“It sounds scarier than it is,” Cambry said quickly. “They're not really barbs. I'll show you some time. They’re sort of like bumps that form and lock us together before I come.”
“That's a shifter thing?” I guessed.
“A cat shifter thing. We all have different perks.”
“Is it a perk?”
Cambry shrugged. “You tell me. I'm told they feel good. I wouldn't know, since I've never had sex with another alpha.”
I thought of the strange, rolling feeling and tried to describe it to him.
“Exactly!” Cambry said. “That's exactly what it's supposed feel like.”
“Oh, how come I didn't notice them when we were fooling around before?”
“I don't know. It was kind of lazy, sleepy fooling around.”
“Barbs,” I chuckled.
“Barbs,” he said. He tried to pull away again, and this time slid easily out.
I looked at his penis, trying to see any evidence of that little quirk. It looked just like a normal human one to me. Granted, it was still quite stiff and glistening with omega lube and semen. But it looked normal, nonetheless.
He flopped down next to me with a content sigh, chest rumbling as he purred. I wiggled down until my head was resting against him, enjoying the vibration.
“I love you, Louis,” he said softly.
The declaration didn't surprise me or feel at all too soon. Instead, I felt a wide smile cross my face and easily murmured back, “I love you to Cambry.”
Chapter Nine
Louis
When the blizzard ended, we went to his hotel to check out and get his things. The next few days were blissful. Easily some of the best of my life. I felt like I had known Cambry forever. He was already eagerly making plans for my shop and pitching ideas. I loved every one of them. He clearly knew what he was doing.
He told me I could get pregnant. And he told me true mates were extremely fertile. He even told me all about his family, his cousins, and how quickly they conceived.
It never even occurred to me that I could be pregnant. But a week later, I slept in unusually late, gagged over the smell of my usual morning eggs, and then went into the bathroom to puke.
When I emerged, Cambry was standing there with a glass of water and a huge grin. As soon as I was over my shock at his suggestion we call a doctor, he was on the phone, trying to track down a local one.
As fast as it was all happening, any time I started to freak out, all I had to do was look at Cambry. My inner cat danced and my heart surged with love, and I knew that, together, we could do anything.
~~~***~~~
There was a knock at the door. and a moment later, it opened and a fair-haired young man stepped in. There was something about him. Something I just couldn't place, but it caught my attention immediately.
“Can I help you?” I asked, feeling on guard against whatever the strange sensation was.
“I'm looking for Louis or Cambry?” he said.
“Oh, I'm Louis.”
He grinned and came in all the way, and closing the door behind him.
“Hi there, it's nice to meet you. I'm Dr. Segel Neen.” He gestured around the café. “I wasn't sure I was in the right place.”
“I'm sorry,” Cambry said, coming down the stairs. “I probably should have clarified it was going to be a business and not a residence.”
“No, that's fine. I found it,” the doctor said, as he took a deep breath and smiled. “It smells wonderful.”
“Would you like a cup of coffee?” I offered. “On the house, of course.”
“No,” he laughed. “I don't want to trouble you.”
“I can make it while you get set up,” Cambry offered.
“Well, if you insist. I’d appreciate a cup, thank you. It was a bit of a drive. You guys are way off the map.”
I laughed nervously. I was used to being far away from everything in our little town. But it seemed that we were even more secluded as far as shifters were concerned.
“Where do you want to do this?” Segel asked, holding up a duffel bag, which I assumed must have been full of the medical supplies he needed for whatever he was going to do.
“I have a bedroom upstairs.”
“Perfect,” Segel said. “Lead on.”
I smiled and nodded to Cambry, before heading up the stairs. Segel went about setting up my bed for me. He stacked up some pillows on my bed, and then instructed me to lay down and pull up my shirt. I did so, feeling a little uncomfortable.
“So, what is it you're going to do exactly?” I asked.
He pulled a little device out of his suitcase and rubbed some sort of gel on it. “Well, this is basically a fancy microphone. And I'm going to put it on your stomach and listen for a second heartbeat. And if I find one,” he grinned, “you're pregnant.”
“Oh,” I said. “That's… simple.” I felt somewhat disappointed that I wouldn't be seeing a picture of the baby, like in the movies. “I sort of expected something to go, you know.” I made a somewhat lewd gesture and he laughed.
“No, fortunately, we rarely have to actually do anything internal anymore,” Segel said. “I do take ultrasounds back at the office, which I could use to get some images. Unfortunately, I don't have a portable one. There aren't a lot of shifter communities up here. So, we're not really set up for house calls,” he said apologetically. “I made an exception for you because of the recent weather. I’d never dream of making a pregnant omega drive nearly three hours just for a check-up. Anyway.” He waved his device. “This will do the trick.”
“Great,” I said. “Thank you.”
Segel came forward and placed it against my stomach, just as Cambry entered the room.
“Just in time,” I said.
“Great.” He set down a to-go cup with Segel’s coffee on my desk, and then hurried over to take my hand.
“You're not nervous?” I asked my mate in a whisper, as Segel rubbed the device across my stomach. All I could hear was loud static. I realized that I was nervous as hell.
Cambry grinned. “My cousins and their mates have done it often enough,” he said.
In spite of his smile, he was clutching my hand rather tightly. And I knew he was probably just trying to act tough, so I wouldn't be nervous. If there was one thing I was quickly learning about my true mate, it was that he liked to put on a brave face and hide his emotions. I wondered if that was a cat shifter thing, or a Cambry thing.
I was about to ask Segel what kind of shifter he was, when the static abruptly turned into the distinct lub-dub of a heartbeat.
“Is that…” My breath caught.
“That's you,” Segel said. He moved the thing around a bit more, and there was more static. For the first time. I suddenly wondered what if I wasn't pregnant? Cambry and I had been getting so excited about it. And yet, could I really be sure? I hadn't taken a test, we had just jumped in and called the doctor, since Cambry seemed so confident. But what if I wasn't? What if something had gone wrong in the turning and I couldn't get pregnant? What if…
There was another sound. This one was less like a normal sounding heartbeat, but like the rapid thudding like a horse galloping.
Segel grinned. “There we go. That's…” His eyes narrowed and he trailed off.
“What's wrong?” Cambry said instantly. His hand tightened on mine.
“Nothing,” Segel said calmly. “Nothing. There's just a…” He tilted his head a little, eyebrows furrowed. “There’s a sort of an echo…” He moved the device a couple of times, as the as if he were trying to bring the heartbeat into focus. “Nevermind, just an echo. That happens sometimes,” he said with a laugh. “Sorry to worry you. Anyway…” He pushed the device a little harder against me and smiled. “There's the baby.”
A steady, rapid thudding filled the air. I put my free hand up over my mouth and felt tears pricking the corners of my eyes. I was pregnant. It was real. It was happening. Cambry and I were going to have a baby.
&nbs
p; At the same time, I couldn't help but feel a little nervous. I was going to have a baby?! Was I ready for that? It wasn't exactly something I had ever planned on. In the last decade or so I had even started to give up on being a father at all, nevermind having a baby myself. And yet, I took one look at Cambry and the smile he was giving me. With him by my side, I felt ready for anything.
Segel lifted the device and rubbed a wet wipe across my stomach, getting all the goo off. “There we are,” he said. “Congratulations. You are definitely pregnant.”
“What's next?” I asked.
“Well, that’s up to you. Your next appointment will be in a month. This time, I’d like you to come to my office and get a full ultrasound. Then, we'll go from there.”
“Great,” I said. “Thank you.”
“And thank you,” Segel said as he picked up the to-go mug from Cambry. He took a sip. “Oh, this is great!”
“Thanks,” said Cambry.
With that, the doctor headed out.
“I’m pregnant,” I said softly to Cambry.
He put an arm around my shoulders and kissed me on the cheek. “I hope this isn’t moving too quickly for you.”
“Of course it’s moving too fast.” Before he could react, I turned and kissed him. “And I couldn’t be happier. In a couple of weeks you’ve turned my life upside down, for the better.”
Chapter Ten
Cambry
“I could really go for Chinese,” Louis said softly.
“Chinese?” I echoed. I glanced out the window at the falling snow.
“Of course you don't have to actually get me Chinese,” he said quickly. “I don't even think there's a place nearby. I mean…” he hesitated.
I had a feeling he knew exactly where there was a Chinese place. “What's it called?” I asked.
He put his hands over his stomach and smiled weakly at me. “It's called Panda Palace…” He bowed his head and added. “And it's like an hour away…”
“Your favorite Chinese place is an hour away?” I said.
He shrugged. “Like I said, I don't expect you to actually go get it. It's just, it's the one I used to go to all the time. And they have this really weird sauce that they use on their lo mein, and it just sounds really, really good right now. But forget I said anything.”
I stood and crossed the room to him. “You're my omega.” I put a hand on his stomach. “And you're carrying my child. I absolutely am going to go get you whatever you desire. Which in this case is… Panda Palace lo mein with weird sauce?”
“You really don't have to, Cambry,” he protested.
“I insist.”
“It's snowing and it's an hour away. We missed my ultrasound last week because we were worried about snow on the roads, don’t go out just for some stupid food.”
I kissed him and returned to the coffee bar, where I had been working on a drink for him. “I was much more worried about the road conditions with my pregnant mate in the car. I’ll be fine. I have my phone, I'll just put it on my GPS, and drive carefully.” I returned to him with a mug. “And if you don't tell me what you want, I'm just going to order the lo mein and bring it back.”
Louis sighed in defeat. “Okay. I want the crab rangoon appetizer and the lo mein. Please.”
“Anything else?”
He shook his head. “Thank you,” Louis said softly, patting his stomach. “I really hate to do this to you.”
“Nonsense. What's an alpha for? Besides, it's only a month and a half to go.”
“Halfway there.” The reminder made him smile. He sniffed at my latest concoction and took a sip. “It’s not… bad.”
I chuckled. “But not right either?”
He smiled awkwardly. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’ll find coffee you’ll love, one of these days.” I kissed him on the forehead. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” he said, flashing me a smile that melted my heart.
I threw on a jacket on the way out the door, and got into his car. I fiddled with the seat for a little bit, getting everything adjusted, and realized it had been quite a while since I drove anywhere. Fortunately, it was an SUV with all-wheel drive, and it felt well suited to the snow. I did a quick search for Panda Palace on my phone, and pulled up the address.
And then I hit the road, driving through the unfamiliar streets. Luckily, even in human form, my eyesight at night was more than keen enough to easily navigate the unfamiliar terrain. But after about ten minutes on a lonely back road, I decided that maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to be on the phone with somebody. If anything did happen, they’d know right away. My first thought, of course, was to call Carrick. But then I decided that if I talked to Carrick, there was no way I would be able to explain what I was doing calling him so late, while I drove, without giving away the nature of my errand. And I really, really wanted to be able to see Carrick’s face when he found out about my mate.
He called me the morning after the last full moon, and I was able to play off being tired, but safe and sound, and get off the phone without him being suspicious. I told him I stayed in my hotel room, but the truth was Louis and I stayed in the café. There were a few things knocked over and rugs that looked like a couple of large cats had skidded on them, but that was it. I woke up when I changed into a human at sunrise and fell off the chair. Louis managed to stay on it as he turned back, but not very comfortably. The next time, we considered locking ourselves in the bedroom in the hopes of curling up together on the bed instead of in a small chair.
A wide smile spread across my face as I remembered it. I couldn’t remember ever waking up feeling better after a full moon. I wasn’t even sore or tired. I felt well rested and content. I hadn’t wanted to admit it to anyone, but full moons were getting harder and harder alone. I’d never have to worry about them again.
Assuming I didn’t die here on a slippery backroad.
Instead of Carrick’s, I punched in Hobie’s number, put my cellphone on speaker, and then set it next to me in the cup holder. After a couple of rings, my closest friend, who wasn’t a cousin, and right-hand man in my café, answered.
“Cambry?” he sounded quite surprised. “Is everything okay? Why are you calling so late?”
“Everything's fine,” I said quickly. “I was just out, driving down a weird backroad, and it’s snowing a little bit, so I figured I would give you a call.”
“Snowing? Where are you anyway, up north?”
“Yeah,” I said vaguely. “Sorry I haven’t checked in more.” The last month and a half with Louis had just flown by. It was hard to remember I wasn’t keeping anyone back home in the loop.
“Hm. Up north, okay. How's your year away going?”
“It's good,” I said. “It's… it's going really well.”
“If you don't mind my saying so, you really needed it.”
“Yeah… I really wasn’t doing very well,” I said honestly.
“How is the full moon treating you? I know it's only been one since you left, but…”
“Oh, it was great.” I snorted at myself. No lone alpha had a great full moon. “I mean, you know, I'm a cat. Full moons aren’t that terrible anyway.”
“House cat,” the lynx shifter snorted. “And full moons are all terrible if you're a lonely alpha,” he added quietly.
“True.” I could hear the concern for me in his voice. I felt bad for making him, not to mention my family, worry. I hadn’t planned on going back to Half Moon until I got the café open, but I wasn’t sure how many moons I could stay away without it being unfair to them.
“I wasn’t alone,” I blurted. I couldn't help it. I had to tell someone, damn it.
“You weren't alone?” Hobie demanded.
“Ask me where I'm going,” I chuckled.
“Okay… where are you going?”
“I'm picking up food for my mate, who was craving Chinese in the middle of the night.”
“Your mate!” he gasped. “You met your true mate? You're ki
dding!”
I didn't answer, I was grinning too broadly.
A moment later, Hobie put it all together. “Wait, your mate had a craving in the middle of the night? Don't tell me…”
“Yeah,” I said. A happy laugh bubbled out of me. “He's pregnant.”
“Oh, Cambry!” Hobie cried. “That's amazing. I’m so happy for you. Tell me everything!”
So, I did. The drive flew by as I told Hobie all about the shop, and how we met, nd how the pregnancy was going. At last, I pulled into the parking lot of Panda Palace, and turned off the car, sitting back with a sigh.
“That's amazing,” Hobie said. “Damn, I can't believe he agreed to turn so quickly. We should all be so lucky.”
“Yeah,” I said softly. “Anyway, I'm here, so I should probably get going.”
“Yeah, absolutely. Gotta get your mate his Chinese,” Hobie said with a chuckle.
“Hey, Hobie? You're not going to tell anyone, right?” I asked. “I really want to surprise the family. Especially Carrick.”
“My lips are sealed,” Hobie said. “But you should know, they're all worried about you. So, you do probably want to at least check in now and again.”
“Absolutely,” I said solemnly. “But just as long as you won't tell them, or even hint to them about my mate.”
“I'm not going to tell. I swear, I'm the only one on the island who knows, until you say otherwise,” he said firmly.
“Thanks, Hobie. Oh hey, I didn't even ask, how's the shop?”
“Oh, it's fine. You left it in good hands.”
I chuckled. “I know I did. I'll talk to you later.”
“Bye, Cambry.”
I hung up and sat for another minute, still grinning.
I had left the shop in Hobie’s capable hands, and wasn’t at all worried about it while I was gone. I was confident my ability to turn around Louis's café, and save it but I wondered, if I did successfully do it, whether or not he’d want to stay in Maine or move down to Half Moon. I’d certainly miss my family, but there was no way I could begrudge him wanting to stay in the shop that his mother had worked so hard to build. If that did happen, Hobie would make an excellent manager in my place. I filed the idea away for future reference, and headed into the restaurant.
Espresso for His Omega Page 8