Chapter 40
Chapter Forty
NINE MONTHS LATER
OLIVIA
“I feel like a beached whale.”
“You look beautiful. Really.” Verity, my sweet, lying sister-in-law pats my hand reassuringly as she sets a huge, icy glass of lemonade down in front of me. Our mates are spread throughout Henry and Verity’s backyard while they take turns manning the grill.
How many alphas and betas does it take to grill steak? Nine, apparently.
Verity’s expression is soft as she watches me rub my very large, very uncomfortable belly. “How are you feeling?”
“Ready to evict this little one. I know everyone says pregnancy is this magical experience, but that’s nothing more than propaganda used to convince otherwise logical and intelligent women to welcome an adorable, parasitic organism into their bodies.
My internal organs have been pushed up into my rib cage, my lung capacity has decreased, my hips feel like I’m one misstep away from splitting in half, due to my ligaments loosening to prepare for childbirth, and my ankles look like over-filled water balloons.
” As if to punctuate my rant, said adorable parasite aims a strong and perfectly placed kick to my ribs. I wince.
“Well, I, for one, am glad you decided to host my little niece or nephew. I can’t wait to be an aunt.” Her smile grows. “And watch you be a mom.”
There’s a beat of silence as my mind wanders to my own mother.
We don’t have much of a relationship these days.
We see her for the occasional holiday, but my mates and Henry’s pack always act as a buffer.
Though I don’t expect we’ll ever be close, at least she’s stopped voicing her disappointment in me.
It’s fine. I don’t need her. I have so many supportive people in my corner.
Still, sometimes I worry about what kind of mom I’ll be.
“You don’t think I’ll be like her, do you?” I ask in a small voice only loud enough for Verity to hear. “What if I’m terrible at being a mom?”
“Oh, sweetie, no.” Verity wraps her fingers around mine and squeezes. “You’re going to be such an amazing mom. You already love your little parasite so much. And you’re nothing like Marnie.”
I suck in a breath and will myself to believe her, but with every passing week, the fear becomes more difficult to ignore. It grows right along with my abdomen.
“Really, Liv. Your little one is going to be so incredibly lucky.”
“You think so?”
She nods. “I know so. So, so lucky.”
“Who’s lucky?” Liam leans down and presses a tender kiss to my temple before his hands find my shoulders and his fingers start working out my tension with the perfect amount of pressure. He chuckles when I groan in satisfaction.
“Your son or daughter,” Verity replies. “Because they’re going to have the best mom ever.”
“Hell yeah, they will.” Liam’s thumbs dig into my trapezius muscles as he looks down at me, love etched into the crinkle of his eyes and the soft smile that curves his lips. “I can’t wait to watch you conquer motherhood the way you conquer your lab.”
I hum and shake my head. “I don’t know. Somehow, I suspect decoding genetic mutations and anomalies is more straightforward than raising a child.
Our cells may contain mysteries, but they don’t throw tantrums when you give them the wrong colored popsicle or suddenly decide they hate you when puberty hits. ”
Liam chuckles. The sound rolls through my body, putting me at ease even now, when I’m sweating and overheated, thirty-nine weeks pregnant, uncomfortable, and scared.
He has that effect on me. All of my mates do.
And that’s why, despite my fears, I know I’ll be okay, and so will our baby. They’ll make sure of it.
“Don’t worry, gorgeous. You’ve got this. And we’ve got you.”
I smile up at him, my heart feeling almost as full as my pregnant belly. “I know you do. I love you.”
“Love you too,” Liam says.
“I love you more.” Wild places a slice of fresh watermelon in front of me with a wink. “That’s why I’m your favorite.”
“Oh, shut it.” Sawyer sets a plate of grilled corn on the table, then swats Wilder on the back of the head like he’s annoyed.
But we all know he’s not. My boys were tight before I came into their lives, but over the last ten-or-so months, they’ve grown even closer.
We’re a family in every way, and their brotherhood brings me so much joy.
“Children,” Hayes rumbles as he saunters over with the platter of steaks. “Behave.”
Henry and his packmates chuckle at my mates’ antics as everyone gathers around the table.
My brother shoots me a commiserating look before turning to Sawyer.
“Get it out of your system now, because you idiots are about to be dads, and my sister does not need to be parenting four overgrown idiots while she’s raising a newborn. ”
The backyard fills with the sound of laughter and the grumbled retorts of my mates, who insist they’re one-hundred-percent ready to be the responsible dads I will need them to be.
And I trust that they are. The four of them have been so sweet and supportive, signing us up for birthing classes, parenting classes, and reading every book about pregnancy and child development they could get their hands on.
They pamper me and dote on me, and I haven’t even been able to wash the dishes without one of them telling me I shouldn’t be straining myself, then taking over.
It’s sweet. But it’s also driving me nuts. I’m pregnant. It’s a normal physical condition experienced by millions of women each year. I’m not an invalid.
Which is why, when Verity curses and exclaims that she forgot the potato salad in the kitchen, I offer to get it.
“Relax, baby, I’ll get it.” Sawyer tugs on my hand in an effort to get me to remain seated, but I shake him off.
“I can get it. I’m perfectly capable of walking into the kitchen, you know.”
Henry stifles a laugh. Verity whacks him on the chest with the back of her hand.
“It’s hot, your ankles are swollen, and your back has been bothering you,” Wilder cuts in. “Sit your cute butt down and let someone else do it.”
“I don’t want to let someone else do it,” I reply, my tone growing sharper.
With my palms on the table for extra support, I heft my massively pregnant body into a standing position and push my chair back.
“And if you all don’t stop hovering, I’m going to stab you in a nonessential artery.
Now, if you will excuse me, I’ll be right back with the potato salad. ”
I level my mates with a challenging glare, give my ponytail an annoyed flip, and start storming away from the table.
I only make it three steps before I feel a slight pinch, then a faint pop, and then thick, sticky liquid is running down my legs.
There’s a beat of silence before Hayes's voice rings out. “Is that . . . Did you . . . Oh, shit.”
And all hell breaks loose.
In preparation for giving birth, I watched dozens of videos showing the different ways women bring life into the world.
I saw people laboring in the ocean, hospital beds, inflatable pools in their bedrooms, and a handful of other settings and positions.
I watched women give birth standing, sitting, prone, squatting.
I even forced the guys to watch a video outlining the process of a cesarean in the event it became medically necessary for me.
Wilder puked after that one.
But I could have watched every single video on the planet as it relates to giving birth, and nothing would have prepared me for the rush of oxytocin, the instant overwhelm of love, or the soul-deep relief of having our squawking baby placed on my chest. Nor could those videos have prepared me for the way my heart would grow in size from watching the men I love fall for a tiny little human with a slightly misshapen head from spending a little extra time in the birth canal, and a voice that was made to be heard.
“She’s beautiful,” Sawyer whispers reverently as he strokes a finger down the bridge of her nose. “Look at her, baby. You made that.”
“We made that,” I reply. Because that night nine months ago, after Hayes promised to put a baby in my belly, all the rest of my mates took turns contributing to the effort.
And they succeeded. I’m not sure which of the guys is her biological daddy, but that doesn’t matter.
Not to me, and not to them. She’s ours, she’s perfect, and she is deeply loved.
Hayes presses a long, heart-melting kiss to my head before his glassy eyes fix on our daughter. “Hi, sweet little angel. Welcome to the world. Daddy loves you so much.”
Wilder sniffles, a tear slipping down his cheek. He throws an arm over his twin and strokes my hair. He soaks in the moment and our daughter, and I know he’s tattooing it onto his heart. “I love you, smarty-pants. You did so good. I’m so fucking proud of you.”
“Yeah,” Liam adds from the other side of the bed, where he’s gently rubbing the back of my neck. “You were amazing. God, that was scary, but you were focused and so brave.”
“I wanted her out,” I say on a laugh. “For a while there, if I hadn’t been educated on the way babies come out, I would have been worried she was going to tear right out of my ass. No one prepares you for that.”
Wilder barks out a laugh. “That would have been a travesty, sweetness. Not your ass!”
“I know it hurt, and I know it was hard, but you made it through.” Liam presses a kiss to my temple. “And now we’re going to take care of you both, wait on you hand and foot, and make sure you rest. And you can fight us all you want, but you won’t change our minds. Not this time.”
“I won’t fight you. That was before my cervix dilated to ten centimeters, and I pushed an entire human out of my body. Trust me, I expect to be waited on after all that.”
The guys chuckle as we all stare at the beautiful, dark-haired little human we made together. Her long, dark eyelashes flutter, her pouty little lips parted in sleep. I run a finger over her soft, chubby cheeks and down the bridge of her little newborn nose. She really is perfect.
When I flew home from London and tried to picture what my life would be like back in Chicago, I never could have imagined any of this.
That the boy I loved as a child would come to my rescue and teach me how to let go, that the teenage beta who twirled me around ballrooms and made me forget how much I hated the things my mother made me do would be part of Sawyer’s pack and sweep me off my feet again as an adult, that two sexy-as-sin twins would break through all my defenses and make me fall in love with them .
. . And I really never could have imagined ending up here, holding our newborn daughter in my arms as those men surround us in a protective wall of love.
And as if all that wasn’t enough? McKinley Labs started human trials for our miracle drug three months ago, and so far, the results are incredibly promising.
So promising, the manager of the lab helped me pull some strings to get Emeline enrolled.
It’s only been a month, but Nigel tells me she’s more herself, less volatile, and he’s hopeful they’re getting their omega back.
Only time will tell, but I’ve never been more optimistic.
Sawyer’s phone buzzes in his pocket, and he grins when he pulls it out and reads the text.
“Your brother and his whole pack, Nigel, Liam’s dads, and Cici are in the waiting room.
Everyone wants to see you and meet the baby.
” Gently, he brushes a strand of hair away from my face. “You up for visitors, Liv?”
I’m exhausted, sore, and feel like I could sleep for days, even though I know very well I won’t be sleeping much over the next year. But despite all that, and the fact that I desperately need a shower, there’s nothing I want more than to share this moment with the people I love most in the world.
It’s crazy to think that a year and a half ago, I was in London, lonely and wondering if I always would be.
And now? I’m surrounded by my mates, snuggling my sleeping baby, and have almost a dozen people waiting to hug me and celebrate with me.
I’m not alone anymore, and I’ll certainly never be lonely again.
It’s more than I ever could have hoped for.
“Yeah,” I say, grinning tiredly up at Sawyer. “I think I am.”
Our daughter wiggles in my arms, her little face scrunching up as she dreams.
“What do you say, sweet Madison? Are you ready to meet the rest of your family?”
She grunts in her sleep, and my mates and I chuckle. I guess that’s a yes.
Sharing a glance with my beta and alphas, I allow myself one last private moment to soak up their affection and memorize the way they look spread around their girls, tired but proud, and so very in love.
“Let them in. We’re ready.”