Chapter Forty-Four
Carlos
“Five more minutes,” I mumbled and rolled over, hitting a piece of muscular chest.
Muscular chest? My eyes opened sleepily. Hale laid in bed with me, taking up most of it, by sleeping almost sideways.
I glanced at the clock. Ugh. I should be getting up soon. My phone rang. Did I even? I glanced at it. Mamá.
Shit. I answered it in my sweetest voice. “Good morning, Mamá.”
“Don’t good morning me. What did you do, Carlos Rogelio Rodriguez?” she asked in a firmly exasperated voice.
“I didn’t do anything, it’s good news,” I replied in Spanish.
“And that’s why you used your fake cheerful voice? You only do that when you think I’m going to be mad,” she replied. “I love you, but what did you do?”
“Okay, I took two dozen tamales, not one,” I confessed.
“Mijo.” She sighed. “Those were for someone.”
“I know. But there were five of us. We ate them all, they were so good,” I told her.
“I see. It’s okay. What else, because I know you didn’t use your fake cheerful voice for tamales,” she added.
Wow. It was like she knew me.
With a sigh, I got out of bed so I wouldn’t wake Hale.
“I accidentally bonded with two people. I care for them a lot and we’re forming a pack with two others,” I explained as I left my room.
“You accidentally bonded two people? Is everyone okay?” Her voice grew concerned.
“Everyone’s fine. I knew everyone. I didn’t bond random people at a rave. Dusty’s part of the pack,” I said, going downstairs to the kitchen.
“You bonded with Dusty. That makes so much sense. Why didn’t you just say that, instead of making me worry?” she scolded.
“I actually didn’t bond with Dusty, but he is part of the pack,” I quickly explained what happened as I went to make coffee.
“You’ve been seeing people? I was wondering. Especially since you wanted to take tamales to a rave,” she said.
“Hale’s an alpha. Fiona’s an omega, I’m mated to her and him. Then there’s Saoirse, who’s a delta, and Dusty–they’re mated, so are Saoirse and Fiona.”
She sighed. “I see.”
“I’ve been seeing Fiona since this summer.
I just hadn’t been ready to introduce her to anyone yet.
You’re really going to like them. We went over to Dusty’s moms’ last night.
Right now I have a game.” I stared at the fancy coffee pot.
Could I work this coffee pot before actually having coffee? I wasn’t sure.
“Game? It’s New Year’s Day? Though Jorge has a game today I think.”
“He does, against the Tsunamis. Mine is the charity game, where my team is playing Dusty’s outside of Roganfort center.” Okay. I think I had it? Please don’t let me break the new coffee pot.
“Oh, yes. If Gwen’s going to be there, you can take a couple of tamales out of the freezer and warm them up for her. I wouldn’t want her to go hungry.” She very much enjoyed feeding Gwen, who, being a student until recently, didn’t always have all the food and money she needed.
“Oh! Right! Great news. Gwen got a hockey contract for Christmas. She’s with the Tigres,” I explained. The coffee pot started to make coffee pot sounds. Good.
“She did? I’ll have to text her and let her know I’m proud of her.” My mom sounded happy.
“Gwen would really like that. How’s the cruise?” I took down a mug. Our mugs, the ones I had gotten us with our names on them, were all there.
Oh, the dishes Fiona had bought kinda coordinated.
Amazing.
“I’m having a wonderful time. Did Anita tell you about her house?” Her voice became tentative.
“Yes, she did. I’ll support you in whatever you want, Mamá–and your choices won’t hurt feelings,” I added.
“Thank you. I’m trying to figure out what I want,” she admitted. “You have a pack now. I suppose you will be moving to Anita’s floor? That will be nice.”
“About that…” I started, taking another sip of coffee. “Before I knew that Anita bought a house, I bought a townhouse on impulse. It’s down the street from Dimitri’s and closer to the training center. Now that seems like a good purchase, because there’s room for all five of us.”
“You bought a place?” Surprise laced her voice.
“Something about it spoke to me. I literally closed as you left. I didn’t tell anyone in case it fell through at the last minute." Kinda.
“Good for you! I suppose what you said to me is true for you. I know you like to take care of the family, but you don’t have to do it from the sixth floor,” she assured.
A load lifted from my shoulders. “I know Dad would want me to take care of you.”
“You do. He would also want you to live your life. He would be proud of you,” she added.
“He would?” I’m pretty sure he would, but it was nice to hear. My father had been a huge supporter of me playing hockey, to the point where he would work extra shifts to help afford all the things that came with it.
I made money through my acting and often offered to use it.
That had originally been why I accepted my first job–I wanted a new, fancy hockey stick.
He made me put nearly everything I made from acting away in a protected account for my future.
It was that account that helped buy the apartment building.
Hopefully he’d think that that was a good use of it.
Sadly, he never got to see me play a game for the Knights, but he did attend some Bantams games.
“You have a good time at your game. Take care of that pack of yours. Don’t let everything fall to Dusty. I look forward to meeting everyone,” she said. “Te amo.”
“Love you, too, Mamá.” I ended the call. Finishing my coffee, I went back upstairs for a quick shower. Hale kept sleeping peacefully.
Afterwards, I went downstairs to have another cup of coffee and start breakfast. What should I make? There wasn’t much time and I should have some protein.
My eyes fell on the tortillas. The homemade ones from yesterday that Dusty’s moms gave us.
Yes. I’d make breakfast burritos and then Dusty and I could take ours to go. I got out the bacon and the eggs, and everything else I needed, then started cooking.
A few minutes later, I smelled peppermint and heard footsteps. Fiona, wearing only a T-shirt and panties, came into the kitchen.
She buried her face in my side, a little sadness in the bond. I wrapped an arm around her as I cooked with the other. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m apparently not pregnant.” She sniffed. “Not that I expected to be, but there is something a little disappointing about it.”
I gave her a kiss as I turned the bacon. “It’s all right. We have plenty of time to have all the babies.”
Huh. I actually hadn’t even thought about that possibility. Yes, I supposed omega heats would be when an omega could get pregnant.
“Do you have cramps or does your tummy hurt? I can make you some tea?” I replied.
“You can give me all the cuddles, a heating pad, and some candy later. Right now, I just want a cup of coffee and whatever you’re making.” She stole a piece of bacon right out of the pan.
“I can do that. You look tired. But respect for how many hours you and Saoirse went at it. I’m surprised you’re even able to get out of bed,” I teased.
“Oh, that’s completely normal for us. Half the time we’re just making out.” She got herself a cup of coffee.
I put the bacon on a paper towel-covered plate and started scrambling eggs.
“Oh no, I had matching jammies for me and you to wear last night.” Sadness went through her scent and the bond.
“We could wear them tonight. Maybe you can come to my room?” I waggled my eyebrows at her.
“It felt like you had plenty of fun without me.” She smirked and sat at the breakfast bar.
Anxiousness twisted inside me. “Is that okay? Hale and I being with each other without you?”
“Of course it is, Pumpkin. What are you making?” She took a sip of coffee.
“Breakfast burritos, so Dusty and I can eat them on the subway. We have to be there soon. You have time. There’s plenty of parking at Roganfort Center.
It’s literally the parking lot we picked you up in when we were street racing.
You have to pay, but I can send you money for it.
” I kept scrambling the eggs so they didn’t burn.
“It’s fine. Do we need tickets?” she asked.
“I transferred them to you when I transferred the other tickets.” I told her, feeling proud that I was on top of it.
“That’s perfect.” She came over and gave me a kiss
“Oooh, I want one.” Hale came in wearing only a pair of shorts.
Fiona gave him a kiss.
“We have to leave soon, right?” He grabbed Fiona’s cup and took a sip.
“Yeah. You’re going to want to dress warm, because it looks like it’s snowing lightly.” I took the eggs off the heat.
“Would it be cancelled?” Fiona took her cup back from Hale.
“No. The ticket money all goes to charity. The exact percentage depends on who wins, though both charities will get money. My team is playing for the Squire Foundation–the team’s youth program.” I started assembling the breakfast burritos.
Dusty came out with his hockey stuff.
“Where did that come from?” I blinked. The Knights equipment managers would bring all our gear.
“Yesterday morning, before your game, my team had practice. So, I got my shit from my place,” he replied.
Oh. That would make sense that his team would practice before the game.
He grabbed a mug and got some coffee.
“I made breakfast burritos so we can eat on the go.” I handed him one.
“Thank you, not-husband.” He gave me a kiss on my temple.
“I really like this not-husband thing, it’s pretty funny,” Fiona said.
Saoirse came in, wearing some kind of elegant looking house dress and slippers with embroidery on them. She went straight to the front door, opened it, took something and closed it.
“Did you order delivery?” Dusty gulped down his coffee.
“No, the security camera showed somebody dropping this off.” She held up a package.
We had security cameras?
“Oooh. It’s our shirts, but they don’t have the nicknames on them. I asked my cousin, who works at my brother-in-law’s print shop, to make them for us real quick, so that we’d have them for today.” I stopped making burritos, grabbed the package, and opened it.
Inside were five Pack Himbo shirts and I handed them out.
“Thank you.” Hale gave me a kiss as he put his on.
“These are great,” Fiona added
“Nobody will see them with our jackets on,” Saoirse pointed out.
“You’re right. But everyone will see them at brunch.” My timer went off.
I quickly finished making the burritos and put them on the counter.
“Here’s breakfast. I’ve gotta go, but I’ll see you at the game?” I gave Hale and Fiona kisses and grabbed a breakfast burrito.
Time to go make some kids very happy.