21. EPILOGUE
EPILOGUE
“Stop touching me when I know you must think I’m grotesquely fat.” Leandro was in no mood to be placated. He was over being pregnant. Way over it.
But instead of leaving him alone, Weston wrapped his arms around Leandro’s waist, which only because he had really long arms, went all the way around his humongous abdomen. Those lips that had a way of working magic on Leandro’s body brushed against the shell of his ear when Weston whispered, “You are the sexiest man alive and if this is how you look rounded with my child, I plan to keep you pregnant as often as possible.”
Leandro whirled on him with his finger pointed right at him, lost his balance and would have fallen if Weston hadn’t been ready and held him steady until he could once more remain upright. “Don’t you dare laugh,” he accused when he saw Weston press his lips together tightly to stop from even grinning.
Now that he was once again standing on his own, Leandro threw up his hands and wailed. “I haven’t seen my feet or my dick in so long I don’t remember what they even look like.”
There went that damn twitch of Weston’s lips again, causing Leandro to glare at him. The last time Weston grinned at Leandro’s theatrics, he’d been forced to sleep on the couch—sort of. Unfortunately, in the middle of the night, the baby had kicked the back of his spine, and Leandro had been compelled to call him back to their bed for a back massage.
“I get you are uncomfortable…”
Leandro cut Weston off by screeching, “Uncomfortable? Is that what you’re calling it? Because I call it hell. Between the swollen ankles, needing to get up—which I can’t even do by myself any longer—to go to the bathroom because this kid has taken up permanent residence on my bladder and losing my balance more often than not, which means you have to stay by my side all the damn time or I would fall over, I would say I was in fucking hell, wouldn’t you?”
Those stupid gray eyes he used to love so much were sparkling with laughter, even if Weston kept from smiling. “I thought you didn’t want us swearing around the baby?” his good-for-nothing Alpha asked.
That earned Weston another glare. “Fuck off.”
“Now kitten…”
“No,” he told Weston in no uncertain terms. “You do not get to tell me what I can or can’t do in front of the baby.”
“But you were the one telling Griggs off just four days ago not to use foul language when you and the baby were close enough to hear him,” Weston reminded him.
Leandro did his best to stomp his foot, but since he could barely lift it to walk it hadn’t made the impact he’d hoped for. “That was when the baby was due that day. Now that he’s decided to keep torturing me, all bets are off.”
Weston once again pulled Leandro into his arms and as much as he hated to admit it, he needed his Alpha’s comfort. When one large hand splayed over his extended abdomen, there was instantly a kick as if the baby were greeting his father.
“See?” The joy in Weston’s voice was easily heard. “He’s letting us know he can’t wait to meet us.”
“No,” Leandro bit out. “He’s letting you know he can’t wait to meet you. When I put my hand there, he either kicks me in the ribs, the bladder, or my fucking spine.”
Suddenly, Leandro felt pee pour down his legs. “Great,” he exclaimed. “Now I’ve just peed myself. Anything else this kid plans to do to humiliate me?”
This time, Weston did chuckle, but only for a second before he scooped Leandro into his arms, cradling him securely against his chest. “Actually, kitten, that was your water breaking. It’s time to go to the hospital and greet our son.”
Leandro stopped breathing for a moment as the ramifications of what was happening descended on him. “We’re having our baby?” he asked, still certain he hadn’t heard that right.
“Yes, love. We are most definitely having our baby.” Weston kissed his temple as he strode down the street to the hospital. It had taken several months, but with the town pulling together to make it happen, he and Weston had moved into their own house right near the center of town.
“Are we even ready?” he asked. “Is the crib up? The changing table? Did we get all the clothes washed and put away?” He already knew the answers, but Leandro had needed his Alpha’s reassurance.
Just like Weston always did, he gave it without raising an eyebrow even though he knew Leandro already knew. “We checked just yesterday, love. Everything is ready for our sweet son to come home.”
He burrowed closer to Weston’s body, loving the way his Alpha always seemed to know exactly what Leandro needed. “But we haven’t decided on a name yet,” he cried out in despair. “How can we let our baby be born without a name?”
“We agreed we wanted to meet him first before saddling him with a name that might not be right for him,” Weston reminded him.
Oh, right.
Minutes later, he was placed on a gurney and wheeled into the labor and delivery room, with Weston never letting go of his hand. To that day Leandro did not know how he’d gotten so lucky, not only to have met Weston, but that his Alpha had never given up on him.
He wasn’t certain he’d deserved someone like Weston, especially after everything he’d put the Alpha through, but he would always be grateful to belong to him.
“Wow, you’re already fully dilated,” Renzo announced when he checked Leandro. “Are you certain you didn’t feel any contractions?”
Leandro shook his head, and he blew out a breath. Since his water broke, they’d been coming hard and fast, so he would know if he’d felt any earlier. “Just some back pain,” he got out between the pain.
That had both Renzo and Maxon, who were also in the delivery room sighing. “Don’t you remember we warned you some people’s contractions manifest as back pain?” Maxon said in frustration as they got everything ready.
Through clenched teeth, as he fought the pain, Leandro glared at one of his best friends. “What the fuck difference does it make now? Just get him out of me.”
Weston lifted Leandro’s head and shoulders to slide in behind him. “It’s okay, kitten. It’s almost over. Then we’ll get to hold our precious angel in our arms where he belongs.”
Even though there was a part of Leandro that was irritated by Weston’s cheery attitude, he had to admit he couldn’t wait to meet their child.
“Okay, Leandro, it’s time to push,” Renzo told him.
Three pushes later, they heard a wail as their child entered the world. Once it was over, Leandro found it easier to smile and be happy. But he had to admit, it was feeling their baby in his arms that had him grinning as joy filled him from the tips of his toes to the top of his head.
“He’s so beautiful,” Weston said as he traced a finger along one chubby cheek even while still holding Leandro in his arms.
Right then and there, Leandro decided it was the one place on earth that he always wanted to be. He, his Alpha, and Tor. Nothing could be sweeter.