Naughty Elf: Evan (Santa’s Naughty Elf Mates)

14. Holden

Chapter 14

Holden

Any question we had about whether or not the heat had produced a pup was answered a few weeks later when Evan woke up and ran straight to the bathroom to puke. He assured me that elves very rarely got sick, so the only reasonable explanation for nausea was a pregnancy.

“I think I knew this was happening, but now that I have proof, I’m surprised by how happy I am.” I pulled him against my chest and held him tightly. “I hope it’s an easy pregnancy for you. Wolf babies can be big, and you’re pretty tiny.”

Evan fake-groaned and then giggled as he rubbed his tummy. “I’ll be okay. Hopefully it’s just one or two. If there are three or four, then you and I are gonna have words.”

I kissed him hard, wanting more of his sugary taste. “Fair enough. I’ll take full responsibility for all the misery you’re about to endure over the next nine months.”

“It’s gonna go by fast.” His eyes went wide. “Oh, I have orders to fill.” He turned on the shower and hopped in before the water was even hot. “I’ve got three sculptures to finish and ship out by Friday so they get delivered in time for Christmas.”

I sighed and stepped under the spray behind him as soon as the water had heated up. “I’m turning off the order form today. I’ll leave a note that says you’re no longer taking orders for Christmas, but people can order again in January.”

His lower lip popped out, and Evan made the most adorable pouty face. “No, alpha. Don’t turn me off. Just…turn off the Christmas delivery option. You can say that any orders placed from today on will be received after Christmas. Otherwise, I’ll be too bored.”

With a handful of body wash in a washcloth, I rubbed it into a thick lather before sliding it across Evan’s sternum and then down his chest. “You never get bored because you always find something to keep you busy. But you’re gonna have to slow down a bit. I’ve been doing some reading, and feeling sick and being tired will probably hit you soon. Before you know it, you’re not gonna have the same level of energy that you do now.”

He blew a dramatic breath through puffy cheeks and sighed. “Fine. You can extend the delivery dates by two weeks, but that’s my final compromise. I work fast and know what I can handle. If I start to get too tired, then we can discuss slowing things down even further.”

I raised an eyebrow but nodded. He knew his limits, and he was strong as hell. Elves were literally raised to work long hours without breaks for seven days a week. The five or six hours each day he worked on his projects were more like a cakewalk for him. “Just don’t forget who’s alpha around here, omega.” I grabbed one of his nipples and lightly pinched it.

Evan shrieked and giggled as he swatted my hand away. “Hey, no fair. Just wait until I get my teeth around you.”

The truth was, Evan did have me wrapped around his tiny little elf finger, and that was shocking to me. I’d never wanted to make somebody happy before. My whole life had been about surviving and hiding and staying under the radar, not getting attention from others—positive or negative.

But now, every tinkling giggle, featherlight kiss, and tease of his fingertips across my skin made my whole body light up in a way I couldn’t even describe. It was just…everything.

All the sensations, and all the loneliness I had embraced as what my life would be like felt like it was so long ago.

Within just a few weeks, Evan had become my whole world. Evan and the child growing inside him.

While he baked some cookies, I went out to my workbench to work on a gift for him.

Neither of us had family or friends to invite to a formal wedding, so that wasn’t important to us. But with Christmas coming in just a few days, I wanted to have something special for him. Something tangible to demonstrate my love for him.

He’d made that amazing sculpture of my wolf that we had proudly displayed at the edge of the deck. I wanted him to have something just as special that he could proudly display around his neck.

There was an older woman in town who was a bear shifter. She and I didn’t talk about our animals, but we both knew who the other was. When I ran into her at the grocery store, I mentioned that my omega was expecting, and she came to life in a way I didn’t expect from somebody of her advanced years. She was practically giddy.

“That’s so wonderful. It’s been decades since we’ve had young ones in Joyville.” She clasped her hands together and pulled in her shoulders with delight. “There was a time when I was delivering five or ten young every season.” She sighed and let her hands drop. “I miss those days.”

“Are you a doctor?” I’d gotten the sense that she was knowledgeable but didn’t realize just how knowledgeable she might actually be.

“A midwife. Trained during the war and then settled here to help those who couldn’t go to regular hospitals.”

The war? I had no idea which war she was referring to, but I didn’t want to be rude by asking. She didn’t seem that old, but some shifters had exceptionally long lifespans because of their mixed DNA. All the strongest parts of humans and animals in one super person. Then again, maybe she was talking about some other random war and wasn’t nearly as old as I thought. “I don’t know if you’re still open to seeing clients, but I’d like to get him checked out by a professional. Make sure everything’s okay.”

“Of course. My son is a doctor now. He works at the hospital and occasionally comes across shifters there, but I know he would be happy to make a house call if you don’t want to risk going to the hospital.”

“That would be great. Evan, my mate is…elf.”

Her eyes went wide, and her jaw dropped. “I haven’t seen an elf in these parts in…well, since I was a little cub myself.”

I grinned at the image of a little bear cub playing with an elf. “Evan is as sweet as they come, so I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to meet you as well.”

As a formality, I gave her the address like she didn’t already know where the new wolf in town lived, and then I finished my shopping.

By the time I got home, Evan was tossing a handful of marshmallows into a cup of hot chocolate.

I raised an eyebrow and leaned against the doorjamb. “Cocoa before dinner?”

He gave me his guilty grin that portrayed absolutely no remorse. “The lasagna smells so good. It just made me want hot chocolate.”

“That doesn’t sound at all possible.” I pulled him to my chest and gave him a kiss. “You expect me to believe that?”

He chased my lips when I pulled away, nipping at them once he caught me. “Don’t know, don’t care.” He plucked a marshmallow out of his cup and held it in front of my mouth. “Because I know you’ll let me have whatever I want…even if I want cocoa instead of dinner.”

I opened up, and he placed it right in the center of my tongue. Not one to miss an opportunity like that, I closed my teeth gently over his fingers and held them in place for a moment before releasing them. “Not instead of. Before.”

He pouted dramatically. “You’re always pretending to bite me, Holden. When are you gonna do it for real?”

Surprised by the question, I took a step back and looked at him more directly. “I wasn’t sure if you even knew about mate marks.”

He shrugged. “I don’t know that I really do. I just know that something is missing, and I feel like that’s it. Like your wolf needs to claim me too in order for us to fully be a bonded family.”

“Sweetheart.” I held him tightly. “I didn’t know you were concerned about this. I’m sorry I haven’t brought it up sooner.”

“It’s fine. I didn’t really know what to ask either. I’ve just been having these dreams, like maybe it’s the baby giving me ideas about what needs to happen.”

“Oh, speaking of the baby.” I placed my hand on his flat belly, imagining I could feel movement underneath his porcelain skin. “I met a midwife today. She’s a bear shifter and her son is a doctor who would love to meet with you.”

“A shifter doctor? That’s so cool!”

I chuckled at his amusement. “There are shifters everywhere, omega. Just like our child will be able to be anything. Any job.”

“Ooh, maybe a pilot.”

“A pilot? Maybe.” That seemed kinda random but as good an occupation as any.

“Yeah, when I was growing up, I always imagined what it would be like to fly in airplanes all day long. That seems like the coolest job ever.”

“That would be cool.” I started unloading the grocery bags I’d left on the table when I walked in. “Anyway, I told Ms. Beverly we were free on Friday at two o’clock. Will you be available then?”

“Yeah. I don’t have urgent orders to fulfill, so anytime is fine as long as they don’t mind coming on Christmas Eve.”

“She assured me that she didn’t mind at all. And I guess they go on a hunt every Christmas, so it was better to come before they left town.”

“Okay, that’s perfect. Besides, I’ll feel better once I know everything’s okay.”

I leaned down and pressed my nose into the crook of his neck and took a deep breath. “Everything’s great, Evan. I can scent our pup in you. My DNA mixed with yours is actually quite nice.”

He smiled at that and took a whiff. “No fair. I don’t have a super wolf nose. I can’t smell anything. If you smell like roasting pine cones and I smell like cookies, what does our baby smell like?”

I chuckled. “Hmm, right now, I guess a little bit like raw cinnamon. Less sweet than your usual scent but definitely not as harsh as mine. The perfect melding of us.”