Page 31

I had to agree. It truly was the best way to wake up. “We’ll figure something out. Having to stop and make you a snack first, though, might kill the spontaneity of things.” There was no might; it would. But I didn’t want Lewis to feel bad about it. He was pregnant because of both of us, and we did not know if he would have pregnancy sickness or not until it showed up. “Are you certain you wish to go somewhere to eat? I wouldn’t mind, but only if you are feeling up for it.”

Lewis’s face lit up. “I’d love to go somewhere. I’m happy to go wherever you want to.”

“Cutie, it doesn’t matter to me where we eat, as long as I’m with you. I’m not picky, and I’m not the one pregnant. Are you craving anything?”

Lewis’s eyes lit up. “I’d actually love some waffles with a bunch of fruit and whipped topping. About a pound of bacon and some eggs. The dippy kind so I can smear the yolk all over my toast.”

I nodded. That was quite the breakfast. There were a few diners off the mountain, but I could probably make it here for Lewis if we had everything. “All right. Here or somewhere else? We might not have bacon though, but you can use magic. Not that I’m asking you to do that.” I shook my head. “No. Let’s go out. I’m absolutely thrilled and proud to have you as my mate, and I’d love to take you out to breakfast. Before long, you won’t be able to go out because your stomach will be showing.”

Lewis sighed. “Yeah, but that’s going to be such a wonderful thing.” He touched his stomach and smiled.

I reached for my mate, and when he placed his hands in mine, I pulled him to his feet. I didn’t stop there though. I gave him a gentle tug and pulled him into my arms. “I’ll message someone and see what they’re serving at the council. They most likely have all of those things. But if not, we can go somewhere else if you’d prefer to not eat there.”

Lewis’s brow scrunched. “Can I eat there with you?”

“Cutie, everyone who is on Treasure Ridge can eat there. There is a pickup window around the back. The order window is beside it.” Lewis looked even more confused. “Have the others not mentioned that to you?”

“Maybe? I don’t remember. Probably.” Lewis shook his head. “Yeah, they did, I’m sure. I just never really needed to. If there’s something I want, I’ll use magic. It’s just what it is. I eat, but I never really know what I’ll want until I’m home for a while. I usually have to decompress from the chaos of work.”

I loosened my hold on my mate and looked down at him. “Is it that bad? Do you need more help? Fewer hours? What can I do to make it easier? Life at home is going to shift with you being pregnant.” I did not want my mate to stress about work. I would never think of asking him to quit. I knew he loved his job, and it had always been a dream of his and Beau’s to work in their own bakery together in their village. I’d seen those memories. But now they weren’t in their village, but they did have their bakery. But would that remain possible with so few employees?

“Do you want me to not work there?” I gave Lewis a look. “Your thoughts. You just said you wouldn’t ask me to quit, but is that what you want? Do you wish that I stayed home?”

I shook my head. “I do not have any issue with you keeping your job. I know it is what you have always wanted.”

Lewis stared at me a moment before he took several steps away. “It was. Just like it was Beau’s dream to have a bakery with me. But those were dreams of children. We were early teenagers who thought it would be the best thing to have our own bakery. We weren’t thinking about how life would change for us. How our focus would change because we found our mates and started families. That’s all changed now. I haven’t ever complained, and I won’t, but…” Lewis stopped there and shook his head.

I waited, and when he didn’t continue, I walked the few steps toward him and pulled him close again. “Cutie, look at me.” It took a moment, but Lewis finally looked up at me. He took a deep breath, and when he let it out, it was shaky. “Sweetheart, I love you with everything I have,” I told him. “And if you want to not work at the bakery anymore, you can.”

His expression changed. “You love me?”

That had me chuckling. “That was not how I wanted to say those words to you for the first time. There was nothing sweet or romantic about that.”

“You love me?”

I leaned down and kissed his forehead first. “Yes, I do,” I whispered before I kissed his nose and then finally his lips. “I love you more than I can say. I want nothing more than to make you happy. If you want to stay home and be a daddy and just bake here when you have time, I’m all for it. If you want to keep working at the bakery, I’ll support you in that as well.” If he decided he wanted to crochet stuffed animals, I wouldn’t care because it’s what he wanted to do.

Lewis finally smiled. “I love you too.” He started waving a hand at his face, and at first, I thought he might be too warm with me holding him too closely, but that wasn’t it at all. I’d made him cry, I’d realized. I was certainly messing up this morning.

“Don’t cry. Are you upset that we’re in love?”

“No, never,” Lewis said. He swiped at his face, then took another deep breath. “I think I’m going to be one of those emotional omegas when pregnant. I’m not normally this wishy-washy, but apparently, falling in love and having your alpha mate say those words to you when pregnant did it for me.” Lewis walked to the side table and grabbed a tissue. I didn’t know where they had come from except my mate. I didn’t recall having them before.

“There is nothing wrong with you being emotional. It’s adorable, just as you are, and I’ll love you no matter what.” I moved to his side and slid my arm around his shoulders. “I do love you. I was going to tell you before now, but the time never seemed to be romantic enough. I need to work on that.”

Lewis looked up at me and gave me another look. He was so expressive this morning. “What do you mean you need to work on it? You’re romantic. Why would you think you’re not? You bring me things; you make sure I have what I want or need. You take care of me after sex. You are incredibly romantic.”

“Little mate, those things are just the basics. They should be expected in every relationship because they are the bare minimum. I understand you’ve not had a relationship before us, but you should absolutely expect more than that from me and be upset when I don’t do more than that for you.”

Lewis sighed. “See, that’s romantic. I think everyone’s interpretation of it is different. You are doing those things for me; I found them romantic. You bringing me tea and a snack is romantic. I could use magic, but you are sweet, and you want to take care of me and do those things for me. That’s romantic to me.”

I smiled before I swept him up into my arms without warning. Lewis squeaked and then started laughing. “Very well. I’m romantic. I shall continue to be romantic, but I’m going to make certain I impose upon you my definition of romance as well.” I wanted to do things for my mate that he’d not had before. He deserved everything, and although he had been nothing but excited about his pregnancy, I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy one if he was carrying a gargoyle baby. I did not care either way. I would love our child, all of our children equally. But I was certainly going to do everything I could to make certain he was as pampered as I could.

I carried Lewis toward the door. We needed to get going to breakfast before the tea and small snack that he’d had wore off. “Cutie, if you want shoes, you better magick some. Same with a coat,” I warned him. The feel of him in my arms changed slightly as he was suddenly bundled in a warm coat, and when I glanced at his feet, there were warm snow boots on them. I couldn’t help but smile.

“Wait,” Lewis said as I bent and opened the door. I froze. I suddenly felt my own boots on my feet, and I was now wearing a hoodie instead of the thin T-shirt I’d had on. “Thank you, cutie.”

“Were you really going to go outside without shoes and in a T-shirt?”