24. Kennedy
Chapter 24
Kennedy
“ H ere, let me carry her,” Charlie said as he gently plucked the baby out of my arms, gazing down at her with those blue eyes that looked right through me. I had been trying to carry Charlotte and several bags up the stairs into my apartment, and Charlie insisted on doing it all.
“Thank you,” I sighed. “I'm absolutely exhausted. I'm sorry I'm not exactly good company right now.”
Charlie shrugged. “Considering everything you've been through in the last hour alone, I would be surprised if you were full of energy. Plus, I’m happy to just be around. I don’t need conversation, as much as I love it.”
I unlocked the door to my apartment and turned on the lights. “This is me.”
“Is this student housing?” Charlie asked as he glanced around. His face held no judgment, but still, I started to panic. Charlie and his pack lived in a fancy apartment, with the newest appliances and freshly painted walls. My apartment was falling to pieces, and most of my appliances were older than me.
“It’s not. You are not allowed to live in student housing with a child, so while I was pregnant, I worked as much as I could and saved, and this is what I could afford.”
“That’s amazing. You did it all on your own… I would have failed, multiple times, no doubt.”
“Oh, I failed at times, I assure you.” I laughed. “Here, let me take Lottie. I’m sure she needs a diaper change,” I said, holding out my hands.
Charlie looked between me and my baby. “I can change her if you want.”
“You know how to change a diaper?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
He chuckled. “My younger cousin has a baby, and a few summers ago, she decided she was going to give me a boot camp on how to change diapers and feed small humans. Granted, he was a little younger than our Charlotte here, but I think the mechanics are the same. Actually, since my cousin had a boy, he straight up peed on me while changing him.”
I resisted the urge to laugh, biting my lip. “I’ve heard that boys tend to do that.”
“What about this munchkin?” he asked as Charlotte reached out a hand and started touching his face.
“I can't say she's ever peed on me, but she certainly tries to roll off the changing mat every single time. I kind of regret teaching her how to roll over now.”
“Charlotte! You trying to roll away from your mama?” Charlie asked in an overdramatic voice.
I snorted. He was a natural with her, bobbing her up and down as he spoke to her, his facial expressions large and engaging.
“Yes, she always tries to escape during diaper-changing time, but the moment it’s time for the evening routine, all she wants to do is snuggle up to me.”
“Well, we can’t blame you for that, can we?” Charlie asked the baby, kissing the top of her head as she smirked up at him.
I took a deep breath. “I’ll change her,” I said, plucking her out of Charlie’s arms. “It's not that I don't appreciate your offer, but I just want to take care of her myself at the moment.”
Would he be angry that I turned down his offer? It was the first time an alpha had ever offered to change my baby. Most men heard diaper and ran for the hills. I was fairly certain Eli and Micha had done their fair share of diaper duty while I was sick, but I hadn’t witnessed it.
“That’s completely understandable. How about I order some food, considering you didn’t get a chance to eat at our place? I’ve heard there’s a good Mexican joint on campus—what’s your poison?”
“Steak burrito,” I said before my mind could process my response. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted the burrito badly—my stomach was audibly growling at the idea of it—but the take-out place was pretty fancy. It catered to the kinds of students who had unlimited money on Mommy’s and Daddy's credit cards.
Charlie pulled out his phone without hesitation and started tapping away at the screen. “One moment.”
“Wait. That place is expensive,” I said, wincing. I was going to have to explain my abysmal financial situation at some point, but I got the impression that Charlie would have an inkling, considering the state of my decrepit apartment.
The alpha simply shrugged. “Don’t worry, I’m happy to get it. You haven’t eaten yet, and I’m guessing by the growling of your stomach, you didn’t eat much before coming to see us?”
I nodded. “Morning sickness was kicking my ass.”
Charlie sighed and took a step forward, gently gripping my upper arms and meeting my gaze. “Look, I know this entire situation is beyond insane, but I really want to get to know you. You seem sweet, and kind, and I'm in. You're going to have children with two of my pack members.”
“I’ve never dated a pack. What if it doesn’t work out with one of you?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure. We've always said that, when it came to our final plans, we were a package deal, but given the situation with Storm, I'm not so sure. But no matter what happens, you are officially a member of my family now. Family takes care of family, so go give this sweet little munchkin a fresh diaper, and I will procure some food, and then we can sit on the sofa, be lazy, and watch TV. How does that sound?”
“Amazing,” I admitted. “But if I'm not dating anyone in the pack, surely I'm not part of the pack?”
“You’re dating Eli,” he pointed out.
I snorted lightly. “Maybe. I doubt he will want to hang around now.”
Charlie shook his head. “Nope. Like it or not, you gained a pack the moment you got pregnant with this little darling. The one that you're currently growing only solidifies that. You are pack and you are family, and nothing is going to change that. Dating is irrelevant. So, you better get used to being cared for. Eli is fucking obsessed with you, though. He’s going nowhere.”
Tears started to well up and Charlie’s eyes widened. “Oh shit, I’ve upset you! What did I say?”
I shook my head. “They’re good tears, I think. Maybe overwhelmed tears. It's been so long since I've had a family…I guess I just didn't want to believe it.”
Charlie pulled me in for a hug. I got the impression he would have held on to me tighter, if not been for the baby on my hip. “I want to be completely honest with you. I want to call you. I want to go on a date with you and see if the fact that I'm really attracted to you leads anywhere. But if it doesn't, we are still family, and I’m sure the rest of my pack feels the same.”
“I’m not so sure about Storm.” I sniffed. “I don’t even know how I feel about him.”
“Oh, he’s about to get a volatile reality check. And before you say anything—because I can see the look on your face—he fully deserves this reality check, and I'm pretty sure you had a similar one when you learned you were pregnant. Storm’s is just a bit delayed.”
“It was a pretty brutal time,” I admitted.
“So, give Storm a little time to come to terms with things. He will step up, though. You’re not alone anymore, Kennedy.”
I nodded. “I’ll go change her,” I said, turning and fleeing out of the room. If he kept talking, I was going to break down into ugly, blubbering sobs.
Seeing Charlotte’s father again had thrown me for a loop, but now it was dawning on me just how much my position in their pack was solidified. Between Char and the baby I was pregnant with, I had been knocked up by half of the pack.
I knew I had amazing chemistry with Eli. He was the perfect alpha, and I had been head over heels for him and his kind gestures for weeks. On the other hand, I had chemistry with Storm in a sexual manner, but not in a personality way. The night we had made Charlotte had been some truly mind-blowing sex… But did he think that? After all, he had snuck out in the middle of the night, so maybe he’d found me lacking.
Charlotte's diaper took next to no time, since I had the routine down pat. Even the part where I had to lightly hold her down, so she wouldn’t roll over and wiggle away.
When I stepped back into the living room, the space looked different. Charlie had moved the sofa slightly, placing footrests in front of it, so I could sprawl out, and gathered all the blankets from around the apartment, without touching my bed. He was clearly a smart alpha and knew not to mess with that.
“I'm sorry if it's not great. I just wanted to do something to make you a little more comfortable,” he said with a sheepish shrug.
“It’s perfect,” I said, sitting down on the sofa and adjusting Charlotte, so she was in my lap. Charlie followed my lead and sat down next to me.
“Food should be here in about ten minutes. What would you like to watch?”
“Something easy,” I said.
“There are always those cheesy low-budget romantic movies. I think there are even a few fall-themed ones.”
I snorted. “Let me guess—the stylish girl from the city, who has a fancy corporate job, meets the small-town, scruffy guy who makes her reassess everything?”
Charlie snorted. “Somehow, you've just managed to describe the plot of like thirty of those movies. Well, if we're not feeling romance, how about we watch something supernatural? Maybe one of those TV shows about witches? Those aren't too gruesome.”
“I don’t mind gore,” I said.
Charlie looked pointedly at the baby in my lap, who was absentmindedly chewing on my hair.
“Oh, yeah.” I laughed.
“No zombie movies for little Charlotte yet. That’ll be a conversation for when she's a teenager.”
“How about a documentary? There are a ton about the rainforests. That’s interesting and good brain food for this one,” I suggested, bouncing the baby in my lap.
“Perfect!” Charlie declared, grabbing the remote and cycling through channels.
As he slung his arm over the back of the couch, a waft of his clean linen scent hit me. It was attractive. All of his pack smelled like sex on a stick, but in this moment, he smelled more like safety.
I didn't even realize I was leaning into him until he brought his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his chest.
“I—”
“It's been a pretty stressful day. I think I could use a cuddle,” Charlie said thoughtfully. “Luckily, I have a new pack mate who smells amazing and is comforting to be around. But tell me to fuck off if I'm being irritating.” He glanced at Charlotte. “Crap, I probably shouldn't be swearing around the baby.”
I shrugged. “She’s probably heard worse.”
With Charlie’s permission, I snuggled into his side. My body reacted to his alpha scent as I melted into him, my body going relaxed and squishy at the calming alpha pheromones he was putting out.