Chapter Twenty-Two

Heath

“Heath?” Oren called from the house when he saw me go out into the chill of the morning with only pajama pants on, mostly because I was limited as to what shirts fit me lately. All I had to do was dart into the bus and get my old notebook from the storage cabinet under one of the makeshift couches. One and done.

Except, once I was inside the bus, nostalgia grabbed hold of my waist and anchored me back in time. I was glad my mates had talked me out of selling this bus. They were right. I could easily turn it into a travel bus for our budding family. I got out the notebook but didn’t open it just yet.

I rubbed my hands over my belly and talked to our little one about all the places we would go until I was reminded how cold I was.

“Heath?” I heard Oren call again, but this time my name was followed by the back door shutting.

My mates worried too much.

I had been on my own in every type of climate and part of this country, but they flipped out if I left without a shirt in the cold. I dared not tell them about the time I cold-plunged in Alaska or bungee-jumped off the Navajo Bridge. Of course, I would eventually and I would tell our children but, for now, I was easing my mates in.

“I’m here,” I said, once I heard Oren’s stomps on the steps of the bus.

“It’s cold, my love,” he said and wrapped one of his giant cardigans around my shoulders.

“I know, but I was making plans.”

Accepting his warm embrace, he joined me on the bench seat, the one I’d always dubbed my couch, and we held each other for a few minutes. “Tell me about your plans, Heath. What do you see?”

He reached out and rubbed my belly as much as I had minutes before.

“I need to take out that couch over there and put in some real seats, bolted to the floor so that we can have car seats in here and then seat belts.”

Oren chuckled. “Planning more children already? I like it.”

I flinched. “Did you and Archer only want one?”

Laughing, he kissed my cheek. “Are you kidding me? We have plans to put several inside you, omega. Go on.”

“We are going to need more storage. I didn’t have a lot of things because it was just me, but I could build a bunch of cabinets to go along the top there. I want to bring our baby and babies to the beach as often as possible. I saw an older man once when I was in California. He told me his secret to life was spending time in the ocean. And…” Was I talking too much?

“Tell me. I want to hear all your thoughts.”

I put my arms into the sleeves of the cardigan and stretched it to button over my belly. Clearly, we also needed more insulation in here. We’d talked about how we would parent our child over the months. We had some different ideas but, mostly, we wanted our babe to be loved and healthy above all.

“No video games. Minimal TV. Lots of books and playing outside and campfires. Homemade food. Running. Laughing. Splashing in puddles. Twirling in the rain. Living this life to the fullest as kids. Carefree.”

“That sounds like an incredible childhood. Good roots.”

“Exactly.” I turned in his arms, in awe that he had reduced my dreams successfully into two words. Good roots. “I have something else to tell you.”

“I already know. There’s a roast in the oven, and it should be done about now.”

Hunger was another recurring theme lately. It was me. I was the hungry one.

“And dessert?” I asked.

He chuckled. “I didn’t make anything. I can if you want me to.”

“No, I meant, you, alpha. You are the dessert I want.”

He chuckled. “I always love being on your menu. Let’s go.” We stood up and got ready to go, but I almost forgot my notebook—the thing that I’d come to the bus for.

Once inside, I feasted on perfectly seasoned chuck roast along with vegetables and baked sweet potatoes. We’d fallen into a routine, all of us. Oren did most of the cooking because he was good at it. Archer loved his job.

“Gods, that smells incredible,” Archer said, coming in the side door.

“It’s delicious,” I answered.

Archer walked over and kissed Oren and then me. “Wasn’t talking about the food.” He leaned down and kissed my belly.

“How was work?” I asked as he filled a plate and sat between us. We never disturbed him when he was in his office.

“It was uneventful and mundane and simple—perfect day if you ask me. What’s this?” Archer tapped his finger on my notebook.

“That’s the notebook where I kept the specs on the bus. I want to redo the inside so it will accommodate our family.”

We spent the evening making plans, the way we spent most evenings. The TV never turned on. No laptops. No phones. Just a fire in the hearth and the one that eventually grew between us as we ended the night.

Who was I kidding? There was always heat between us as there should be with fated mates.

“I’m going to take a long, hot shower before bed,” Archer said, getting up to stretch. His shirt rose, revealing his perfect V that dipped down into his pants. I would probably never have abs again, but I was okay with it as long as we had our family. “Anyone want to join me?”

Oren stood and held out his hand. “I’m in. Omega?”

“It’s about time,” I replied, laughing.