Chapter 14
Braxton
True to his word, Kip did manage to stay in bed for almost an entire day.
After our shower, he climbed into bed and fell asleep.
He awoke for a while, had dinner with me, and we talked a little bit about how things would change now that we were mated.
I talked a little bit about things I wanted to update around the house.
He had yet to even take a full tour of the place, but I hoped that he would come up with his own ideas, wants, and desires for our house.
Then he slept for a good twelve hours. I brought him breakfast in bed, which he ate, and then he dozed for a while longer. It was mid-afternoon when I finally came into the room.
“Sweetheart, my love. You do have to get up.”
He smiled into the pillow he was currently snuggling but didn’t open his eyes. “Are you sure?”
“Well, your parents are expecting you home today. Any moment, really. And your phone has gone off a few times. They probably want to know where you are.”
He pushed himself up to a sitting position and reached for his phone on the nightstand. “My mom wants to know if I’ll be home for dinner and if I want anything special. And also, if I’ll be bringing anyone special.”
“What do you think? Meeting the parents seems like a pretty serious step. Are we ready for that?”
He nudged me with his leg. “Pretty sure you’ve met my parents.”
“Not as your mate.” Admittedly, the thought terrified me. I was good enough to be an enforcer for the den. Kip’s father had interviewed me for the position. But was I good enough for their son?
“Has my brother been bugging you?” he asked.
I shook my head. “No, but I did let the Alpha know that we were back and that we had news for him. He called and of course guessed right away. He would like to congratulate us formally, of course.”
“Oh wow. I guess I didn’t think about the fact that we needed to inform the Alpha that we were mated. Where has my brain gone?”
“You’ve been on vacation, love. And also, you’re cooking a human.”
“Cooking?”
I shrugged.
“Incubating. Incubating is more accurate.”
“A little less cute.”
“But more accurate. ‘Cooking a baby’ just sounds weird.” He wrinkled his nose.
“I did some laundry while you were asleep, so you’ve got clean clothes to wear to your parents. Also, I went ahead and put away your clothes. I cleared out half the dresser and most of the closet. I don’t have a ton of stuff.”
He smiled. “Making room for me in your life?”
“Always.”
“You ready to give me that grand tour?”
“Are you ready to get out of bed?”
Kip burrowed deeper into the blankets, grabbing a pillow and hugging it against his body. “No, don’t make me. It’s so comfortable here.”
“I did splurge when I bought the bed. I’m glad you like it. If you need something different, we can get something different.”
“Braxton, at my parents’ house, I’m sleeping on the bed I’ve slept on since I was twelve. This is amazing. I think it’s nicer than the bed in our cabin.”
“It really is. I spared no expense. I knew the two of us weren’t going to fit in a regular bed. And you, my dear omega, are the only omega who’s ever been in it.”
“Any other alphas been in it?”
I laughed. “No. No alphas either. I’ve never brought anyone to my home. No one but you.”
“I like the thought of that,” he said.
I helped him to his feet, and he pulled on a pair of sweatpants but left his chest bare. I tugged him next door, across the hall.
“There are three bedrooms. Obviously, the primary suite, which you’ve been in, and then this one, which also has its own little bathroom attached. Right next to our bedroom is another smaller room with the option of having an adjoining door.”
“Where? I didn’t see one.”
I tugged him back toward our bedroom and went to the southern wall. I pushed lightly on it and there was a click, and it opened.
“Whoa, that’s pretty cool.”
“I thought so too. I’m guessing it’s used as a nursery, or was, with the previous owners. I don’t actually know who lived here before me. My parents would know.”
“Can we paint the room?”
“We can repaint, replace the windows, do whatever you want in here, darling.”
“I’ll have to put some thought into how we’re decorating this nursery. We’ll need a bookshelf.”
“True. Do you like turtles?”
“Turtles are a bit random, but sure. I think teddy bears are a little too on the nose, don’t you think?”
“Perhaps they are.”
His phone pinged, and he grabbed it from his pocket. “My mom said dinner is at 6:30. Me and my ‘special friend’ can come. I guess she was very hopeful that I did indeed find a mate, or my brother has spilled the beans.”
“I don’t think that he has, so it’s more likely that she’s hopeful.”
“Well, we don’t want to disappoint her, do we?”
“Indeed, we don’t.”
We made quick work of getting ready to go to his parents’. I tried not to put too much thought into what I was wearing. After all, I had met these people several times before. Yet that didn’t stop my heart from racing when we walked the short distance from my house to his.
His mom opened the door as we came up the front walk.
“Braxton! We didn’t expect you tonight. Kip, why didn’t you let us know you needed a ride home? How’d you get here?”
“Mom, I’d like you to meet my mate.”
Her eyes went wide, and she covered her face with her hands. She let out a delighted scream. “I knew it! I always suspected! Your dad thought I was crazy, but I knew it. This is celebration-worthy. I’m so glad I made dinner. You guys are going to love it. Come in, come in!”
Of course, throughout dinner, they had a ton of questions—how we didn’t realize we were mates, how it came to be that we vacationed in the same spot and booked the same cabin.
I’d expected all this the first time “meeting” my mate’s family after us claiming one another. It was all working out exactly as I expected. Even the occasional eye roll I got from my mate.
Once his mom and dad left the table so they could dish up the dessert they’d made—they insisted that I didn’t need to help—Kip pinched my leg.
“Ow!”
“You have spent the last two years buttering up my parents.”
Westley’s eyes went wide. He pointed his fork at me. “You have! That’s cheating.”
I shrugged. “I may have gone a little out of my way to make sure if they needed anything the two of you weren’t doing, that I got it done.”
Kip glared. “Mom lectured me for two weeks about how ‘Braxton came over and changed all the cabinet knobs. Why don’t you do things like that, Kip?’ Ugh. You’re so annoying.”
“Kip!” my mom exclaimed. “That’s no way to talk to your mate.”
“Yeah, Kip! That’s no way to talk to your mate,” I said.
His mom handed me the plate with the largest slice of chocolate cake, and the only plate that had any ice cream on it, all while my mate glared at me.
I leaned over and kissed his cheek.
“Suck-up,” he said.
I laughed. “I prefer to think of it as strategic.”