Chapter 71
Chapter
Seventy-One
Icouldn’t help my jaw dropping. Eva burst out laughing, but it didn’t seem like she was making a joke.
Just laughing at me. Pulling the wand out, she moved the gel around a little before putting pressure on my stomach to look.
With her hands, I couldn’t feel much, but with the wand, I felt the familiar feeling of pressure.
Not the same squish my body normally had.
She moved around a little, checking a few things before re-centering and dropping lower.
Turning the monitor towards me, she pointed to the screen. “That, right there, it baby number one.”
My eyes widened, and I watched the screen as she adjusted a little more.
“And that, right there, is baby number two.”
I didn’t realize I wasn’t breathing until Eva tapped my chest. Gulping in air, I blinked rapidly, trying to wrap my mind around what she was telling me. On the screen, the image moved until she could finally see both at the same time.
Two. Two beans. I had two beans growing inside me right now. Two more. I’d have to birth two more. Kayla wasn’t even nine months yet. Now, suddenly, we are going from a family of three to five? I could barely deal with just Kayla when she was born.
“Colton, you’re going to freak your mate out if you keep having that panic attack.”
“Yeah, but…Eva…two?”
She turned the monitor back to her, taking measurements. “Yes, Colt. Two. I mean, Marcus is a twin. It runs in his family.”
“Two, Eva! I was enormous with Kayla! Does that mean I’m going to be double the size?”
Eva chuckled. “While possible, it’s very unlucky. You will definitely be bigger though. Much bigger. Especially if these two are actually allowing you to feel hungry and eat.”
I covered my eyes with my arm. She continued to move around my body with the wand. After a few minutes, I pulled my arm away. Eva’s face showed she wasn’t happy. Or she was thinking something hard.
“Eva?”
She lifted the wand from my stomach and wiped me down with a paper towel. “I have a feeling you’re going to pop out soon. Like within the next week, soon. I’m going to get you set up with another weight and size journal. Just in case.”
“Eva, is everything all right?” The way she sounded was robotic, like she was regurgitating information she had said a thousand times.
Her jaw moved for a moment before she looked up at me. “What level of an Omega are you really, Colton?”
My mouth opened, but then shut. Eva watched me intently. Marcus had been strict, saying that outside of Tyson, Mike, and Sabrina, no one else could know my level. Eva was different, though. I wanted to trust her, but I didn’t know if Marcus would agree. He trusted her, just not to that degree.
“I can’t…Eva. Marcus said…”
“Then I can’t help you and you need to leave.”
Horror made me bolt upright. “Eva! No! Please!”
“Colt, I require trust. We are in this together. I was told you were an Omega-6, but you’re not, are you?”
My hands balled up into fists. Looking up at her, I understood her anger. She just needed to understand that we had done it to protect me, Kayla, and her. Slowly, I shook my head.
“You’re a leadership Omega.”
It wasn’t a question, but I nodded anyway.
“Colton. This is important. Your level dictates how much danger your pups are in. One of them is measuring an Alpha, but the other…”
“Is an Omega?” The words left my mouth in a rush.
Eva nodded. I looked down at my hands. Marcus and I knew it was a possibility. There was always a fifty-fifty chance since we were at the same level. I just didn’t think it would be this soon. Or that fifty-fifty meant carrying one alpha and one omega.
“If you are lower leadership, it’s less likely that an Omega pup grows to term. It’s much more of a risk. To them and to you.”
My heart caught in my throat. “I’m not…I don’t…”
“What level are you?”
Closing my eyes, I shook my head. “Marcus actually commanded his dad not to even think it. If he found out…I trust you…” I looked up at her, my vision blurring. “…but I don’t want to put you in danger.”
She sucked in a breath. “You’re like Marcus, aren’t you?”
I didn’t answer her. All I did was bury my head in my hands. Eva’s scent wrapped around me before her arms did. She leaned her cheek on the top of my head.
“I’m sorry, Colt. I didn’t mean to be angry. It was shocking, and I was worried for you and your pup.”
Nodding, I wrapped my arms around her. “I don’t want anyone hurt because of me. Because of something I can’t control.”
“I will not ask anything else. I’ll just prepare to make sure we monitor that little one.”
I burned my face in her chest. “What am I going to do? I know Marcus will be happy, but…this is really soon and…”
“And you need to watch with your own eyes the head getting torn off that bastard? I understand. The best thing to do is just talk about it. Tell him why. Tell him what it means to you. Ask for a compromise. Mike, Sabrina, Laila, Peter, even me. We would all be happy to step in and be your personal guard. Meet him to where he understands you’re not throwing yourself into danger without thinking about it.
Not that he will bend, but at least you tried. ”
“I think…I can do that.”
She smiled, leaning back and wiping a tear from my eye. “Now, let me ask you this. Did you eat before you came over?”
I shook my head.
“Gods, Colt. What am I going to do with you? Come on. I’ll make you a full breakfast like my mother used to do for me.”
Getting up, I nodded. “Thank you, Eva.”
“No. Thank you, Colt. You’re keeping me young and employed with your repopulating of the world.”
I groaned. “I just wanted some time to get out of diapers.”
“I doubt you will ever get that, Colt. Not while Marcus lives and breathes.”
Eva was not wrong. I stood in the mirror, looking at myself.
Already, I was noticing my body filling out more.
My face, my hips, my front. All of me was packing on weight.
Turning to the side, the bump that had been nothing more than a slight curve a week ago now popped out completely.
When I was this big with Kayla, I was twenty-ish weeks. Not fifteen.
I needed to talk to Marcus before he realized himself that was getting fatter by the day. Pulling one of his shirts over my head, I stared at my pants. Yesterday, they had fit. Today, I wasn’t so sure.
Taking a breath, I slowly pulled them on. They were tight, but I got them up. The struggle came when I tried to get them over my butt. Turning around, I gawked. My butt was so much larger today, and it made me wonder if most of the food I’d been eating was just going there.
Yanking on my jeans, I found they were refusing to get over my butt.
When they finally did, there was no hope.
The zipper wouldn’t even budge. It peeled open under the curve, mocking me that if I kept them on, it might actually break the zipper.
Rubbing my bump, I let out an exasperated sigh.
I couldn’t even pretend to loop these together.
Pulling them off, I walked into the empty bedroom and grabbed another pair from the closet.
These, at least, I didn’t struggle to get up.
I could zip them up, but the button wouldn’t even touch the other side, let alone get near the hole.
Using the tried-and-true method of looping a hairband through the buttonhole, I let Marcus’ shirt fall down to my thighs. No one would notice. Not yet.
Heading downstairs, I smiled as I walked in on Candice cooking. I kissed her cheek before going to the fridge and pulling out the orange juice.
“Morning.”
“Good morning, sweetheart. How did you sleep?”
I shrugged, pouring myself a glass. “I knew when Marcus left and didn’t really fall back asleep.”
“They were trying to be quiet.”
“I know. It’s fine.”
Marcus, Peter, Tyson, Keith, Mason, Ellen, Audrey, and Kayla were all going to the city for a mall trip for the day.
It was the first time Marcus was truly on his own with Kayla and I was excited for him.
I knew he struggled sometimes, feeling like he had missed out in the beginning.
Giving him the chance to have some real time with her made me happy.
“Are you hungry?”
“Starving, actually.”
Candice turned around, her eyebrow raised. “You know, you’ve been eating actual portions lately. Are you…?”
Before she could say it, I put my finger to my lips. So much for no one figuring it out. She squealed, coming over and pulling me into a hug. When I hugged her back, she gasped and pulled back. Putting a hand on my stomach, her jaw dropped.
“How far along?”
“Almost sixteen weeks.”
Her eyes widened. “You are a bit on the…?”
I held up two fingers, and she squealed even louder. Laughing, she squeezed me tight again. Turning back to her pan, Candice smiled brightly.
“If you are starving, I will feed you. We will not let what happened before happen again.”
Sure enough, she made enough for me to polish off three plates. I felt stuffed, but I also stopped myself because I could have absolutely eaten more. Groaning, I rubbed my face.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do. It’s like I can’t stop eating. Or wanting food. It was bad before when I didn’t know. Now, I feel like it’s just ramped up more.”
Candice chuckled, handing me a mug of tea to help curb my hunger. “It happens. With Beau, I wanted to eat everything in sight. Peter was tough because I had so many food aversions it was hard to find something I liked.”
“Mar and Keith?”
“Weird cravings. Not too much with an appetite, but I craved the weirdest combinations. I think I scared Ty a bit after a while.”
I chuckled, sipping my tea. The side door opened and at this time, I expect either Beau or Laila. What I wasn’t expecting was Sabrina followed by Mike. My mouth dropped open as I took them in.
“What? What are you guys doing here?”
Sabrina kissed Candice on the cheek before giving me a kiss on the head. “To visit, silly. Why else would we be here?”
Mike gave Candice a side hug before ruffling my hair and making a mess of it. “I thought you would be happy we came.”
“I am! I am just surprised!” I smiled, getting up and clearing the island of all the dishes. “I’m really glad you’re here. Especially since Mar and Kayla are out for the day.”
“We figured.” Mike chuckled. “Rin wasn’t happy, but Kayla will be back later.”
Turning on the water, I rinsed my dishes. “Are you staying the night?”
“Yeah. Just one, though.”
I’d take whatever time they gave me. It always felt better with them around.
We had been attached at the hip for so long, and now it felt weird without them.
I’d told them they could build a house in the lair and they said they would think about it.
They wanted to be close, but I knew Sabrina needed to finish school before that happened.
“Hold on. Colt, what is this?”
I had no warning. Sabrina came up behind me, pulled the back of my shirt up and slapped my ass so hard I yelped.
She didn’t stop there. Her hand grabbed my cheek and squeezed before lifting and letting it go to drop.
Mortified, I leaned over the sink, my face red, as it jiggled.
Candice snorted as I curled up in shame.
“Rin…what the hell…?”
“No! When did this dump truck of an ass happen? You said you were back to your normal weight, but that was never part of your normal weight. The girls would kill for an ass like this. What the hell, Colt? Where have you been hiding this?”
As if to emphasize her point, she lifted my shirt again and slapped it in such a way that made it giggle even more. Sinking to the floor, I curled up, mortified.
“My god. That jiggle. Colt, that is not fair. Especially how good it looks in these jeans.”
My mumble was barely audible. “Why do you do this to me? I thought you loved me.”
Sabrina threw her head back and laughed. “I do love you! And dat ass! My god. Tell me your secret! How do I grow such a perfectly fat ass like that?”
I wanted to sink into the floor and die. Mike finally stepped in and pulled Sabrina back. He couldn’t hide the humor in his voice, though.
“Mate, relax. You’re going to make our Omega cry.”
Slowly, I got back up and turned around, pressing my butt into the cabinets. Trying to shield my butt from Sabrina. Both of their eyes were too bright, finding this far too amusing. Even Candice was silently laughing in the corner.
“Why are you so mean?”
“Oh, Colt. I’m not being mean. I really do love you.” Sabrina stepped forward, kissing my forehead.
I thought that would be the end, but I should have known better with Sabrina. She didn’t step back. Instead, her hands moved so fast, I wasn’t able to even blink before she grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled it up.
“Are there matching love han…dles…?”
She froze, my shirt now pulled up almost all the way. Her eyes were like saucers, as were Mike’s. He stood up straight. Slamming my arms down on my shirt, I managed to get her to let go, and it fell back into place. That was enough to break her out of her shock.
“Colton Reinhardt! Are you pregnant?”