Chapter Twenty-Four

Archer

Heath’s due date loomed, and we had not yet started the nursery.

Of course, the due date was a bit of guesswork, the healer telling us that a mixed species child like ours did not follow the rules of any of the species who were part of them. But in any case, our omega had a bump bigger than I remembered anyone in the pack having, and he swore the baby was coming any day. I tended to believe him, which was why I took a few days off from my newish job to work for my family.

We’d painted the extra bedroom a soothing almond color over a month before, but somehow had all been so busy with other things, we hadn’t taken any more steps forward. Heath never complained, but I saw him glance at the closed door a couple of times, and guilt my least-favorite emotion, raised its gnarly head.

“Oren, psst.” I motioned him over to me while Heath was engrossed in the latest streaming series he’d gotten hooked on. As he got bigger, he spent more time in front of screens, only getting up to go to the bathroom, to fill his water cup, or to take a walk outside. I drew the deer shifter with me into the kitchen.

“What’s up?” he asked, getting a glass from the cabinet. “Why all the secrecy?”

“Because we are a matter of weeks away from letting our omega down in a big way.”

“We are? How?” He set down the water glass he’d been filling and turned to face me. “What does he need that we aren’t taking care of?”

“The nursery.”

“What…we?” He paled. “We’ve been so busy.”

“I know, and our mate hasn’t asked us even once for some reason, and I am afraid he just doesn’t want to ask.”

Suddenly a big smile spread across his face. “I have an idea.”

“You do?”

“Last time we went to the big-box store, he was looking at the baby furniture display they had. I say we take a road trip. Maybe even let him think it has been planned for a while. The only possible flaw in the plan is if they don’t have the line anymore. You know they are always changing what they carry.”

“Then in that case, maybe we don’t tell him why we’re going until we get there and see if it’s still there. If not, we’ll figure something out.”

Heath hadn’t been going on many errands lately so I was a little concerned he might protest, but he said he needed some air and headed for the car without any argument. We stopped for lunch along the way and made a day of it, and when we got to the big-box store and went inside, he did the same thing as before, slowed to look at the baby furniture.

“Pick it out, mate,” I whispered in his ear. “It’s time to get the nursery ready.”

His kisses were never sweeter and a lovely old couple even applauded our little family…and everything fit in the back of the SUV I was so glad I’d bought instead of the sedan.