Knight Life In Vegas (Sin City Omegas #3)

Chapter 48

“ W here are we going?” Not a single one of them was making a peep about our destination.

“Why are you so desperate to ruin the surprise, pet?” Beau asked.

“I like knowing things.”

“Tip your chair back,” Dylan ordered.

I complied and he set about distracting me with a neck and shoulder massage that had me melting into my seat.

Beau was driving us, Eduardo and Dylan behind me, and Chico in the back mediating between the boys. He read from a chapter book Sammy had picked out, being incredibly patient as Ollie asked questions every thirty seconds.

I fell asleep under Dylan’s gentle hands, drifting comfortably to the rumble of the road.

Waking again when the van pulled to a stop, I sat up carefully and rubbed my eyes. An enormous ranch house sat in front of us with a wraparound covered porch. The green roof helped it blend into the hillside behind it, and the soft cream of the siding was highlighted in the sun, the windows glinting. Fenced-in fields stretched as far as I could see to one side, horses dotting the expanse.

My dream home.

“Where are we?”

Beau linked his fingers with mine. “That depends.”

“On what?”

“If you like it, it could be our new pack house.”

I sat frozen in the front seat, staring at the beautiful house that was even prettier than anything I had imagined moving to one day. “Are you serious?”

“Very.” Beau lifted our joint hands and kissed my knuckles. “My new business partner showed it to me and I thought it would be perfect for you.”

A dark-haired man stepped out of the house and waved to us.

“That’s him now,” said Beau. “He typically handles more commercial real estate, but he’s helping us out on this one.”

Eduardo was already out of the vehicle and rounding it to open my door, offering me a hand. I stepped out unsteadily, clinging to his arm. We had only just moved in next door, but it only made sense that we would find a place that could fit all of us sooner rather than later.

“Are you doing all right, querida?”

“A bit in shock. I never even thought about us moving outside the city. I slept most of the drive. How far out are we?”

“It’s only about a half-hour commute to the arena. This is actually quite close to the property we send our retired horses. We could move them all here if we wanted to, let them live out the rest of their lives with us.”

Tears snuck up on me. I’d had to part ways with Misty Mornings well before she retired, and I loved the idea of beloved horses getting to stay with us long after they retired from the arena. My own beautiful horse was too old to still be around, but if she were, I’d have bought this place on the spot just to bring her home.

Eduardo gathered me close and I let my tears slip down my cheeks. I still hadn’t been feeling particularly rested and the exhaustion was making me more emotionally fragile than usual.

Chico and Dylan took the boys over to the paddock to say hello to one of the nearest horses, helping them stand on the fences. Beau set a comforting hand on the back of my neck, stroking his thumb softly up the column of my throat.

“Would you like a few minutes before we go inside?” the realtor asked.

“A couple,” replied Beau. “Alve, this is my mate, Charlotte, and my packmate Eduardo. The two by the paddock are Francisco and Dylan, and the boys are Samson and Oliver.”

I pried myself away from Eduardo long enough to shake Alve’s hand. His smile was warm and sweet, putting me at ease.

“It’s lovely to finally meet you.”

I put a concerted effort into collecting myself. “It’s nice to meet you, too. Can you tell me about the property?”

Alve beamed. “It comes with forty acres. The house itself is ten bedrooms and is about fifty years old, but it’s been beautifully maintained.” Alve chatted away, telling us about the theatre system, additional offices, state-of-the-art kitchen, pool, guest house just out of sight from where we were, and everything that was already on-site for the horses. It was even in a better school district for the boys. Perfect didn’t begin to cover it.

Dylan and Chico brought the boys with them as we stepped inside. The air indoors was cool and crisp, opening into an entryway with coat hooks and storage that slipped right into an expansive pantry, a beautiful kitchen with quartz counters, and windows everywhere to show off the beautiful scenery. Red hills were dotted with green as far as the eye could see. As we walked through, I tried to imagine our family here. The spaces were huge, with more than enough room for my boys to run wild, and clear lines of movement so no one would have to zigzag to get around.

Upstairs, the omega suite almost made me cry all over again. The en suite and the kitchenette matched the rest of the house, the whole room feeling open and airy with the option to pull curtains suspended from the ceiling to enclose certain areas.

“Mommy, can I have this room?” Sammy called from down the hall. I followed after his voice, stepping into a room that overlooked the nearest paddock.

“Sure, baby.”

“But I wanna look at the horsies too.” Ollie pouted.

“I bet you we can see the horses from the windows next door,” said Dylan, scooping up our son and marching in. “See, they’re right there. You can watch them all you want.”

Beau stepped up against my back. “Do you like it?”

I sniffled. “I love it.”

“Should I put in an offer?”

I spun, looping my arms around his neck and rising on my toes to meet his kiss. “Yes. This whole place is beautiful.”

Beau closed his eyes, letting his forehead rest against mine, both of his hands on my hips. “I want you to have the best home. I want you to love it.”

“I do love it. And I love you too,” I said quietly. “We started off so differently and I can’t quite believe we’re here now.”

He pulled in a shuddering breath and stroked my cheek before clutching me tightly against him. “I know I still have a long way to go, and I’m working on it, but you have brought an infinite amount of light into my life and I will spend the rest of mine ensuring you feel appreciated.”

“Beau—”

He cut me off with a kiss. “You are everything I needed and everything I was afraid to ask for. I love you so much, and I may always be afraid because I am painfully aware of the cost of love, but I swear I’ll never stop trying.”

I could hardly breathe as he spoke, all the love from his words rushing down the bond to wrap me up in the truth of them. I cuddled into his arms.

We slipped back downstairs after a few minutes, a wave of dizziness hitting me and making me stumble into Chico. He scooped me up immediately. “Duchess, what’s wrong?”

“Just dizzy.” It wasn’t hot enough to do that, not with the air conditioning inside, so I wasn’t sure what had triggered it.

The others gathered around me.

“Why don’t we swing by a clinic on the way home?” Dylan suggested. “Better safe than sorry.”

“You guys, I’m fine,” I insisted.

“Let us fuss.” Dylan tapped my nose. “You’ve been having a difficult time recovering from the heat. I’d rather make sure it’s not something dangerous.”

I sighed, letting my head rest on Chico’s shoulder. “Fine.”

While they got me and the boys settled in the vehicle, Beau spoke to Alve, presumably to put in an offer for this beautiful place to become ours. I could already imagine mornings of rainbow sunrises, and coffee while standing at the paddock watching the horses.

Beau took the boys to a cafe next door to the clinic so they wouldn’t be running around. None of my alphas were good at disguising their anxiety as they hovered around me.

“Charlotte?” the nurse called.

I rose to my feet and followed her into the back, leaving my alphas in the waiting area. She took my blood pressure before directing me into one of the clinic rooms, the doctor arriving a moment later.

“Hi, Charlotte, I’m Dr. Harvey. What brings you in today?”

“I got a bit dizzy and my alphas are worrywarts.”

Dr. Harvey chuckled. “That’s quite common. Why don’t you tell me what’s been going on?”

“A lot,” I said with a laugh. I gave her a brief rundown of the surprise scent matches, the heat flushes, the incredibly unexpected heat, and my struggle to recover quickly from it.

“And how old are you?”

“Forty-three.”

The doctor hummed. “Would you humor me with a quick test?”

“Um, sure. What kind of test?”

She pulled out a clear container from one of the cabinets. “The bathroom is just down the hall. If you could follow the instructions on the back of the door and hand this to one of our technicians, we’ll investigate.”

I eyed the container suspiciously. “What exactly are we testing for?”

“You went through an unexpected heat. I think we should test for pregnancy.”

I stared at her for a long moment before I started laughing. “There’s no way. I struggled for years to have my children. I’m literally the only omega I know who’s had fertility issues.”

“Let’s just rule it out,” Dr. Harvey insisted.

With a huff, I took the container and marched away, meticulously following the instructions and passing it through the little window into the attached lab before returning to the room.

She went through my vitals while we waited and collected more of my medical history. A knock at the door sent my heart rate through the roof.

Dr. Harvey answered it, accepting a slip of paper from whoever it was. “Charlotte, your indicators are extremely high.”

“There has to be a mistake.” It would be completely ridiculous if I were pregnant. I had tried so hard for years to finally be blessed with Sammy and Ollie. It didn’t even seem possible that I could have another child. I’d already given up on it. I couldn’t stop the tears that snuck up on me, my alphas’ anxiety ratcheting up in the bond as I slipped into panic.

“Charlotte, I promise the clinic will support you. You’re right that it’s a possibility the urine test is inaccurate. Would you be comfortable with us running a blood test to confirm?”

“Please.”

She took me over to a different section of the clinic, where a lovely nurse took a sample quickly and painlessly.

“I’m going to slip in with my next appointment. We should have your results by the time I’m finished and I’ll come collect you. You’re free to wait here or return to your alphas.”

I was entirely too nervous to face them. I needed a definitive answer before doing so. “I’ll wait here.”

I spent the time Dr. Harvey was away trying to keep myself calm so the others didn’t freak out.

Beau messaged me.

Beau:

Is everything all right?

Charlotte:

I’m not sick.

Beau:

Feeling anxious?

Charlotte:

I always do at the doctors.

I’ll text you when we’re done.

I shoved my phone into my purse and counted my breaths.

Dr. Harvey returned sometime later and directed me back into one of the clinic rooms, sitting down across from me. “The blood test came back positive.”

I stared off into the middle distance, not quite processing what she said. A baby at forty-three. What on earth? “How?”

“Omegas are fertile for as long as they have heats,” Dr. Harvey explained. “I promise you it’s not uncommon for older omegas to experience a boost in fertility prior to their final heat. Based on everything you’ve told me, it sounds like your cycle was preparing for this from the moment you encountered your first scent match. Your previous heats with your former partner were highly regulated and it can be difficult for some bodies to adapt in time to actually conceive. You’ve been off suppressants for several years so their full effect on your body has disappeared. Couple that with a natural heat cycle and multiple scent matches, and it’s not surprising that you conceived in this last heat. Now, if you would prefer not to be pregnant, we can?—”

“I want it.” I rubbed my hands over my face. “I do. It’s just a surprise. I’ve always wanted more kids, but I’d kind of resigned myself to it never happening.”

Dr. Harvey took my hand. “I understand it can be a shock. Do you anticipate any pushback from your pack?”

“I don’t think so. They’ve all stepped up to parent my boys. We’ll have time to adjust to a baby.”

“If you’d like, we can do some early imaging to make sure everything is settling in as it should be. We can bring your pack back for that, or we can do it more privately.”

I let out a nervous laugh. “No time like the present to tell them. Just give me a minute to let the one watching the boys make it back over here.”

“Of course. Our receptionist adores kids. She’ll be able to watch yours for the time it takes to do the scan. I’ll send one of the nurses to collect your pack if you give me their names.”

I did so and Dr. Harvey led me back to the imaging room after I had messaged Beau to join us.

Waiting on the bed had my heart racing and I burst into tears when my pack slipped into the room.

Dylan dropped to his knees next to me. “Princess, what’s going on? The nurse wouldn’t tell us anything.”

“I’m pregnant.”

Silence descended wholly for a moment, both in the room and in the bond before everything erupted with raucous glee that enveloped every molecule of my being.

Dylan kissed me soundly before breaking away with a laugh. “Are you really? We get to be dads all over again?”

I swallowed hard, struggling against the tide of their excitement, trying to get a handle on my own emotions. “Sure looks that way.”

The pack crowded around me, each of them with a hand somewhere touching me, while Dr. Harvey spread the warm jelly on my stomach. I waited with bated breath while she swept the device across my skin.

Her brow furrowed before she turned the screen. “Here’s baby number one.”

I choked. “Number one ? As in there’s more than one?”

Dr. Harvey nodded, adjusting the device to reveal a second pocket. “Number two.” She adjusted again. “And number three.”

“ Three? !” I squawked.

“Holy shit,” Dylan whispered.

“Any extras hiding in there?” I asked breathlessly.

Dr. Harvey did a few more sweeps before shaking her head. “Just three.”

Oh, just three.

My nerves disintegrated in the wake of the pack’s excitement. I couldn’t quite parse all of the words they were saying, my brain laser-focusing on the fact that I was going to be a mother again to three whole babies.

I sobbed my heart out, utterly overwhelmed that I had wanted them for so long and given up hope. My pack pressed against me from all sides, whispering sweet words, petting my hair and cuddling me as best they could with the limited space.

“We’ll book follow-up appointments, unless you have a regular clinic you would prefer,” said Dr. Harvey. “I’ll leave you be for now, but if you have any questions, please let me know.”

When she was gone I hiccuped out, “We have to tell the boys, and Ava, and our families.” I babbled out a laundry list of tasks that would have to be completed before the babies arrived, and Chico softly hushed me.

“Duchess, we’ll take care of everything. Whatever you need, we’ll get it. Whatever has to be done, we’ll do it.”

Eduardo kissed the back of my hand. “Querida, we’ll be here every step of the way. My family is more than acquainted with having babies, and the moment they know, you won’t have to worry about anything.”

I didn’t have to ask if they were happy about this. The bond made that crystal clear.

Beau let out a soft laugh.

“What?” I asked.

“I was just thinking it’s a damn good thing the house we’re buying has ten bedrooms, because we’re going to need them.”