Chapter 12
MISHA
“Remind me why I wanted this again.” My pregnancy was already almost half over, and while I’d been lucky and hadn’t been too sick or too uncomfortable, I was not loving the fact that it was getting harder and harder to see my feet or that I’d recently had to give up pants with a button.
I was also pretty damn mad that Dr. Abernathy had recommended Tucker and I stick to nonpenetrative sex during the first part of my pregnancy—at least until we knew how many kits I was carrying—so I’d been surviving on blow jobs and frotting to get off.
Not that Tucker didn’t do amazing things with his mouth and his pierced tongue, because good God could my mate give head, but I was desperate to feel him inside me, and the fact that that was off the table was making me cranky.
“You’re beautiful, my love.” Tucker rubbed a tattooed hand over my baby bump then bent to press a kiss to the stretched skin. “You’re glowing.”
I did not in fact feel like I was glowing. I felt like my mate’s normally prickly demeanor had rubbed off on me, and while I thought a scowl looked hot as hell on my alpha, I didn’t think it was my best look.
“I feel huge.” I rubbed a hand over my belly.
“You look gorgeous.” He grabbed my hand and tugged me closer, so he could whisper in my ear. “I want to fuck you so badly. It’s killing me.”
“Me too.” I was whining, and I knew it, but I was horny as hell, and now I was hard, though I couldn’t see my dick past my bump.
“Hopefully after your appointment today we’ll get the all clear from Dr. Abernathy.”
I let my head thunk against Tucker’s shoulder. “And what if we don’t?”
“Then we’ll come home and I’ll suck your pretty cock until you beg me to stop.”
A moan slid past my lips. “You can’t say stuff like that to me right now. Not when I can only wear sweatpants and I can’t tell how obscenely I’m tenting them.”
“Do you need me to take care of you now, baby?” Tucker’s fingers slid under the waistband of my pants, teasing the sensitive skin at the top of my crease.
A quick glance at the clock on the nightstand showed that we were already running late, and I let out a frustrated groan. “We have to go or we are going to be late.”
Tucker’s hands slid lower, his callused fingers lighting up my nerve endings. “Are you sure we don’t have time?”
“I’m sure. God, do I wish we did, though.”
My mate removed his hands from my pants and pressed a kiss to my lips. “I promise I’ll take care of you when we get home.” He held out his hand. “Now let’s go look at our babies.”
Dr. Abernathy’s office was right in the middle of town, tucked onto a side street right behind the local bar, the Ice House.
As Tucker pulled into the small parking lot, I saw Magnus hauling a bag of trash out the back door of the bar, and Tucker and I both waved.
The huge walrus shifter tossed the trash bag into the dumpster and waved back, giving us both a wide smile before disappearing back inside the bar.
I loved living in Key West. Despite being a tourist destination, the locals were all close, especially those in the shifter community, and I felt more connected to the town than I had ever felt in my colony back in Alaska.
Every day I woke up in my new life made me more and more grateful I’d found some hidden store of defiance and bravery deep within myself and took the chance on leaving.
My life was truly better than anything I’d ever imagined I could have, and as Tucker rounded the car and opened my door for me, I dashed happy tears from my eyes.
“Misha, are you okay? Why are you crying? Are you hurt? In pain? Should I go get Archie?”
Grabbing Tucker’s hand, I smiled up at him. “Relax. I’m fine. These are happy tears. I’m so glad I moved here and found you and get to spend the rest of my life surrounded by people who care about us. This is the best life.”
Tucker helped me out of the car, his relief that I was okay evident through our bond. “I’m pretty damn happy about that too.”
We walked hand in hand into the clinic and were greeted at the front desk by Doreen Abbott, Miss Abbott’s sister.
“Misha, you look absolutely radiant. Pregnancy agrees with you, dear.”
“Thanks, Doreen. I don’t really feel radiant, but I’ll take your word for it.”
“You should. I never lie.” She gave me a wink. “Go ahead and take a seat, and I’ll let Archie know you’re here, hun.” Doreen stood from behind the desk and hustled down the hall toward Dr. Abernathy’s office.
Tucker took my hand again, rubbing his thumb over my knuckles. “Are you nervous?”
“No. I don’t think so. Are you?”
Tucker frowned, thinking. “I’m pretty sure I’m excited.”
“Me too.”
Doreen peeked her head around the corner. “Misha, Tucker, come on back.”
We followed her into one of the rooms, and she opened a cabinet and passed me a pastel blue hospital gown. “Go ahead and change into this. Opening in the front. You can keep your underwear on if it makes you feel more comfortable, but they might get a little wet from the ultrasound gel.”
“Thanks, Doreen.”
She nodded then slipped out into the hall, shutting the door behind her, and I started stripping out of my clothes, trying to ignore the hungry look in my mate’s eyes as I got naked and slipped into the robe. When I was clad in the shapeless hospital gown, I did a slow twirl. “Pretty sexy, huh?”
Tucker grabbed me and tugged me down onto his lap. “So damn sexy. Always.” He wound his fingers into my hair and kissed me long and hard until a knock at the door made us pull apart.
Dr. Abernathy stuck his head through the door, saw me sitting on Tucker’s lap, and smiled. “Did you need another minute to get ready?”
“No, we’re good. Ready to see our babies.” My mate squeezed my hand as I stood, then crossed the room to the low table near the ultrasound machine.
“Excellent.” The doctor stepped fully into the room and held out his hand for me to shake.
He did the same for Tucker. “Good to see you both. It’s a big day today.
” He sat in a low rolling chair and positioned himself in front of the machine, hitting a few keys and making sure everything was set, then he nodded to me, where I was perched on the edge of the exam table.
“Go ahead and lie down, Misha, and we’ll get started. ”
I settled back on the table, trying to ignore the loud crinkling of the paper beneath me as anticipation flowed through my veins. I felt the same sense of excitement coming from Tucker’s side of the bond, and it made my heart feel like it was going to burst out of my chest.
This was the second ultrasound I’d had, but since arctic hare kits are generally born pretty small, the only thing I’d been able to see were tiny fluttering heartbeats on the screen.
Dr. Abernathy had said I was carrying more than one kit for sure, but they had been too small to determine exactly how many at the previous appointment.
“Okay, a little warm gel, and we’ll see what we’ve got.” Dr. Abernathy gently parted the sides of my hospital gown and pulled a sheet up over my lower half, tucking it under my bump. He grabbed the bottle of ultrasound gel from the warmer and squirted some of the gel onto my stomach.
For a few minutes, he moved the probe over my belly, stopping every few inches and clicking on the screen.
I watched his dark copper hand holding the probe move over my skin, trying to stay calm while he said nothing.
Finally, he flipped a switch so the images he was seeing on his screen displayed on the TV hung on the wall.
“Everything looks great, Misha.”
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. “Good.”
Sensing I needed him close, Tucker scooted his chair closer to the exam table and took my hand.
“I’m seeing three kits.” He did something on the ultrasound machine that caused a circle to appear around one of the blobs on the screen.
“Here is baby one.” Another circle appeared.
“Baby two.” A third circle lit up the screen.
“And baby three. All appear healthy and all are measuring right around where I would expect them to be at this point in your pregnancy.” He pointed up at where we were looking to the second circle.
“This little one is measuring quite a bit larger than the other two, but that is not uncommon with multiples. I do want to keep an eye on it, though.”
Tucker squeezed my hand. “Should we be worried?”
Dr. Abernathy shook his head. “Not right now. We’re going to keep an eye on things and make sure all three babies are growing at a steady rate. If there is a reason to be concerned, I’ll let you know. For now, I’m pleased with what I see.”
Tucker gave my hand another squeeze. “Thanks, Archie.”
Dr. Abernathy beamed, the skin around his dark eyes crinkling.
“My pleasure.” He grabbed a white towel and used it to clean the gel off my stomach, leaving another fresh towel on the exam table next to me.
“I’ll let you get dressed, but on your way out, schedule a follow-up appointment for two weeks. I’ll let Doreen know.”
“Sounds good.”
Dr. Abernathy stood and started toward the door, but I stopped him before he could open it.
“Am I allowed to have sex now?”
The doctor paused and turned to look at me, shaking his head, and I tried not to feel disappointed.
“I’m so sorry. I should have asked if you had any other questions.
My mistake and my apologies. It’s certainly not an excuse, but it has been a long day.
” He thought for a second, then nodded. “I don’t see why that would be a problem.
Nothing too aggressive, but I don’t think there is an issue with penetrative sex at this time.
If you experience any pain or bleeding during or after, I want to know about it. ”
I nodded.
Dr. Abernathy smiled, then gave me a serious look. “This is conditional. If I see anything concerning at the next appointment, I reserve the right to revoke this approval.”
“Understood.”
Tucker spoke up. “I promise we’ll be careful.”
“I know you will be. Things can be a bit precarious with multiples, and I’d rather err on the side of caution.”
“We appreciate that.” Tucker’s tone matched the doctor’s in seriousness, and I had a feeling it was going to take a little bit of convincing to get my mate to fuck me like I wanted him to. Good thing I already had a plan.
Dr. Abernathy left the room, and Tucker helped me stand up and wipe the last of the gel off my stomach before I pulled on my clothes.
“Three babies.” Tucker’s whispered tone was reverent and maybe a little shocked.
“That’s a small litter for arctic hare shifters. Most often we have five or six kits at a time. I’m from a litter of seven, though one of my sisters died when she was very young, before her first human shift.”
Tucker frowned, the tiny crease between his brows deepening with the scowl I loved so much. I couldn’t help it. I pushed up onto my tiptoes and kissed the little line until his arms wrapped around me.
“Are you disappointed we’re only having three babies? Multiples are super rare for porcupine shifters and big families aren’t really a thing for us.”
I shook my head before he finished speaking and grabbed one of his inked hands in mine. “I’m so happy to be having your babies that I would be overjoyed if we were only having one kit. The only thing that matters is that they are ours.”
Tucker’s scowl disappeared. “God, I love you.”
“I love you too, baby.” I rested a hand on my bump. “And you too, babies.”
My mate pulled me into a quick kiss before we finally left the room.
Doreen was waiting for us at the reception desk.
“Archie said he wants to see you back for another quick scan in two weeks. What dates and times look good for you?” We hashed out the schedule and got the next appointment on the books, and Tucker and I were just about to leave when Doreen stopped us.
“Misha, I almost forgot. Peggy said the items you ordered arrived yesterday. She was going to call you, but I said I’d be seeing you today and would relay the message. ”
“Awesome! I’m really excited to try out the new recipe I’ve been thinking about. Tell Miss Abbott I’ll be by to work in the garage tomorrow.”
“Will do. Take care, dear. Can’t wait to see what you’re planning to mix up.
Your lemon and beeswax hand salve is my favorite.
” She held up her hands. “Keeps my hands from drying out without making them feel greasy.” She held up one of the tins I used for the salve and popped it open.
“Damn. I’m almost out. Going to need to stock up at the farmer’s market. ”
“I’ll set some aside for you.”
“You’re such a sweetheart. I’ll see you next weekend.” She gave us a final wave, and Tucker and I walked back to his car.
“What did you have delivered to Miss Abbott’s?” Tucker asked when we were on our way home.
“I needed more shea butter and the good coconut oil so I can restock the tattoo balm, and I also ordered some ginger essential oil and cocoa butter for a new recipe I want to try out for stretch marks.”
“I bet that’s going to smell amazing.”
I beamed. “I hope so, plus I’m hoping the ginger will be calming for anyone who struggles with nausea, whether from pregnancy or not.”
“Do you need help with anything? I can rearrange my clients for tomorrow if you want me to come with you to your secret lab.”
It always made me giggle when Tucker referred to Miss Abbott’s garage, where I mixed all my lotions, salves, and balms, as my secret lab. “It’s not so much a secret since everyone knows where I work, and no, I don’t need you to come with me.”
“Misha, I don’t want you doing too much. Some of your supplies are heavy.”
I waved a hand. I loved my mate, but he was a little overprotective. “I can handle it. Plus, I’m not working at the bakery for the rest of the week, so I won’t be doing both jobs. It’s going to be fine.”
“Misha…”
I crossed my arms and glared at him, not that he saw it because he kept his eyes focused on the road, but I knew he could feel it through our bond. “Tucker…”
“I just worry.”
I knew he did, and I loved that he cared so much about me and our babies. I wrapped my hand over his on the gear shift. “I know you do, but you’ve always trusted me to know my own mind and my own limits, so trust that I won’t push myself too hard or do too much, okay?”
Tucker sighed. “Okay.”
“Good.” I gave his hand a squeeze. “Now, what am I going to have to do to convince you to fuck me later?”