Chapter Eighteen
Jude
“Happy anniversary!” Ripley walked in with a bouquet of flowers. The first bouquet of the spring with pink and white tulips. It was gorgeous. Flowers of spring always were.
I panicked inside, my chest seizing up. Had I forgotten something? How could I forget an anniversary, I reminded myself. We hadn’t even been together a year.
“Anniversary?” I asked, shutting the oven door on our dinner. My mate loved my lasagna, and the afternoon would be busy with the order for a baby shower due the next day.
“Yes. Four months.” He stalked over, handed me the flowers, and kissed my forehead. Ripley had changed since our mating, mostly since opening up about his brother. He didn’t hate Christmas so much anymore, and I hoped that what I had to tell him didn’t make him clam up again.
“Are you going to do this every month?” I asked, laughing as he nuzzled his beard against my neck.
“No. I didn’t even plan this one, but I saw these flowers. They’re happy and beautiful, just like you.”
Ripley was everything I’d wanted in an alpha.
“Hey, I want to talk to you about something. Let me put these in water and then we can sit down,” I said.
My poor mate. His smile faltered at my words. He trusted in our relationship, but he was also learning to trust that good things could happen in his life again.
Perhaps this would help.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Impatient. It’s good news. At least, I hope you think so.”
He let out a long sigh, but the tension and nervousness came through our bond. “Come sit, omega. You’re making me twitchy.”
I walked over to the living room and sat on the couch next to him after kissing him deeply. “I’m nervous too. You know I’ve been feeling off lately.”
He nodded. “You threw up again this morning?” Ripley had been out doing some work on the gardens when I woke.
“I did. And it got me thinking. I’ve been drained of energy a bit and feeling some butterflies in my stomach, so, yesterday, while I was in town, I bought a pregnancy test.”
With eyes wide, my mate scooted closer to me on the couch, taking my hands in his. “You took it? Tell me, Jude. You’re killing me.”
“I’m carrying our baby, Ripley.”
His breaths grew shallow. “You’re sure?”
“Five pregnancy tests. Five. All positive. We’re having a baby.”
One moment, I was on the couch and the next, I was gathered up and cuddled in my mate’s lap. “Jude, my love. You’ve made me happier than I ever thought possible.” He peppered kisses all along my jawline, making me chuckle.
“I thought it would be too soon for you.”
He shrugged. “You are my true mate, the one I’ve been waiting for. Of course I want children with you. I hope they all have your cute nose and sunshine personality.”
I pouted. “I was hoping for a little rowdy Ripley.”
“Doesn’t matter. Does it? Our pup is going to be beautiful. Thank you for telling me. I was worried something else was wrong with you. I intended to talk to you today about going to the healer. You’ve not been yourself lately. I found my thoughts revolving around catastrophe.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”