25. Nevin
25
NEVIN
“Oww. Damn.” I leaned forward and placed my hands on my lower back, which throbbed with an otherworldly ache. Ugh. None of the Omegas in my pack ever told me that being pregnant hurt like this. My feet were swollen, my back was sore, and the baby used my insides like a trampoline at all hours of the night.
All I wanted to do was sit down, soak my feet, and take a nice long nap, but I was determined to finish cleaning the kitchen before Kace got home from running his errands.
Yeah, I was tired and achy, but my Alpha’s surprise and joy at coming home to a clean house was more important. Maybe it was the past rubbing off on me—keep my Alpha happy or else I’d lose him—but I knew, deep in my heart, that Kace would never judge me for that.
I was just finishing up when Kace’s truck came bouncing up the gravel drive. A few minutes later, he burst through the front door with a big smile on his face. He opened his mouth to say something, but froze when he saw the counters all spic-and-span, the oven meticulously polished, and the sink basins cleaned. He looked at me. Our eyes met. His crinkled at the corners as his smile grew even bigger.
“Aww, baby, you didn’t have to do all this!” he said. “I would’ve helped you when I got home.”
I ducked my head with a small shrug, but I couldn’t hide my own smile as I threw my arms around him in a big hug. Well, as big of a hug as I could muster with the baby getting in the way. I really was “growing like a weed” as Xan so eloquently put it.
“I wanted to,” I told him once I’d pulled back and could look up at him once more. “For you.”
“Yeah?” His brow raised, and for a moment, he looked kind of ornery. Like he had some sort of trick up his sleeve. It made my stomach do a somersault. “Well, I have a surprise for you. Come into the living room with me for a sec.”
And there it was. The reason for my nerves. A surprise? Didn’t Kace know I hated surprises?
I bit my lip and followed him, sitting down on the couch. Kace crouched down in front of me. He took my hands and gently placed them palms-up in my lap. “Okay. Hold your hands out like this, and close your eyes—and don’t open them until I say so. No peeking, or no sex for a week.”
I snorted a laugh at that. “Like you could keep your hands to yourself.”
He huffed. “Damn it. I mean it, though. Don’t peek. I want this to be a surprise.”
“But I hate surprises,” I whined, even as his footsteps faded away.
“You won’t hate this one,” he called back. “I promise.”
I squirmed, but true to my word, I didn’t peek. I squeezed my eyes so tightly shut that I saw little stars and dots floating around the backs of my eyelids.
It wasn’t long before Kace’s footsteps drew near once more, and the scent of my Alpha’s warm spice was right in front of me. My heart kicked in my chest as the anticipation mounted. What did he get me that was so important?
Something warm and fuzzy was placed into my waiting hands. I squeaked softly, just as Kace murmured, “You can open your eyes now,” and I found myself gaping down at the tiniest, most precious little kitten I’d ever seen in my life. She was a fluff-ball of pure white, with misty gray points and a ribbon tied loosely around her neck that matched her big blue eyes.
“A kitten!” I gasped out. “Oh my god, Kace.”
“It’s been bugging me, ever since you told me about the barn cats you used to care for,” he admitted softly, stroking the kitten’s fur with one fingertip. Moments later, a soft rumbling came from the little creature as it began to purr, eating up the attention. “I’ve been meaning to adopt a pet since I fixed up the place anyhow, so why not now?”
“She’s beautiful,” I whispered. I picked up the kitten in both hands and drew her to my face, breathing in the smell of cedar on her fur. She even smelled like my Alpha. “I love her already.”
“Got a name for her?” he asked, which made me ponder, thinking over all the baby name books I’d scoured through in the past, all the while daydreaming about babies of my own. All those barn cats, the kittens every spring and summer. All the little ones I’d poured my heart and soul into.
Soon, I would be a father, for real.
After a moment, I placed a kiss on the kitten’s small head. “How about Bianca? It means pure.”
“Bianca. I love that,” Kace agreed, then leaned in and captured my lips in a tender kiss. “And I love you, Nevin.”
I sighed happily. “I will never get tired of hearing you say that.”