Chapter 32: : Chapter 31

What I’m not prepared for at ten minutes to nine in the morning?

My mother to arrive at our door with Easton and the very pouty omega from yesterday in tow. Sky runs out, giving everyone a cursory sniff, but I’m still baffled.

How the hell did they even run into each other?

What is that woman’s name?

Did he truly kidnap her?

Not that I’m judging. I’d do the same with Chelsea, if it came down to it.

“Kase?” Mom’s head tilts. “Are you going to invite us in?”

Dammit.

Chelsea and Arden are still enjoying a morning quickie, and my damn dick thinks he was invited to the party. The bond is incredible, but the spillover is inconvenient.

“Yeah, come in.” I wave, trying to find some way to alert Lincoln through the bond that we have guests. Who knows if it works.

My mom scurries past, aiming straight for the kitchen with her arms loaded down with bags.

“Briar, this is Kase. Kase, meet my assistant, Briar. She’s not happy to be traveling, but I assured her it was for a good cause.” Easton smiles cuttingly and shoves his armful of bags at my chest. “Your girlfriend’s house had no groceries. That means you assholes get to feed us breakfast.”

I’m still confused why he’s so interested in the Manzos to begin with, but I take the offered bags.

“Call us when it’s ready or bring us over some plates,” Easton says, grabbing Briar’s arm. “We’re headed back to that death trap of a house. Any idea when the heat will be on?”

“Friday,” I say, even though it might be Monday.

“Tomorrow,” he clarifies.

My head tilts. I guess so. Maybe? I shrug. This week has been a blur.

“By the way, you should thank your mom. I’ve never seen someone fail the psych exam quite so thoroughly. There was no way I was going to hire your ass, but then I spoke to your mother, and she’s a lovely woman.” That dangerous smile comes back. “She vouched for you, so I gave you a shot. Never regretted, either. We’ll touch base later.”

She never mentioned that. It would have royally sucked if Lincoln was hired and Shadow Security passed on me, but I would have dealt. I still don’t understand how I fucked that test up so badly. I put in extra effort trying to anticipate the answers they wanted to hear after being passed over at three other companies.

Easton gives a nod and proceeds to drag the poor woman toward the stairs. “Now, Briar, let’s have a quick chat about what will happen if you try to run again. Or do anything quite as reckless as involving strangers in your escape plans.”

I whistle for Sky and shut the door.

That might be a problem, but it’s not my problem, and that’s good enough for me.

I get Mom settled in the kitchen and track down Lincoln to keep her busy while I break the news to my omega that my mom has almost as many boundary issues as I do.

God.

Am I sweating?

I’m actually sweating.

It’s the goddamn middle of winter, and my armpits are damp. Swiping a hand over my forehead as I jog up the back stairs, I realize my forehead is sweaty too.

Fuck me.

I hope Chelsea likes my mom. She’s very easy to like, and she’s been waiting for grandkids since I hit my twenties. My sister is ambivalent, at best, when it comes to children, so Mom has always known that would be on me and Linc.

Well, mostly on Lincoln, because I never felt confident I’d take the step to be physically intimate with anyone. But I also never made a point of sharing that information with her.

I do have some boundaries.

I’m happy I took the plunge with Chelsea. I’m even more grateful that she hasn’t made a big deal about me being an almost thirty-year-old virgin.

Although, I feel like it should be a bonus.

She’s my one and only.

That’s romantic, right?

Oh, fuck, I think I might be on the verge of having a panic attack.

I make it to the top of the stairs and head down the hallway, only the door to the pack bedroom pops open.

Chelsea comes out with Arden right behind her. She’s rocking wet hair, like they showered together and a pretty black dress with a blue bow over the crest of her stomach just below her breasts.

Her head tilts, and she smiles as she approaches. “Are you okay?”

I nod, pulling her to me with a hand on her ass.

“You’re beautiful.” My head dips, and our lips meet in a slow, thorough kiss. She finally pulls back to breathe, and I try to smile, but I know my anxiety spills into the bond. “My mom is here. She brought gifts, and she’s making breakfast as we speak.”

“Aww.” The little omega stretches up on her tiptoes to cuddle her cheek to mine. “Is that what has you all in a panic?”

“Yeah,” I admit, exhaling heavily.

“Is your mom anything like you?” She settles back on her feet, smiling up at me so deeply, she gets dimples in her cheeks.

“Yeah, but I’m sorry I didn’t warn you. I told her last night that we bonded, but I wasn’t expecting her to pop in with no warning.”

“It’s no problem. It reminds me of something my mom would have done. You know, it’s a gift that you even have a mom who cares enough to stop by.” She wraps her arm around my lower back. “I’d like to meet her, as long as you think she’ll like me. She does know that I’m pregnant, right?”

Arden chuckles. “Even Kase isn’t absentminded enough to forget to mention that.”

“She knows.” I stare straight into Chelsea’s big blue eyes as I speak. “And she’s excited to meet you.”

“I’m going to check in with Easton and the others. Possibly give them a tour of the office and around town, since they’re here.” Arden steps over, pulling Chelsea in for a tender kiss.

I’m a little surprised he hasn’t bitten her yet, but he always has had impressive self-control. They’ll bond in their own time.

Right now, I have bigger things to stress about. Like making sure Chelsea loves my mom.

“Man, I can’t decide if you’re constipated or you’re about to shit your pants.” Linc kicks my foot as we sit side by side on the love seat.

“Neither,” I grunt, slamming my shoulder into his.

I do feel like I could puke, though.

Things seem to be going well, but I can never tell. Not with any certainty. I misread things a lot, and it leaves me feeling unsettled until I know for sure which way something is going to go.

Chelsea ate the breakfast my mom cooked. Lincoln ran plates over to Easton and that woman, but Calder and Keir went with Arden to check out some store they needed to find in Blacksburg. I’m still confused what the deal is with East and that omega, but Chelsea and Mom sit next to one another on the couch as Chelsea opens the gifts my mom brought her.

The first was a box for the baby filled with everything from swaddlers to a thermometer and a bunch of other shit I already bought.

Still. It’s not bad to have backups.

“Everything is fine. Why the hell are you about to hyperventilate?” Linc asks, snapping pictures of Mom and Chelsea.

I think maybe I’m picking up on some of Chelsea’s discomfort in the bond?

Or…I don’t know.

It’s hard to tell.

I’ve never been great at picking up my own emotions, let alone someone else’s.

“This is a gift basket just for you,” Mom says, helping Chelsea tug the basket free of the giant box Mom had it wrapped in. “It’s things you might not think of, like toiletries, deodorant, lip balm, and hair ties. Then we’ve got ugly underpants that you won’t miss if they get destroyed in those first few weeks while you’re healing. Cordelia helped me with the sizes, but we got a variety just in case. Then a pack of disposable underwear, so you don’t have to feel like you’re wearing a diaper. A few nursing bras, I tried to find the ones that are adjustable to fit different sizes for if you go that route. Nipple cream.”

I grimace, but Chelsea doesn’t seem fazed.

“Thank you so much,” my omega says, digging through to check out all the goodies.

Mom chuckles. “We aren’t done just yet. A set of comfortable pajamas and a pajama dress that has a wrap style to make it easier for nursing or just skin-to-skin contact.” She stretches over, grabbing a white round tub. “Then, there are a few things that you probably don’t need to bring to the hospital, because they’ll provide it, but you could if you’d like to. There’s a rinsing bottle and witch hazel wipes. You’ll want to pat, not wipe, especially if you have stitches. Don’t let the name deceive you⁠—”

Chelsea twists, dropping the basket on the cushion next to her and turns back, throwing herself at my mom. “How in the world did you know to get all this stuff?”

For a second, I’m wondering if it’s the oversharing thing Mom was doing or something else. Our family has always had a problem knowing when to shut up.

“Oh, sweetheart. A little from experience after having two kids, but most of that came in a kit that some of my friends recommended, and then I added to it.” Mom wraps her arms around Chelsea, giving her one of her famous hugs.

Linc drapes an arm around my shoulder. “See. I told you everything was fine.”

This is fine?

Well, good.

I couldn’t tell for a second.

Once my mom leaves, I’m going to ask Chelsea what that emotion is that’s spilling into the bond. It’s one I can’t place. And I want to get better about anticipating her needs and being able to decipher her emotions.

Lincoln leaves to take Sky on her morning run, and I walk my mom out. I’m kinda realizing Chelsea could have had three heads, and Mom would have been just as ecstatic, because she gets a granddaughter without the nine-month wait. It’s still a win in my book.

“Thanks, Mom,” I say, pulling her in for a hug as she unlocks the doors on her SUV.

“She’s so pretty.” She laughs, patting my back. “And she lost her partner while pregnant. God, that’s unfathomable.”

Technically speaking, Clark broke up with her, so they weren’t together, but Lincoln suggested keeping the information simple. Especially since he probably wouldn’t have broken up with her if he hadn’t gotten sick.

“She’s getting close. Just remember, she’s going through a lot of changes. I’d be genuinely surprised if she doesn’t have a breakdown at some point.” Mom hums. “More than likely once the baby is in her arms, and she remembers he’s not around to hold his daughter.”

My teeth grind, because Luna is now our daughter. That’s the way it’s supposed to work, anyway.

My mom reaches up, patting my cheek. “I know that look. You were never good at sharing your things. This is different, Kason. She’ll be torn between celebrating the new arrival and grieving all over again. It’s a loss the rest of us can only imagine. Don’t let it bother you. She needs support while she works through those emotions.”

I nod, giving her a squeeze and stepping away. “Thanks again.”

She grins and moves to her car door. “Keep me updated.”

I make it back inside to find Chelsea lugging the basket toward me. My guess would be that she’s headed for the stairs.

I scurry forward. “Here, let me help with that.”

She hands it over, and I notice her nose and cheeks are a little red. “Thanks.”

“What’s wrong, Chelsea?” I ask, brushing my fingers over her cheek.

Her eyes dart away, but I wait her out.

She finally shrugs. “Your mom is amazing. So freaking sweet.”

My forehead wrinkles, because isn’t that a good thing? Evil mother-in-law jokes are everywhere. That will never be my mom. She loves everyone. It’s kinda her thing, which is interesting, since my sister and I are the opposite. We hate everyone.

“She really likes you,” I say, still trying to figure out what went wrong.

“I guess I just miss my mom,” she whispers, and her eyes fall shut.

Shit.

I should have guessed that.

Moving my hand to the back of her neck, I tug her face to my chest. “I’m sure you do. How can I make it better? Is that insensitive? I know it won’t fix it altogether, but do you want to cuddle and watch a movie or work on the nursery?”

Chelsea wraps her arms around my lower back, squeezing me tight as her face wiggles around my T-shirt. “You make me really happy, Kase.”

“Me too.”

“I guess we should double-check the hospital bags and tackle putting away the stuff I didn’t get to last night,” she says, sniffling.

“That sounds like a good plan to me.”