“I’m so glad to hear you’re doing so well, Grandpa.” I pointed to the phone, and Jason gave me a nod of understanding. I walked out the front door to finish talking to my grandfather, who was sounding better than he had since I dropped him off that first day.
“I am. So much.”
I stepped over dog poop someone left on the walk. I’d need to come back and get it. Didn’t need customers standing in it.
“Do they know when you might come home?”
“Not yet, but the nurses say I’m a short-timer so I’m thinking soon.” The scent of the dog shit hit my nose, and my stomach tightened with the all-too-familiar feel.
“I gotta go, Grandpa. Jason needs me. I’ll call you in a bit.” I hung up and ran into the store, barely hitting the toilet in time. It sucked. I let myself get worn down taking care of Grandpa and then came back here and came at things full speed.
Jason had been exaggerating when he’d said that he had it under control and that the gala wasn’t adding too much to their workload. It was not under control. It was a disaster. Sebastian had a friend who was coming on board, someone who used to work with him, so it was temporary chaos, but the amount of work was far more than the three of them had been able to handle.
And I liked it. Work gave me a purpose and kept me from thinking too much about Grandpa or missing Ethan or even that stupid parrot. But now I was sick and that didn’t do any of us any good.
I rinsed my mouth and splashed cool water on my face. The face looking back at me through the mirror was slightly green, but not too bad. I could go back and fake it the rest of the day. I’d gotten good at it.
“You okay?” Jason asked as I grabbed a bag and headed to the door.
“Yeah, I just have to clean up the dog poop before someone steps on it and brings it into the store so we can have the pleasure of cleaning the carpets. People are gross.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” he agreed and went back to the hemming he was working on.
I took care of the mess outside, tossing it in the curbside bin and feeling guilty for hanging up on my grandfather. I called him back, confessing to working too hard and being a bit under the weather after he repeatedly badgered me. I swore that man could see through the phone, going so far as to say I sounded green.
After promising to get rest and not overdo it, I said a proper good-bye and headed back into the shop.
“So…” Jason tapped the counter with his needle. “I wasn’t going to say anything.”
“But you’re going to.” I finished for him.
“I am. Sebastian will be back in a few, and you and I are leaving.” He grabbed his keys off the counter.
“We are not. Did you see that pile of work?” Why would he want us to leave? “If you need to go, that’s fine, but I can stay and help us get caught up.”
“Let me rephrase. We are leaving together. And of course I know the things we need to get done.” He shook his head and rolled his eyes. “It will get done, but we are leaving and either going to your place or mine.”
“Why?”
He stepped around the counter. “Because you, my sweet friend, are going to take a pregnancy test.”
“Ridiculous. I’m not pregnant.” Fuck. What if I was pregnant? Could I be? No. That was insane. Of course I wasn’t pregnant. I was just overworked. Overworking doesn’t make you puke. “I’m just overdoing things with the gala. I’m. Not. Pregnant.” Shit, what if I was pregnant?
“Really?” He smooshed his mouth to one side, his eyes pointing in the opposite direction. Jason could be so weird. “Because I keep seeing you fleeing to the bathroom and then coming out like you’re fine. You look dead on your feet like you can’t get enough sleep. Oh, and there is the moody-as-fuck thing you have going on.”
Every one of his points were spot on. Rationally I saw the validity of them. Emotionally I wasn’t ready to hear it.
“I let myself get worn down, is all. I’m working too much and not taking care of myself. And screw you. I’m not moody as fuck. I’m fine.”
“You’re moody as fuck.” Sebastion walked in with a box of I didn’t even know what.
“Sebastian, shut it or I’m going to ask you about that spot on your neck.” He bent his head to the side and picked the box up slightly, then gave up when he realized it wasn’t covering his huge-ass hickey.
“You’re just jelly.” He walked to his work space and dropped the box with a thud.
“Jelly? What are you twelve?” Even if he was sort of right. I was a bit jealous that everyone I worked with went home to a warm bed and someone who loved them while I went back to my tiny apartment all alone. I didn’t mind before. I’d not had better. But now that I got a taste of things with Ethan, I longed for him to be with me as I fell asleep and when I woke up.
“See?” He stuck out his tongue. Maybe twelve had been too high. Maybe he was more like ten. “Mooooooooody.”
“And just for that, I’m leaving you with that pile of hemming.” And because I might have a human growing inside of me. “You ready, Jason?”
“I’m ready.”
We walked out of the shop and around the corner to the pharmacy where I picked up one of each test, not understanding the differences between them and not wanting to stand there in the aisle reading them all. It made for an interesting exchange at the cash register—that was for sure.
“Your place or mine?” Jason asked as we reached his car.
“How about mine, and I’ll meet you there?”
Big mistake. I spent the entire ride creating scenarios about what would happen when the test came out positive. It would. I felt it in my core. Jason showed me the reality I was too blind to see.
By the time I reached my front door I was shaking.
“You’ve got this.” Jason took the keys from me and opened the door. “You’ve got this.”
“It’s so scary.”
“All the best things in life are.” He shut the door behind us. “Now let’s go pee on a stick or seven.”
Ten minutes later I was looking at double pink lines, double blue lines, a flashing pregnant, and a green light. While the tests looked very different, the message was loud and clear. I was having a baby.
I was having Ethan’s baby.
121
Ethan
“Hi, Gramps.”
“Ethan!”
I’d been visiting Mr. Jenson every week since Keith left and after “Mr. Jenson this,” and “Mr. Jenson that,” he told me to call him Jim. But I couldn’t do that.
One day as I arrived, a nurse pulled me aside and said, “Your grandfather’s such a sweetheart. The omega patients are always trying to bring him snacks or watch Shifter World with him. The ones in wheelchairs battle it out to get to his room.”
I jokingly told him, “I hear you’ve got a fan club, Gramps.” And the word stuck.
“How are you?”
He glanced into the corridor from his comfortable chair and whispered, “Close the door, please, Ethan. I can’t get a moment’s peace. But leave it ajar. I want to hear if someone’s coming.”
Not for the first time, I thought about bringing Floyd to keep him company. Maybe he’d scare the omegas away. Then again, maybe not. “You’re a hottie, Gramps.” His face reddened, but he held himself a little higher and lifted his chin. “Whatcha been doing apart from driving the omegas wild?”
“The usual.” He grabbed the remote and pointed it toward the TV. “Hope you want to watch Shifter World with me.”
“Sure, I’m up for it.” Great timing on my part.
“Have you told Keith?” he asked, his eyes never leaving the screen.
“That I’m visiting you and watching soap operas? Yes.”
“I’m glad you’re in his life, Ethan. He spends too many hours in that tailor’s shop and not enough time enjoying himself.”
“From what I understand, Jason, his boss at the tailor shop, is easy to get along with.”
“True. I met him once. Nice
guy.” He waggled his finger at me. “You’re avoiding the question.”
“Oh, the writing thing? Nope. I figured nothing would come of it and why get him excited for no reason.”
“But it’s a huge achievement, and I’m sure Keith would be so proud of you.” He increased the volume and fell silent as the opening credits of Shifter World appeared. I’d missed the last episode and kept asking questions while Grandpa shushed me.
During the commercial break, we discussed the character arcs. “If Greg and Finn don’t jump into bed soon, I’m going to write to the producers. The sexual tension is torture,” he muttered.
I hoped it wasn’t happening today. Watching a couple fall into bed, even when it did fade to black, was a little awkward with Keith’s grandpa beside me.
There was a knock at the door, and I glanced up as a woman in a white coat walked in. “Good news, Mr. Jenson. After speaking to the physiotherapist about your progress and reviewing your records, I’ve decided to send you home. You’ve worked so hard, and I’m very proud of you.”
Gramps heaved himself out of the chair by leaning on his wheelie walker. “Now?”
The doctor laughed. “Someone’s eager to leave. Is there someone special waiting at home?”
“Close by.”
I was taken aback at his words. I had no idea Gramps had a special omega in his life.
“Give me an hour to finish my rounds and complete the paperwork and you’re a free man.”
“Thanks, doc.” Gramps lost interest in Shifter World, and after asking me to retrieve a suitcase from on top of the closet, he emptied the drawers and packed his clothes.
“Need help?” I asked.
“Almost done. Keep your eyes on the TV. If anything interesting happens, let me know.”
By that I assumed he meant bare chests and octopus hands all over one another. This was a double dose of awkward. “Will do,” I said as I prayed to the soap opera gods to keep the characters far apart.
“Can you take me home, Ethan?”
I hesitated.
“But if you’re going somewhere else, no problem.”
“No, it’s fine. But Keith might not trust me to get you there in one piece.”
“Huh?” He closed the suitcase and glanced up at me.
“He thinks I’m a terrible driver.”
“Are you?” He sat in the chair—by himself with no assistance from me—and took the remote control from my hands.
“Not that I’ve noticed. There was that one time…”
“I’ll drive,” he said.
“You will not. Don’t think because you’re going home that you can leap off tall buildings with a single bound. Both Keith and Gran would never forgive me if I let you do that.”
His eyes glazed over and he got a gooey expression on his face. “Ahhh Stella, she’s quite a woman.”
Keith’s grandpa and my gran? No, I would have noticed something. They’ve known one another for years and they’re good friends.
“We’ve chatted on the phone each day, and she’s visited a few times.”
“She has? Didn’t mention it to me.” Did she think I’d disapprove?
“We’ve been keeping it on the downlow.” He tapped the side of his nose, reminding me of a mafia kingpin. Gramps must have picked up that expression up from the TV. “I miss her.”
I know the feeling. But the unsteadiness of his voice had me lean over and give him a hug.
“If you promise to keep your eyes on the road and stay well below the speed limit, I’ll let you drive.” He folded his arms and concentrated on an advertisement for engagement rings.
Great. Instead of taking an hour to get home, it’d be 24 hours before we got there. “I’m happy to take you, but wouldn’t you prefer to wait until tomorrow when Keith could come get you?”
“I’m worried about our boy, Ethan.”
I almost hugged him again. “Our boy.” Someone we both cared about. “He’s working too hard by the sounds of it. Trying to save as much as he can to branch out on his own.”
“I don’t think that’s it. It’s more serious.”
“Am I missing something?” We’d texted a lot about his grandfather, but Keith had been so exhausted we hadn’t video chatted in a week.
“He’s not well. I’m sure he’s anemic as he’s pale and has no energy. He can’t keep any food down, and he drags himself home at night and collapses into bed.”
I’d once considered studying medicine but gave up on the idea early on. But being a biology professor gave me an inkling of the horrible illnesses and diseases Keith might have contracted. “He’s been to the doctor, I assume.”
Gramps shook his head. “Says it’s nothing.” His eyes widened, and he slapped a hand over his mouth. “Oops.”
“Now what?”
“I wasn’t supposed to tell you. He said you needed to concentrate on your writing.”
“That’s fucked up,” I shouted.
“Watch your language!” a voice yelled from the corridor.
“He shouldn’t have worried you.” But why didn’t he tell me?
“Stella was here, and she insisted he video chat. Said it’d cheer me up. Your grandmother is something else.”
I brushed away images of Gran and Keith’s grandpa and picked up my phone ready to call Keith, but Gramps snatched it away.
“We have to respect his wishes, Ethan.”
“But you blabbed.”
“Well, yes.” His brow furrowed. “But grandfathers are allowed to do that. It’s in the Grandpa Rule Book under Fuck Ups. Page 273.”
“I’m not going to pretend I don’t know.” I got up and paced over the floor. “If he’s sick, we have to get him to a doctor.”
“I’ll speak with him tomorrow. If he’s no better, I give you permission to haul him to the doctor.”
As I drove home at about forty miles an hour with Gramps being the worst backseat driver ever, I couldn’t get my mind off Keith.
122
Keith
I have to go home.
It fell from my lips so freely last night that I hadn’t even noticed.
Jason had. “Your home isn’t here anymore, is it?” he’d said so softly, I wasn’t quite sure he really said it.
“That’s how I knew Rex was my forever—when he became my home.”
“I meant—” He was right. It wasn’t Grandpa’s house or even the town that was my home, it was Ethan, and that terrified me. “Yeah. But what if…” I couldn’t force the words from my lips, the possibility too much—just way too much.
“He will.” He rubbed my lower back, “He will.”
And maybe he would. But he was not the only person I had to consider. I needed to tell Grandpa. He’d still love me. He’d be excited about being a great grandfather. He’d also be disappointed.
Because of course he would. I was the only family he had left, really. My aunt had disappeared so fast the second he needed her. She only came around when she needed him, or more accurately his money.
I didn’t want to be like her. I couldn’t be like her. He deserved better, yet here I was needing him, if only for support. I’d been so irresponsible. Pregnant. Single and pregnant. The epitome of black sheep material right there.
But he’d try to hide his disappointment, because he was a good man. The best man. And it would chip away at me.
Or he’d just be stinking happy and I was biting off trouble that didn’t exist.
I needed to get out of my head and pack. The guilt of leaving Jason again stung, but he’d been right to send me away. Grandpa deserved better than a phone call saying I was pregnant.
So did Ethan.
I dialed Grandpa thinking he’d probably be back in his room from bingo by then. He was going to miss that place when he got home. They had activities scheduled for the entire day, if you were bored it was because you chose to be. They even had puzzle face-offs, whatever that was. The place was entertainment central.
“Good timing
,” Grandpa answered the phone and then not-so-quietly whispered to whomever was there that he needed to take this.
“Really. Like I’m a business call now?” I teased.
“I swear my room is like Grand Central Station. The omegas love me.” I didn’t doubt that for a second. He was smart, funny, and he knew his soaps. He was every omega’s dream. Of course he already had his eyes set on someone, and they weren’t in that rehab. He thought I didn’t notice, but he was crushing on Stella so hard. Or maybe it was a mutual crush, I didn’t know. She sure visited him a lot for being just a neighbor.
“I’m sure they do, Grandpa. Speaking of loving you—Jason gave me some time off, so I’m coming down in a few weeks, after the gala.” There was no lie. Just a tiny omission of being pregnant being the catalyst. That’s all.
“Really? I heard whispers they might spring me soon.” He’d been saying that since he arrived, but my check-in with the nursing station had given me similar intel. They assured me he’d be more than fine home alone, but still I worried. If it weren’t for the stupid gala, I’d be there. Jason insisted it was fine. I just didn’t feel right about it, not with all we’d been through.
“I heard the same thing.”
“Why didn’t you just lead with You’re getting outta there? And save me the trouble.” He chuckled, his laughter strong and rich. He was doing so much better. He sounded like—well, like Grandpa.
“Because they said it was looking good, not that it was happening, and I didn’t want you to get your hopes up.” He’d be a nightmare for the staff if he thought he was leaving and he wasn’t. He could be a might bit stubborn when he wanted to be.
“Crap. They are coming in to make sure I pooped.” I giggled because sometimes I was twelve. “You laugh, but that is the one thing about this place that drives me bonkers. They are seriously all about your poop. I gotta go. I can’t wait to see you.”
“Same. And Grandpa, you sound great—like you for the first time in a while.”
“I wish I could say the same for you. Maybe some good old Grandpa time will help you feel better.”
Love at Blind Date Complete Series: Books 1-4 Page 44
