7. Caleb
7
Caleb
It’s interesting to watch Jorge squirm under the looks the others are giving him. A grand romantic gesture is something I expected from Mathew, not from him.
But he did it in a way that none of us really noticed at first, which kind of defeats the whole purpose, I think. We simply came in here and sat down, ready to order our lunches, and it wasn’t until I noticed that nobody else came in even after we’d been here for a little while and that everyone clearly stayed out of our way that I knew something was up.
The advantage of being the only people here is that our drinks and food arrived really quickly and that it was calm and quiet. The food here is really good and this is a great place to come back to more often.
Maybe we can order one of their expansive picnic lunches next time and sit on the shore of the lake. I’m sure Vera would love to dress up all cute and get all of us to dress ‘for the occasion’ too. We should do that soon, before the weather gets too hot to sit outside during lunch.
Mathew has almost fallen asleep on Vera’s shoulder, his eyes constantly sliding shut. He looks exhausted, but he doesn’t give any signs that he wants to leave, so I’ll just let him be for now. Vera makes sure that he doesn’t fall over as she picks at the sandwich on her plate, like it’s the most normal thing in the world to have your mate asleep on your shoulder when you’re eating out.
They look so sweet together and my heart fills with warmth at how comfortable they are with each other, how much they seem to enjoy each other’s company and how easy it was for them to fall into this rhythm. There have been so many changes in their lives in the last couple of months and their bond seems to grow with every thing they face together.
I hope that them being pregnant together and then having their babies around the same time will also make everything easier for all of us. This way, we can face everything at the same time instead of going through everything for one baby and then a few weeks or months later also dealing with everything for the second. I know we’re a decently sized pack, with three Alphas, and that Mathew’s got plenty of people around to help us out if we need it. But I’m also really glad at how everything is working out for now.
Having two babies from two Omegas who went into heat at the same time won’t be much harder than having a set of twins, I don’t think. Of course, having two Omegas recovering from giving birth will be harder, but on the ‘taking care of the babies’ front, it shouldn’t be that much more complicated.
“I think it’s time to go home. Before it becomes hard to wake Mathew up.” Vera’s voice is quiet as she holds Mathew’s shoulder so he doesn’t fall over.
Jorge quietly stands up, softly smiling as he looks at Mathew. “I’ll go pay. I’ll be right back.”
I get up and slide my arm between Vera and Mathew, taking over supporting him on one side and then I step around him and put my other arm under his knees, lifting him up. He’s a lot heavier than Vera, but not too heavy for me to carry, and it seems his Omega instincts kick in before he realises what’s going on. He nuzzles against my chest, a soft and happy sound escaping him, before his eyes shoot open and he stares up at me.
“Morning.” I grin as I keep holding him, letting my joy at having him in my arms rumble in my chest as much as I can and his eyes slide shut for a few moments before he opens them again and glares at me.
“Let me go. I can walk.” He squirms in my arms, but not enough for me to accidentally drop him, just enough to make his intentions clear.
“So can I.” I kiss his shoulder. “I don’t mind carrying you so that you can keep sleeping.”
“No, thanks.” He lets out a grumble. “I’ll walk myself.”
“But I like carrying you...” I let my pheromones fill with my pleasure. I carry Vera all the time, we all do, but I don’t usually get a chance to carry Mathew. I really like it, though, having my big, strong Omega in my arms.
His face flushes as he shakes his head. “Maybe at home. But not outside.”
“Okay.” I let him slide to his feet. “But I’m keeping you to that. You’ll have to let me carry you at home.”
“Only sometimes .” He gives me a look, though his face is getting more and more red, his pheromones spiking just a little. “Not all the time. And when I tell you to put me down, you’ll have to put me down.” He’s fighting his wish and need to be in control of every situation and an Omega’s instinct to be close to their Alpha, to have their Alpha take care of them.
“Sounds good.” I give him a quick kiss on his lips, which makes his pheromones spike even more, though I’m probably the only one close enough to notice it. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Vera pulls on my sleeve, looking up at me with her best puppy-dog eyes, and a massive grin. “You can carry me.”
“Of course. Do you want to be at my side or do you want me to carry you bridal style?”
She thinks it over for a moment, but with the way her eyes shine, I already know her choice and I wrap one arm around her shoulders and the other under her knees as I lift her up. She lets out a squeak as she wraps her arms around my neck, before her pheromones spike and she lets out a light laugh. “I hadn’t decided yet.”
“Yes, you had, but you were contemplating if asking for the same thing as Mathew would be the cutest option or if that would be seen as needy. Just to let you know, it’s the first option, it’s cute.” I nuzzle her hair and she lets out another happy laugh. “Anyway...”
Jorge comes back over, looking questioning as everyone seems to be laughing.
“I wonder if I could carry Mathew like that...” Riley looks from Mathew to Vera and me and back.
Mathew immediately flushes bright red again and takes a step away from her, nervously licking his lips. He wants it, but not here.
Riley steps closer to Jorge. “You’re about the same size as him, right?”
“Ehhh...” Jorge’s eyes shoot around, not sure where this conversation is going. “He’s probably heavier, he’s got more muscle.”
“It should be close enough.” Riley grabs for him and lifts him up, holding him the same way as I’m holding Vera.
“Whoa!” Jorge struggles for a moment before calming down and holding onto Riley tightly. “Put me down. Put me down.”
“I think I could do this with Mathew too.” Riley ignores Jorge’s words, taking a few confident strides. “Yeah. Should be possible.” She looks at Mathew, who’s letting out a soft whine, before he clears his throat and looks away.
“Let’s stop being silly and let’s go home.” He stalks out of the cafe and Riley quickly puts Jorge back down before she catches up with him.
“Can I carry you when we’re at home too?” Riley slides her arm around Mathew’s shoulders and he nods carefully.
“Sure. Whatever. Just don’t do it right now.” His voice is gruff and his body tense.
I grin as I follow them. Never a boring moment with this pack.
Vera leans her head on my shoulder as she lets out a soft and happy sound. “He’s getting better at giving into his Omega instincts.” Her voice is quiet, filled with awe and love.
“He is, but being tall and all, I can understand why some Omega instincts are harder to give in to than others.” Like wanting to be carried, or being ‘soft’ around his mates in ways that come so much easier for Vera since she’s so much smaller than her Alphas. Being carried, being held, being cradled, they’re all things that are much easier to do when you’re small, not when you’re built the same as an average Alpha.
“Well, then it’s good that Riley and you are so tall, even for Alphas.” She laughs. “Makes things much easier. But there are other struggles, no matter if you’re short or tall. I sometimes can’t find clothes because I’m very much on the shorter side, but I know how to adapt clothes to fit me. Normally, Mathew being so tall won’t be that much of an issue, because he can still find clothes to fit him, but when it comes to pregnancy clothes, he might run into problems. I have no idea if there are going to be pregnancy clothes in stores that he’ll be able to wear.”
“Definitely not in the fabrics or styles that he’s used to.” I grin, trying to imagine Vera and Mathew in matching pastel sweats and over sized t-shirts. I can imagine Vera just fine, but my mind refuses to let me create a picture of Mathew wearing the same outfit.
While the idea is fun, I don’t think that’s going to happen any time soon. Mathew clearly has a style and sweats do not match that.
If they’re ever going to wear matching outfits, it’s going to be workout clothes or going to have to be specially designed suits. I think I’d love to see either of these options, I should ask Mathew about it… He might like the idea too.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen luxurious fitted suits in a pregnancy store.” Vera’s eyes sparkle as she thinks it over. “Though, maybe his tailor knows how to make them?”
We’re now near the car, and I raise my voice slightly, making sure Mathew can hear us. “I hope so, because I don’t think we’ll be able to convince him that sweats, t-shirts and jeans with elastic waists are appropriate clothes for business meetings.”
“What are you two mumbling about?” Mathew turns to us, smiling as he gives us a questioning look. “What clothes are appropriate for business meetings?”
“Sweats and t-shirts.” Vera moves slightly and I put her down, keeping my arm around her shoulders so I’m still touching her, not wanting to fully let go of her yet.
His eyes go wide in alarm and he shakes his head vehemently. “No fucking way. Not me. I have some pride, you know.”
“We know.” I wrap my other arm around him. “But once you start showing, you’ll have to expand your clothing range at least somewhat. Because those suits aren’t going to fit for much longer.”
He sighs deep. “I guess my tailor will be happy with the extra money he’ll be making... Because I’m not going to stop wearing suits just because I’m pregnant.” He tugs at the top of his pants, slightly pouting, though that might just be for show. “Let’s hope I won’t need them any time soon. I heard that if you’ve got some good muscle tone that it might take a while to start showing.”
“Maybe before you start showing.” Vera’s voice is soft. “But not before you’ll start feeling it.”
“Ugh.” Mathew lets out a groan. “I guess that makes sense.” He looks at us. “How did you even start talking about something as random as clothes?”
Vera’s eyes shine as she looks up at him, all smiles. “I was thinking about what things might be harder for you as an Omega, because you’re so tall.”
“And your conclusion was ‘clothes’?” He raises an eyebrow at her.
“Yes. Pregnancy clothes, specifically. I don’t know if they’ll have your size in stores.”
He laughs, ruffling her hair. “Well, then it’s good that all my clothes are made specifically for me and I don’t buy them in stores.”
And, with that, I’m reminded that Mathew is fucking rich and that ‘normal people’ standards do not apply as long as you’ve got enough money to throw at a problem. While Vera’s mind goes to the usual problems like finding clothes within her budget that fit her right, those are things that Mathew never has to deal with.
I guess that now goes for us too…
Yeah, I’m not yet used to this. Clearly.