Chapter 14 Camden #2
“Is that a bad thing? There are so many that can’t do certain things because they don’t have magic like you do.
Yeah, there’s the transport building, but having to bring all of your purchases into the cabin and then out of the transport building up here, I can see how it would get to be a lot over time. ”
“I wasn’t here with the council when it was first formed. I know that the dragons that settled this mountain a long time ago were happy to have it for the council, but they wanted it to remain as natural-looking as possible.”
I sat up and started laughing. There was nothing natural-looking about the council building. It was full of windows and looked so out of place. In fact, it would look the same even if it were down off the mountain. It simply didn’t blend in this area.
“I know,” Maxwell said. He pushed up onto his elbow and smiled at me. “The council building is certainly not natural to the area. Most of the other buildings are quite natural-looking in some way though.”
I had to agree with that. Maxwell’s house was made from stone and logs, as was the one I’d lived in for all of two days.
The omega clinic was logs, and the bakery and store were stone.
The childcare center was both. But the council building?
Yeah, that thing was glass and most likely metal. It was…well, ugly.
“Did you want breakfast before we go shopping? Or did you want to go out for breakfast? It’s early enough still.”
I looked down at my stomach. It was quite rounded this morning, but it was always more pronounced when I was sitting. “Do you think I can get away with going out without questions?”
“That’s a valid point. I’m not sure, my love. You’re looking quite pregnant at this point.”
I nodded in agreement. “Breakfast here sounds wonderful. Can I have some of those sandwiches and some hash browns?”
“You can have anything you want,” Maxwell said seconds before he rolled from the bed.
When he was standing upright, he was now fully dressed, and I wanted to growl in frustration.
It was really neat that he could do that, but it didn’t allow me to stare at my mate’s amazing body.
It wasn’t like I hadn’t seen it before, or wouldn’t again, but when you were a pregnant omega and you had a sexy and sinful warlock for your mate, you stared at him every chance you got.
“Did you wish for tea or coffee? Or perhaps juice?” Maxwell asked. I blinked up at him, my brain finally computing what he’d asked me a few seconds later.
“Uh…juice if we have it,” I said.
Maxwell held out his hands, and I let him pull me across the bed and to my feet.
I felt my clothing change when he did, and I looked down to see myself wearing a pair of comfortable khakis and a long-sleeved thermal shirt.
It was on the baggier side, and I couldn’t stop my smile.
It wasn’t going to hide my bump, but it also wasn’t going to showcase it either.
“When you say hash browns, do you mean the patty type or the ones that are loose and have to be cooked and flipped?”
I shook my head. “Either. They taste the same to me, and I’m happy with either. I’m just really hungry this morning again. I’m seeing a trend lately that I’m super hungry in the mornings but not overly so in the evenings.”
Maxwell looked thoughtful before he nodded slowly. “We can try a few things and see if they help. It’s possible that you need to eat a little later in the evening or have a bigger snack before bed.”
I was willing to try just about anything, but I was almost positive that I was waking up so hungry or became famished so early in the mornings because Maxwell and I had a tendency to burn a lot of energy in the evenings and the middle of the night.
We left the bedroom with my hand in Maxwell’s, and as we carefully made our way down the stairs, my mind wandered to various things. One of them being my parents.
“Stop,” Maxwell said as we continued on to the dining room. “Your parents cause you nothing but stress. If you really want to see them though, I’ll have them informed that they need to come visit.”
I chuckled a little because that was just funny. I knew he was completely serious, but it sounded so…organized crime-ish.
“Maybe we should,” I said. “I know she’s still sending a ton of messages, and the last time I talked to Cameron, he’d said that he’d heard that she had taken to moping around everywhere.”
Maxwell held my chair out for me, and after I was sitting, he took his seat catty-cornered from me. “We can invite them here to visit if you wish. They cannot stay on Treasure Ridge though, unfortunately.”
“I know,” I said with a deep breath. “She burned those opportunities when I first came here, and she managed to get ahold of the council and demand to talk to me. She knows I’m mated, and no doubt that I’m carrying, but not when I’m due.” Maxwell knew all of this though.
“My love, we can invite them here if that is your wish. If you would feel better to wait until after the baby is born, we can do that. If you want her to see you pregnant, that can also be arranged. There are plenty of safe places at the den and pack off of the mountain for pregnant omegas.”
I thought about it as I picked up my first sandwich.
Maxwell had completely spoiled me with them every morning.
When we were at work, we still went to the bakery, and I always got something.
But I tried my best to limit my sweets to only one or two a day.
I needed to go back to having it be once a week, but I was indulging myself since I was pregnant.
“See, this is the problem,” I said. “I feel guilty about cutting them off, but I’m not the only one of us that has.”
Maxwell reached for my hand and gave it a supportive squeeze. “Don’t be upset, but maybe you should wait? Your emotions are high right now with the pregnancy, and perhaps it would be better if you talk things over with Garin first?”
I wanted to growl in frustration, but I knew he wasn’t wrong.
I nodded instead because I wasn’t going to argue about it.
Seeing a therapist wouldn’t hurt, and maybe he would have some sort of outside perspective for me that I couldn’t see because I was too close to the issue.
“I’ll see Garin. Or one of the others. I liked Garin though. ”
Maxwell nodded. “We’ll get that set up for you. I can go with, or I can stay here. Don’t feel as if you have to take me with you though.”
“Can I go alone first and then bring you later?”
Maxwell placed his hand on my shoulder and massaged it a little.
“My love, you never have to take me with you, so please don’t feel as if you do.
If you would like to talk to Garin without me there, that is understandable and fine.
I will insist on taking you to the appointment as well as bringing you back though. ”
I grinned at my mate. “That might be good. I’m sure I could use the transport building and then drive my SUV over, but it’s so much easier to travel your way.”
“Indeed.”
With that decided, Maxwell and I went back to breakfast and started discussing our plans for the rest of the day after we ventured out to the council store to do a bit of shopping.