Chapter 20
Chapter
Twenty
“Chase, we’re going to have to have a discussion about this. You need to slow down.” He looked his client straight in the eyes. “I’m serious. Give your body a break. You don’t need to have a football team.”
“I don’t want a football team, I just like being pregnant. I like my family, and I like having babies.
“Stop it, and give yourself a little break. Six babies in nine years might be enough for right now. Give yourself a year, maybe two, to deal with all the babies.”
“And I thought I was your best client!” Chase winked at him, but seemed relieved that one, he wasn’t pregnant again, and two, Devon could write him a prescription for birth control.
Raven was waiting in the break room when Devon was done. “How did it go?”
“Better than I’d feared. He needs a bit to breathe.” And Devon needed bacon.
Crispy, salty, nummy bacon.
“He does. He’s a good father, but damn.”
“Exactly. And Jack, somebody needs to talk to him too. Maybe you could get Ben…”
“Oh no. No no no. Ben doesn’t interfere with Jack’s business. They’re friendly, but not besties, you know?” Raven chuckled, pushing his hair back off his face. “They probably see each other once or twice a month at the alpha breakfasts.”
“Well, maybe I’ll talk to Saul and see if Mark will do it.
I know he and Jack went to school together and stuff.
I know I’m interfering, but I just think Chase needs to take a break.
” Devon wandered around the break room, opening the refrigerator and looking in the freezer, trying to see if there was anything that would substitute for bacon or if there wasn’t one of those little breakfast bowls that he could microwave or something.
“What are you looking for?” Raven asked, his eyes twinkling as he watched Devon’s progress around the room.
“Bacon. I need bacon. And I can’t leave because I have another appointment in twenty minutes.”
“But that’s what the delivery services for. Do you like a bacon, egg, and cheese bagel from Alicia’s?”
“We have a delivery service now?” Secret Springs was kind of small and had not ever really caught on with the DoorDash or Grubhub sort of crowd. But if someone had started a local service, he would totally use the hell out of them.
“We do. Didn’t you see the flyer? They left one on the door here.” Raven pulled out his phone. “They have a website and everything.”
“Then I would love to have a bagel from Alicia’s with bacon on it, as long as it’s crispy bacon.”
“I will specify crispy bacon.”
“You’re the best best friend ever,” he grinned at Raven, feeling like things were going right with the world. He loved that.
He put one hand on his belly, and the baby started kicking and moving. It was happening all the time now, and his belly was getting pretty good size. He was nesting, and he knew it. Getting ready.
“How are you feeling?” Raven asked. Hitting send on the order, he thought. Because then he put his phone away.
“Pretty good. I’m feeling a little bit messy, I guess is the word for it, but I’m not feeling physically bad in any way.”
“Yeah, this is really the good part, where you’re not puking, you’re not miserable, and you’re glowing.” Raven chuckled softly. “So, have you got the baby’s nursery all done? Does it look great? I know the last time I saw it, it was really starting to sparkle.”
He nodded and smiled. “You know, it looks amazing. It’s not too classy, because it’s for the baby, but it’s still very in keeping with the rest of the house.
” It was cozy and warm, filled with light.
“I like it. In fact, I would even go so far as to say that I’m super proud of it.
And the way everything’s put together, it would make a great bedroom or an office or whatever. I’m really pleased.”
“That’s too cool, honey.” Raven beamed at him. “I’m so pleased to see you so happy, love. I swear, Laird is not the kind of guy I saw you with in my head, but it’s so cool.”
“No. You didn’t?” Laird seemed perfectly wonderful to Devon, the man was just his type.
“He seemed so much a dude-bro, and you seemed so much not, you know?”
Devon chuckled. “I can see that. I mean, you have the same sort of problem.”
Raven arched an eyebrow and shot him a wicked glance. “Well, I think that my situation with Ben is a tiny bit different. Our sexual relationship, anyway—”
“I don’t wanna know! No talking. No talking.”
They both started laughing, just giggling to start, but then the laughter became kind of hysterical.
He knew Ben and Raven had a bit of a wild side sexually, and it was kind of a secret, so that wasn’t up for public consumption.
He and Laird were not quite so adventurous. He really wasn’t into adventure. Devon had enough excitement in his work. It made him want his home and his relationships to be soft. Well, not all the time, obviously…
Once the snort-laugh fit eased back, he sucked in a deep lungful of air, trying to catch his breath.
“Is Laird looking forward to heading back to school?” Raven asked, going to get them both a bottle of water.
Devon shrugged. “I think he’s nervous. He’s really ready to be home with the baby.
I know he’s happy for more normal sleep schedules, and I imagine he’s a little scared.
School’s a big thing, and his parents weren’t the most supportive about it.
” Though Laird’s folks had decided it was a good idea after Devon had sort of pointed out how important it was to back Laird up.
“Yeah. I can see that. Sometimes parents see a good job in the hand as better than a maybe someday job in the future.” Raven shrugged.
“But I think Laird will really find his niche in the therapy and rehab thing. And it’s something we really need here.
There’s a large blue-collar population around Secret Springs, and a bunch of elderly in the community too. ”
“That’s my thought as well. And I think he’ll be in demand in Montrose and maybe Telluride too.”
“I can see that.”
Yes, Raven got that, because their birth center was super booked all the damn time from folks not from Secret Springs. Their reputation preceded them.
And Laird was such an amazing healer.
The baby kicked hard, moving vigorously as if to agree with him. “Ooof.” Devon put a hand on his belly. “Wow.”
“That good, huh?”
“Wild.” He was a little breathless with it in fact, but it passed quickly. He was practicing for when it was time, he guessed.
“Breathe through it. It gets a little hairy at this point.” Raven winked, and then they were giggling again. And it felt great.
His next patient came in to sign in then, and he knew his bacon sammie would be waiting when he was done with Melanie’s ultrasound.
Laird glanced up to where Devon was sitting with his feet in the coolest of the hot springs pools, which was specifically cooled with fresh water for anyone who couldn’t be in the hot pools.
He was swimming laps, as he had a membership to the pool for just that purpose.
It was still pretty cold, so Devon was bundled up in a blanket or two and a coat, but he was laughing and chatting with Mrs. Clinton, who owned the Crapitorium, and who was also soaking her feet and legs.
She said they got sore, as much as she stood.
God, he loved his life.
He struck out to do another lap, cutting strongly through the water. He did enjoy working off the work week by doing something like swimming or hiking.
He and Devon still went running every now and again, but they took it slow and didn’t go as far. Devon insisted it was perfectly healthy to do light runs in the third trimester, but it made Laird very uncomfortable, and he absolutely didn’t want him racing.
They still went together three or four times a week, but it was more slow and steady runs the race. On his next turn, he heard Devon laughing over the splashes he was making, and he lifted his head in order to squint over.
Owen Benson was sitting next to Devon, chatting away, and his husband, Jeb, slipped into the swim lane next to Laird.
He nodded at Jeb. “Hey, man, how’s it going?”
Jeb chuckled and grinned back. “Good, good. We’re gonna have another baby. Did I tell you?”
Jeb owned the Bad Badger Tavern, and he and Nick and the crew all tended to stop in about once a week to have an IPA and a chat.
“I hadn’t heard, no. Congratulations, man!”
Jeb beamed at him. “Yeah, it’s early days, very early days, but we’re pleased. Our little one is two, so it’s a good spread.”
“Well, that’s amazing! I’ve got about six weeks left before I’m the new dad.”
“That’s nuts, man. Have you done the baby shower yet?”
“No. My mom has plans to do it next weekend, I think. Did Owen not get an invite?”
“I don’t think he did, no.” They were both treading water while they chatted because talking while they swam was tough.
“Shit, I’ll make sure she gets him one. You too, if you want to come. It’s not like we’re doing omegas only or anything. But I thought maybe the alphas would want to do something with the Alpha Club, you know?”
Jeb laughed. “I tell you what, how about you do the shower however your mom wants to do it, and then week after next you guys come down to the tavern and we’ll do something there.”
“That would rock.” Devon had no trouble drinking 7UP, Sprite, or ginger ale, and the smell of alcohol didn’t bother him anymore, and it wasn’t like anyone could smoke inside, so it was safe.
And the Bad Badger had some great pub grub.
“I’ll still talk to Mom about Owen and you coming because I know Devon would love to have you there. ”
“Cool, we’d be happy to come eat cake.”
Laird snorted. “Yeah, like that’s the only thing you’d have to do with my mom’s baby shower. I went to one for my sister right before I met Devon. And let me tell you, my mom does games and weird music and all kinds of crap she sees on Pinterest.”
“Owen will love that. He’s a schoolteacher, don’t forget?” His husband Owen taught at the elementary school, and the kids adored him. Laird had actually heard that from more than one ambulance patient.
And how weird was it that ambulance patients tended to talk about elementary school teachers?
Jeb gave him a curious glance, a tilt of the head. “So, do you get a lot of invitations to the hotel for that alpha thing?”
Laird shrugged. “I mean, I guess Devon knows everybody,” he said. “He’s literally been the accoucheur for everyone in this town for the last ten years or so, so yeah, wild huh?”
“So…is it cool?”
He shrugged, rolling his shoulders. “Honestly? It’s a little uncomfortable. I mean, I’m not a pillar of the community or some such.”
“Maybe we should start our own.”
He tilted his head at Jeb’s word. “How so?”
The water formed droplets in Jeb’s beard, weighing it down. “I mean, I got the Badger. It would be a perfect place for us. It’s not like we don’t have a meeting room in the back to watch the kids; it would work out great.”
Laird had to grin. “Hell, yeah, it sounds way more my speed than, say, Jack Harlan and the Chief of Police right? How awkward is it that this man makes more money in a day than we do in a year? I mean, not that he’s a bad guy, but…”
“No, he’s a great guy, actually.” Jeb shrugged one shoulder. “But he’s also a guy who has enough money to have two nannies. So there’s never a day off where they don’t have a nanny.” He gave Laird a wry smile. “That’s never going to be us, you know?”
“Exactly. Shit.” He waved a hand at the hotel next door to the pool, which they could see since it was on a hill. “He owns that place. I can’t even imagine that.”
“Neither can I. So let’s talk about it. I would love to be able to just sit with the kids and jaw with you guys and let our hubs have some time together without all the stress.”
“You should put a thing out at the pub, man. Like a poster or something on the bulletin board.”
Jeb nodded. “I like that idea. I like it a lot. Okay, I’m gonna get swimming because it’s getting cold now, but that’s what I’ll do. When I come up with a day and time, I’ll let you know.”
“Cool, get swimming.” Laird had two more laps to do before he stopped and went over to collect his omega.
Jeb struck out strong on his first lap, making Laird feel like a lumbering idiot. But that was how it went. Raven’s husband, Ben, was the same way. The guy owned a gym, and he always made Laird feel like even though he did two or three hours of PT a day, sometimes, that he was just out of shape.
Then, of course, every so often—as in daily—Devon looked at him, and there was lust and joy in those eyes, and he felt like the hottest man on earth, so he guessed he’d take it.
He climbed out of the pool after his laps.
As he wrapped up in his towel, Devon was giving him that look again - that warm, hungry, “I really like you, I think you’re really gorgeous” kind of look.
He loved that. “Hey, baby, about ready to go?”
Devon nodded and grinned at him. “I am. Do we have any other plans for this afternoon?”
He shook his head. “I was thinking maybe take a little bit of a walk during the warmest part of the day, then we could stop for an early supper.”
Devon’s face lit up. “That sounds great to me.”
His husband loved to wander in the downtown area, just looking.
“Then that’s what we’ll do. You and me. Men on a mission.” He leaned down, rubbed his nose against Devon’s, and then helped his omega stand up, careful that he had his balance and was totally steady.
“Let’s get dressed, and let’s go play for a little while. It’s a beautiful day, and I’ve got my coat.”
When Laird said there was nothing else on earth he’d rather do, he meant it.
“Thank you, love. That sounds perfect.” Devon took his hand, and they headed back inside the pool house to change at the locker room. They would wander, they would have a day, and then maybe if he was really lucky, he would get even more lucky tonight.
And if he didn’t, then at least he would get a nice, hard snuggle.