22. Hazel
Chapter 22
Hazel
“ W hat are your plans for the holidays?” Roman asked as he lightly rubbed my back while I sat between his legs.
It had been a week since I had moved into the pack house, and everything had been shockingly easy.
With four alphas around, seeing to my every need, I hadn’t wanted for anything. There were even times I could have sworn they knew what I wanted before I did. I would be sitting in the nest, absorbed in my studying, when Phillip or Seb would appear next to me, a drink or snack in hand.
And it wasn’t until I was looking at the food that I realized I was ravenous. The constant snacks and care had also led to me feeling the best I had in months. Other than the odd bout of nausea, I felt downright normal.
Which was impressive, considering my pregnancy was starting to progress. A few weeks, and I would be entering the second trimester.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “My parents usually throw a big party, but I don’t think I’m really up to that this year.”
“Have you spoken to them at all since you moved in?” he asked.
I shook my head, groaning as his hands hit a particularly tight spot on my back and continued to rub, working out the knot. “I haven’t told them about the baby.” My hand absentmindedly went to my stomach as I spoke. At almost three months along, my stomach was ever so slightly rounded, but I wasn’t obviously pregnant yet.
“I get the impression, from what you’ve said about them, that they won’t approve.”
I snorted lightly. “That’s putting it mildly. I’ll probably get disowned. They have strict expectations of how my life is going to go, and this nugget is throwing a wrench in those plans, big time.”
Roman rested his chin on my shoulder, his dark, fruity scent billowing around me with the movement.
“I, for one, am excited for the nugget to make an appearance.”
“Even though they’ll be cramping your style?” My voice was teasing, but it was a genuine worry of mine.
“I’m so excited, Duchess. Seeing them learn to crawl, to walk, to say their first swear word?—”
“I’m guessing Cormac will be responsible for that.” I laughed.
Roman hummed. “You would think, but Phillip can swear like a sailor when he’s pissed.”
“I believe that.”
His hands slid around my waist from behind, resting on my non-existent bump. “When you’re ready, I would love to tell my family.”
“Really?” I asked, turning to look at him. Roman’s parents were well-off society types. Even more so than my own. My parents had a little bit of money and liked to pretend they were high-class, high-society people, but they were upper middle class, at best.
The Kingswood family was society. They had fuck-you levels of money and were known for their social standing.
“Hell, yeah, Duchess. They’ll love you! Do you have any idea how excited my mother will be at the prospect of a grandbaby? She’ll probably throw a gala in support of some sort of baby charity, just so she can boast about how proud she is.”
“Wouldn’t she be upset that I’m not more… refined?”
Roman snorted. “My parents have always encouraged me to do what I want—look at my pack, for instance. We became a pack because we genuinely love each other like brothers, not because we all have wealth or connections. My father actually insisted on it.”
“How come?” I asked. That wasn’t exactly the norm.
“Well, my dad was originally part of a pack. It was an arranged pack, sort of like an arranged marriage. Apparently, that was quite common back in the day. My grandfather matched my father with several other young men of similar social standing whose connections would help support one another.”
“That sounds… sterile.”
“It was. They ended up hating each other and they were in an official pack. My dad was miserable. When he found my mother, the other guys agreed with his choice because she was a proper lady, but it was so uncomfortable. No one other than my dad loved her. Before they were officially bonded, they made the decision to go their separate ways. My grandfather wasn’t happy, because it was a significant loss to his business.”
“Sounds like your grandfather and my parents would get along amazingly.”
“Seems so. My dad basically told me to find people I got along well with if I wanted a pack. When I met those two idiots… well, it was easy for me to decide.”
“And then you got stuck with me.” I laughed ruefully.
“Then I got blessed with you, Duchess. How about we go grab some lunch? I’m sure Phillip’s prepared something.”
I nodded, extracting myself from the nest with a groan. My lower back had been aching something fierce.
The lasagna Phillip had prepared made crawling out of my nest totally worth it.
“You’ve got a sixth sense for when food is ready,” he joked as he dished me up a plate.
“It’s the pregnancy nose. It’s fine-tuned for food!” I declared as I took a seat at the table. The kitchen and dining room were all together, and it gave the place a homey vibe.
“Cormac! Interloper! Food!” Roman shouted as he grabbed his own plate and joined me.
I cocked an eyebrow at a Roman. “Are you calling Sebastian an interloper?”
He shrugged. “It felt like the right name for him.”
I shook my head with a sigh. “You could be nicer.”
“I could also be meaner,” Roman said, taking a bite of lasagna with a smug grin.
A clattering noise rang out somewhere deep in the house as Cormac came to life and made his way toward the kitchen.
“Hey, Hazelnut,” Sebastian greeted me, kissing the top of my head as he passed me. “How are you feeling?”
“Good.”
“Do you have class tomorrow, Interloper?” Roman asked.
I shook my head at the use of the nickname again.“Really?”
“It’s fine, Hazelnut,” Seb said from the breakfast bar, where he was dishing himself a plate of salad and lasagna. “They can call me whatever they want to. I’m not going anywhere, and they’re feeding me, so it’s not all that bad.” He turned to Roman. “To answer your question, no class, but I have an all-day practice.”
“As long as there’s food, we can put up with a lot.” Cormac laughed as he entered the kitchen, clearly having heard the tail end of our conversation.
I rolled my eyes.
“In that case, I’ll stay home tomorrow to look after our girl,” Roman declared, throwing an arm around the back of my chair.
At least they were no longer trying to punch Seb.
That evening, right as we were all settling down in the den, my parents called.
“Their ears must have been burning today.” Roman chuckled as he read the name on the screen over my shoulder.
Cormac and Seb were on the other sofa, playing a video game while I snuggled with Phillip and Roman.
I sighed. “I don’t have the energy to deal with them.”
“You know what your mother is like,” Seb said, his eyes never leaving the screen, where he was locked in a virtual battle with Cormac. “The party is only a week away. If you don’t talk to her soon, she’s going to start calling every half an hour, and then, eventually, she’ll turn up at your dorm.”
I winced. He was correct. My mother would turn up at my dormitory. “She’d be in for a shock when she doesn’t find me there.”
“So, maybe it’s better to tell her now?”
I looked at Roman, hoping he would disagree with Sebastian.
He shrugged. “It seems like it’s a good idea to get it over with, Duchess.”
“Why is it you guys can’t agree on anything, but as soon as it comes to something that I like that you don’t approve of, or don’t want me to do, you guys agree?”
“Because we want what’s best for you?” Sebastian suggested innocently.
I opened my mouth to give him a snarky reply.
“You better answer.” Roman laughed, looking pointedly at my phone.
Shooting him a glare, I huffed before pressing the answer button, bringing the phone to my ear. “Mother,” I greeted, keeping my glare firmly on Roman.
“Hazel! I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for days! Really, you should be more considerate of my time.” My mother’s nasal voice screeched through the phone.
“I’m sorry, I’ve been sick and busy with class.” It was shockingly difficult to keep my voice level.
“Sick? Do you need to come see Doctor Thomas?”
“I saw a campus doctor. It was just a nasty virus. It’s taking time to kick it.”
“The campus doctors aren’t anywhere near as qualified as Doctor Thomas!”
I rolled my eyes. The campus doctors weren’t as expensive as Doctor Thomas, that’s what she meant.
“They still have their medical degree, and I am sure that they can handle a simple virus.”
“So, when are you able to come home for our Christmas party? We have several people that are excited to meet you. Did you know that Brad Donohue has a son about your age? Smart boy. He’s about to go to Harvard for business.”
The urge to groan was unbearable. Of course, she was going to spend this Christmas party trying to set me up.
“I still look super sickly.” I forced myself to cough a few times. “I sound horrible. I don’t want to make a terrible impression on your friends.”
Trying to sound sickly, I made my voice extra whiny. My mother wasn’t exactly the maternal type. She wouldn’t be too concerned about me being sick, but she would be concerned with how it would look to her friends. If she was on a mission to set me up with someone she deemed appropriate, then being a sickly mess really wasn’t a good look.
“Oh…” My mother trailed off. “Yes, that wouldn’t be ideal. You know what, you need to take care of yourself, my dear. Stay on campus and rest. You need to be healthy. We are hosting a mixer in early March, and you can’t miss that! I’m sure you can meet everyone then.”
“I look forward to it.” I gave Sebastian a pained smile, and he laughed silently. He knew all too well how my mother was.
“Good! Okay, I must run. I have floral arrangements to see to.”
We said our goodbyes and hung up. Throwing the phone down, I turned to Phillip, who was watching me with a funny expression.
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
“Your mother didn’t even seem concerned about not seeing you over the holiday.”
“That’s normal for her.” I shrugged. “She cares more about her image than quality family time. She’s been begging me to dye my hair blonde and be a perfect little high-society daughter for years. Unfortunately, I don’t vibe with that life.”
“But you should be with family for the holidays,” Cormac insisted, the game forgotten about.
“I usually keep busy. The year before last, I spent Christmas with Seb’s family.”
“My parents like Hazel more than they like me, at this point,” Sebastian added with a laugh. “They would rather she come for Christmas instead of their own son.”
“When are you heading back?” I asked.
“I’m not.”
“You’re not?” Cormac turned to him, equally confused.
“My elder brother’s omega just had a baby, so my family is traveling to Ohio to see them for Christmas. They invited me to come with them, but I assumed, given Hazelnut’s situation with the little peanut, that she would be staying put. I didn’t want her to be alone.”
I smiled at Seb. Spending time with his family had always been a pleasure. “How is Hannah after the baby? All the pictures in the family group chat have been adorable!”
“You’re in the family group chat?” Roman asked.
“Have been since the day it was created,” I declared proudly.
Roman smiled at me, gently pulling me into his lap. I didn’t protest, melting into his embrace. His scent calmed me, making me go boneless.
“What are your holiday plans?” I asked him after a moment.
“They’re up in the air. I was going to ask you what you wanted to do. Usually, we eat Christmas dinner at my parents’ house. My mother loves putting on a feast for close family.”
“Sounds lovely.”
“It is.” Cormac grinned. “She makes the best pecan pie. Every year, she makes them for Christmas and Thanksgiving, and she always makes extra for us to bring home!”
“You know, you could join us. My mother would be ecstatic to host.”
That did sound pleasant. That way, I could spend Christmas with all of my guys.
“How would we explain my situation?”
Roman grinned. “I think we should tell her! I told you she would love it.”
Phillip snorted. “‘Love it’ is an understatement. Caroline Kingswood will be downright giddy and elated at that news.”
“Do you think she could keep the news quiet? She runs in the same circles as my parents, and I’m not ready to tell them yet.”
“I’m certain she can. What do you say, Duchess? We can call her this week.”
“Come on, sweetness! Family Christmas at the Kingswoods!”
“Okay.” I nodded, and all the guys had smiles on their faces, even Seb.
“Thank you, Duchess,” Roman muttered, kissing the top of my head as he pulled me impossibly tight against him.
When I lightly batted his forearm, he released me somewhat, a dazzling grin on his face.
“Caroline is going to try and kidnap her, you know that?” Phillip laughed. “She’ll want to talk nurseries and names.”
“Who can blame her? Our girl is awesome.” Cormac beamed.
Roman turned toward Seb. “You’re coming with us, right?”
Seb did a double take, looking at Roman in abject shock. “Wait, you want me to come?”
“Of course.”
“It sounds like a family thing…” Seb trailed off. “I wouldn’t want to intrude.”
“You’re not intruding,” Roman insisted. “There’s no way in hell we are leaving you here on your own over Christmas.”
Seb nodded thoughtfully, looking between the guys. None of them had a negative look on his face. “Okay, then, I’ll come. Thank you.”
My heart stuttered in joy.
All my guys.
Hopefully, Roman’s parents liked me.