Rose
Buying a pregnancy test with a curious five-year-old literally running circles around you in the pharmacy is no easy feat. But I need to be positive that I actually am pregnant before I tell Ben he’s going to be a big brother.
That conversation needs to happen soon. Ben has noticed I’m sick, and it’s worrying him enough that he thinks he’ll lose me like he lost his dad.
“Mommy, I’m bored!” Ben wails as I root around in my purse for my wallet, keeping half my attention on him.
I was still battling my nausea when I eventually got us both ready for the day, yawning as I led him down the stairs for breakfast with Win, Joel, and Murph. The level of sympathy they aimed my way when I stepped into the kitchen made it clear I was not fit for company.
Without a word, Win got up and brought me a banana, a glass of water, and dry toast.
Murph swept Ben into his seat and distracted him by asking what he wanted to eat.
And Joel, sweet Joel, scooted his chair closer to mine and whispered in my ear. “I don’t need to be at the firehouse until nine. If you want to go back to bed, he’ll be safe with me for a couple of hours.”
I said no when I wanted to say yes. Ben is my responsibility. I’m his mother, and it isn’t fair or right to offload him on anyone, even though I had desperately needed a couple more hours of sleep.
When the guys went to work, I spent the morning playing with Ben until the worst of my nausea had eased and I was no longer terrified of wandering too far from a bathroom. By the time lunch rolled around, we were both looking forward to getting out of the house for a bit.
“Got any exciting plans today, Ben?” Michelle, the owner of the pharmacy who introduced herself when we first walked in, asks Ben, distracting him just long enough for me to fish out my wallet.
Ben looks at me for the answer.
I told him we were going out, but I didn’t tell him what we were going to do because this particular errand would have had him bouncing off the walls.
“We’re going to the diner.” I smile gratefully at Michelle, and I tap my credit card to pay for the pregnancy test I shoved into my purse the second she scanned it. “Lina’s son has a birthday coming up, and Ben’s terrified that I’ll forget to ask about it and he’ll miss it.”
Ben’s eyes widen with excitement, the way I knew they would when he learned about our errand. I slide my credit card back into my wallet, and tuck it into a side pocket that I zip up so it won’t disappear into the bottom of my bag again.
“There will be cake and games, so I can understand his excitement.” Michelle grins at Ben.
“Does Lina live far?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “About twenty minutes away. You’ll meet a fair few of the parents from the school as well if you and Ben are sticking around.”
“Um, I’m not sure about that yet.” I haven’t been in Rios long enough to consider moving here; that feels way too early to make a decision that big.
Now that Ben knows where we’re headed, the second I’ve finished in the pharmacy, Ben grabs my hand and yanks me to the door. “We have to go.”
I should have waited until we were at the diner to mention Harry’s birthday party.
“Thanks, Michelle!” I call out as I let Ben pull me along.
“You have a good day now,” she calls back with a smile and a wave.
The second I pull open the door, Ben bolts out onto the street. I yank him back before he can run into the road, dropping my purse in my desperation. “Ben! Stop!”
A familiar figure comes out of nowhere to scoop him up.
Ben squeals with laughter as Joel lifts him onto his shoulders. “Joel!”
“Hey, buddy.” Joel’s eyes flick from me to my open bag on the street, his gaze lingering on the pregnancy test. His brow rises.
Cheeks burning, I bend to pick it up, shoving it deeper into my purse, relieved Ben didn’t see it. “I thought I should make sure instead of relying on instinct.”
“Wise.” He bounces Ben on his shoulders. “Where were you headed with this speed demon?”
“The diner to speak to Lina about Harry’s birthday party. I should’ve known mentioning it would send Ben crazy.”
He nods. “I’ll walk with you.”
I glance at him, surprised. “You don’t need to be at work?”
He’s dressed for it, in the navy t-shirt with a Rios Fire logo, navy pants, and black combat boots that he left the house in this morning.
“Trying to get rid of me?” he teases.
The tops of my ears burn. “No. Just curious. Don’t you have your car?”
“It was too nice a day not to walk down from the firehouse to pick up a treat for everyone,” he explains. “The guys can’t always make it in to grab a slice of Maisie’s pies, so a couple of days a week she’ll make extras that Nico keeps aside for us.”
“That’s really nice of her,” I say, appreciating her thoughtfulness.
“She’s a real sweetheart,” Joel agrees as we walk toward the diner.
Since it’s only a few feet away, I leave my car parked outside the pharmacy instead of bothering to move it.
“I’m sure she is,” I say, keeping my tone light. It makes no sense at all for me to have a problem with someone I’ve never met.
Joel slows, gives me a probing look, and a dimple appears on his right cheek.
“But she is pregnant and happily mated to four alphas who love her to death, and she loves them right back. I have my sights set elsewhere. See, there’s this girl I keep thinking about a thousand times a day. It’s a growing obsession.”
“Oh.” There’s no need to ask where he’s set his sights. I’m falling deeper into the heat in his gaze, and I don’t want anyone to save me from the crash landing. I just want to keep falling forever.
“Mommy, you’re not gonna throw up again, are you?” Ben asks, worried.
I tear my gaze from Joel to frown up at him. “No. Why would you think that?”
“You’ve gone a funny color.”
Joel laughs.
I press my hands to my red cheeks, and they are definitely red. My skin is burning. “Um, no. This is a different feeling, Ben. I won’t throw up over Joel.”
“Good,” Ben says happily. “I haven’t been on a fire truck yet.”
“Priorities, right?” Joel says, laughing as he opens the diner door for me, and I get hit in the face with sweet and savory deliciousness.
I walk inside, pausing for a second to consider the delicate state of my stomach. When I don’t have second thoughts about being in a strong-smelling place, I let out a sigh of relief and grin at Lina when she hurries over, smiling.
“Hey, Rose. I was just going to ask Joel about you. I told Harry about Ben, and he was desperate to make sure you’re coming to his party this Saturday.”
Ben literally starts hopping up and down the second Joel lifts him from his shoulders and sets him on the floor. I have no idea how I’m going to contain his excitement until this party, but I’m going to have to figure out a way to do it. “Ben would not want to miss it for the world.”
“It’s around midday at our house,” Lina explains. “There will be an ice cream cake, games, music, and all his friends from school will be there.” She winks at me, eyes sparkling. “Win will be there. I won’t tell you what he’ll be wearing, but he’ll definitely be wearing something.”
Intrigued by this mystery, which I have to admit has me more excited about the party than before—being surrounded by dozens of sugar-fueled five- and six-year-olds isn’t always fun, especially given how sensitive my stomach is—I turn to the kitchen hatch.
Win catches my eye and grins. I mouth a hello and point him out to Ben, who waves so frantically it’s as if he’s afraid Win won’t see him.
Win laughs, long and loud in the kitchen, making the people at the front counter twist around to see what’s so funny, and they smile at Ben’s enthusiastic waving.
“I’ll be at the party too,” Joel says, pulling my attention back to him. “Just a little later. I have a couple of things I need to do at the firehouse first. Maybe you can convince Murph to stop by.”
I raise my eyebrow. “Me? Why would I be able to convince him to come?”
Honestly, I kind of expected Murph would be there if Win and Joel were going.
“Crowds and people are two things Murph actively avoids.” Joel points at me. “You, he actively seeks out. Ten bucks he’s there.”
I pretend not to notice Lina’s curiosity.
She doesn’t know Murph is my scent match, and I’m not sure when I’ll tell her.
Ben’s patience runs out. Joel grabs his hand before I can, stopping him from running to see Win in the kitchen.
I thank Joel and ask Lina for her number, and she promises to text me her address, while I make a mental note to pick up a gift for the birthday boy.
“Are you guys staying to eat?” she asks. “Our lunchtime rush is gonna hit soon if you want a booth with a nice view.”
I shake my head. I’m not hungry yet, and I don’t want to take up a big table during their busy period when Ben and I can just sit at the counter. “That’s okay. We’ll grab a stool, and Ben can eat something there.”
Lina hurries off to deal with her customers.
Joel, keeping a tight hold of Ben’s hand, catches my eye. “I’ll be at the counter waiting to pick up pies for the firehouse. If you wanted to go deal with that thing.” He gives my purse a pointed look. “I can watch Ben. Maybe I could help him order a drink and a snack.”
It’s not a bad idea. I could do the test at home later, but there’s no guarantee Ben would leave me long enough to do it, and I’d rather not wait until tonight when he’s in bed. I don’t need that much excitement when I should be winding down to sleep.
I turn to Ben, waiting until I have his attention.
“What do you think about staying with…” My voice trails off, and a smile spreads across my face as Ben starts dragging Joel toward the counter.
Joel, over six feet tall and packed with muscle, doesn’t so much as budge.
My gaze returns to Joel. “Guess Ben likes that idea.”
Joel chuckles. “Guess he does.”
My eyes drift to Joel’s mouth. Seeing this, his smile widens, and I step back, blushing.