Page 39 of Mate Matched: Xavier & Brady
Right before the end, when everyone was starting to file out, Xavier’s mama pulled me aside. She hugged me close, not the respectable, feigning closeness sort of hug, the real, loving kind from someone who truly likes you. The feeling sank into my heart and almost brought tears to my eyes. “I’m so glad you gave him another chance. He loves you so much,” she whispered, sounding almost as choked up as I was.
“Yeah, he was persistent. I needed him to show me why I fell in love with him.”
Stacy pulled away to study me. She held onto my arms while she spoke. “When you argue, and you will, speak from kindness, not anger. Remember, you love each other first. Celebrate all the little things because they will keep you going when things get hard.”
“I will.”
“Good. So happy to have you join our family, Brady.”
Somehow she made it sound like we were already mated or married. “We’re—”
“You don’t need a mating mark or marriage certificate to be one of us.” Stacy turned me so I could catch a glimpse of Xavier speaking to my dad. “He’s always looking for you. I’ve never seen him so in love.”
“Not even with…?”
“No, he loved him plenty, don’t get me wrong. Just not this kind of love. He’s restless without you near. Now go on, enjoy the rest of your day off together. Let us know how the appointment goes.”
Xavier’s arms wrapped around me as I waved off the last of our guests. “I think that went well.”
“Our sisters might be a problem.”
He laughed before pressing a kiss against my scent gland, something I’d noticed he was doing more of. “Yeah. As long as they’re on our side, we’ll be fine.”
I was grateful the doctor could fit us in as the first appointment of the day because there was no way I’d have survived workotherwise. My anxiety was high, I’d barely slept, and I felt vaguely nauseous.
Xavier was there to hold me steady, though. He held my hand and let me bounce my leg in the waiting room without comment. He didn’t waste time with platitudes either, which I appreciated since I wasn’t in the right headspace to listen to them and react well.
The clinic was fairly busy for before nine on a Monday morning, but we didn’t have to wait long to be called through. Our appointment was with Dr. Anna Glover, a specialist in omega fertility, who listened to everything I said with a sympathetic ear.
“Well, I won’t tell you there’s no reason to worry about your chances of becoming pregnant because I know you’ll worry regardless,” she said in a pleasant, if not teasing, voice. Her manner put me at ease right away. “Given your family history, it’s worth taking some blood and scanning you. We’ve already scheduled both for this appointment because your heat is so close.” She took a blood draw kit from a drawer. “Shall we start with the blood test? Is that alright?”
Dr. Glover was gentle and efficient as she took a sample of my blood, bandaged it, and took the sample to the reader. “Now, this won’t tell us everything, such as any potential genetic conditions. It will tell us if you have any iron deficiency, or anything we need to deal with now. Ideally, I’d like to take samples from you both down the line. At this initial appointment, though, we’ll just check you, Brady.”
The machine did its thing, and gave out a reading which the doctor studied for a minute. She turned to us with a bright smile. “As I thought, there’s nothing of concern here. Normally I’d take your blood pressure, but I can already tell from your pheromones that it’s high due to stress. Would you mind taking a reading before you head out to be sure?”
I shook my head. “No, that’s fine. Sorry, I barely slept. Normally, I have better control.”
She stopped me from rambling. “It’s alright, Brady. Completely understandable. I only caught them because I was so close to you. The scrubbers catch most of them.” Pretty much all buildings had pheromone scrubbers to filter out all the pheromones alphas and omegas released during the day, especially when they were feeling strong emotions.
“Okay, could you hop up on the bed there? I want to give you a scan.”
My legs nearly went out from under me when the doctor confirmed there was nothing to suggest I’d have problems staying pregnant. No blockages, no malformed organs. A perfect bill of health.
“What I’d like to do is prescribe you a hormone to boost your chances of an egg being released. An omega does not always release an egg when in heat. This could be what is happening to you. Without more tests, I can’t say that for sure. For most omegas, one tablet a day in the week running up to your heat is all they need. I suspect, given your family history, that this is the case for you. Yes, recessive omegas can have problems getting pregnant, but as I said, all they need is a boost. If Xavier were recessive, then I’d suggest something for sperm production, but he’s come back as a regular alpha, so there should be no problem there.”
“So I just take this and I could get pregnant?”
“Yes. Please come back after your heat for more detailed testing, though I suspect that won’t be necessary given how tightly your pheromones mesh.” Dr. Glover smiled brightly. “I’m confident you won’t need my services until you plan your next baby.”
Sixteen
Brady
Welefttheclinicin a buoyant mood. A tablet once a day felt like too simple a fix for something I’d held onto for so long.
“Let’s pick up your meds now,” Xavier suggested. “You can start taking them right away. Just in time for your heat.”
“Are you sure you want this?”
