Chapter 22
22
B rett’s eyelids fluttered open. He was in an unfamiliar bed. Avery and Wilder sat on one side of the room, quietly cuddling with Emory in their arms. Pierce slept in a chair, looking incredibly uncomfortable with his big body half in and half out. What he didn’t see was his son.
“Where’s my baby?”
All three adults jumped to attention, smiling at him.
“Where’s my baby?”
“They had to take him for a breathing test to make sure his lungs are staying strong,” Pierce said, threading his fingers through Brett’s. “He’ll be back in a minute.”
“Why are they testing his lungs?”
Pierce’s face fell. “He wasn’t breathing when he was first born.”
Brett gasped.
“But once they got him breathing, he wailed so loud. They said the past tests have all improved and he’s doing great,” Pierce added. “He’s fine. All ten toes and fingers accounted for.”
“Is he small?”
“Yes and no,” Pierce said. “Small compared to me and I’m terrified I’m going to hurt him but he doesn’t look smaller than the other babies in the nursery.”
“He’s a big boy,” Avery said. “No wonder you were so big.”
Brett gave Avery a look, but as groggy as he felt, he wasn’t sure how it ended up appearing. “I want to hold him.”
“You will,” Pierce murmured. “He’ll be back any second.”
Less than a minute later, the clear plastic bassinet was rolled into Brett’s room. He lifted off the bed and winced in pain.
“Stay in bed,” Pierce growled. “They cut into you to get him.”
“Oh, right,” Brett said, shaking his head.
“Papa’s awake,” the nurse said, grinning. He lifted their babe out of the bassinet and walked closer. “Remind me—are we bottle- or breastfeeding?”
Brett’s face warmed. “I’m going to try to nurse him. If I can.” He’d watched Avery do it for months. He hoped he’d be able to manage it, too.
“Well, let’s get him some lunch, shall we?” the nurse said, laying the babe in Brett’s arms.
He peeled down Brett’s hospital gown and helped get the baby into position before lifting the nipple and practically shoving the baby onto it.
Brett gawked at the man.
“Don’t be shy. Sometimes you have to guide it in there,” the nurse said.
The baby sucked the nipple deep, seemingly knowing just what he was doing. At least one of them did. Brett stiffened, the sensation odd.
“Oh, that’s a strong latch he’s got there,” the nurse said. “He’s got this down pat.” He lifted his gaze to Brett. “Make sure you switch sides after a few minutes. You don’t want one side getting bigger than the other.”
“That can happen?” Brett asked.
“If you only use one side, yes,” the nurse said, grinning. “I’ll leave you to it and come back to check on you guys in a little while. Call if you need anything.”
“You’re just going to leave him with me?” Brett asked.
The nurse chuckled. “He’s yours, sweetheart.”
Brett stared down, a sense of panic filling him. “But I fuck everything up. I’m going to fuck him up, too.”
“You don’t fuck everything up,” Pierce said. “Not the things you love. Do you love him?”
Tears welled in Brett’s eyes. “I do. I love him more than I thought I could love anything.”
Pierce smiled. “Then you’re going to do just fine.”
The nurse leaned over the end of the bed and squeezed his ankle. “You’re also still a little dopey after the C-section, it seems. You’re going to feel better in a little bit, okay?”
“Dopey? Should I stop him from nursing? I don’t want to make him sick,” Brett mumbled.
“It’s the same medicine they were giving you when he was still inside you,” the nurse replied. “You’re both okay. Just keep letting him have his lunch and I’ll be back in a little bit.”
Brett eyed Pierce. “Don’t let me fuck him up, okay?”
Pierce sat on the side of the bed and brushed his hair back. “I’ll do my best, but I’ve got to worry about me fucking him up.”
“All parents fuck their kids up a little,” Wilder said. “It’s inevitable.”
“He’s perfect,” Brett said, staring down at his newborn. “I don’t want to fuck him up.”
Pierce lay beside him in the bed, hanging off the edge. He stared down at their babe nursing. “You’re already doing such a great job, baby.”
“I am?”
Pierce kissed his cheek. “You are. I’m so proud of you.”
Brett smiled and rested his head back onto Pierce’s shoulder. “Thank you.” His eyes started to close, but then panic hit that he might drop his baby. He forced his eyes open wider and watched the boy nurse, amazed at what the body could do. He’d made that little one inside him. Cooked him up real good. Then he would nourish that same babe, too. It was miraculous.
“You might want to switch sides,” Avery said. He handed Emory to Wilder and rose to his feet. “I can help.”
Avery took the babe and helped show Brett how to easily turn him. Brett got the baby into position again, lifted the other nipple and pushed it against his son’s lips. Again, the baby sucked hard. “Is he still doing it right?”
“Looks good from here,” Avery said. “Your hungry little boy has a strong latch, indeed.”
Brett smiled down, the fog slowly lifting some. He blinked his eyes and lifted his gaze to Avery. “Thank you for being here.”
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
Tears stung Brett’s eyes. “I wasn’t there for you, though.”
Avery kissed his forehead. “You had a lot on your hands when Emory arrived.” He slid a hand over his belly. “You can be there for the next.”
“The next?” Pierce asked, sitting up straighter.
Avery grinned. “Yep. Baby number two is in the works.”
“Congrats,” Pierce said to Wilder.
“Back at ya,” Wilder said, winking.
Avery’s younger brother Lake entered the room. His gaze immediately went to the babe nursing, and he cringed. “Eww. Can I go somewhere and not see some omega’s nipples?”
“Lake,” Avery snapped. “Be nice.”
“Meh,” Lake said before exiting.
Avery’s youngest appeared next, with Gray quick on his heels.
“There he is,” Gray said, grinning broadly. “How are you, papa?”
“As well as can be expected. And a little groggy from the surgery,” Brett murmured.
“Hey, you already sound clearer to me,” Avery said. “I think it’s wearing off.”
“Good,” Brett said. “I need my wits about me so I don’t drop my baby.”
“What’s his name?” Gray asked, sneaking in close to peek.
Brett eyed Pierce. “We hadn’t picked the name yet.” He looked up at Gray. “We have some contenders, but I thought I had another month to decide.”
“Well, you need to make a decision soon,” Gray said. “We don’t want to call him Hey You.”
Brett turned to Pierce again, who sat back watching with a sly smile.
“What are you grinning at?” Brett asked.
“You. Our son. All of it.” Pierce’s eyes shone bright. “I never thought I’d get to have this moment, but here it is.”
Brett nuzzled his head against Pierce’s. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Pierce whispered before kissing his head. “So, what’re we naming the rugrat?”
“I’m still partial to Myles,” Brett said.
“Oh, I like that,” Avery said.
“Not bad,” Wilder agreed.
“Myles what?” Gray asked.
“Myles Pierre Simon Lambeau,” Brett replied, peeking at Pierce.
Pierce kissed his forehead, eyes bright with tears.
“Although Matthew Pierre Simon was also high on my list,” Brett murmured.
“Myles,” Gray said. “That’s my vote, not that I get one.”
Brett stared down at his boy, seeing which of the two felt a better fit. “Myles… yeah, I think he definitely looks like a Myles to me.”
“What does a Myles look like?” Pierce whispered.
“Like him,” Brett replied. “Obviously.”
“Obviously,” Pierce repeated, chuckling.
Pierce carried his son in one arm, and his omega clutched the other as they slowly made their way toward the apartment stairs. “You should’ve let me put Myles in his crib and come back down to carry you up.”
“Nope,” Brett said. “I was told walking would make recovery better. I’m walking.”
Before they made it to the apartment’s back door, the kitchen door swung open and T-Bone appeared, followed by the rest of the kitchen staff. They clustered around Pierce and eyed their son, oohing and ahhing over Myles.
“Meet Myles Pierre Simon Lambeau,” Pierce said to the team.
When he felt Brett waver a bit, his gaze swung to his omega.
“I know you all want a peek, but my omega just had this baby cut out of him. He needs to get upstairs so he can rest ASAP,” Pierce said.
“Did you really have to say it like that?” Brett asked.
Most of them had been there when he’d rushed out with a bloody Brett in his arms and knew his omega had been through the ringer.
“You can’t carry both of them,” T-Bone said. “You want me to take the baby or carry your omega?”
“No one’s carrying me,” Brett said, taking a step toward the door. Once he opened it and eyed the stairs, he turned back. “Okay, maybe someone’s carrying me. This time.”
T-Bone eyed Pierce. “I can help, just tell me which one won’t get me attacked.”
Pierce eyed T’s messy apron. “At least take that off before you take him.”
“Have you washed your hands?” Brett asked T-Bone.
“Gimme a sec,” T said. He ran inside and came back out, the apron gone and his hands washed. “Am I good now?”
Pierce handed the baby over. “Support his head and his neck.”
“I’ve held a baby before,” T said. “My older brother has two, and my younger brother has three.”
“Add T to the potential babysitter list,” Brett said.
“As long as I’m allowed to cuss on occasion, I’m there,” T said. “All my nephews love me and my dirty sailor mouth.”
Pierce scooped Brett into his arms and smiled. “Let’s go home, baby.”
Brett sighed. “Please. I’m very ready to sit and/or nap. I’ll take whichever.”
Pierce carried Brett up with T on his tail. Once he’d settled Brett into their new bed in their new bedroom in their new home, T handed Myles over.
“I better get back down,” T said, scratching his head. “Congratulations, you two. He’s beautiful.”
“Thanks,” Pierce said, grinning ear to ear. “You going to be okay down there without me for another night, Mr. Executive Chef?”
T grinned just as widely. “Did you not read the review in the newspaper this morning?”
Pierce’s eyes grew larger. “No. I didn’t know we’d gotten one.”
“Reminiscent of the original Lambeau’s that had lines down the street when it first opened, the new chef has brought renewed life to an old favorite,” T said. “I can’t remember the rest, but that line I liked. It was described as ‘glowing.’”
“I like that line, too,” Pierce said. He handed Myles to Brett before giving T a hug. “Great job, man. I’m so proud of you.”
“I had to give birth after carrying the munchkin around for nine months to get that said to me,” Brett muttered. “You cook for a few nights and voila. He’s proud.” Brett chuckled at the odd look on T-Bone’s face. “I’m kidding. I’m proud of you, too, T.”
T-Bone sighed with relief. “How dare you, Baby Boss.”
“If Brett’s Baby Boss, what’s Myles going to be?” Pierce asked.
T-Bone shrugged. “Diaper Boss?”
“Save that one for Pierce in forty or fifty years,” Brett whispered.
“Are you forgetting that I’m taking care of you both while you recover?” Pierce asked his mate. “I can take my sweet time coming in with those pain pills, you know.”
“I’d like to see you try and do that after all I’ve been through,” Brett snapped. “Threatening the papa of your newborn son. How rude.”
Pierce chuckled.
Brett curled up around Myles. “Now get out so I can nap with our baby.”
“I’m out of your hair,” T said before exiting.
“I was hoping I could nap with my omega and my son,” Pierce said. “Or am I banished?”
“You should be,” Brett said. He opened one eye. “You better get in here before I change my mind.”
Pierce kicked off his shoes and climbed into bed, cuddling behind his omega. “You let me know if I’m hurting you or being too rough.”
“I doubt you will,” Brett said. “You’re careful with us.”
Pierce kissed his omega’s neck.
Brett trailed his fingertip gently down the bridge of Myles’s nose. “We made this, Pierce. You and me. And he’s perfect.”
Pierce smiled. “He is.” He eyed his mate, knowing Myles wasn’t the only perfect one in that bed. “Do you remember what you said in the delivery room right after he was born?”
“Most of that was a blur. I was super out of it,” Brett said. “Hopefully it was fun.”
“I called you Brett Boyd. You corrected me and called yourself Brett Lambeau. You said you wanted to get mated because you didn’t want to be a Boyd anymore.”
Brett partially rolled to his back and looked up into Pierce’s face. “I said that?”
“You did. I won’t hold you to it—since you were blitzed—but I thought I’d ask if you really felt that way or not.” Pierce searched Brett’s face. “Did you?”
Brett nodded. “I’ve been wanting to ask you but couldn’t get the nerve to. I guess blitzed me was less shy.”
“I’ve never known regular Brett to be shy.”
“You’d already asked me a few times and I’d said no, I wasn’t ready. Then you didn’t ask again for a long time. I was scared that maybe you’d changed your mind about wanting to mate me. I was scared you’d refuse.”
Pierce kissed his omega’s lips. “I can’t imagine I’d refuse you much. And definitely not that.”
Brett smiled. “Then I suppose I should ask.”
“Yep.” A knot formed in Pierce’s belly.
Brett chuckled. “Pierce Lambeau, will you be my legal mate?”
“I’d be honored to, my omega.” Pierce lowered his head and captured Brett’s lips.
“Maybe we can be the first reception in the new catering hall,” Brett said. “If there’s not too much to overhaul.”
“We should be ready to open for limited business in three to four months. How’s that sound?”
“Just right,” Brett said. “My alpha.”
“I’m glad my omega approves,” Pierce said, clutching his new little family close.