“But—”
“But nothing. You can be married and Ethan and I can be married and there will be zero laws broken—promise.” I couldn’t wait to tell this one to Ethan. He would see the humor in it. Heck, Floyd would probably add his two cents’ worth and some cusses. Shit, he was going to need to stop saying those when the baby came. Couldn’t have my kid’s first words be an f bomb.
“It’s good to have you back. I missed you, Keith.”
“And I missed you.” And I wanted to stay back. I just needed to figure out how.
125
Ethan
Things had moved quickly since Keith told me we were going to have a baby. He was arriving in a few hours, but first I had a meeting here at the house. And I was terrified. I wiped my sweaty palms on my pants as I peered round the living room. I’d been up early cleaning and tidying, and I’d bought snacks and fruit in case my visitor was hungry.
I could get a takeout breakfast if the meeting ran long, but much as I wanted to hear what the guy was offering, I needed to be with Keith soon after he arrived. Once he’d given Gramps the news.
A car pulled up out front. I’d put Floyd near the window, but was having second thoughts. What if he yelled “Fuck” as soon as the guy walked in? Too late to do anything about it now. After a quick peek in the mirror to make sure I didn’t have anything on my face, I opened the door and welcomed my visitor.
I made coffee as we chatted, and he admired the garden through the window and said nice things about Floyd. By the time we talked business, I was so hyped up on coffee, one leg was twitching, and I rested a cushion on it, hoping my visitor didn’t notice.
When he mentioned terms and a huge figure, my slack-jawed expression must have convinced him I was deaf. “If you don’t believe me, I’ll show you the money,” he said. He wrote the number on his phone and waved it in front of me.
“Show you the money!” Floyd yelled and then cackled.
“Oh my God, he really does talk!” He got up and studied Floyd who was apparently bored because he tipped up his water container and splashed the guy. “Is he the inspiration for…?” He waved the sheaf of papers clutched in one hand.
“Get laid!” Floyd shouted and nibbled at some birdseed.
“It would be amazing if you’d let us have him for a day. We’d pay the going rate, of course.”
I knew Floyd would come in useful one day. “Sure, as long as he behaves. I can’t believe this is happening. Yes!”
The guy turned his attention to me. “Perfect. I’ll have the lawyers draw up the papers on Monday.”
After he left and I turned on the TV for Floyd, I raced to the coffee shop, picked up goodies hoping I could tempt Keith to eat, and headed to Gramps’s place. Keith’s car was parked in the driveway.
“You’re late.” Keith opened the door as I struggled to balance food and drinks. “For me?” He snatched the box of pastries out of my hands.
“And Gramps. Also Gran if she wants.”
Keith gave me a knowing look. “Lots has happened since I was last here.”
I inspected his still-flat belly and noted, “That’s an understatement. How are you?”
“Not as bad as I was. All-day sickness is a bitch!”
We were chatting like acquaintances. How does one greet an omega you’ve knocked up? I peered into the living room. Gramps was dozing in front of the TV and Gran must have been at her place. “Picnic in the backyard?”
“The location of our first kiss—well, almost kiss. I could have killed Sam that day.”
“You remembered?” We’d never discussed it.
“Of course.”
“Muffin or croissant?” I didn’t know what else to say. “I read crackers are good for morning sickness, but the bakery didn’t have any. And Floyd refused to share his.”
“I’m okay if I nibble.”
I sipped my tea. My somersaulting stomach wouldn’t accept any more coffee.
With a mouthful of pastry, Keith mumbled, “Is something wrong, Ethan? You were so excited on the phone and now it’s as though someone pushed the mute button.”
He was right. It was the opposite of what was in my heart and head. “I’m overjoyed about the baby, but right now, this feels like your baby not ours.”
“Well, forgive me for thinking about myself and the little one inside me while I’ve been throwing up every day and barely able to work.” He drummed his fingers on the table.
I rubbed his arm. “Sorry that came out wrong.” I shoved a whole muffin in my mouth and chewed which gave me time to put my tangled thoughts in order. “Of course, I want to be in the baby’s life. That’s a given. But I want to be part of yours too. And at first, I thought the pregnancy would bring us closer together, but right now, I’m treading water with no life preserver.”
His voice softened. “That’s a lot of words.”
“Well, I am a writer of sorts.”
“How’s that going?” he asked.
“Can we talk about us first, please?” I washed down the muffin with a gulp of tea. “Is there an us?”
“I…”
I grabbed his hand and kissed the palm. “This line says you’re going to meet a handsome professor who can’t live without you.” Another kiss. “And this one means you’ll have a baby.” A final kiss on the longest line. “And this last one says you’ll live a long and happy life.”
“When did you get into the fortune-telling business?”
“Wishing, not telling.” I’d said what I had to say. Now it was his turn.
Keith smirked. “The handsome part’s definitely a stretch.”
“Hey!”
He upturned my palm. “I see an alpha who’d do anything for the ones he loves.” He flicked a crumb away. “Interesting.” He frowned.
“What?” I peered at my hand wondering what was wrong with my future.
“This tells me you’ll promise never to teach our children how to drive.”
“I’m not that… wait, did you say children? You’re not having twins, are you?”
“No.” He placed a hand on his belly. “But at some point we may decide to have another child.”
“I see. So if I’m not just a sperm donor…” I kissed along his arm and goosebumps spiked over his skin despite the warm day. “You want me in your life because…”
“Oh, God, this is taking forever.” Keith planted a kiss on my lips. “I love you, Ethan.”
“I love you too.”
“Finally.” For a moment I thought it was Floyd, but he was at home. Glancing over my shoulder, I spied Gramps and Gran in the doorway. They both clapped. “We’ve got a bottle of sparkling non-alcoholic wine to celebrate when you’re ready.” They disappeared inside.
Keith licked a crumb from my lips. “Before we discuss this further, please tell me you’ve been continuing with your book. I hope me being pregnant hasn’t stifled your writing muse.”
“I haven’t touched it in a while.”
“No, Ethan. That was your dream. It’s why you took a year off work.”
“Dreams come and go, and I have another one, and you were the inspiration.”
“Go on.” He rested his head on my shoulder.
“Shifter World!”
Keith sat up. “You’re going to play an extra in the soap?”
“Nope.”
His voice rose as he asked, “You’ve sold Floyd to the producers and he’s going to be a Shifter World regular?”
I nodded. “Partly true.”
“What?”
“I entered that contest you told me about. I’ve secretly been working on it for weeks, and after our phone call about the baby, I sent it off.”
“And? Don’t keep me in suspense.”
“One of the producers read it and happened to be up here for the weekend. He called in this morning and you’re looking at a regular writer for Shifter World!”
“What?” Gramps yelled.
Without looking around, I said, “Lips are se
aled. If I spill deets, I get fired.”
He grumbled and trundled his walker inside.
“So lay it out step by step. You’re giving up your job at the university?”
“Not yet. Or ever. We’ll see. I’ve got months to prove myself as a soap opera writer, but I had to tell the college and they were incredibly generous. The community college here in town is part of their college system, and if I work there part-time, I’ll keep most of my benefits. I won’t be teaching but mainly doing admin, so I can do most of it remotely.” I was hoping I wouldn’t bump into Shawn, the nose-picker, but Gran told me he got married and moved to the city.
“That’s brilliant. How did you manage that?”
“Ummm turns out the university president is a huge fan of…”
“Shifter World,” Keith finished my sentence.
“Yup. And one of the best things about the writing gig is—apart from the money—I finagled a work-at-home deal for four days a week, and I’ll be in the city office the other one, so I can help with the baby.”
“I’m so proud of you.”
“I have you to thank. You gave me the idea.”
He nudged me with his elbow, and I pulled him close and nuzzled his ear. “And Floyd? You haven’t sold him, have you?”
“No. If my episode ever gets made, he’ll be in it.”
“He’ll need a bigger cage.”
“True,” I agreed. “His ego wouldn’t fit in the present one.”
126
Keith
Watching Ethan’s career starting to take off filled my heart with both joy and nerves. Joy that he had taken the leap and followed his muse and nerves because I still needed to figure out what to do with my life. I wanted to be with Ethan. That part I knew. How to make that happen? That was the mystery.
It wasn’t that far of a drive, but it was not even close to commutable, and even if it was, I wanted to be able to see my baby and not be gone fourteen or more hours a day. I also didn’t want to keep our child from Ethan except for on the weekends. It was a hot mess, and then the phone rang and changed everything.
“Hey, boss man,” I answered on the first ring. I’d forgotten to call him the other day when I arrived like I promised, and he worried and I got a lecture about it so first ring it was. “What’s the good word?”
“That depends on you…”
“You sound ominous.” I chortled and stepped out back as Grandpa shushed me. Turned out rehab had him even further into his Shifter World addiction. Poor Ethan had been asked a thousand times about the new mysterious character on the show, and it cracked me up. Grandpa was not going to be pleased to find out the tall dark stranger they’d been putting out teasers about wasn’t the prophesied wolf pack Alpha, but was instead that damned parrot, something even I wasn’t supposed to know about, but I had connections.
“More like I have an offer—or multiple offers. You know the tailor that closed down in your grandpa’s town?”
“Uh-huh.”
“I got a call from the owner...how would you like to open a satellite location—all yours, but using the patterns we designed. Sort of like a franchise but not really.”
“Tell me more.”
And tell me more he did. We spent the next two hours chatting about ideas, how much things would take to start up, and what steps we should take. It was crazy, and yet—it might just work.
“I need to talk to Ethan about it.” And just like that we were a real couple. I mean, we were, but it wasn’t until I had to make a life-altering decision and didn’t want to make it without him, that it sank in. We were a couple. A real couple.
“No rush. Just let me know what you think. I have a new apprentice starting soon, and I could probably come down and help you get started.” What he didn’t say was that with his bazillionaire husband he could afford to just move here for a little bit. The amazing part was that he would.
“Thanks. I’ll let you go and...thanks.”
“Anytime. You helped me grow my business, you deserve it.”
“No, I mean thanks for that too, but thanks for everything...with the baby, I mean.”
“I seem to remember you being there for me.”
“Still. Thanks.”
We said our good-byes, and I got in my car, driving past the shop store front. Could I really do it? The town wasn’t that big, but there was enough within a half-hour that if we focused on custom suits it might just work. There had to be enough locals who needed their pants hemmed to pay the mortgage.
Maybe this was where I was meant to be all along. All these years I was working up to small town life, doing what I loved, and being with my family.
My car turned left as if on autopilot, and I ended up at Ethan’s place.
Floyd must’ve announced my arrival because Ethan had the door open and was at my car door just as I was reaching for the handle.
“You must have ESP. I was just thinking about you.” He held his hand out, and I grabbed it. I didn’t need him to help me out of the car, but I sure loved it.
“I wanted to run something by you, and I figured that I should stop saying important happy things on the phone.” I kissed his cheek. “Besides, I missed you too.”
“Come inside so I can kiss you properly,” he spoke close to my ear and led me to the house.
“I think we should talk first.” He stiffened up beside me as we stepped through the front door. Gods, I sucked at this. “I mean, because after we do, I thought maybe a kiss could turn into something more?”
“Get laid! Sex!”
“What the bird said.” He was going to have to tamp that down once our baby got here, that was for sure. “Maybe the show could, you know…”
“Teach him not to talk like a sailor?”
“That.”
“I think that is why they want him, but we shall see. So tell me, what is so important we can’t get naked first?” He closed the door behind us. “Because right now, I want to get you naked, press you against the door, and do very indecent things to you.”
My breath hitched. He wasn’t making this any easier.
“I want to open a shop here in town and live here and be a real family.” I spoke so quickly it was almost one giant word. “But I want you to want it too.”
“What I want, omega mine, is for you to be happy—and naked.” He ran his finger down my arm until he reached my hand and intertwined them together. “Not at work, of course. It’s hard to get people all gussied up when you’re naked.”
“And you okay with it?”
“Okay? It makes me the happiest alpha on the planet to know you’ll be here.” He kissed me far too chastely for my liking. “You meant live with me, right?”
“Of course, alpha mine. Where else would I want to be but with the love of my life.”
“Thank you. Cookie!” the bird squawked.
“Not you, Floyd,” I called out to him. “This guy.” I grabbed his shirt with my free hand and pulled him to me.
“Get laid!”
“That is the plan.” I brushed my lips against Ethan. “That is the plan.”
127
Ethan
“I hear the landlord’s very accommodating.” Keith stood at the front door.
“Give me that,” I said, taking the load off him. “You can’t be lugging heavy boxes in your condition. You need a minder.”
“For starters, it hardly weighs anything,” he protested. “And I thought that was your job, being a fussbudget and all.”
Putting the box aside and leaning over his ever-expanding bump, I kissed his nose. “I’m worried about you doing too much. That’s all.”
It was true I’d been fussing over him. “Put your feet up.” “Come to bed.” “Don’t work too hard.” And I’d been delivering food to the shop at lunch time. We’d eat together on the bench outside as small town life went on around us, and Keith gave instructions to the workmen while I caught him up on what my characters were doing. He was sworn to secrecy, though, and loved
being ‘in the know.’
“We’re so lucky Gran hadn’t signed a lease with a new tenant.” Keith studied the high ceilings and intricate moldings. “It’s a beautiful house, and it’s where our son or daughter was conceived.”
I sidled up behind him and rubbed my crotch over his ass. “Shame we’re so busy, we could rechristen the mattress.”
He stuck out his bottom lip and shook his head. “Will you take a raincheck?”
“Thinking. Thinking.”
Keith made a face and knocked on my skull. “Are you sure? Hello? Hello? Anyone in there?”
“Very funny.”
“Go get the rest of the stuff,” he ordered.
“Yes, sir.” I saluted. I loved our banter and playfulness and wondered how that would change once the baby arrived. I understood how much support Keith would need after the birth.
It was moving day—for me—which was ridiculous as I’d been living in my grandmother’s second house since the start of my year off. But I’d arrived with a small bag, and Keith had been pestering me to relocate my possessions from the city.
Keith had moved in with me months ago, but his focus had been on his new shop. Thankfully it was an existing business he’d bought so he wasn’t starting from scratch, but redecorating, modernizing the computer system, sourcing and stocking new fabric, and retraining the current employee kept him there until late in the evening.
While it made sense to give up Keith’s rented apartment once we’d made a commitment to one another, I was keeping my place in the city for the moment and renting from Gran until the future became clearer. I owned that place, and we’d kept it furnished in case either or both of us needed to spend the night.
With Keith being pregnant, starting his own business, and me writing from home as well as working part-time at the local community college, we weren’t sure what the next year or two would look like. Initially, we planned to buy the house from Gran, but with our lives upended, we decided to rent for the moment.
Love at Blind Date Complete Series: Books 1-4 Page 46
