Page 24 of Reeling for His Omega

We both nodded.

“Okay. So the timing is tricky. I’ll go ahead and examine you and listen to the heartbeat, but first, do you have any questions?”

I shook my head. No. I did have questions, but most of them could be answered by online sources.

Joaquin scooted forward. “How long can I shift? Can I still drink coffee? Why do I have heartburn all the time?” The nausea had moved to heartburn rather quickly.

The questions flooded out until Quinn waved his white flag, giving up with his hands in the air. “All valid questions. Let’s get through them one at a time.”

And we did. Quinn never rushed us or my mate. He discussed things with us and admitted that because I was a wolf and Joaquin was a tiger, that there were some unknowns. Not a bad thing, simply a mystery. For now.

I held my mate’s hand while he was examined. And then it was time to hear the heartbeat.

Quinn moved the wand around Joaquin’s belly. The longer it took, the tighter my mate squeezed. “There they are. Hiding. They do that sometimes.”

The room filled with a rapid whooshing sound. “It’s so fast,” I said in complete and utter awe. Joaquin and I hadn’t been together long, and we’d put together a theater and now created a life and a baby. Oliver Creek was truly a magical place. Everything I’d dreamed about was coming true.

“It’s normal at this stage,” Quinn answered. “Everything okay, Joaquin?”

My mate had gone pale. “Talk to me, mate,” I said, bending slightly to speak in his ear.

“This makes it all real. It’s one thing to take the test and know, but to hear their little heartbeat…”

We both let the tears flow. His more than mine but I was trying to be strong for him.

It didn’t work. Once the visit was finished, we stopped for a smoothie. Quinn had calmed Joaquin and, while he was still nervous about everything, he said he knew it would all turn out fine.

“We should have some deliveries today. Last-minute things we ordered,” he said as we unlocked the back door and walked in, turning on all the lights.

The theater was almost ready. It would be perfect on opening night and as I’d planned, we would have multiple showings that would cater to different audiences. One theater, upon Joaquin’s request, was dedicated to the seasons. Fall movies. Christmas specials. At least, those end-of-the-year seasons, his favorites.

“I’ve got an idea,” I said, not believing I hadn’t done this before today.

“What is it?” He was already behind the concessions counter, taking inventory for the thousandth time, making sure everything was perfect.

“A run-through. You and me and snacks and a movie. Omega’s choice, of course. Like date night but also work.”

He chuckled. “Okay, but put your order in like you’re a customer. It’s a practice round after all.”

We watched two movies that day, back-to-back. The deliveries came in. We checked everything over and over. We opened in a few weeks since we were waiting for more movies to come in, but we were ready for action.

“Let’s go home, mate,” I said, watching him get more tired by the second. This pregnancy, the first few months, was really taking it out of him. Quinn mentioned that would change once he got into the second trimester but again, the timing was tricky. We would have to go with the flow on this one.

And then for the second, we would know more about what to expect.

I couldn’t wait.

Chapter Twenty

Joaquin

We got there! Finally, everything was ready and the theater would be opening to the public. Every time we thought we’d had it all done, something else had come up, and my mate had even begun to look a little nervous, but we took turns calming each other.

What all of that had meant was, I still had not officially moved in with my mate. I tried to do it informally, stopping by and grabbing armloads of clothes and things when I had a little time, but I’d rapidly learned that it was not going to work that way. Then I noticed that my lease was up in thirty days, and I had to either sign up for another year or get my act in gear and move. The timing was terrible with the opening coming, but Eryx took charge. He’d offered to do that a few times, but I insisted I had this.

Turned out, I did not have anything. My energy levels were so low, I let him help me. He insisted that was how alphas worked, that their job was to be there for their omegas when they needed them. But I’d been on my own for so long, it was hard to accept.

“All right, alpha. I accept your assistance. We can go together and pick up the rest of my stuff and—”