Chapter 45 Mable
Mable
Marigold Maple Garnett. My daughter.
I had no idea I could become so obsessed with a baby, but the moment that little girl cried for the first time, she was all I could think about. We had all agreed that a plant-based name was a good idea for our baby, and I had always loved the name Marigold and the nickname Maggie.
The middle name was a no-brainer.
I had thought it was a touch odd, but all of my guys had been adamant that they wanted the name Maple included. Seeing the pure adoration in their eyes when they discussed our amazing story of how we met online and how we ended up with such a beautiful baby, I couldn't say no to them.
“She’s so tiny,” Jasper whispered, watching in awe as I fed her. I’d never seen his face look like that. He was glassy-eyed and speechless. Jasper. Jasper is speechless.
And breastfeeding? Why did no one warn me about the pain? My daughter was like an adorable little dinosaur chomping away at my sore titty. I would endure it to feed her, but I wasn’t the biggest fan. I was also basically immobile when I was feeding her, forcing me to ask for things I needed.
“Is it still hurting?” Devin asked, frowning as he watched our daughter feed.
“Yep.” I winced. Actually, my entire body was still sore. Giving birth was no joke, and I was struggling. It was like I'd been run over by a truck and then dragged for several miles, as well as my vagina being on fire. I’d been sitting on cold-pack underwear pads for several hours.
It was brutal, but I swore there was something in the smell of a new baby because simply cuddling and sniffing Maggie made all the pain seem insignificant.
Jasper reached out, brushing a finger over the soft, fluffy hairs on her head. “Be gentle with your mama,” he chided lightly.
“I'm not sure she can help it.” I laughed, looking down at her and feeling the same admiration.
It was almost time for us to be discharged.
The birth had gone shockingly well, and I had held onto the guys the entire time.
It felt like only moments from when the nurse came in and said it was time, to when I was holding my baby girl in my arms. But time had a habit of flying when contractions were coming so close together.
“Are you sure you want to go home? We could convince the doctors to let you stay a few more days,” Percy said from my left, where he was sitting in an armchair, going through the baby supplies. He had packed and unpacked our going-home bag several times.
“Maggie is almost twenty-four hours old, and we are both doing well. I really just want to get home. I want my own nest. Being home sounds wonderful.”
“Are you not comfortable here?” Devin asked, the disgruntled frown on his face making me realize he was ready to go and demand whatever I needed from the staff.
He had been a bit of a pain in the ass to them over the last few hours, concerned with every little noise Maggie made, but they had been amazingly understanding with him.
It clearly wasn’t the first time they’d dealt with a nervous first-time dad.
“Devin. This place is lovely. I never imagined I would give birth in such a fancy room on such an expensive bed, but I am ready to be home in my own nest that smells like my pack,” I insisted, doing my best to keep my voice down so Maggie wasn’t disturbed.
“I get that. I’ll start working on the papers to get you both released.” Devin had been our go-to for getting things done man. He was incredible at navigating the ropes and paperwork required from being at a hospital. I appreciated it so much.
“Thank you, babe.” I looked up at him with a smile, switching Maggie from one breast to the other. She was only a day old, and she was already such a big eater. It was going to be interesting to see how much I produced when my actual milk came in.
Devin kissed the top of my head and then Maggie’s before exiting the room to start the discharge. Percy stepped up to us from the bag, joining in the ever-present fawning over Maggie.
Saint had been forced to run to the bathroom, and now that he was back, he came right up to the side of the bed where Devin had been standing, his brows raised. “Did I miss anything?”
I chuckled, Percy and Jasper straight-up laughing at him. “No. She’s just eating.”
“I like it when she eats. Maggie makes little sounds. I want to call her Squeaks.” Saint smiled down at her, smoothing a thumb over her fine little hairs.
On cue, Maggie made this sweet little noise, squeak-humming as she ate, like it was the best thing in the world, which I supposed to her, it was.
“Well, Squeaks and I are ready to go home.” As she finished eating, I wrapped her up, resting her in the crook of my elbow.
A knock on the door pulled us out of our conversation. Glancing across the room, I smiled when I saw Spencer standing in the doorway. “Hey!”
His cool persona cracked when he saw me with my daughter in my arms, a genuine smile gracing his face.
“She’s beautiful,” he said, his eyes a little glassy.
“I know,” I agreed wholeheartedly, feeling emotional again. The hormone drop was definitely a thing, and I was ready to feel a bit more like myself again.
He cleared his throat, blinking quickly. “I've brought the car around front, with the car seat ready to go.”
Percy nodded, grabbing one of the diaper bags. “Thank you.”
Just then, Devin came back in, smiling and giving Spencer a pat on the shoulder.
“Spencer is driving the car you’re taking home with Percy.
The rest of us will follow,” Devin explained.
“As much as we wanted to drive you home from the hospital, Spencer is a professional driver who is highly skilled at evasive maneuvers, and he is going to be driving very precious cargo. I trust his skills while behind the wheel more than I trust our own.”
I bit back a laugh. I doubted we were going to need Spencer's evasive maneuvers to get home, but Devin’s concern was sweet, overprotective papa bear that he was.
Still, getting us to the car was a production in itself.
The guys refused to let me walk, even though I had the urge to move around.
They insisted I sit in a wheelchair and took me right up to the door of the car.
A small part of me wanted to fight them on it, but I was kind of enjoying their sweet, overbearing worry.
I was still weak from giving birth, so having my alphas fret over me was actually rather welcome.
I had also been instructed to take it as easy as possible. Apparently, if I was very cautious now, I could avoid a longer recovery in the future. So…
And then I saw the production waiting at the curb.
“What on earth?” I giggled when I saw the back of the car.
Maggie’s side was pristine, the baby seat and one small blanket ready for our little bump to travel in style.
The seat next to her, my seat, looked like it had been invaded by a pile of blankets.
“Wanted to make sure you were comfortable,” Saint explained, his sweet face scrunching up with some mild embarrassment. “Considering all of the trauma to your lady parts, we thought sitting may be a little uncomfortable. Naturally, the only solution to that is loads of blankets.”
Laughing, I clambered into the car and started rearranging the blankets so I could get my seat belt on while Devin carefully strapped Maggie into her car seat.
I didn't miss the way that Spencer was hovering behind him, watching his every move with shrewd eyes, ensuring that our daughter was safely strapped in.
“Just tell me that there are crotch packs, sitz baths, and lots of coffee and snacks, and I’ll be plenty happy.”
Jasper smiled, giving me a kiss on the head before standing up. “Well, you will be plenty happy, then.”