12. Dan

TWELVE

DAN

I thought we'd have nine months to prepare for the baby until Sparkle told me elves, at least the ones in his family, had shortened pregnancies compared to humans and many shifters.

The bedroom where my mate had spent the first few nights was for guests. The other room was a sort of home office with piles of clean laundry and a sofa bed.

My mate had worked five days at Classic Cuts, and while the store was usually open Saturdays, Arnold told Sparkle he was putting up the "Closed" sign, as they'd been so busy and both needed the weekend to recuperate.

Sparkle had a tiny bump this morning when I woke up and slid my hand under the covers. He was sleeping, so I raced into the bathroom, closed the door, and had a minor freakout in private. Stuffing a fist in my mouth, I screamed silently.

How could I be a dad after only a few weeks? I hadn't read books, watched videos, mastered that breathing technique I'd seen on TV shows.

My wolf told me to calm down. Sparkle needs a mate who will support him and be a great dad . He added, You're already a father to Sushi and the new baby .

Gods, he was right. I'd had Sushi since she was a puppy, and there was a growing baby in my mate's tummy. But I needed to press pause until I got used to the idea. Just a few weeks, maybe days.

Stop . My wolf said nothing else and went silent, leaving me to my meltdown.

Part of my panic was wondering if whatever brought him here could also whisk him and the baby away. Or what if they both turned to figurines?

The fist in my mouth wasn't enough, so I stuffed a towel between my lips and tried to take deep breaths as I'd done when I first scented Sparkle.

"Dan?"

Shit, my mate was awake. I splashed water on my face, pinched my cheeks to add color, and waltzed into the bedroom.

"How is the most beautiful pregnant elf in town?"

He side-eyed me. "The only elf, pregnant or otherwise, in town I suspect."

I got under the covers and pulled him close, resting my chin on his head. "Shall we stay here all day and order food?"

He got up on one elbow. "And have them deliver it to the bedroom?"

I bopped his nose. Elves, or at least my elf, were so literal, and I tried to imagine a group of elves living and working together.

"I have plans."

Having witnessed Sparkle's energy levels, I half expected him to go mountain climbing or white water rafting.

"For the nursery." He bounded out of bed. I was exhausted watching him bounce up and down. It had been a huge week for him at the store, while for me I was emotionally tired, having regained my sense of smell and gotten a new mate on the same day. It was a lot.

While I made coffee and toast, Sparkle regaled me about how he was going to make the curtains, the baby's bedding, cushions for the sofa bed, and baby clothes.

"Couldn't we buy some of that so you can rest?" I ventured.

But my mate poo-pooed that suggestion, saying he wasn't tired but energized having the baby inside him. If our child copied his omega father's energy level, I'd have two people buzzing around the house like Energizer Bunnies.

Better get used to it . My beast yawned and went back to sleep.

"Can we eat first?" We would have to buy the fabric because what I had in my Christmas box wouldn't be enough, but Sparkle was one step ahead of me.

"Arnold offered me fabric from the store. You remember the bolts that were in the back room?"

I was hoping we could go and get a burger before we brought home swatches, and we could put off doing the nursery until next weekend. But with the baby possibly arriving soon, there was a sense of urgency.

"Great. Other than making food and coffee, what else can I do?" Unlike many other pregnant humans and shifters, my mate continued to drink his two cups of coffee a day.

Sparkle gripped his belly, and my stomach dropped to my knees as if I were zooming up in an elevator. "Come here." He placed my hand on his tiny bump.

Our baby took after his omega dad. He was having a party in there. I waved to the belly. "Sounds like you're having fun. I love you."

After retrieving the fabric from the store, I lay the bolts on the floor as instructed by my mate.

"I wanted us to choose the material together."

"This is cute." I ran my fingers over navy fabric with dogs embossed on it.

"Mmmm. I like it for curtains with some blackout." Sparkle picked up some navy-and-white-check material. "And this would be perfect for the cushions on the rocking chair and sofa.

Sparkle wanted to recover the sofa bed, so we chose a neutral gray.

"Are you sure you want to do all this over the next few weeks?" Pregnant omegas needed to rest and build up their strength for the birth and the demands of being a new dad.

Sparkle made a face. "I'll finish this today, and tomorrow we'll need to buy a crib and stroller and…" He held up his phone. "I have a list."

I pulled my phone from my pocket. "I have a list too."

He grinned, and we kissed. "Will there be any breaks for afternoon delight?" I winked.

"Is that a type of candy or cookie?" He tapped his lips. "Maybe cake. Santa #1 was always musing about afternoon delight."

I muffled my laughter with a cushion, but Sparkle had already turned his attention to his tasks for the day.

My mate had brought his sewing kit from the store which was more professional than my needles and thread in the Christmas box. I helped him measure the fabric for the curtains and sniffed the material. It didn't smell musty, but after being in that room, it must have been caked in the stuff. Turned out, Arnold had washed it.

"What do you think about adding an extra stocking to the mantlepiece?"

"For Arnold?" Sparkle's hands were flying over the fabric, sewing, pinning, and folding. I was dizzy, my head moving left and right as if I were watching a tennis match. "I was planning on it."

"We might not have to buy the crib, as Jan has kept a lot of Riley's baby things."

"Excellent. That will save money," Sparkle said as he sewed.

After getting a ladder from the shed in the back garden, I shivered and brushed snow off me.

"Did you freeze your ass off?" Sparkle joked.

"Almost." I smacked my butt. "But don't worry. It's safe and sound and waiting for you to squeeze it when we're in bed."

"Love you."

"Back at ya."

My mate removed a pin from two pieces of fabric. "Dan, when you were in the bathroom this morning, were you sick?"

Mates should be honest with one another. They were partners for life. The mating instinct wouldn't keep them together if there was no trust. But it was okay to tell a white lie, wasn't it?

Don't .

I didn't say I was going to fib . I was considering my options.

"You're talking to your wolf." It wasn't a question.

Sneaky .

I agreed. My mate might not be able to cast spells, but he possessed a unique ability to suss out shifter conversations.

"I was." I became very interested in picking strands of thread off the carpet.

"Anything you want to share?"

I had a choice, and while I didn't want to upset my mate, I decided to tell him the truth.

"I'm worried I won't be a good dad." I explained that most alphas had months to accept their lives would change.

He paused his sewing and glanced up, his eyes wary. But I refused to make him wonder, and I blurted out, "But I can't wait to be a dad. An amazing dad, a great dad."

"If you'd said you had no worries and were going to breeze through this pregnancy, I would have suspected you were lying."

"Oh." I did good and let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding.

Sparkle's tummy rumbled. "One more thing I forgot to tell you."

Our relationship, short as it had been, reminded me of a roller coaster, but I was game. My big boy pants were on, and I was ready for anything—almost.

"Pregnant elves get really hungry."

I saluted and got up. "Food coming right up."

"And keep it coming, Papa."

That word almost knocked the breath out of me. Papa. I liked the sound of that.