47. Phineas
Chapter 47
Phineas
“ O h my goodness. That’s a lot of opinion for someone so little.” I scooped Forest out of his bassinet, absconding with him out of the nest and down to the living room so Meadow wouldn’t be disturbed. “What’s going on, little man? Snack time?”
I sniff-checked his diaper, and when I found it clean, I diverted to the kitchen to warm up the breastmilk Meadow had pumped before going to sleep. Whoever came up with those fancy bottle warmers to take out the guesswork deserved a medal. Once it beeped to let me know it was ready, I took a bottle and the baby to the couch, turning on the Christmas tree with my phone. Forest stared at it, enraptured, the twinkling lights reflecting in his eyes.
He sucked contentedly at the bottle, and I marveled at the tiny human in my arms. I had never given a ton of thought to being a parent, and as the youngest in my family, I’d had no experience with kids, but the second I’d held Forest, everything changed. He had Hendrix’s blue eyes and Meadow’s dark hair. Meadow stared at him constantly, and I couldn’t blame her one bit, considering how often I found myself doing the same.
“How’s that milk treating you, my little Christmas tree? Probably not as good as the stuff straight from the tap, but Mama needs her sleep.” I hummed while he ate, tapping a rhythmic pattern against his booty. “I hope drums are your favorite. You’re definitely going to learn that first. Gotta wait for your fine motor skills to develop for those stringed instruments.”
I wasn’t as interesting as a Christmas tree to him, but I liked talking to Forest, anyway. How was he supposed to become a lyrical genius if we didn’t talk his little ears off?
I knew the peace and quiet wouldn’t last, between the natural volume of the pack and Forest singing us the song of his people at the slightest inconvenience, so I was resolved to treasure these sweet moments as often as I got them.
“Are you hogging our nugget?”
I turned to see Hendrix descending the stairs. He was still looking pretty rough, but damn was he trying. He had kept up with every appointment, prioritized his health, happily took shifts with Forest, and doted on Meadow at every opportunity. Fatherhood looked amazing on him. I wasn’t sure there were words I could say that would express how proud I was of him.
“If you all weren’t sleeping like the dead, I wouldn’t have the chance to hog the nugget,” I replied.
Hendrix sat down next to us, cradling Forest’s tiny head in his palm. “Hasn’t stopped being surreal yet.”
“You’ll probably have to wait for him to go through sleep regression and start running around for that. You’ll be so exhausted, you won’t even notice the magic.”
“I hope not.” Hendrix was silent for a long moment, just staring at Forest drinking his meal. “I haven’t been as open with you guys as I should’ve been over the years. I’m pretty sure Meadow and Forest saved my life.”
“Hen…” I said softly.
“I’m serious.” He took a deep breath, sweeping his thumb over Forest’s forehead. “You don’t even know how many times I was on the fucking edge.”
“You stayed, though. And now you have a mate and a baby. You did good, man. I’m proud as fuck.”
Hendrix let out a broken laugh. “How long do you think we can talk around him like that before Meadow starts yelling at us?”
“I think we’ll be good until he develops a concept of language. Do you want to burp him?”
“Please.” He draped one of the receiving blankets we had stashed around the house over his shoulder and collected our son.
He looked so happy holding our baby, like he had a moment of peace in fighting his demons. I sniffled.
“Phin, are you crying ?”
“Shut up. You’re over here, cutting onions and making me think about your mortality. I’m allowed to cry.”
“Yeah, you are.” Hendrix gave me a beatific smile. “I love you guys. Thanks for not giving up on me.”
“You don’t give up on pack. We made a commitment to each other, and you’re fucking stuck with us.”
I twisted around on the couch, so I could watch Hendrix cuddling Forest after a successful burp. Peaceful moments like this had been few and far between in our last decade of chaos together, and I wanted to soak it in.
“You want a hot chocolate, since our little man has passed out on you?”
“Hot chocolate sounds great.”
I busied myself making it, Arlo sleepily joining us, so I made a cup for him too. “You’re letting Beckett have Meadow all to himself?”
“Splitting my time between Meadow and Nuggie. The room feels weird without a baby in it.”
“If it feels weird to you, then it’s gonna wake Meadow up too. Why don’t we all go up? I’ve got the drinks.”
We all slipped back into the nest, Hendrix sitting on a rocking chair nearby, and I took over Arlo’s vacant spot while he finished his hot chocolate. Meadow curled over in her sleep to face me, blinking sleepily and looking at me in the dim lighting.
“Hey there, sweets.” I kissed her forehead, smoothing her hair away from her face.
“Baby?” she mumbled.
“I fed him, and now he’s having a good cuddle with Daddy Hendrix.”
Meadow nodded before burying her face against my chest. My heart was so full, I was pretty sure it would burst if I felt a single additional ounce of love.
“I love you, sweets.”
She rooted higher, wedging her head beneath my chin and planting a soft kiss at the hollow of my throat. “I love you too, Phin.”
Beckett wiggled closer in his sleep, adjusting until he was pressed all along Meadow’s back, his arm draped over both of our waists. He had been running full tilt, making sure everything was good to go with the pack. Honestly, he was pretty fucking superhuman. Between dealing with most of the police and legal stuff, organizing a move, and getting our new home fully stocked in time to welcome our son, I didn’t know how he managed to drag himself into the waking world each morning. We’d all helped where we could, but Beck was a bit of a control freak, so we’d stuck to tasks he’d delegated.
Everything wasn’t perfect yet, but it was damn close.
Forest made a series of grunts, a language we had all very quickly learned.
I rolled over to look at Hendrix. “Contained or Chernobyl-level outbreaks?”
“Contained. I’ve got it.”
Arlo trotted after him into the nursery. Changing a baby wasn’t exactly a two-person job, but we were all so new at it that it was nice to have the emotional backup.
I turned back to Meadow, her purr quietly buzzing.
I pressed my lips to her hair, breathing in her floral scent with a hint of sweet milk. “I don’t know if we deserve you, but I know we’re going to do everything we can to feel like we do. Thank you for being ours.”