The Omega’s Beary Special Christmas (A Bear Under The Christmas Tree)

11. Ferris

ELEVEN

FERRIS

I hauled myself out of bed as the sun tipped over the horizon.

This was my favorite time of day. The earth was yawning and brushing off the sleepy cobwebs from the night before. Humans hadn’t yet started making a racket, and the sunbeams clipped the tops of the waves as they rolled in from the deep to the shore.

But the past few days, I’d had to drag myself from bed to bathroom and then to make coffee. Except after taking a sip, I tossed the rest of the caffeine-infused brew down the sink. Ewww. I brushed my teeth, needing to rid my mouth of the taste.

Did mating a shifter somehow affect my taste buds and now I hated coffee? I’d have to ask Hugo when I next spoke to him. We were juggling life, love, and work, and he was traveling, so we messaged often, though if his client was doing an interview, his phone was on mute, and if I was riding a wave, my device was on shore.

I leaned over the sink, as a wave of nausea, so intense I almost collapsed on the floor and curled into a fetal position, took me in its grip and shook me so my teeth rattled. I sagged against the cupboard and slid onto the tiles, groaning.

There was no way I could conduct a lesson this morning, so I got up and searched for my phone. The sliding doors were open, and the ocean breeze rolled in, helping with the nausea and banishing it.

Maybe I could do the lessons. I hated canceling on students. A quick shower later and sucking on peppermint candy, I locked my condo and headed for the beach.

I wasn’t my usual perky self jogging from my place to where I conducted the lessons. And I covered up my yawns and glanced at my watch more than once, hoping the hour was almost up.

We went through the basic steps on the sand by having them lie down in the center of the board with their toes at the end, and then they practiced paddling. From there they got to their knees. In the water, many students toppled off at this stage or the next when they had to keep their knees bent and their body low before standing up. Learning to balance was harder for some of the students than others.

But I got through the morning, and the clients had fun, both of them standing up for the first time and riding a wave. That was a huge accomplishment, and I congratulated them, and they took pics on shore with their boards

A second lesson followed and another. And when I was finally done, the searing sun was sapping my last bit of energy. I grabbed the boards and lugged them off the beach to our store across the road. When I checked my phone, I’d missed a message from Hugo, and now he was on a plane with his client. I texted, telling him I loved him and I was headed home.

My next lessons weren’t until late afternoon, and we had staff manning the surf store. Charlie had the day off, so he wasn’t around. I got home and crashed into bed, not even bothering to shower off the salty water. Gross, but my exhaustion was real and was weighing on my shoulders and crushing my chest.

A banging on my forehead roused me from sleep, but when I opened my eyes, I couldn’t remember what day it was and why I was in bed. I reached out for Hugo but he wasn’t there. I was at home by the beach, and he wasn’t even in his house but in a hotel. I couldn’t picture him by the fire or standing near the window with a cup of hot cocoa. Instead, he was in an impersonal room that looked like thousands of others around the world.

But the banging continued. “Ferris, it’s me. Open up.”

Charlie.

I cracked open the door, and he let himself in as I flopped onto the couch and hugged a cushion.

“What’s wrong? I heard you came home after your lessons.” Charlie peered at me. “You’re so pale.”

“Tired, and my tummy’s all jumbly.”

He sat beside me and felt my brow. “No fever.” His phone beeped, and his face lit up. It had to be Hector. I was envious that they’d be together soon. He tapped on his phone as I checked my watch and calculated how long I could stay here before going back to work.

Charlie studied a text he just received. “Oh. Ohhh.” He glanced at me, his face as pale as I imagined mine was.

My first thought was something had happened to Hugo, and I sat up. “Tell me. Is it bad news?”

“I don’t think so.” His eyes were wary, and I tried snatching the phone from him but he pulled away. “Hector suggested something.”

“Tell me, Charlie.” I glowered at him, fury and fear combining inside me. “What did he say?”

“You and Hugo had sex.”

Now my face wouldn’t be blanched of color because my cheeks were burning. Not that Charlie and I hadn’t discussed sex over the years, but it was awkward, him talking to his mate about Hugo and me fucking.

“Charlie! What does that have to do with anything?” I put the cushion in front of my face.

“Sex leads to—” He waited as if expecting me to finish his sentence.

“Orgasm?” I mumbled, the cushion muffling my words. “Having a good time?” I filled the awkwardness with words, hoping Charlie would say something, but not a sex something. Maybe a different topic.

“Yes to all of the above.”

I groaned, wishing he’d leave.

“But also something else? Something small that becomes big? Something expectant.”

I tossed the cushion at his head, and because he wasn't a shifter with superior reflexes, it wacked him in the head. Good.

“A baby!” he yelled, his hands in the air.

“Huh?” I’d forgotten the thread of the conversation, but what did babies have to do with me feeling tired and yucky? Oh. Ohhh. I mimicked what Charlie had said. Sex. A lot of sex equaled fun, pleasure, orgasms galore, and could result in pregnancy.

“Could I be pregnant?”

“Ding! Ding! Ding!” Charlie pulled me off the sofa and twirled me around. “You’re pregnant.”

I yanked him to a stop because I was dizzy and my tummy was complaining.

“You don’t know that.” Excitement threatened to bubble out of me and the nausea faded, but Hugo should be the first to know. “I have to tell Hugo and take a test.”

Or take a test and tell Hugo. No, take the test while my mate watched. He wasn’t here, but we could call one another and it would be almost as if he were in the room.

“Test. I need to take a test.”

My mind was whirring. What if I jumped on a plane tonight, and we could be together when we found out?

“Can you cover for me tomorrow? Take my lessons.”

“Sure. You stay in bed.” His furrowed his brow as he studied me. “I know that look. You’re planning something. Spill.”

I told him what I wanted to do, and he said he’d run out and buy the tests while I booked my ticket. But I wanted the whole pregnancy or false alarm experience, so we went together. Neither of us had any idea what we were looking for, and when we found the tests, there were so many, Charlie grabbed a basket and took one of each.

“Not a word to Hector.” Charlie wasn’t good at keeping secrets, and I kinda suspected Hector wasn’t either, at least not when it came to Hugo. I could see him trying not to say anything and Hugo getting suspicious and forcing it out of him.

I sent my mate a text in case he had been delayed and wouldn’t be arriving home tomorrow about an hour before my plane landed.

Looking forward to chatting tomorrow when you’re home .

Me too. Heading to the airport soon . Miss you and so does my beast .

Charlie dropped me off and told me to text as a soon as I confirmed I was pregnant. “Take lots of pics and we’ll celebrate when you get back.”

My belly was a little queasy, but we’d bought some ginger candy when we were out, Charlie telling me his neighbor used them to quell his nausea when he was pregnant.

I couldn’t sleep, counting down the time until I landed.

As I rushed to the exit, hoping I could get a cab straightaway, I checked that my mate’s plane had arrived. It had about thirty minutes ago. There was no line for the taxis, and when I gave the driver the address, he looked at me in the rearview mirror.

“I remember you. You were here at Christmas.”

“Yes. That trip changed my life, and I fell in love.”

“Awww. I’m a romantic at heart. Congrats.”

I hoped there’d be another reason to congratulate me, and I checked my bag once more to make sure I had the pregnancy tests. When the taxi rounded the corner and we passed Hector’s house, I put my hand on the door, eager to step into the snow and race to Hugo’s front door.

The driver told me to have a great day, and I tramped over the path that hadn’t been shoveled. But my mate had only been back a short while. He might be in bed.

“Ferris?” The familiar voice behind me wasn’t the one I was hoping to hear. “What are you doing here? Has there been a change of plans.” Hector checked his phone.

“Yes, I decided to fly out and surprise Hugo.” I pulled his key out of my bag. “I’m going to let myself in.”

“But he’s not here.”

The phone rang as I responded to Hector with, “What?”