23. Sebastian

Chapter 23

Sebastian

The morning sun is streaming in through the windows as I make my way to the kitchen. It's become part of my morning routine to shuffle down the hall and start the coffee before the others crawl out of bed. I like cuddling as much as anyone, but there's only so long I can stay in bed every day.

The scent of coffee fills the air as the water begins to percolate. I'm just about to pour the first cup when I hear the sound of movement coming down the hall to join me.

"Good morning, Theo," I say without looking back at him. His familiar footfalls don't slow or change as he approaches.

"Have you started anything for breakfast?" Theo asks, blinking at me through heavy-lidded eyes.

"I haven't." I pass him a mug of coffee. "I honestly was hoping one of you would do it." Cooking isn't my strong suit. It never has been. I've tried a few times since we came to live with Oliver and his pack, but it's always ended…poorly.

"I'll start something," Theo says as he inhales the scent of his coffee with a satisfied smile. "Thank you for this." He gestures with the cup. "I don't know how I'd survive the morning if I didn't have a good cup of coffee."

"It's no problem," I say, bobbing my head and turning to get more cups from the cupboard. I try to hide it, but my wolf is so happy that if I were shifted, my tail would be wagging. I don't want to let on how much his words mean to me. I don't want to make it awkward.

Theo sips his coffee and starts going through the cupboards, gathering various items to make breakfast. Soon he's got a bowl of batter whipped up and is pouring pancakes on the griddle.

The scent of coffee and food rouses Lucas and Roman. They join us in the kitchen looking far more refreshed than they have any right to. I feel like maybe ten more minutes in bed would do wonders to help me shake off the lingering sleepiness that keeps plaguing me.

"How was Oliver?" Theo asks Roman as he sits at the table with his coffee.

"He was still sleeping when I got up," Roman says. "I thought it'd be best to let him sleep as long as possible. I know it's been difficult for him lately."

"I think he's been sleeping better since we threw together the nest," Lucas points out. "At least, he hasn't seemed as tired during the day."

"No matter what, he's going to be tired now," I remind him. "He's going through a lot of stuff. But I do agree that the nest probably helped."

Honestly, it seems stupid that it took us so long, but we only recently wound up dragging most of the mattresses into one of the bedrooms so we could make a big comfy sleeping area for all five of us. From wall to wall, the bedroom is nothing but cushions, blankets, mattresses, and whatever other comfy stuff we had. It's extremely cozy in there, and we're all able to be within arm's reach of Oliver at all times.

"Someone will have to go get him up soon, though," Theo says as he begins transferring some pancakes onto plates. "He hates it when we let him sleep too late."

"I can go," I offer as I finish up my coffee. The others nod in agreement, and I make my way quietly down the hall toward the bedroom where Oliver is sleeping.

The room is dim, the curtains drawn to block out most of the sunlight, but I can still make out Oliver's sleeping form in the middle of the room. He's lying on his side, curled up among an assortment of blankets and pillows. He's wearing one of my t-shirts and a pair of boxers. Both of which are far too big for him, but he wears them anyway.

He's such a beautiful, precious creature.

Even more so now that he's five months pregnant.

"Oliver," I say softly as I move across the room to sit on the edge of the mattress next to him. "Wake up, babe. Breakfast is almost ready."

Oliver makes a small sound and stirs slightly, before his eyes flutter open.

"Already?" he asks with a sleepy smile.

"Yeah," I say as I brush the hair back from his forehead. "Theo made pancakes. You want some?"

"Yes, please," he smiles and purses his lips to ask for a kiss. I lean down and press my lips against his, and we share a soft, tender kiss.

"Mmm, thank you," he whispers as he leans back and looks up at me with a smile. "Now, please help me up. This belly is making things awkward."

"I gotcha." I grin and slip an arm under his shoulders and lift him easily into a sitting position. "How are you feeling today?"

"Better," Oliver says with a nod as he rubs his round belly. "I'm pretty sure the morning sickness is gone now, like the doctor said it might be. I feel like I have a bit more energy today too."

"Good." I smile as I help him to his feet. "Do you feel like trying those pancakes today?"

He's mostly been eating toast and broth the past few days because the smell of cooking food was making him nauseous. Hopefully the worst is over and we can get some more substance into him.

"Yeah, I'm hungry." He nods. "I can eat."

I wrap my arms around his shoulders and nuzzle him affectionately.

"Are you ready for today?" I ask as I help him to his feet. "I know you were nervous about it last night."

"I'm ready," he assures me with a confident nod. "We've been working toward this for months now. I'm not gonna let some nerves stop me."

"I knew you'd be a natural." I smile, leaning down to kiss his forehead. "Now, come on, your breakfast is getting cold."