17. Kace
17
KACE
I thought it was April showers bring May flowers, but it was the beginning of June and we’d seen nothing but nonstop rain for days. It pattered against the bedroom window in a gentle rhythm, streaking down the glass. The overcast skies cast the room in a dim glow, making it hard for either of us to want to wake up and get out of bed. We were just too comfy, cuddled up next to each other, our legs intertwined beneath the sheets.
So we lounged in bed, and I reveled in Nevin’s beauty. His pale, flawless skin without a single freckle or pockmark. His high cheekbones and delicate jawline and slim neck. His flyaway white-blond curls that were mussed from sleep and sex the night before, and his heavy-lidded blue eyes as he smiled up at me.
“You’re so beautiful,” I uttered, pressing my lips to his in a sweet kiss. Nevin melted into me, his fingers curling into the hair at the nape of my neck. His leg twined between mine, as if he could pull himself closer, as if he could become a part of me. I gazed into his eyes. “Let’s stay in today.”
“Like we do most every day?” Nevin smiled teasingly and my heart took off fluttering.
“Yeah,” I replied, a little breathy. “It’s Sunday. We could watch TV all day and make snacks—oh, I think I have everything we need to make Chex Mix. I even got the expensive mixed nuts.”
His pale brows bounced up. “I don’t think I’ve ever had homemade Chex Mix before,” he admitted.
“Oh, baby,” I crooned, kissing him once more. “You’re missing out. This is Mom’s famous recipe, and it’s the best, hands-down. She used to make it every holiday season and we’d eat it so fast, she’d have to make a second batch before the pan ever cooled off. The joys of having four growing pups in the house, I guess.”
I laughed, but my smile faltered when I saw sadness shutter through Nevin’s eyes. Pups. Right. Determined to take his mind off my blunder, I ruffled his hair. “C’mon, help me make it.”
Tugging on his hand, I rolled out of bed and pulled on the pair of lightweight PJ pants laying on the end of the bed. It might’ve been rainy, but summer was upon us and the humidity in the house made me sweat like nobody’s business. I loved my usual flannel pajamas, but flannel didn’t fly between the months of May and September.
I dipped into the bathroom to take a leak and wash my hands while Nevin got dressed, then busied myself with gathering all the ingredients for the snack mix on the kitchen counter. Three different kinds of Chex, mixed nuts, pretzels, rye chips, seasonings—and my big-ass roasting pan, of course.
Nevin joined me a few minutes later. Neither of us bothered with breakfast; we made a pot of coffee and some toast, then started mixing together the Chex Mix. While it was in the oven, Nevin queued up some weird reality TV show and we lounged together on the couch to watch it. I got up every fifteen minutes to give the food a stir, to make sure nothing burnt and stuck to the bottom, but I always came right back.
When the timer on the oven beeped for the final time, Nevin followed me into the kitchen. He helped me spread out paper towels all over the table. I carefully scooped the Chex Mix out onto them and spread it out so that it could cool evenly.
But of course it being too hot didn’t deter us from picking at it. Nevin plucked a singular wheat Chex between two fingers and brought it to his lips, blowing on it for a moment. I watched his eyes brighten as he took that first bite of salty, seasoned crunchy goodness. “Oooh.”
“Right?” I chuckled. “Told you it was a winner.”
Once it had cooled enough that we could handle it safely, we filled a couple of bowls and retreated back to the living room. We spent the rest of the morning into late afternoon watching trash TV and eating Chex Mix and chatting about anything and everything.
Could life get any better?
As it turned out? Yes it could.
Sometime later, my phone went off, buzzing quietly across the coffee table. I’d put it on silent because I hadn’t wanted to be interrupted, but since we were honestly just chilling, I decided to check it. It was a text from Sevren.
Hey, K. You up for some company tonight? Klei is getting a bit stir-crazy and I want to meet your mate. Plus, we’ve got some news to share.
Uh-oh, I replied. Hopefully good news.
Very good news. What time works for you? We could pick up a few pizzas on our way over.
I relayed this information to Nevin, who seemed a little hesitant but agreed when I mentioned pizza. It seemed a way to a man’s heart was through his stomach, after all. At least, it was mine. Apparently, Nevin wasn’t too far off the mark himself. I grinned at the thought and texted Sevren back, and we agreed on a time.
At six o’clock, Sevren’s new orange hatchback came putting up the driveway. After Ofelia Rose was born, he’d traded in his trusty truck for a more family-friendly vehicle. He complained about it, but secretly, I think he loved it.
Like me, he’d spent a lot of years single and alone until Klei just happened to come into his life one blazing hot summer. It hadn’t mattered to Sev that Klei was already pregnant with another Alpha’s child; he’d adopted Ofelia Rose as his own when she was born, and he’d never looked back.
When I opened the door to let them in, Klei strutted in first, his long ginger hair pulled up in a messy bun. His arms were full of pizza boxes that he handed off to Nevin, before heading back out to the hatchback to help Sevren unload the baby.
A few minutes later, they both came strolling up the porch, baby carrier between them and a diaper bag slung over Sevren’s shoulder. He wore a grin so wide, it made my chest ache.
I glanced at Nevin. One day, that would be us. It didn’t matter if the baby wasn’t ours, just like Ofelia Rose wasn’t Sevren’s blood-daughter. It would still be family—pack—and that’s all that would ever matter. Nevin would get a child to raise and cuddle and love, and I would be one happy Alpha dad.
“Hey, guys. Long time, no see.” I greeted Sevren with a side hug, clapping him on the back. It was really good to see him again. “Sev, this is Nevin, my mate. Nev, this is Sevren, one of my best friends.”
“Nev and Sev,” Klei joked dryly. “That’s not gonna get annoying at all.”
“Be nice,” Sevren singsonged, before turning his attention to Nevin. He gave my boyfriend a once-over before smiling. He reached out and gently squeezed Nevin’s shoulder. “It’s so nice to finally put a face with a name. Kace has only waited forever for you to come along. I’m glad to meet you, Nevin.”
Nevin smiled shyly up at him. “It’s good to meet you, too.”
Klei unharnessed the baby from her carrier and then straightened up with Ofelia Rose in his arms. She cooed and reached for the strands of hair that had fallen down from his bun, but he was quick to intercept her grubby paw. He turned sharp blue eyes on Nevin, though I saw them soften when Nevin’s attention focused on the baby, his expression all but melting.
“I’m Klei, and this is Ofelia Rose.”
“She’s beautiful,” Nevin whispered. “You’re very lucky.”
This seemed to take Klei by surprise. He hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Would you like to hold her?”
Nevin quickly glanced up at me, as if asking permission. “Can I?”
“Go ahead,” I insisted, nudging him towards Klei.
Nevin bit his lip. “I… I’d love to hold her, if that’s alright?”
Klei surprised me by smiling. He wasn’t the quickest to warm up to strangers, I knew, but there must’ve been something about Nevin that warmed the ice around his heart, because he gently handed his daughter over to my Omega, guiding Nevin’s hands until the baby was cradled in his arms.
Nevin’s eyes were big and bright as he gazed down at Ofelia Rose, starstruck. She gurgled and cooed in that charming way that only babies could, and I watched as my mate turned into a puddle of goo. He stroked his thumb against her cheek, his expression so soft and sweet.
“Hi, kitten,” he breathed, then giggled when Ofelia Rose grabbed his finger. “You’re so precious.”
Klei cleared his throat. “Well, now that I’ve got both hands free—pizza? I’m starving!” He cocked his head, glancing at Nevin. “You don’t mind holding her for awhile, right?”
“Go right ahead. I’m just fine.”
We all sat down at the kitchen table and I busied myself with opening pizza boxes and doling out paper plates that I had stashed up in my cabinet. With gooey, cheesy slices of pepperoni pizza piled up in front of us, we began to chat between bites and hums of approval. Every so often, I’d look over at Nevin, but my mate was starstruck by Ofelia Rose.
He wanted to be a daddy so badly, it was clear as day. It made me ache.
“So,” Sevren drawled as we finished eating. “The news.”
I glanced up. “Yeah, the news. What’s up?” I wiped pizza grease off my face with a napkin and settled back in my seat.
Klei and Sevren exchanged a look. They both smiled. It didn’t take a genius to put two plus two together. They were expecting.
I gaped at them. “You’re not!”
“We are,” Klei said around a laugh. “Was a complete accident, but a happy one.”
“This one might just look like me,” Sevren joked. “I’m gonna be a dad—again.”
“But Ofelia Rose is so young!”
“That’s okay. We’re hoping that maybe they’ll grow up being best friends, being so close together in age,” Sev said. “I’m really excited, K. I missed out on so much with Ofelia Rose. Klei had to go through so much alone, but not this time.” He reached over and threaded his fingers through Klei’s atop the table where his mate’s hand sat. “This time, he’s got an Alpha at his side.”
“I’m happy for you both,” I told them, and I meant it.
“Congratulations,” Nevin added, though his voice was faint. Pained. God, I didn’t think about how much this conversation might hurt him. He stood and handed Ofelia Rose back to Klei, then ducked his head. “E-Excuse me, I need to use the restroom.” He spun on his heel and hurried off down the hall. A few moments later, the bathroom door clicked shut and I heard the exhaust fan flip on.
When I turned back to my friends, they both looked confused. I sighed. “Sorry about that. Nevin wants children so badly, but he’s barren. It’s the reason his old pack chased him off and left him for dead.” I rubbed a hand over my face, torn between giving Nevin space and going after my mate to make sure he was okay. “I’ll be right back,” I told them, then followed Nevin’s scent down the hall.
I knocked on the bathroom door, my knuckles rapping gentle. “Nev? Honey?”
“I-I’m fine.” He sniffled. “Just… Need a moment.”
“Sure you don’t need a hug?”
Silence greeted me, but I didn’t press him. A moment later, the fan turned off and Nevin opened the door. His cheeks were red, his eyes sad and a little teary. He looked up at me, then dropped his gaze. “I’m sorry for ruining the moment,” he mumbled.
“You didn’t ruin anything,” I promised him, holding out my arms. “Come here, baby. Let me love you.”
Tears slipped down his cheeks as he collided with my chest, and I wrapped him up in a hug so tight, I feared I might break him. His arms slung around me just as fiercely, and we stood there in the hallway, holding onto each other, gently swaying from side to side. I loved him so damn much. It hurt to see him so sad.
“We’re gonna get you a baby, Nev,” I promised him. “When the time comes, I promise, you’ll get to be a daddy—and you’ll be the best daddy ever.”
I gave him a squeeze and he let out a soft whimper, holding on tightly. I kissed the top of his head, over and over again, burying my face in his curls and breathing him in. He smelled sweet, like the shampoo he used this morning.
After a little while, he pulled away and took a deep breath, composed once more. “Okay,” he murmured. “I think I’m ready for pizza now.”
I smiled down at him, then took his chin between my thumb and forefinger. I tipped it up and placed a sweet kiss on his waiting lips, and watched as the sadness in his eyes was replaced by love. He leaned up on his tiptoes to kiss me again, then took me by the hand and led me back into the kitchen, where our friends were waiting.
One day, we’d adopt a baby and Nevin would be so damn happy. I’d make sure of that.