Chapter Eighteen
Balfour
Nik entered my office without knocking, closed the door behind him, and planted himself in one of the two office chairs I kept in front of my desk.
“You ever plan on leaving this office?” He gave me a hard stare, one black brow raised in question.
Looking away from my spreadsheet, I frowned at him. “I leave. I left yesterday to go down to the sleigh barn.”
“To gripe at my mechanic elves because you think they can make the sleigh go faster.”
“Well, we need to add time. The world population has grown, and you barely made it to all the houses.”
“How would you know?” He drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair, irritating me. “You weren’t even here. You were with your omega, enjoying his heat.”
“He’s not my omega,” I hissed through gritted teeth. “And you knew I was going to go over Anderson’s reports with a fine-tooth comb. I know everything. Did you need something or did you just come here to harass me because you are bored. Go bother your omega.”
“He went shopping with Diana,” he gave me a cool smile. “They needed some stuff for the new house. They are leaving most of their furniture there. For Kendrick.”
My brows knitted together in a frown. “His apartment is pretty small. I don’t think most of their furniture will fit. They do know you can magic it here, don’t they?”
Nik’s Christmas magic could be used for many different things. Just like he could use it to change his appearance on Christmas Eve, so that he looked more like the commercial version of Santa, he could magic the Mallory’s furniture and belongings here if they wanted.
“They are gifting him their house.”
“Oh,” I said, “I wasn’t aware. I thought the plan was for them to sell it.”
Nik crossed one long leg over his knee. “Plans change.”
We stared at each other over my desk, and I knew Nik well enough to know he was hiding something. We had been best friends for a few hundred years, after all.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
Nik sighed, loudly and dramatically, which wasn’t like him at all.
“Look, you did not hear this from me. I mean it, if Keegan asks you, do not bring my name into the conversation. My marriage may depend on it. Though I kind of think he was planning on me doing his dirty work, so…I don’t know.
Just, to be on the safe side for everyone involved, do not mention me. ”
“What in all the realms are you babbling on about?”
Honestly, could no one leave me in peace, with my precious spreadsheets, and out of whatever mini dramas they had going on?
“Kendrick is pregnant.”
Nik’s words hung in the air, thick and heavy, sucking all the oxygen from my lungs.
Pregnant.
Kendrick was pregnant.
And he hadn’t told me. Why hadn’t he told me?
Probably because I hadn’t bothered to answer any of his text messages after we had “broken up”. Because it had been too hard to act like nothing had changed between us. To act like I could still just be friends with him. To act like I didn’t want him with every fiber of my being.
“What?” I finally managed, the word barely more than a whispered, strangled croak.
“Look, the story Kendrick told Keegan, Diana, and Merv is that he and Sadie went out New Year’s Eve and he hooked up with some rando alpha. That it’s not your baby.”
“What?” I repeated, this time the word was a growl.
I knew the story Kendrick was telling was a lie because I might have used the special snow globes we kept in the warehouse to spy on him, after I had taken him home.
Not spy exactly, just check up on him. If anyone found out I had used the globes for personal business, and not for research for the naughty and nice list, I very well could lose my job.
But Kendrick had been so upset and sad by his parents’ news, I had needed to check on him. He had been sitting on his couch, watching the ball drop on TV, eating pizza in his pajamas on New Year’s. He definitely hadn’t been out clubbing, getting it on with some asshole alpha who wasn’t me.
“For the record, Keegan made it very clear to me that he doesn’t believe Kendrick’s story. But he also made sure to tell me that I wasn’t to tell you.”
“That’s because he knew you would tell me,” I told him drily.
His omega might look all cheerful and innocent, but there was a devious mind inside his tiny body.
Especially when he was playing matchmaker.
Which I had no doubt he was doing in this instance.
Or at least, trying to facilitate a reconciliation between Kendrick and me.
“Obviously.” Nik stood, his hand on the doorknob.
“I don’t know what the truth is, but I thought you should know.
He told them around Valentine’s Day, which makes him a little over four months now.
If there’s even a one percent chance that baby is yours, I thought you had a right to know.
I couldn’t not tell you. The past few weeks of knowing, and not telling you, has just about killed me.
Do with that information what you will.”
It was the second week of April now. Nik and his family had known about Kendrick’s pregnancy since mid-February and not said a word to me. I guess I should be grateful he had finally broken down and told me.
Nik opened the door, but before he could step into the hall, I told him, “I’m going to need some time off.”
He turned, giving me a grin, his blue eyes twinkling. “Anderson can handle things while you’re gone.”
“And I may need some Christmas magic help.”
“Going to the human realm?”
“Going to get my omega,” I declared.
Balfour
Past…
Me: Kacey likes me better than you. She told me so. Said I’m the best uncle she has.
Nemesis: *gasp* Lies!
Me: I speak the truth. Face it, I’m the favorite uncle.
Nemesis: She is two. She did not say all that.
Me: She’s exceptionally intelligent. Like her favorite uncle.
Nemesis: Don’t you have a schedule to sort? Elves to boss around? Something?
Me: I like tormenting you. It’s the highlight of my day.
Nemesis: Is that because you have no actual friends and I’m the only person who will talk to you?