Surprise Mother Pucker (Pucking Pregnant #3)

1. Kennedy

Chapter 1

Kennedy

T he ice rink was one of my favorite places. Even though I very rarely stepped onto the ice, because I was the human equivalent of Bambi, there was a peace to it. I enjoyed the cold air filling my lungs, and more importantly, I enjoyed the kids.

I adored them.

For several months now, I had been working at the ice rink, helping my best friend, who taught young children how to ice skate. They were undeniably adorable, tottering around on their little skates. Beth had been trying to teach me as well for the last few weeks, but my skills consisted of barely being able to propel myself forward in a straight line.

I was probably a lost cause. Beth, my best friend, had declared it so many times.

Technically, my job was rink assistant. I helped people pick out ice skates for public skating sessions, or I assisted any of the teachers who were doing lessons. My university had its own rink that most students used, but I liked the public one. The people there were friendlier, and there were a lot fewer grabby young alphas.

“Do you want me to grab the butt pads?” I asked Beth as I picked up a few empty cans of soda from the side of the rink.

Beth nodded. She looked stunning and put together as always, wearing sleek black leggings and a long-sleeve thermal with a gray body warmer, her blonde hair up in a sleek ponytail. Every movement she made on the ice looked so graceful. I was bitterly jealous.

“That's probably a good idea. I've got the under-fives in today,” she said, checking her watch.

She had been teaching at the ice rink for several years and took great joy in it. Beth was an omega, like me, and had that typical nurturing nature. Omegas were far more maternal than any of the other designations. We were literally built to have babies, so it was rare to find an omega who didn’t like kids.

Beth was an example of a perfect omega: stunning, shockingly fit, and sweet as sugar but with a backbone. My mother always said that omegas needed a little bit of backbone to handle the alphas life threw at us.

My mother never found her alphas. She had my beta father who she cared about a lot more than me.

“Is that cute single dad coming again?” I asked, wiggling my eyebrows suggestively.

Beth's entire face turned pink as she stuttered to find her words. “I-uh-I don’t know,” she said, looking away from me.

There had been a particularly adorable toddler coming to the classes with a dad and no mom. He wore no wedding band or mating marks, so he was potentially available.

Plus, he and Beth had been flirting. It was nothing obvious, just a small hand touch here or there, a smile. Those little gestures that made me think they were interested in each other.

If Beth was trying to deny it, she wasn't helping her case by blushing like a schoolgirl every time he was mentioned.

“We should stop talking about my love life and start talking about yours,” Beth said as she sat down at the bench, putting on her skates.

“I don't have one. I've got far too much going on to worry about men.”

“Ahh, yes, your plans to take over the world.”

“I'm just starting my final year of school. I don't want to mess it up now, especially if I'm going to get into a good master’s program.”

“Kennedy, I have zero doubt that you will. You are smarter than most people I know put together.” Beth grinned, standing up with a shocking amount of grace, considering she was on her skates, and walking over to the rink. “But, really, you should try and go on a few dates. Nothing bad is going to come from expanding your horizons.”

I frowned. “Plenty bad could happen. What if I accidentally date a serial killer?”

“In that case, I would make a lovely memorial for you,” Beth said with a giggle before launching herself onto the ice, gracefully doing a few laps to warm up while I continued cleaning.

As I threw some leftover trash into bags, I thought about what I wanted. One day, I would have a pack. I knew that. Most omegas tended to look for their packs at college, but I had goals I wanted to achieve beforehand. I had seen several of my omega friends from childhood give up whatever academic pursuits they were chasing as soon as they found their pack.

And don't get me wrong—there was nothing bad about that. If they wanted to prioritize spending time with their family, that was their prerogative. I was just hoping that, once I finished my master’s and moved on to my doctorate, there would still be a few good alphas out there. If they all got snapped up while I was burying myself under schoolwork, then I was going to find myself in a conundrum once I graduated.

All my time was taken up by studying or working. I was double majoring in criminology and psychology, and the workload was intense. Most of my fellow classmates didn't work and focused solely on studying, but that wasn't an option for me.

I was an orphan, so I only had myself to rely on.

My parents had passed in a car crash while I was in high school. Since I’d only been a few months short of eighteen at the time, I’d relied on the kindness of friends to stay in their spare rooms until I graduated. After that, I made it my sole focus to get into college, so I could support myself.

Though, losing them wasn’t any big loss. They hadn’t really cared about me. I had practically raised myself because they were more concerned with their social calendar than the child they made.

I worked my ass off and received plenty of scholarships. Unfortunately, they didn't cover all my living expenses, so I did have to work.

Beth had found me the job at the rink. It was a nice fit for me. I liked watching her teach, and I didn't mind cleaning and helping people. Since most of the customers were parents or children, I wasn't hit on that often, either, which was a dream for an omega in the workforce.

I made my way back to the skates to start checking the laces were all tied. The students and their families started filtering in. Cute little toddlers, who'd barely started walking, on skates. They did fall over plenty, but that's why we had butt pads for them to soften the fall.

Once all the kids were on the ice, I took a seat behind the desk and pulled out my Kindle. One of the many perks of this job was that, as long as the place was clean and the kids were on the ice, I could relax. Tapping the screen and opening a new pack romance I had downloaded that morning, I quickly got lost in the words.

I was just starting to get to the good part—where the guys were going to boldly declare their love for the omega—when someone appeared at my desk, pulling me out of my literary escape.

“Hi, sorry to bother you, you seem rather engrossed there,” the guy said.

I quickly put the Kindle down, glancing over at him. He was stunning. I had seen many good-looking alphas in my time, but this man took the cake. He was tall, muscular, a lot wider than me—which didn’t take much, because I was on the smaller side. My head probably wouldn't even come halfway up his chest. He had a mop of dark curls and bright blue eyes that almost looked gray.

Only a second after I registered his looks, his scent hit me in full force. It was like fresh rain on concrete, so brisk and clean. I wanted to shove my face into his neck and inhale, but as that would be somewhat rude, I restrained myself.

“It’s no problem! What can I do to help?” I asked, sitting up straighter.

“I was hoping I could grab a pair of skates,” he said, lifting up a membership card, which let me know he was entitled to free skate rental.

“Sure thing, what size?” I asked, trying to right myself. All I could focus on was that damn scent. I was a sucker for scents that were clean or slightly damp—like ocean water.

“One size twelve,” he said, throwing me an easy smile.

I darted into the back without another word, quickly locating the skates. Pulling them off the top shelf, I hurried back.

“Here you go.” I smiled, placing them on the counter. “Can I get you anything else?”

“Your number?” he asked, a playful grin spreading across his face.

“Sorry, no can do.” I shrugged. “I don’t own a cell phone.”

That was bullshit, but I was feeling feisty.

“Hmm, smoke signal?”

“In this weather?” I asked, horrified. “It’ll get drowned by the rain immediately.”

He frowned, playfully smacking his forehead with the palm of his hand. “Crap! Why didn’t I think of that? Can I at least get your name?”

“Kennedy,” I said, sitting back down in a move I hoped looked relaxed and nonchalant, but in reality, I was just trying to ensure the shaking of my legs wasn’t obvious.

“Well, Kennedy. If you ever want some stress relief”—he grabbed a bit of paper off the counter and quickly scribbled something with the horrible quality rink pens that littered the side—“call me.”

He handed me the paper, which I took with a smile. “But I don’t have a phone,” I reminded him, unable to wipe the grin off my face.

“Maybe you’ll find a way,” he said, taking the skates and flashing me one more panty-dropping grin before turning and leaving.

The second he was out of sight, I sagged in my seat, taking a deep breath. Part of me, a very small part, regretted not giving him my number, but I knew it would have been a bad idea.