Page 37 of Flight of the Omega

XV

Jack didn’t see much of jpthe week before the RosePlate. He didn’t see much of anyone; he was too busy. The Alerians all had to be groomed. Pens mucked. Hay found for all the new arrivals. Training areas had to be booked out, and feeding schedules had to be arranged. Temperaments had to be managed; some birds just didn’t get along, no matter what you did. Then there was actually getting the track down and groomed and fixed up, plus all the decorating and helping Teal with the gardening and Duckie with the food fixings.

In short, it was a lot of work, and Jack would be glad when it was all over. It was exciting while the Plate was happening; the air around Midlothian was always electric with anticipation the couple of days before the race, and the race itself was always a good show. But boy, Jack was bushed before it even began and he was always glad when it was over and they could get back to normal.

He barely recognized JP when he bumped into the omega the day before the big race. It was nearly nightfall; the sun had sunk low in the sky and the clouds had turned brilliant pink. The light was fading fast; the trees and even the lush fields seemed like nothing more than shadow cuts against the brilliance of the sky. Everything that could be done before the race had been; it was all the little finicky kind of stuff, the dregs of the to-do list left now, the things that could only be done last minute. So Jack hauled himself into the kitchen to see if there was anything Duckie needed (and to see if Duckie would let him sample something or other). That was where he found JP.

He didn’t think he could be blamed for not recognizing the omega right away. First off, JP was wearing a dress, and Jack had never seen him in a dress before. Second, he was a lot rounder than even the last time Jack had seen him, so it took Jack a couple of minutes to realize this plump bird in the kitchen was the gangly JP.

“Gosh,” he said, taking off his hat, “hardly recognized you.”

JP looked at him, then looked down at himself. The expression on his face would have been funny if he didn’t look so miserable about it. “Yeah, well,” he grumbled.

Jack glanced around then spied a spare stool in the corner. He led JP over to it and forced the omega to sit down. He watched JP; the omega moved slowly, waddling like a penguin. But he was also cautious and careful; he lowered himself onto the seat slowly, almost like he was sitting down on a nest. He braced one hand on his belly, like he didn’t want to jar the eggs.

Jack’s throat tightened up with unexpected pride; here was JP, taking good care of their eggs.Theireggs.

Oh, hell.

He glanced away quickly, hoping the evening light would help hide the blush on his cheeks. “You hungry?” he asked absently.

“Always,” JP replied, and Jack glanced at him slyly, caught him rubbing his belly.Cutewas the only thing Jack’s brain could conjure. His mate was cute.

“Duckie said there were samples,” Jack lied, casting around the kitchen for any stray platters. He’d been through a couple of Rose Plates before and he knew how Duckie worked. He finally found one that had a lot of odds and ends—spanakopita mixed with popcorn shrimp and stuffed mushrooms, right alongside a couple of rich dessert squares. He grabbed it and brought it back to JP, offering him the stuffed mushrooms first.

JP took the offering without question or hesitation. Jack swallowed that strange bubble of pride, cleared his throat, and looked away. “You gotta be close to laying,” he said absently.

JP snorted. “Another three, four weeks,” he muttered.

Jack looked back at him, brows jumping. “Yeah?” he asked, glancing JP up and down, pausing when he caught that golden gaze. JP just glared at him while he chewed; he’d helped himself to a couple of things on the platter while Jack wasn’t looking.

The omega swallowed, then leaned back with a sigh, putting a hand over his belly. “Yeah,” he grumbled. “I wouldn’t mind, actually—they’re awful heavy to tote around like this.”

“I’ll bet,” Jack said, drawing a little closer. “You got that nest all made up for them.”

JP’s expression soured. “No,” he said, a little bit of sorrow invading his tone. “Someone knocked it over, took it apart.”

Jack frowned. “Who would do that?” Now he was mad. JP was very clearly a pregnant omega getting ready to lay his clutch and someone had the gall to destroy his nest? And it wasn’t like that nest was out in the open. Someone had gone in there deliberately and taken it apart.

“My father,” JP mumbled, glancing away.

“No,” Jack gasped. He’d only met Mr. Crane a few times, but he seemed like a nice enough fellow. Or he had, at least. “He that mad that you got knocked up?”

“Sort of.” JP reached for another piece on the tray. He glanced up at Jack, as though seeking permission. “Is it okay?”

Jack nodded and pushed the tray toward him. “Eat up, if you’re hungry.”

JP didn’t reply, just took a couple more pieces and jammed them into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. When he’d swallowed, he paused, glancing down at his belly, rubbing a hand over it. His brows tented.

Jack waited, then said, “How many eggs do you reckon are in there?”

“Dunno,” JP replied. Jack wished he could take a photo; JP looked incredibly cute like that, with his hand on his belly and his gaze downcast. “Dr. Vogel’s supposed to give me a check-up, so she might be able to guess. Most omegas don’t know until they lay their clutch.”

Jack swallowed nervously, then scooted a little closer. “Well, how many do you think? You’ve laid eggs before, right?”

JP went pale, then scarlet. “Only duds,” he huffed. “They were never fertilized properly, so I laid them real soon after heat.”

“Sorry,” Jack said.