32. Meadow
Chapter 32
Meadow
September, St. Louis
F lying to our next stop, rather than driving in the tour bus, meant I had to be frugal about what things to bring to add to my travel nest. I was excited to get back on the road, even though I’d loved the break at the pack house. Each one of the alphas had bits of nesting supplies crammed into their suitcases for me. That way, we could take more and they would smell like them because I had stolen a few unwashed items, which was a pretty big bonus, in my opinion. I was eager to get it all unloaded and settle in.
“You know what? It’s been far too long. I think we need to re-christen the bus!” Arlo declared as he unloaded all of the nesting supplies he’d packed for me and set them on the couch before closing up his suitcase and stashing it under one of the bunks.
I wasn’t opposed to that idea. Especially now that I had been with all the pack members. Only, now my mind kept wandering to what they would be like all at once. I had enjoyed two at once, but could I handle four? Did I even want to handle four?
Of course, I wanted to. They were all stupidly hot in their own rights. Together may well be the death of me, but it would be a pretty amazing way to go.
Death by multiple orgasms.
The jubilant mood that we had getting back onto the bus was quickly dimmed when the familiar, disgusting scent of funky damp laundry reached my nose and Gary walked onto the bus, wearing his usual expensive suit that was too tight around his beer belly. Following him was a younger blonde woman with her hair back in a neat bun, wearing dark leggings and a black polo shirt.
“Hello, everyone!” Gary greeted us warmly, even stopping to look and smile at me.
In my few weeks of knowing him, Gary had hardly spared me a look, let alone given me a smile. The gesture was eerie, and it immediately set me on edge.
“Hey, Gary,” Hendrix said with a nod. The rest of the guys also voiced some sort of hello, but none of them were that enthusiastic.
Clearly at least some of my men had good taste because they could tell that Gary was not the best.
“This here is Ellie. She’s the doula you requested, Hendrix,” he declared happily, gesturing to the perky blonde, who was beaming at us.
“Doula?” I turned to Hendrix with a questioning look. No one had spoken to me about a doula.
“I thought it would be good to have someone who knew a little more about pregnancy on tour with us,” Hendrix explained. “Just in case you had any questions or concerns. You mentioned a while ago that it would be nice to have someone around, since you couldn’t consistently get to your appointments.”
His face was open and honest as he spoke, and I believed every word he said. That didn’t mean I liked the fact that the doula was a tiny, perfect, blonde woman.
I’d been coping pretty well with my changing body, but standing next to her had insecurities I didn’t even know I’d had rearing their heads. None of the guys looked at her with any visible desire, but my brain was quietly screaming about how new things were with them, how fragile fresh relationships could be, and now doula Barbie was prancing around with her too-white smile and batting eyelashes.
“Oh…okay.” His intentions were good, after all. I couldn’t fault him for that. My emotions were just somewhat…aggressive. Omegas’ instincts could already be a little territorial, but adding in the pregnancy and only having a bond with one of my alphas meant they were going to be supercharged. Why couldn’t the doula be a kindly eighty-year-old grandmother instead of a preppy coed?
“It’s so nice to finally meet you, Meadow.” Ellie gave me a beaming smile, but it felt oddly fake.
Breathe . I had to be fucking chill. Hendrix was trying to help me have a safer pregnancy, and I couldn’t get mad about that. I could test out Ellie for a while, and if we didn’t vibe after I’d adjusted to her presence, then I would ask for someone new.
“How far along are you? I was told you’re only five months along, but looking at you, you look closer to full term!” Ellie laughed as she spoke, like she was telling the funniest joke in the world.
Fuck you, Ellie .
“Where will Ellie be staying?” I asked through gritted teeth. Despite being on the other side of the bus to her, her scent was potent. It was hard to nail down, but it was overly sweet, like those perfumes some betas wore in an attempt to smell like an omega.
“On another one of the tour buses, I assume.” Beckett’s response was quick.
“Well, wait a second,” Gary said. “She could always stay on here in one of the bunks. The couch converts to a bed too. It would be useful to have someone with her knowledge so close by as Meadow gets further along.”
I was about to open my mouth and say a vehement fuck no , but Arlo beat me to it.
“Gary, we’re a newly bonded pack. Do you really think we want anyone who’s not a pack member on this bus?” Arlo crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows at their manager.
Gary’s face went red as he tried to find the right words. “Ah…I suppose not,” he conceded. “I just wanted you guys to meet Ellie, either way. She’s highly qualified and comes with amazing references. I’ll take her to your old bus and get her set up while you guys settle back onto your…bus.” He looked around at our monstrosity of a tour bus with a thinly veiled sneer on his face.
It seemed he didn’t approve of Arlo’s purchase.
Luckily, his opinion meant nothing.
Ellie scooped up my hands, and I checked the urge to leap away. “I’ll stop by in the morning for breakfast. Even if I’m not staying here, I should be around to ensure you’re taking care of yourself. We’ll go through some questions tomorrow, and I’ll work on a meal plan for you.”
“Oh, uh, sure.”
She dropped my hands like a hot potato and turned to Hendrix. “I’ll also be taking care of Hendrix. Thanks to your bond, you two are very closely linked, so the health of both parents is paramount at this point.” The look she gave him could only be described as adoring.
Ew .
I wanted to drag her out of the tour bus by her hair, and I’d only met her five minutes ago.
Either she was bad news, or my pregnancy hormones were making me downright vicious.
Hendrix cleared his throat, not meeting Ellie’s eye. “Meadow is the priority here. She’s the reason we hired you. I’m a big boy and can take care of myself.”
“I’m sure you can,” she said in a simpering tone. “I just want to make sure you’re getting all the proper nutrients and minerals that you need in your diet for Meadow to thrive.”
Hendrix nodded, but he didn’t look happy, though he conceded, anyway. “I suppose that’s okay.”
I could have sworn I felt my blood pressure rise. No one else would be taking care of my alpha. Was she suggesting I wasn’t doing a good enough job?
Okay, so he was having to care for me more than I cared for him, but I was pregnant, for god’s sake!
“Okay, Gary, it’s late,” Beckett declared. “We’d like to go to bed. It was nice to meet you, Ellie.” He gestured toward the door of the tour bus, clearly showing them the way out. Beckett was being polite but not friendly. That pleased me. Instinctively, I took a step closer to him, grabbing his hand. He gave me a squeeze but kept his gaze firmly on the interlopers.
“Good night. If you need me for anything, don’t hesitate to call. Any time, night or day.” She took a business card out of her back pocket and handed it to Hendrix, giving him a moment of prolonged eye contact.
How obvious could this woman be?
The moment she and Gary were out of the tour bus, we all looked at one another.
“You didn’t think of swinging the doula idea by me?” I asked incredulously.
Hendrix reached out, but I sidestepped him, pressing closer to Beckett.
“I intended to,” Hendrix said, “but then we ended up going back to California and got busy. Beckett said you told him you wanted someone with medical training to be on tour for the pregnancy, so I told Gary. I didn’t know he was going to hire someone without telling me. I’m not sure what to make of her.”
Arlo frowned as he spoke. “Aren’t doulas supposed to be elderly women who’ve had lots of experience with childbirth? She looks like she’s just left childhood herself.”
“Gary gave me a ton of applications to look through, but I got overwhelmed. I vaguely remember an Ellie and that she was the most qualified,” Hendrix said.
“If she doesn’t get annoyingly in the way, I’ll deal with it.” I sighed. The prospect of having someone hovering over me during my entire pregnancy wasn’t appealing. I could get on board with one of my pack mates, but a stranger? Still…if it was what was best for the nugget, then I would do it.
But why did she have to be so pretty?
Phin draped his arm over my shoulders. “When she gets on your nerves, just let us know, and we’ll get rid of her. She’s supposed to be here to help you, and stressing you out will do the opposite of that.”
“It sure will,” I agreed. “Now who’s going to join me in the nest for some snuggles? I don’t think we can all fit in there.”
It had been hard enough trying to fit Hendrix and Arlo in there with me before we went to California.
“Dibs!” Arlo shouted obnoxiously.
“You can’t call dibs!” Phin punched his shoulder. “It’s omega’s choice, or we should have a vote.”
Beckett sighed. “Just take turns until you piss off Meadow and she bans you from the nest.” He gave Arlo a pointed look.
“You’ll never ban me from the nest. Will you, princess?”
“I meeean, I already did last time we were on the bus and never restored your nest privileges.”
Arlo looked horrified, as if he’d conveniently forgotten that fact. “What can I do to earn it back?”
I shrugged. “Prove you can be patient while I take Phin and Beckett upstairs?”
The two alphas in question looked fucking elated .
“But…” Arlo pouted, giving me prime puppy-dog eyes.
“Patience.” I tapped his nose. “You’ll have Hendrix to keep you company.”
That got my bond mate pouting too. “Why do I have to stay out of the nest?”
“You’ve already got your bite on me. I’m trying to be fair. Now, both of you zip those gorgeous lips while I get my cuddle on.”
Beckett and Phin practically tripped over themselves to follow me upstairs. I couldn’t lie, it was both a power trip and weirdly soothing to my anxieties that they were all so excited to spend time with me. Take that , doula Barbie.