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I looked around while Vaughn finished placing his order, and then I moved out of the way when he tapped a card on the reader. It beeped, and then Vaughn turned and smiled down at me. “You ready to find a table?”

There were several to choose from, but I didn’t feel like sitting at the window, so I started over to the side where the booths were. We found one toward the back of the café, and after he’d helped me take off my coat and get into the booth, Vaughn did the same and sat across from me, facing the window and door.

“Do you think we go get our own food?” I asked through our bond as I glanced around. Some people were eating their breakfast, while others seemed to be waiting.

“I don’t think so. There is no pickup spot, and she didn’t give me a number or ask for my name. Most likely, someone will run the food out to us.”

Of course, just as soon as Vaughn answered me, someone did just that. They weren’t bringing food to us though. They went to the front of the café and, moments later, came back by and disappeared into the back again.

“Well, there’s my answer for certain,” I said. Vaughn reached across the table, and I quickly put my hands into his. He started to rub his thumbs across the skin of my hands, and although it tickled a little, I absolutely wasn’t going to pull my hands away.

“I could have done this at home,” I told him through our bond again because I did not want to offend anyone in the café. “But it is nice to get out.”

“I know you could. I appreciate that you are always willing to make meals for us. I would like to take you out and around and be seen with you. I’m absolutely proud to have you as my mate, and I want everyone to know that you’re mine.”

I couldn’t stop myself from smiling at that. Vaughn continued to surprise me. I truly didn’t know what to expect from a mate. I’d seen other mated couples all the time, but maybe it was because he was older? Or was it because he was a gargoyle?

“It’s both,” Vaughn said. I realized I’d projected those thoughts to my mate, and although they weren’t anything to be overly embarrassed about, I still felt somewhat odd about him hearing them for some reason. “I’ve waited for you for a very long time,” Vaughn said quietly. “I’ve had many decades to think about how I was going to treat my mate.” Vaughn winked at me, but before I could respond to him, the runner came back out and approached our table.

“Waffles and fruit compote, eggs over easy, bacon, and toast on the side,” he said as he placed the plate in front of me. I sort of zoned out after that. This was just perfect. It was exactly what I’d wanted, and I picked up my silverware and was ready to dive in before I caught myself. I looked up in time to hear Vaughn thanking the runner.

“Yes, thank you. This looks wonderful.” That earned me a smile from the alpha, and I was sure that at another time, I would have wondered about him. About who he and the girl behind the counter were. Was there someone else in the back cooking?

“Are you going to eat?” Vaughn asked, pulling me from my thoughts. I blinked a few times, realizing I’d been staring at the door the alpha had disappeared through.

“Oh, yeah.” I glanced around before looking back at Vaughn. “Do you know anyone here?”

Vaughn chuckled. “A few. Several are enforcers. Most seem to be enforcers’ mates. I’d bet that they most likely dropped the kids off at the childcare center for a bit, came here to get a meal they don’t have to cook, and then perhaps they’re planning on getting a little bit of free time before picking the kids up at the childcare center.”

My eyes widened. “Oh, that sounds like a plan. I guess I need to decide about what’s going to happen and how things are going to work out for us once I give birth. I was brought here specifically to run the bakery with Beau.”

Vaughn frowned. “I’m not sure that’s entirely true. If it were, I’d think that you and I would have met, and there wouldn’t have been a connection. If you were brought here for the only purpose of running the bakery, then you wouldn’t have been gifted a mate.” Vaughn gestured to my plate. “Eat up before it gets cold. We have a few months to discuss what you want to do. It’s a good possibility that what you decide now is not what you want once the baby arrives, and that’s all right. There are no right or wrong decisions. You aren’t stuck with any particular one. You are allowed to change your mind.”

I nodded. He’d said the same thing before. I started eating and made it about halfway through the meal before my stomach said no more. I was going to listen to it, and so I stopped, pushing my plate forward.

“Is it not to your liking?”

I shook my head. “It’s fine. My stomach is suddenly feeling very full, and the thought of having another bite is not a good one.”

“Tea? Do you need more tea?”

Oh, that was a thought. I used magic and had a steaming cup of tea in front of me. I lifted it, closing my eyes at the familiar fragrance. It reminded me of home and our little village. A wave of homesickness hit me that I couldn’t really understand. I had nothing left back in that village. My parents were gone. Evan and Beau were here. I opened my eyes and found Vaughn staring at me with a concerned look on his face.

“I’m okay,” I said. “I just…maybe I’m being overly emotional?” I was going to be that pregnant omega, it seemed. I was going to cry at fluffy kittens or spilled tea.

“I know what you need,” Vaughn said. He moved his plate to the side, and I realized his was empty. I was glad that he’d eaten. He was obviously hungry, even if my stomach was choosing to be unhappy about things.

“What?”

“Time with your bestie. Let’s go see him. He’s just next door.”

Hopefully, he was. Vaughn was on his feet and holding out a hand to me, so I passed him my tea. Vaughn smiled while shaking his head at me. Oh. I held up my hand, and he helped me to my feet before passing the tea back to me. “What if it’s one of his days off? He’s pregnant too.”

“Then we can go visit him if that will make you feel better. I think if you drink your tea, your stomach will feel better. We need to remember that you’re probably going to have to have several smaller meals now, not larger ones.”

I wrinkled my nose at that. He was probably right, and although that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, the thought of having to stop to eat so often was frustrating. I didn’t want to have to stop what I was doing to eat every three hours. Work was too busy at the bakery to do that.

Vaughn ushered me toward the door, waving to someone on the other side, and then he held the door open for me. I stepped outside into the cold, more than ready to hurry into the bakery next door, where it was warm. It was only about fifteen or twenty steps away, and when Vaughn opened the door for me, I rushed inside.