Page 26 of Mate Match: Curtis & Jae
Before I could look at the result. The doorbell rang. I rushed to answer it, throwing open the door with more force than necessary. On the other side, Curtis, the big alpha, stared at me. His concerned face scrunched into a frown. In his arms he had a bag with delicious smelling chicken soup.
The scent of it made my mouth water. My stomach gurgled, then it cramped. I ran to the bathroom and barely made it to the toilet before I threw up bile.
“Fuck! Jae, are you alright?” Curtis followed me. Kneeling beside me, he rubbed my back. The motion paused. I heard him pick up the test and confirm what I already knew.
“We’re pregnant!”
Twelve
Curtis
Heldinmyhandwas the proof that my life was about to change in the best of ways. Jae was pregnant with our child! I was over the moon. I just hoped he was, too.
Whatever happened next was entirely up to him. If he wasn’t ready for a baby, then I’d just have to accept it. Pregnancy was hard. I had no right to demand it of him just because I wanted to be a dad. His body, his choice. I just hoped he would pick a future with me and our baby. It’s what I wanted so badly it hurt.
I resumed rubbing Jae’s back, feigning calm. “Can I get you anything?”
“Is that all you’re going to say?” Jae closed the lid of the toilet and rested his face against it. His face was flushed, a sheen of sweat was on his brow. From his pheromones, I could tell he was struggling, even if his expression hadn’t given that away. We’d only been together barely a month, but I could read him well despite him trying to hide his panic.
Reaching for a shelf, I found a washcloth and dampened it so I could wipe his face for him with cool water. Anything to hide the trembling of my fingers and growing anxiety.
“How you feel about it matters more than what I do. I don’t want to influence you, but I’m really happy at the thought of being a parent with you.”
“You are?” He looked utterly shocked. Had I been hiding my feelings for him too much? While I didn’t want to scare him, I was in love with him. He needed to know that this felt like the natural evolution of our relationship. Sure, a little sooner than maybe was wise, but it was happening. All we had to do now was decide how we navigated it.
“Yes. I know it happened quickly—”
“How did it happen? We were so careful.”
He looked so mournful. Did he not want our baby? My heart sank at the thought before I reminded myself he was going through a massive change and deserved grace. Him ending the pregnancy wouldn’t mean things would be over between us, at least not on my end. Maybe it wasn’t the right time for him. That was okay. Yeah, the idea stung, of course it did. Still, I’d get over it. I wouldn’t lose him over it.
“We were. The Duostop was done properly, and we stuck to the timer.” I reminded him with as much patience as I could muster. I wanted to be celebrating, not consoling. “We should have been covered. It isn’t fully effective, though. Guess we were the point five percent or whatever.”
“Curtis…?” Jae looked at me with worry, yet it was tinged with something else.
“Yeah?”
“Point five percent is special. Like it’s supposed to be.” A giddy feeling rose in my stomach. “I think… I think I want this baby. I don’t know what that means—”
Putting a lid on my excitement was hard. My omega was pregnant with my kid! “I’ll be by your side the whole time. This baby,” I got to my knees to cradle his face with the gentlest of touches. “Means everything. Just like you.” I tried to let him see all the love I had for him, though neither of us had dared to speak the words. “I’d like to be with you while we do this, as a family.”
“A family?”
“Yeah. You and me as a couple, raising a baby together.” It was like a dream come true to speak those words to him.
He smiled. It trembled as his tears fell. “Mate Match really works, doesn’t it?”
“It does. Now, why don’t we get you some water and crackers while we pack up some stuff?” My alpha instincts were screaming at me to protect, to care for our pregnant omega. He had to be with us, where he was safe and loved. I carefully helped him to his feet.
“You still want me to stay over?” He clung to my hands in a death grip.
“I’d have you move in if you wanted to.” The truth of the statement was a shock to my heart, making it race faster. Truthfully, the thought of him living so far away from me made me feel ill.
“Really?” He looked at me in wonder.
“Hell yes! It’s super fast, I know that.” I squeezed his hands, still clasped in mine. “We’re such a good match and you make me feel so good. Being around you, Jae, fills my life with light and happiness. I’d gotten into a rut before you, just working all the time. You give me a reason to slow down and enjoy more things.” I could have gone on forever about how having Jae in my life made it better.
“Oh, wow! I… you make me feel cherished, not smothered. Like you value my opinions and actually want to hear them.” I stole one of my hands back so I could wipe away his tears.
