both of your sons will be less than a year older and younger than mine. They’re going to be best friends, without a doubt.”

“More like cousins,” Avery said.

Brett smiled. “Yep.” He eyed Avery. “How is this going to impact your return to work?”

“It’s not,” Avery said. “I don’t think I told you, but Wilder set up two offices for me. He converted one into a cozy little lounge that doesn’t look at all like an office so Emory can come to work with me. It has a little kitchenette, a big comfy couch, a crib, and it’s already filled with enough toys that’ll take Emory years to grow into. The manny stays there with him while I work. I can go over whenever to nurse or love on him. Wilder has lunch with us every day that we’re there. And when the new baby comes, we’ll just have two boys in there. Emory’ll have a playmate.”

“Aww, that’s sweet,” Brett said. “You know, I didn’t like Wilder at first, but he’s grown on me.”

“He didn’t like you either, but that was because he thought you were competition,” Avery said. “He’s over that now.”

“Why? I could still be his competition. You love me, too.”

“I do love you,” Avery said, chuckling. “But Wilder’s the only one I’m in love with, I’m afraid. Plus, I prefer my lovers not to be pregnant with another man’s baby. Sorry.”

“You don’t know what you’re missing out on,” Brett said, waving to his huge body. “Look at all this surface area to love. I have loads of it.”

Avery barked with laughter. “You definitely have loads of it.”

“Hey! Are you calling me fat?”

“Um, I recall being called very round and told I was going to be shoved into my outfit before my mating ceremony,” Avery said, glaring. “I was smaller than you are now and a month farther along. You’ve got another month to grow, big boy.”

“You’re mean,” Brett said.

“Are you telling me you can dish it out, but can’t take it?”

“I am,” Brett whispered. “Pity me. I’m huge and tired and I pee nonstop. I might even be peeing right now. Who knows? I sure don’t.”

Avery eyed him from head to toe. “I don’t see any puddles on the floor, so I think you’re good to go.”

“I’ve already broken into the baby’s diapers and padded my underwear with them, just in case.”

Avery’s eyes widened. “You didn’t.”

“No, I didn’t, but I love the look on your face when you thought I did.”

Avery narrowed his eyes. “Are you lying to me?”

“No, but I did think about it one day when I was too tired to get up and go pee myself,” Brett admitted. “I forced my way up, but I looked at that pack of diapers with longing.”

Avery laughed. “You’re twisted.”

“I am. So twisted,” Brett said, pulling a few more items out of the crib. When he reached the framed photos he’d prepared, he fished out the hammer and nails, too. “Do you mind helping me with a little project?”

“As long as your alpha doesn’t tear me a new one for letting you lift that hammer.”

Brett growled. “I’m just putting some family photos on the wall.”

An odd look crossed Avery’s face.

“Stop,” Brett said. “Not my biological family. The one I found. And Pierce’s.” He’d already calculated the placement on the wall and only needed to measure. “Grab the measuring tape and let’s get hammering.”

By the time Pierce made his appearance, the last nail was going in and the last photo hung. Pierce marched closer and put his hand out.

Brett smacked it and then offered his own.

“Give me the hammer,” Pierce said, one brow rising.

Brett sighed. “Fine. I’m done anyway.”

Pierce turned to eye his little project. He searched over the photos and froze on one in particular. “Brett?”

Avery smiled. “I think it might be time for Emory and me to head home. It was nice seeing you, Pierce.”

“Nice seeing you, too,” Pierce mumbled, his gaze still fixed on the wall.

Amid the photos were ones of Pierce’s parents, grandparents, his brother, and of course, Simon. Pierce turned to Brett, a shine in his eyes. “What did you do?”

“This is our baby’s family.”

Pierce stared at him, silent.

“You said that Simon was pregnant in that one,” Brett murmured. “That’s our baby’s big brother and his other papa. They belong in here. They’re family, too.”

Pierce continued to stare without saying a word.

“You don’t like it,” Brett said, his voice low. “Is it too much?”

“No,” Pierce whispered. “It’s perfect.” He gently pulled Brett into his arms and cuddled close. “You’re perfect, too, my omega.”

“Perfect, I am not. Tired? Yes. I think it’s time for a nap before we finish sorting some of this stuff in here.”

Pierce frowned. “You look a bit pale.”

“Nothing a nap won’t cure.”

Pierce kissed him before leading him back to the old apartment and into bed. Once Brett was inside, Pierce climbed in beside him and held him until he drifted off. When he awoke sometime later, he was in pain. He sat up and slid his legs to the side of the bed.

On the inside of his pants, all he saw was red.

“Pierce!”