by EE Silver
King huffed an irritated breath. “At least you see that now,” he said. “But it’s a bit late. I just need my things. When my mother gets here next week, I’m going to ask her to take me home with her. The upside to being mated means that it should keep the local alphaholes off my fins. I suppose that’s one good thing that came of this.”
“Don’t go,” Jonah begged. “Please.”
“I have nothing to stay here for!” King snapped, loud enough to wake Anya. She whimpered, squirming miserably against Jonah until she twisted around enough to see King, her little face brightening instantly.
“Da!” she cried out, reaching for him with her chubby little fingers. “Da!”
King stumbled back, face paling. “Dirty trick,” he gasped. “Not fair at all.”
Jonah shook his head. “She’s never done that before,” he said, staring down at Anya in wonder. “You know she isn’t talking.”
“Da!” Anya said, as if to prove Jonah wrong. When King didn’t answer, her face crumbled, jaw quivering. “Da?”
“Oh, for pity’s sake.” Jonah said, holding her out. “Just take her. It’s not her fault I’m an asshole, and she loves you at least as much as I do.”
King took her, their fingers brushing in the hand-off just enough for the tingle of their bond to shiver up Jonah’s arm. Jonah took an involuntarily step closer, but let King hold Anya in peace.
“Hey there, guppy,” King crooned, nuzzling their noses together, much to Anya’s giggling delight. “Missed you.”
“She’s barely smiled in two weeks,” Jonah said.
King looked at him sharply. “And that’s my fault, I suppose?”
“No.” Jonah sighed and ran his fingers through Anya’s curls. Standing this close, he could smell the faintest traces of King’s expensive cologne. It had been long enough Jonah wasn’t sure if there was something different or his mind was playing tricks on him. “No, I know this is all my fault. I shouldn’t have been a prideful asshole, too concerned with how people saw me as a member of the community to understand that you wouldn’t have cared. And by the time I got that, I was too much of a chickenshit to come clean like you needed me to.”
King huffed, but Jonah was pretty sure he saw the faintest trace of a smile lift the corner of his mouth.
“I love you, and I know I have a weird way of showing it,” he said before King could snap at him again. “All I’m asking for it a chance to prove to you how much I mean it.”
King kept his gaze down, fixed on Anya’s head as she settled against him like he was the one who had been there for her every day since birth, not Jonah. When he finally did speak, his voice was soft, like he was reluctant to wake Anya up from the doze she was falling into already. “Why should I?”
Jonah opted for honesty. “You probably shouldn’t,” he said. “Not with the history you’ve got with alphas. But I want you to, because for the past two weeks, I’ve felt like the walking dead. Because I’ve barely been able to breathe until just now. I want you and Anya to tease me how her first word was her name for you and not me.” He breathed deeply, finally putting his finger on what was different about King, and his heart flipped in his chest at the realization. “I want to be there for you when the coming morning sickness hits, and to kiss your stomach every day as it grows with the baby already there.”
“What?” King’s head whipped up, his eyes wide in surprise. “Are you sure?”
“As sure as I can be without a much more scientific test from the pharmacy,” Jonah said. He chanced a step closer, but didn’t dare touch King. Not yet. “But I want to be right. So much.”
“That would explain why Katarina switched everyone to decaf,” King said. Then his eyes narrowed in suspicion. “You didn’t seem to want another baby the last time we talked about it. Convenient that you want one now when you think it’ll make me stick around.”
“No, that’s not it.” Jonah couldn’t stand it any longer. He ran his hand down King’s arm, and when he didn’t get a right cross for his effort, cupped his hand on the side of King’s narrow waist. “I wanted to take you up on the offer when you brought it up at the festival, but I knew I couldn’t until I told you the truth about Anya.”
“There was no reason for you to lie,” King said, stepping back and out of Jonah’s reach. “I keep coming back to the fact that it was just so damn pointless for you to lie about in the first place. Not that it’ll make a difference, but I need to know why. Why did you lie?”
“It just sounds so stupid when I say it out loud,” Jonah admitted. “And I did promise you no excuses.”
“I’m not asking for excuses,” King snapped as much as he could without waking the baby. “I’m looking to understand what was so damn important you started us off on a lie and couldn’t find your way to telling me the truth in the weeks that followed. Not even when I told you a secret I hadn’t shared in decades, which would have been a damn good time to think about reciprocity.”
Jonah sighed. “I was trying to avoid the small-town rumor mill,” he said. “I wanted to be the one to tell Anya about her birth mother, not some snotty kid on the playground. I didn’t want the Rosemary Vales of the valley lining up suitable replacement omegas for a girlfriend who had only ever been in it for the short-term orgasms before Anya came along, and I didn’t feel like I owed anyone here that much information about my life when I’d literally moved here for the benefit of a fresh start.”
He closed the distance between them again, and curled his hand around King’s free shoulder. Not to hold him in place, but just to touch him because it was killing Jonah not to. “And then I fell in love with you,” he said. “And discovered I was a big fucking coward. Because I knew you’d be hurt and angry when you found out, and I knew there was no way I’d be able to keep it from happening. But I kept avoiding it because I was so scared I was going to lose you. Not my finest life choice by far. I should have told you when we figured out we were mates. You deserved to know before…you deserved to know.”
King said nothing for a long while, but cuddled Anya closer. Jonah really didn’t have anything else to say, so he stayed quiet and gave King a chance to think. He steeled himself, ready for his mate to tell him to fuck off and never come back, but praying for a miracle at the same time. When King pulled away, Jonah bit his lip to keep from begging him for another chance, but then King dropped the duffle bag to the floor and leaned into Jonah’s chest with Anya cradled between them, and Jonah’s heart soared.
“I shouldn’t even want to forgive you,” King said finally. “I should leave and only see you for custody hand offs if I really am pregnant. But just being this close to you makes me feel alive for the first time in weeks.” He pressed his free hand to Jonah’s chest, right over his thundering heart. “And that makes me angry, because I didn’t want to ever need anyone that much, and the fact that it’s you even after all this is the worst kind of insult to injury.”
“Do you think I could earn your forgiveness one day?” Jonah asked. There was barely the space of a breath between them now, but he waited for King to decide. The both knew it was the only way this would work. “I was wrong to lie, to abuse your trust, and to not trust you enough to understand. And I’ll do whatever it takes to show you I mean that.”
“Would you really?” King asked, looking at him with less suspicion and more curiosity now. “Why do that when your life would be so much simpler otherwise? I’m a hell of a lot of work, I’ve been told.”
Jonah smiled and touched their foreheads together. “Remember what I said before? The best things worth having are the things you have to work for.”
“You’re a fair bit of work, yourself,” King muttered, and then kissed him. A there and gone kiss, the faint touch of King’s mouth to his made Jonah’s entire body light up with pure joy. “I’m willing to put the effort in if you are.”
“King,” he sighed, his mate’s name like a prayer. “I love you so much. And I’m going to prove it every day for the rest of o
ur lives. Starting with right now, if we can get her to settle in her crib long enough for me to get you undressed.”
King laughed and kissed him again, a little longer this time and with a lot more promise. “Let’s get to work on that right away.”
Epilogue
King
King frowned at the wall. He’d been working on a mural for almost two weeks now, and he was so close to done he could taste it. The wall had been turned into an underwater scene with a school of merfolk little ones playing in the kelp. There was even a human girl who looked a lot like Anya playing in the shallows with a much younger merfolk baby. But there was still something needed, one last sweep of white paint to complete the breaking curl of a wave or a missing shadow on the ocean floor, maybe. He just couldn’t shake the nagging feeling there was something imperfect he had to fix before he could call it done.
“It’s gorgeous,” Jonah said, coming in from the kitchen with a steaming mug in his hand. “Every time I see it, I’m just breathless with how talented you are.”
“It’s not done yet,” King grumbled, but took the offered ginger tea. It was the only thing that helped with the nausea these days, but he wasn’t complaining. Not yet, at least. Morning sickness that lasted well into the afternoon was a small price to pay for the wonder of knowing he was growing a life inside his body, a life that would be with them by the end of the year, according to his mother when she’d blown in for a brief visit the month before.
“Well, we open for classes next week, so I think you’re going to have to just sign it and call it a perpetual work in progress like the rest of life.” Jonah kissed the side of his neck, just over the mating bite scar, and rubbed King’s stomach, still barely more than a small bulge showing. “When do you think I’ll be able to feel her moving?”
“The doctor Mom put me in touch with said you should be able to feel him moving soon,” King said, unable to keep from teasing Jonah. He knew his mate didn’t care whether it was a boy or a girl, but Jonah had been adamant about not being told either way. It was driving King a little nuts to know and not be able to tell Jonah that Katarina’d already had a vision of their baby, but sometimes surprises were worth keeping a secret or two.
“I still don’t understand why you can’t just go to Vale Valley General for your pre-natal care,” Jonah said.
“Because I’m not mortal, love,” King said for the dozenth time. “Only another god can really provide me with the care I need, much less attend the birth. It’s kind of a big deal when another demigod comes into the world.”
“I know.” Jonah sighed and kissed his neck again. “But I have to admit, I was looking forward to having a blurry ultrasound picture on the fridge.”
King grinned. “Then it’s a good thing I got the go-ahead to get one of those done tomorrow,” he said. “I had a feeling that was what was bothering you.”
Jonah laughed softly and hugged King close, mindful of the hot tea in King’s hands. “You’re so good to me, baby,” he murmured. “I love you so much. And I’m going to work at showing you how much for the rest of forever.”
“I know you will,” King said, heart singing with the truth of it, overflowing with love and happiness in his imperfect little family. He looked at the mural and decided it was okay to leave it how it was for now. After all, all the best things in life needed a little work now and then. “And I will too.”
Thank You
Thank you
Thank you for reading my very first Vale Valley book, and I hope you loved King and Jonah as much as I did. And don’t worry – you’ll be seeing them and their baby in my winter holiday Vale Valley, too!
If you liked this book, please consider leaving a review! And don’t forget to keep an eye out for Cousin Scott in Gia Reaves’s book!
About the Author
About EE Silver
EE Silver writes modern, quirky mpreg where the omegas kick butt and the alphas know better than to try and stop them.
Also known as Elizabeth Silver, when EE isn’t writing, she is an avid reader, a cat mom, and an editor. Her greatest claims to fame involve the time she nearly got deported from Scotland over three small boxes of chocolates and a blues CD, the time she accidentally went to a Pride parade instead of brunch, and the time she accidentally tweeted at Margaret Atwood to tell her CJ Cherryh’s female characters were badass.
Also by EE Silver
Writing as Elizabeth Silver
In His Majesty’s Service
Fae Haven Series
A Year and a Day
Love Will Out
Coming Soon
Coming Soon from EE Silver
Untitled Vale Valley Holiday Romance
As Elizabeth Silver
Promises Kept (Fae Haven #3)
Winner Takes All
Where the Heart Is
More Vale Valley
Christmas Season One
You don’t have to leave Vale Valley yet! We have a whole lineup of stories from some of your favorite authors. They’re sweet, spicy, and everything in between. Collect them all!
#1: Mated Under The Mistletoe by Connor Crowe
#2 : Twice as Joyful by Lorelei M Hart
#3 : Three Roses by Alice Shaw
#4 : A Swan For Christmas by M.M. Wilde
#5 : Five Gold Rings by Xander Collins
#6 : His Christmas Lullaby by Leyla Hunt
#7 : A Holiday Magic Mixup by Quinn Michaels
#8; Breakable Faith by Michael Mandrake
#9 : Omega, It's Cold Outside by Coyote Starr
#10 : O Little Town of Vale Valley by Summer Chase
#11 : The Drummer's Heartbeat by Giovanna Reaves
You might also enjoy the following Vale Valley Valentine Romances… Season Two
Vale Valley Season 2 Book 1
That Magical Moment by Connor Crowe
Vale Valley Season 2 Book 2
Their Koala Omega by Lorelei M. Hart
Vale Valley Season 2 Book 3
Waiting in the Wings by Coyote Starr
Vale Valley Season 2 Book 4
Picture Purrfect by Jena Wade
Vale Valley Season 2 Book 5
Love Takes Flight by Leyla Hunt
Vale Valley Season 2 Book 6
Omega's Surrender by Aria Grace & Lorelei M. Hart
Vale Valley Season 2 Book 7
Cupid Must Be Crazy by Xander Collins
Vale Valley Season 2 Book 8
A Hatchling for Valentine's by M.M. Wilde
Vale Valley Season 2 Book 9
Omega, je t'aime by Summer Chase
Vale Valley Season 2 Book 10
Renewed Faith by Michael Mandrake
Vale Valley Season 2 Book 11
The Back-Up Date by Summer Chase and Trisha Linde
Vale Valley Season 2 Book 12
Bewitching Love by Giovanna Reaves
Season Three
Omega & the Beast: A Vale Valley Summer Romance (Vale Valley Season 3 Book 1) by Lorelei M. Hart Omega’s Summer Nights: A Summer Romance (Vale Valley Season 3 Book 2) by Summer Chase
A Swan's Love Song: A Summer Romance (Vale Valley Season 3 Book 3) by M.M. Wilde
The Cat and The Hound: A Vale Valley Summer Romance (Vale Valley Season 3 Book 4) by Jena Wade
His Summer Honey: A Summer Romance (Vale Valley Season 3 Book 5) by Leyla Hunt
Percy’s Song: A Summer Romance (Vale Valley Season 3 Book 6) by JM Wolf
One More than Planned: A Summer Romance (Vale Valley Season 3 Book 7) by Chris McHart
The Omega Mix-up: A Summer Romance (Vale Valley Season 3 Book 8) by Trishe Linde
Omega, Deer: A Summer Romance (Vale Valley Season 3 Book 9) by Aria Grace & Lorelei M. Hart
When Two Omegas Dance: A Summer Romance (Vale Valley Season 3 Book 10) by Amy Bellows
Unforgettable Faith: A Summer Romance (Vale Valley Season 3 Book 11) by Michael Mandrake
Blind Faith: A Summer Romance (Vale Valley Season 3 Book 12) by Brookl
yn Roberts
Forging a Family: A Summer Romance (Vale Valley Season 3 Book 13) by J.D. Light
Dreaming of His Omega: A Summer Romance (Vale Valley Season 3 Book 14)by Kallie Frost
Fixer-Upper: A Summer Romance (Vale Valley Season 3 Book 15) by EE Silver
The Spell Checker: A Summer Romance (Vale Valley Season 3 Book 16) by Colbie Dunbar
Matter of His Heart: A Summer Romance (Vale Valley Season 3 Book 17) by Giovanna Reaves