21. Lainey
“I’m going to throw up.”
Lucky’s head whips around so fast I’m concerned for the stability of his neck. “Actually?”
I shrug, because I’m really not sure. Could go either way at this point.
Rhys cups my chin in his hand and crashes his lips to mine for a deep, licking kiss that has me dripping slick into my scent blocking panties.
When we break apart, we’re both breathing heavily.
“Nauseous to horny in under a minute. That’s a new one.
” I mutter to myself. They’re all close enough to hear, but they offer me the dignity of not laughing at my insanity.
Ever since Rhys dropped the parental bomb on me last week, I’ve been a nervous wreck.
I’m almost eighteen weeks along now and my body is not trying to hide these babies.
My belly looks like I swallowed a small soccer ball already, and we aren’t even halfway through.
I dread to think what his parents will think of a pregnant omega only bonded to one member of this pack.
Especially since that member is not their son.
“What if they hate me or think I’m using you?” I blurt.
Four sets of eyes lock on me instantly. “That won’t happen.” Rhys assures me.
Lawson nods in agreement, but otherwise stays silent.
He’s been distant since my appointment last week, and I don’t know what to make of it.
Maybe he regrets bonding me now that he knows it’s two babies?
Like the alpha version of cold feet? His bond is almost always locked down, but I catch the occasional snippet of emotions and they’re never good ones.
Wyatt tucks a lock of hair behind my ear, smiling indulgently.
“The Rivers family are some of the nicest people I’ve ever met.
They met me one time after Rhys announced I was joining the pack and immediately took me in as their own.
Not a week has gone by without a text or call from Mama Jane checking in on me.
She’s going to take one look at you and try to steal you right out from under us. ”
My hands shake all throughout his speech, but not for the reason I thought they would. Rather than being nervous about meeting my scent matched alpha’s parents for the first time, now I’m petrified his mom is going to see what my mom does and hate me for it, too.
A loud knock precedes several cheerful dings of the doorbell, and my stomach drops through the floor. “I don’t know if I can do this!” I whisper hiss to Lucky. I am not sure why, but I feel like if anyone will understand my thought process in this moment, it’s him.
He tucks my hair back behind my ears, and having the heavy strands out of my face settles a tiny bit of the irritated panic racing through my veins. “Say the word and I’ll get you out of here, kitten. Even if I have to fake an alpha-emergency.”
My eyes cut to his, curiosity and begrudging amusement warring for the top spot in my emotional melting pot.
“What would constitute an ‘alpha emergency’?” I ask quietly, no shortage of suspicion in my tone.
Though I can’t deny he is once again proving to be a wonderful distraction from hard, scary things.
He’s like my emotional support Saint Bernard.
Not quite as sweet as a golden but just as playful and happy to be wherever their owner is.
And I think I might be this puppy’s owner.
He smirks, biting into that plush bottom lip.
“Oh, you know. Jealousy, insane possessiveness, a persistent ache to keep you from all harm, incurable erections. Take your pick, I’ve got it all.
” The words are delivered with humor but an undertone of vulnerability that assures me he is most certainly not joking.
Every day I spend with this man brings a new facet of him to light, each one more confusing and endearing than the last.
Gods help me, I think I’m starting to like him.
I gulp, unable to drag my gaze away from his distractingly perfect face.
At least until a boisterous female voice pops our bubble.
“Oh, my boy! Have you gotten taller? My word, what have you been eating down here? You’re rail thin.
” I hear several soft slaps, leading me to believe Rhys’s mom is patting his chest. “Don’t you worry, Mama will get you fed and you’ll be right as rain in no time. ”
Rhys sighs in exasperation, but it’s a different sound than he normally lets out around the guys. Almost affectionate. Which would make sense if his mom is as wonderful as all the guys say she is.
There’s masculine murmuring coming from the foyer, but I’m too distracted by the surprisingly tall woman barreling her way into the family room.
“My other boys! Oh my heavens, y’all have grown like weeds!
Alphas, I tell you. Y’all eat your parents out of house and home as teenagers to support your growth spurts and you just never stop growing. ”
Lucky, Wyatt, and even Lawson have formed a sort of protective barrier in front of me, so I can only see Mrs. Rivers by peeking through two very firm biceps.
I know the very nanosecond she notices me because her steps slow in front of Law as her hands rise to cover her gaping mouth.
The room is silent for several very awkward seconds before she clears her throat, cutting her gaze back to where Rhys stands in the entry.
His beefy, tattooed arms are crossed over his chest, but there’s a relaxed smile on his face.
“Ma, Pops, Daddy, this is Lainey.” He pauses to wink at me. “Our omega.”
The room is so quiet you could hear a pin drop before it explodes .
“What!”
“But when?”
“Why didn’t you tell us?”
“Rhys Remington Rivers, you are in so much trouble.”
The last statement, coming from his mother, is what finally breaks the tension.
A startled giggle escapes me, which makes the men in front of me laugh, which then in turn sets off everyone else.
I nudge Wyatt and Lucky apart so I can sneak through the gap between their bodies and put myself in front of Mrs. Rivers.
The moment I do, I catch her vanilla frosting scent and know where Rhys got his sweet scent from.
She’s definitely an omega, though I don’t recall ever meeting one so tall.
She has to be at least five-foot-nine and has every bit of her son’s coloring in both hair and skin.
Though where his eyes are a beautiful blue, hers are a startling green.
I clear my throat, holding out a hand. “Hi, I’m Lainey.”
She knocks my hand away with a scoff but before terror can adequately take hold, she hauls me into her embrace.
My body is stiff as a board, but I can’t seem to make myself relax enough to enjoy her motherly affection.
I can’t remember the last time my own mom hugged me, if she ever has.
I like to assume she wasn’t always a narcissist and terrible mother, but if there were any good years, my memory fails to produce them.
“I cannot tell you how happy I am to meet you, sweet pea. This is the best surprise!” She turns to her son, giving him a dirty look. “I cannot believe you withheld my daughter-in-law from me. If you were any younger I’d be sending you out back with the roosters, boy.”
Rhys’s dads’ chuckle, moving closer to their omega who still has me trapped in the surprisingly strong circle of her arms. The shorter of the two places a tentative hand on my shoulder.
“It’s lovely to meet you, Miss Lainey. My name is Bowen, and this is my pack mate, Tyler.
Our wife failed to introduce herself, but her name is June. ”
June scoffs, rocking me back and forth slowly. “You’ll call me Mama, just like all my babies do.” She pulls back, studying me carefully. “If you’re comfortable with that, of course.”
Rhys groans, stealing me away and into the safety of his broad chest. “Mama, chill. You’re gonna scare her away. We have enough going on without adding suffocation to it.”
She squints, trying to parse out the hidden meaning in her son’s words.
I sigh, because apparently none of the alphas are going to be the first to fess up about our current situation.
Smiling nervously, I flatten my sweater across my belly, pulling it taut so the ball I’m smuggling in there is perfectly obvious.
June gasps loudly, one hand clutching honest-to-god pearls , the other covering her mouth.
Tyler, who until now had been silent, hoots before slapping Rhys on his shoulder. “Well I’ll be! A new daughter and a grand baby all in one day.”
My teeth dig into my bottom lip. “Not quite,” I mutter.
Rhys bands an arm across my body, huge hand splayed on my belly. I can’t see his expression from my position in front of him, but I can hear the smug satisfaction in his voice when he tells his parents, “It’s twins.”
June bursts into tears, throwing her arms around me and her son and rocking us back and forth as much as she can when he’s several inches taller than her. “My baby is having babies! This is the best day of my life.”
Rhys laughs, wrapping his long arms around his mom, squishing me in the process. I have to say, I don’t hate it. “You have twelve children and two bonded mates, Mama.”
She nods, sniffling. “I said what I said.”
Bowen is smiling, but he looks a little more reserved than the other two. It makes me nervous. “Are y’all going to have a DNA test done?”
I feel Rhys stiffen behind me, and even June stills. “We don’t need to,” he says, voice low and more than a little irritated.
“I mean no offense. Honest.” Bowen holds his hands up in a placating gesture. “I only ask because it can be beneficial to know if any health concerns crop up down the line, or if there are questions of legality if you aren’t all bonded.”
Four growls echo through the room, but Rhys’s is the loudest. “That’s enough, Pops.
Not that it’s any of your business, but we don’t need a DNA test because the babies are biologically Lucky’s.
I don’t need to check with the rest of my pack to know it doesn’t matter.
These babies are ours and biology isn’t going to change that. ”
I feel something hit my chin and swipe at it only to find tears dripping down my face.
I didn’t even realize I was crying, but his words were something I needed to hear desperately.
I have been so worried that Wyatt, Lawson, and Rhys felt obligated to be with me because their pack mate is the father of our babies, so to hear him boldly claim them as his, in front of his parents?
It alleviates a fear that I have been trying to ignore.
Rhys sees my tears and sighs, swiping them away before turning back to his dad. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to get defensive.”
Bowen yanks Rhys into a hug, rocking him back and forth like he’s a child. When they pull apart, Bowen’s eyes are misty. “I was just like that every time your mama was pregnant. No apology necessary. It’s none of my business and even if it was I could have had a helluva lot more tact.”
June sniffs, crossing her arms and glaring at her alpha, who stares at her like a kicked puppy.
The rest of the afternoon passes by smoothly after that, but I can’t seem to focus enough to truly enjoy the Rivers company. The only thing penetrating my mind is I am in so much trouble.