Chapter 28 - Lucas
I could hear crying and jerked up. The room was dark, the curtains drawn, and I quickly looked at the clock. Twelve fifteen. Just a little past midnight. I glanced over to Gina's side of the bed and found it was empty. The sheets were thrown up, telling me she already left the bed.
I rubbed at my eyes, crawled out from under the sheets, and walked out of the room towards the nursery. I found Gina sitting in the rocking chair nursing Joseph, our son. Only a couple of weeks old, Joseph was the most beautiful little thing I'd ever seen. He was a perfect mixture of me and Gina.
Gina looked up, her eyebrows raising. "Sorry, I was adjusting, and my boob popped out of his mouth."
I couldn't help but smirk. "I'd cry, too."
She rolled her eyes, but a smile pulled from her lips as she looked down at Joseph. He had deep brown hair, and his fingers were curled up, one of them around her ring finger as she rocked him. He looked so small in her arms. They were both the most beautiful things I had in my life.
"Do you want me to take him?" I asked. "I can make a bottle and let you go back to bed."
She shook her head. "I like nursing him. It's a nice bonding time for us."
I leaned against the door frame, staring at them. I never thought I'd be there. Married to my mate, with a baby boy. I'd thought it would be hard and that I'd be cold and harsh, but I wasn't. The baby brought out a side of me I didn't know existed. Though, Gina told me over and over that it had always been there.
"How long have you been up?" I asked, pushing off the wall and walking toward her.
"What time is it?" she asked, not breaking eye contact with the baby.
"A little past midnight now," I said, reaching a handout and running a finger over Joseph's cheek.
She looked up and frowned. "Well, I was guessing two hours. I didn't realize I'd been up for that long."
"Have you been feeding him this entire time?"
She shook her head. "No. I woke up and went to get some water. I came to check on him, and I guess I had been staring for a while. I just started to feed him a little bit ago."
Just then, Joseph moved, letting go of her nipple, and made a soft sigh. He curled his hands closer, his lips smacking together in satisfaction.
"How about I burp him, and you go crawl back into bed? You need the sleep."
Gina frowned. "Are you sure? I know you've been working, so it's only fair I watch him. You didn't even get to bed until a little past ten."
I reached out, took Joseph, and pulled him close. I kissed her head. "Just because I've been working doesn't mean you haven't been. It's a job to watch after him; you deserve rest just like I do. If not more, because you get up more in the night."
She softly smiled, and I expected her to argue, but she didn't. It just showed how exhausted she was herself. Gina had been taking care of Joseph like a doting mother.
As Gina slipped out of the room, I sat down in the rocking chair and stared at Joseph. He was quiet as I rocked him, holding him up slightly so he could burp as I patted his back. He was a little bigger than my hand, and I was careful, not wanting to hurt him.
The house was quiet, with nothing but the wind outside. I wasn't worried either. We put up the invisible fence a month ago, and Gina put in her security system. If anyone walked on our land, I would know it.
I rocked, listening to Joseph's soft sounds. He was small, barely two months old.
I thought of my phone call to my mother when Joseph was born. She'd been overjoyed and cried. I wasn't sure if she told my father, and I was unsure how he would react. My father wasn't a fan of Gina since she was the weakest person in our pack. But he'd be wrong to think she wasn't worthy of me.
I pushed the thought aside and allowed myself to enjoy the bliss. I wasn't sure how long it would last, with how tense everything had gotten since the attack on Gina.
The next morning, there was a knock on the door. I was sitting with Joseph in a chair in the dining room, and Gina was cooking breakfast. We both looked at each other, confused. Clearly, neither of us was expecting anyone.
"I'll get it," I said, pulling myself up. I walked towards the door and opened it. My eyes widened as my mother stood in the doorway. Her eyes immediately went to Joseph, and her mouth dropped open in shock.
"Oh my goodness! He's even cuter than the pictures."
I searched for words and then looked at the car, wondering if my father was with her, but it seemed it was just her. "Mom, what are you doing here?"
"What, I can't visit my son and his wife with their new baby?" she asked, throwing daggers at me.
I just stood frozen when Gina appeared out of the dining room, her eyes directly on my mother. She seemed unsure of what to say and what to do. I had told Gina about my parents, but she had yet to meet them, and it wasn't a meeting I was planning to happen anytime soon.
"Mom, what are you doing here? Don't you guys have stuff?"
I didn't expect my parents to come down and see the baby; after almost two months, I didn't expect to see them. I didn't think my father was happy about the fact I was married to Gina and had a child with her.
"Your father and I aren't on speaking terms," my mother said plainly as she stepped into the house.
My eyebrows went up. It wasn't like they hadn't done that before, but it had been a while since the last time they had a big fight.
My mother looked at Gina and softly smiled. "Can I hold him?"
I was even more shocked. I looked at Gina, who looked at me and then back at my mother. She nodded, and slowly, I handed Joseph over.
My mother rocked him, a smile on her face. She didn't look at me while she spoke. "Your father was furious when I told him. Told me he would never accept the baby."
I ground my teeth together when my mother looked up. "You wanna take a photo? I need to send this to him just to piss him off."
I scowled at my mother. "I don't want to be part of this. I'm not going to get between you and Dad. Whatever you two have going on, leave us out of it."
My mother simply shrugged. "Your father will have two choices. He can either drive his ass down here and join us and put his own personal feelings aside for once."
"Or?" Gina asked, stopping a few feet away from us.
My mother shrugged. "Or I'm leaving him." My mother walked further into the house, taking Joseph with her into the living room. Gina looked at me, "Did I hear her right?"
I didn't have words. And ran a hand through my hair. "No, we heard her right."
"Is she serious? Would she leave your father?"
I looked at my mother, watching her rock Joseph in her arms as she walked around the living room. She smiled happily; I couldn't remember the last time she'd smiled that wide.
"No, she's serious." The question was if my father would take her seriously or not.
After the shock of my mother's arrival, we relaxed. My mother was planning to stay for a couple of days, having been wanting to come down for a few weeks now.
Gina was in the kitchen as I sat with my mother. The sun was setting, and Joseph was asleep upstairs.
"You seem happy," my mother said, breaking the silence.
"That's because I am," I said, staring at her.
She nodded, looking around the space. "This is a lovely home. I see why she fought so hard for it."
I raised an eyebrow. "You knew about that?"
She snorted. "Oh please, Chris is a pompous ass that tells everyone everything. The only reason I knew she won was that he came back in a foul mood." She shifted in her seat. "And your father will come. He may be cold, strict, and a rule follower, but he will come. Your father doesn't bend to anyone, but that man is going to bend to me."
Even if he did, even if he never accepted Joseph, I didn't care. This was the life I wanted, and I was happy with it.
I woke the next morning to silence. I could hear soft music playing in Joseph's room. I rolled over and found Gina's spot empty. I sat up, scanned the room, and found it empty.
I quickly dressed and headed down the hallway, finding her office door open. She was at her desk, her fingers typing away and her eyes glued to the screen. I walked over, resting my hands on the back of her computer. "You're up early."
She glanced away from her screen and then back to it. She nodded her head. "Joseph was up, and I couldn't fall back asleep."
I moved my hands, wrapping them around her and inhaling her scent. "Are you worried about my mother being here?"
She shook her head. "No, your…your mother is lovely."
"Then is it maybe the date?" I asked, knowing today was her birthday.
She sighed. "Possible."
I kissed the top of her head. "Happy birthday."
She turned, tilting her head slightly as she looked at me. A small smile pulled at her lips as she pulled herself up. "Thank you."
I pulled her close into a hug and felt her relax against me. I knew she didn't enjoy her birthday since she spent most of it alone, but I wanted to make it special because it was special.
"I have a surprise for you."
She leaned back, raising an eyebrow. "Your mother wasn't enough?"
"That wasn't even me," I said, rolling my eyes. "I invited everyone over for dinner tonight. Do you think you are up for that?"
She remained quiet for a moment before she nodded. "Yeah, I don't see why not."
I kissed the top of her head. "Good. It will be a good day. You're going to love it."
The morning went by quicker than I expected. My mother spent the morning with Gina and Joseph, doing whatever they wanted. I spent the morning getting the garden prepared for tonight.
It was just a little after three when Ayden, Wendy, Poppy, and Zayden arrived. They all looked in good spirits, even Ayden. Since the attack on Gina, he's been gone a lot. He'd been having meetings with the surrounding packs, asking what steps he needed to take. He was trying to avoid a fight, but pretty soon, it was going to be the only answer.
Ayden didn't enjoy bloodshed, and we could all see how the tension was building for him and Owen.
Owen, Ashley, and Ivy were the next to arrive. The kids instantly ran around, chasing each other outside the garden to a sprinkler I had set up earlier.
"The garden is beautiful," Ashley said, taking the space in. "Gina must be so pleased with how it's looking after everything."
"Speaking of Gina, where is the birthday girl?"
"I'll be out in a second," Gina said from one of the kitchen windows.
"Where do you guys want the gifts?" Ashley asked, waving a wrapped present. "We got her a new planter."
I couldn't help smirking, knowing how excited she would be.
"On the table," I pointed to the one in the corner near the roses.
Miles, Laura, and Michelle arrived next, with Thomas, Weslie, and Cayden behind them.
Gina came out with Joseph and my mother, who was quickly introduced to everyone. And Joseph was quickly passed around as everyone wanted to hold him.
I stood next to Gina as we walked to everyone, enjoying the afternoon.
"What's the plan for food?" Miles asked, stretching his arms as he looked over at all the kids running around in the sprinkler.
"I made some side pasta, and Lucas is going to grill some hot dogs."
"Sounds good," Ayden said, but his eyes drifted past us. "Who's that?"
We all turned, and my entire body froze as I realized my father was walking around the corner of the house. He, much like myself, had that stiff stance. His black hair was cut short, and his brown eyes froze on me.
"Is that…." Gina didn't even get the words out before my mother spoke up.
"I told you he would pick well," my mother chirped, smirking.
What surprised me even more was the small wrapped gift in my father's hand. He stopped at the gate and cleared his throat. "Hello everyone, Lucas…" He looked at Gina. My father blinked and then extended his hand with the gift in it. "Gina…. we've not met properly."
Gina walked over, offering him a smile. "Thank you. I didn't realize you were coming."
His eyes flickered over to my mother, who raised an eyebrow at him. The space went silent for a heartbeat before he mustered up a smile. "I figured I should come and meet my grandson and my daughter-in-law."
I watched as Gina smiled, something shifting inside her. I turned fully since I was holding Joseph. And my father's eyes snapped down at him. They were cold at first. Confusion and uncertainty swam in his eyes, but the longer he stared, the more they softened up.
"He's a handsome little thing," my father said, softening. I'd rarely seen my father soften. It had been when I was young, when my father would allow things.
I remembered my mother's words. Your father doesn't bend to anyone, but that man is going to bend to me.
I thought of my own bending and how I'd softened up for Gina and Joseph. I could only hope my father would do the same.
"Would you like to hold him?"
My father seemed unsure. But after a moment, he nodded, and I walked over, handing Joseph over to him. My father cradled his head, and Joseph's eyes opened, staring at my father.
"He's beautiful," my father said, giving Joseph a little smile. I felt my shoulder relax, realizing he was accepting them. And I had never felt happier.
*****
THE END