“You told Maxwell you wanted to keep the baby,” I said. “Is that the truth?”
“Yes,” Caleb replied instantly. There was no lie in his voice or his expression. “I meant it. I’m just… afraid. This is happening so fast.”
“It’s okay to be afraid,” I said. “I know this is scary.”
Maxwell returned from fishing in the counter drawer with a brand new pregnancy test. He handed the box to Caleb. “Here we go. There’s a bathroom right over there.”
“Thanks,” Caleb mumbled.
Even from simply holding his hand, I felt his pulse beating rapidly beneath his skin. Caleb was terrified. I helped him to his feet and to the bathroom. At least the nausea had seemed to pass, or maybe it was just forgotten amongst the news.
“Do you want me to come in with you?” I offered.
Caleb blushed. “No, it’s okay. I feel okay enough to pee on a stick by myself.”
I smiled at his humor despite the situation. “All right.”
As Caleb disappeared behind the door, Maxwell came up to me. He wrote something down on a clipboard and asked, “I assume you’re the father. Did you know about this?”
“No,” I replied. “We did use a condom for penetrative sex during Caleb’s heat. If he is pregnant, it was completely unintentional.”
Maxwell gave me a shy smile. “You know, before coming here - well, against my will, I was kind of abducted by that lady vampire - oh, and, um, I’m sorry for your loss by the way, but - before I didn’t know that you vampires were so, er…”
I raised a brow. The collected and articulate doctor from moments ago had disappeared, leaving behind a nervous omega who could barely get his words out.
“Yes?” I prompted.
Maxwell’s face flushed. “Nevermind. It was a stupid joke about not knowing vampires had so much sex drive, given their biology.”
“I see.”
Maxwell turned around and muttered, “I’m gonna go sit. Over there. Let me know when Caleb’s ready to see me again.”
I stared at the door, waiting anxiously for Caleb to emerge. My mind raced a mile a minute with wild thoughts and emotions. What would happen if Caleb was pregnant? We would have a child together. That hypothetical reality stared me in the face. There was no more running away. Caleb and I had already made up our minds to be together. This was just one more challenge to face together.
No, not a challenge, I thought as a protective feeling bloomed within my chest. A blessing.
I imagined the face of our unborn child, bright and beautiful, and felt a deep pull from the core of my being, unlike anything I’d felt before. The only comparable sensation was how I felt towards Caleb, but this was something else - an extreme instinct to nurture and protect my baby.
Now the initial unease evaporated, leaving behind only my intense desire to be a father.
At least twenty minutes had passed since Caleb entered the bathroom. Surely it had been long enough to know the answer?
“Caleb?” I said with a gentle knock on the door. “How are you?”
When he didn’t reply at once, I grew anxious. But a moment later his soft voice said, “I’m here.”
“Is everything all right?” I asked.
“I think so…”
What does that mean? I thought desperately. “Can I come in?”
His voice had a hint of restlessness in it. “No, it’s okay. I’ll be out in a second.”
I crossed my arms and tapped my foot, unable to contain my impatience. As soon as the thought of Caleb being pregnant with my baby entered my mind, it was all I could think about. I wouldn’t be able to calm down until I knew the truth.
What happened to me? I thought. I’ve never had so much investment in having children, so why now? What’s changed?
Maybe the idea had been planted in me because of Margaret’s plan - the one that initially led to Benji and Pierce’s fateful meeting. Her idea had been for us to impregnate a human omega and bear a half-vampire child to perpetuate the fog, a light form of mind-control to keep humans from discovering our existence.
But the truth of the matter was more sinister than any of us expected. I shuddered, remembering that dreadful moment when Margaret intended to feed from Lark.
If there was one good thing to come out of that horrific situation, it was that Margaret was out of the picture and could never threaten our lives - or the lives of our children - ever again.
Perhaps the idea was enticing now in particular because Margaret was gone, and it was fully safe to have children. Either way, it felt like I’d learned something and could not unlearn it.
I wanted to have a baby with Caleb. That was my new reality.
When Caleb finally opened the door, I could hardly contain my excitement. I tried to examine his face for any signs, but he kept his head down and his messy hair obscured his expression.
Maxwell stood from his seat in the corner and joined us as well. “Well, Caleb?”
Caleb lifted his head. His chocolate-brown eyes were watery. “I’m… I’m pregnant.”
My heart swelled with emotion. “Caleb, that’s wonderful!”
He blinked. “It is?” he said in relief.
“Yes!” I cried.
“I - I thought you didn’t want a baby,” Caleb continued.
“What gave you that idea?” I said with a relaxed laugh.
He blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I dunno. Maybe it was just me freaking out about nothing again. I guess you never struck me as the type of guy to want kids…”
I kneeled down so that I gazed up at him. “Listen to me. As soon as the idea became a possibility, I realized it was something I wanted. Desperately. This is a good thing, Caleb.” I smiled. “Not a bad one.”
Caleb gave me a wobbly smile, then burst into tears. He threw himself at me and I held him in my arms, stroking his back in soothing circles. I murmured verbal comforts in his ear as he cried the stress out. The tender moment reminded me of the night Margaret passed, and how Caleb had done the same thing for me.
“I’m here,” I told him gently. “I’ll always be here. You don’t have to worry about anything.”
When Caleb was cried out, he sniffled and nodded. Maxwell handed him some tissues. “Thanks,” he told him. “Sorry about the big scene I made.”
“Not at all,” Maxwell replied. “A lot of people react the same way when they learn they’re pregnant. It’s common to feel overwhelmed.”
Caleb wiped his face and hiccuped. “I still don’t understand how it happened. We used a condom, didn’t we?”
“Yes,” I replied. “But there’s always that slim chance it won’t work.”
Maxwell nodded. “Yes. It’s rare, but unfortunately it does happen. If you’re too rough - and that might be the case, given that Adriel is a vampire - “
I frowned.
“Or, simply, the condom was old and fragile to begin with,” Maxwell concluded. “Storing it improperly can damage them, too.”
“Oh.” Caleb looked embarrassed. “Er… Then, it might have been my fault. They gave me a bunch at the hospital months ago and I stuffed them in my pocket. I was kind of careless with them.”
Maxwell grinned sympathetically. “Yeah, that’ll do it. In the future, just… use new condoms stored properly, okay?”
“I’ve definitely learned my lesson,” Caleb murmured.
Maxwell paused like he was thinking about something, then asked, “How is the nausea? Better?”
“Yeah,” Caleb said. “It went away a while ago, thank god. I thought morning sickness only happened in the morning?”
“Not necessarily. Some people get it at different times of day,” Maxwell explained. “You might have bouts of it until the end of your first trimester.”
“Great.” Caleb groaned. “That’s just what I needed. Why am I always getting sick?”
Maxwell frowned. “Are you sick often?”
“Well… I was pretty ill, and had a big surgery a few months ago
. I was bed bound in the hospital for while.”
With a slightly furrowed brow, Maxwell nodded and wrote down on his clipboard. “I see. Can I ask your permission to transfer your files? Since I’ll be here, and your pregnancy is confirmed, I think you should continue to see me for regular check-ups. It will help me if I have all the information on hand.”
“Yeah, sure,” Caleb said. “And, um, thanks.”
“Yes, thank you, Maxwell,” I added. “I know you’re not here of your own free will, given the circumstances, but we greatly appreciate your help.”
Maxwell blushed and averted his eyes. “It’s fine. It’s my job.” He cleared his throat. “Anyways, before you leave, let me give you some prenatal vitamins. Take one a day. If anything changes, or you just want to ask me something, feel free to come see me.”
Caleb nodded. “We will. Thanks.”
As we got up to leave, Caleb paused. “Er… Actually, Dr. Maxwell, I do have one question.”
“Yes?”
Now Caleb’s cheeks turned pink. “Is it okay to have sex, then?”
“Oh.” Maxwell laughed. “Yes, absolutely. And this time, you don’t have to worry about using a condom.”
From the corner of his eye, Caleb shot me a sly glance that I wasn’t expecting.
He’s thinking about sex at a time like this? I thought in amusement.
“Good to know,” Caleb said. “See you, Maxwell. Thanks again.”
Maxwell waved us off. “Goodbye, you two.”
We walked arm-in-arm back towards the cottage. Thankfully, Caleb’s nausea had passed, and he felt good enough to walk without me carrying him - not that I minded either way.
The night air was brisk, and moonlight lit our path. Stars glittered overhead in between patches of clouds.
Caleb stopped.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
“No.” He smiled and ran a finger up my arm. “It just seems romantic, don’t you think? Us walking underneath the moon at night?”
“Yes,” I agreed. “It does.”
We glanced up at the moon together.
“Strange,” I murmured.
“What is?”
“It’s the same moon I was looking at all those hundreds of years ago, the night I was turned,” I said. “Despite everything that’s happened between then and now, the moon is unchanged.”
“Aren’t vampires supposed to not like the moon?” Caleb said with a laugh. “Because, you know, werewolves and everything?”
I rolled my eyes. “Werewolves do not have a monopoly on the moon. I can enjoy it as much as I wish.”
Caleb poked his tongue out. “I’m just teasing.”
I put my arm around his shoulders, enjoying the warmth of his body. “I know.”
“Hey,” Caleb murmured. “I know it’s early and everything, but… If the baby’s a girl, do you like the name Luna?”
“Luna,” I murmured, enjoying the way it sounded. “Yes, I do like that.”
The hypothetical image of our daughter Luna running around and laughing flashed into my mind, making my heart feel warm.
“I guess we need a different name for a boy, huh?” Caleb mused. “I can’t think of any boy moon names off the top of my head…”
I took Caleb’s hand in mine and raised it, pointing it towards the sky.
“What better to go with the moon than stars?” I asked.
“Star?” Caleb said. “Hm… It’s unusual, but I like that!”
“We have plenty of time to decide on other names,” I reminded him with a kiss to his cheek.
“You’re right.” He sighed. “Man, I really hope the rest of this pregnancy is easy. I hate feeling sick.”
The slipped my hand down his thigh and rounded to the front, teasing him before drawing away. Caleb shivered.
“Don’t worry,” I purred in his ear. “I can easily make you forget.”
“Uh, yes,” Caleb said, his voice husky. “Actually, let’s go make me forget right now.”
I smirked and replied, “Right away.”
17
Caleb
As exciting as the news of the pregnancy was, I unfortunately still had to go to work. It had been a few weeks since we found out the news, but we didn’t tell anybody just yet. I didn’t want to steal Benji’s thunder, so to speak, since Lark was brand new to the world and everyone was head-over-heels for her - as they should be.
I kept on going on with my life as normal. Even though I didn’t love my job or anything, it was nice to have the routine, especially now that everything else in my life had fallen into place. I lived in a nice cottage, had some savings built up, had a great boyfriend, and now we even had a baby together.
As I was getting changed into my uniform, Adriel knocked on the door.
“Come in,” I said.
He entered and leaned on the wall, his eyes on me and my half-naked body. He was staring at my lower half.
I blushed and said, “As much as I’d love to have a quick fuck, I don’t think I have time to take another shower before work.”
Adriel’s eyes met mine. They looked strangely mischievous.
“What?” I asked when he didn’t say anything. “Is there something on my face?”
“I’ve been thinking,” Adriel began. He pushed off the wall and circled around me. “I realize you didn’t want to arouse suspicion by changing your routine and drawing attention to yourself, which I understand. But in a month or so, your pregnancy will likely begin to show, and there won’t be any hiding it from Benji or the others.”
Not sure what he was getting at, I just blinked. “Yeah?”
“Therefore, you won’t have any reason to keep up the routine,” Adriel said. “Unless you want to.”
“I don’t get what you mean,” I said. “Are you saying I should quit my job or something?”
Adriel stopped in front of me with a smile. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
I hadn’t even considered that before, so the idea left me dumbstruck. “Uh… I mean. What would I do about money? The whole point of me moving in here was to be safe from Margaret, and also to build up my savings. I don’t wanna be disrespectful of Pierce by quitting my job…”
Adriel shook his head. “Pierce will understand once we explain our relationship to him. He’ll be happy to have you as one of the family, believe me.”
The idea fizzled in my mind, like a newly kindled flame. Could I really leave my job so easily? I had no doubt Adriel would take care of us financially, and we were in no danger at this point.
“If you like your job, then by all means, keep it,” Adriel said, holding his hands up. “I don’t want to pressure you. I’m simply letting you know the option is right there in front of you.”
I nodded.
“And…” A smile spread across Adriel’s face. “You would have more time to work on your writing.”
My heart flipped. Hearing him say that fanned the fire of excitement inside of me.
“Okay,” I said, a bit breathless. “If you’re sure, I’ll put in my two-weeks notice today.”
“The decision is entirely up to you,” Adriel said. “I’ll support you either way.”
I bit my lip as joy bubbled up in my chest. “Yes, I want to. I want to work on my real passion.”
Adriel smiled, wide and genuine, and opened his arms. The invitation for an embrace sent me over the moon with happiness. I threw myself at him and he hugged me hard.
“Now come on and get dressed,” he said. “You have a big day today.”
* * *
Ever since Margaret passed and my illness never returned at work, I expected Adriel to stay behind, since the necessity for a bodyguard was gone, but he came with me regardless. Since Lewis couldn’t - and probably didn’t want to - say anything remotely negative to a Tenebrae, he kept his mouth shut about it. Jess was just happy to see the both of us looking healthy.
The urge to tell Jess about my pregnancy kept nagging me, too. Nobody knew except
Maxwell, Adriel and maybe Theo, if he’d managed to guess the reason for my nausea that day. But now that it was progressing faster than expected, it was harder to keep it a secret.
It was a slow shift. Lewis lounged in the back, doing paperwork, while Jess and I tidied up the storefront. Adriel stood behind the counter, completely motionless except for the way he forced himself to breathe in and out to appear more human.
I glanced at Adriel now, and the corner of his lip quirked in a smile. I returned it.
“Look at you, grinning at your man while you’re on the clock,” Jess mumbled, elbowing me playfully.
“Shut up.” I rolled my eyes. “And about that… I’m probably gonna talk to Lewis about it tonight.”
“About what?” Jess asked, genuinely surprised.
“I’m giving him my notice,” I replied. “I’m gonna start a new career, something I actually like.”
Jess looked like she was experiencing fifty emotions at once. “What!”
“Yeah,” I said. “I mean, this is a good job and everything, no offense, but I don’t want to work here forever.”
“Oh my god, please tell me we’re still gonna be able to see each other,” she cried, grabbing my shoulders. “I don’t want to lose you to the void.”
I laughed and touched her hands. “I’m not going anywhere. I still live around here, I just won’t work here.”
Jess pouted, which turned into a sympathetic smile. “Okay. As long as you don’t forget about me.”
“Never,” I promised.
Jess’s eyes flashed as she quickly eyed me up and down. “While we’re spilling secrets… Don’t you think there’s another one you want to tell me about?”
“Huh?”
She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Not to call you out or anything, but you’re getting a bit of a belly.”
I gasped. “What?”
“I mean, it’s totally fine if you’re not pregnant, but since I know you and that sexy alpha are definitely banging, then I thought it was safe to assume - “
“Am I really showing already?” I demanded, looking down at myself. Maybe if I was honest, I saw a tiny bit of swelling.
“I know you too well,” Jess said with a laugh. “But yeah, I can totally tell.” Then she gasped, as if the realization dawned on her a bit late. “Oh my god, you’re totally pregnant.”
Omega’s Vampire Bodyguard: Tenebrae Brothers Book 2 Page 12