Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Hayes
A huge part of me wants to wrap Arbor up in my arms and hold her until she gets over whatever mental block she’s had around us since leaving the hospital. Maybe she was just too exhausted to fight the added care immediately after giving birth, but my instincts thrive on being needed.
Gracie grunts, struggling against the blanket she’s swaddled in.
I chuckle at the face she makes and plant my palm on her stomach, giving her a few reassuring pats.
The nurse said newborns have something called active sleep , and it can often be mistaken for the baby being awake. I’m not an expert or anything, but I think that’s what this is because her eyes stay shut, and she doesn’t start crying.
My phone chimes in my pocket, and I tug it out. Hael sent multiple pictures, but the one that makes me laugh is of Nana on a motorized scooter, pointing at something on the baby aisle. Morris leans over, snatching it. The picture shows his overflowing cart and Hael grinning as he points over his shoulder at the cart he’s pushing. It’s also packed to the brim with baby shit.
And all of it is stuff we need, but I’m afraid we’re going to push too hard, and Arbor will bolt.
It’s a biological response in omegas.
When they’re overwhelmed, they run.
Alphas chase.
At least a few hundred years ago it would have been expected. However, society as a whole has evolved to understand more about consent and autonomy, no matter a person’s designation.
And that’s a good thing.
It’s stressful, though.
All we want to do is look after her, but at the end of the day, we’re still unbonded, unknown alphas. It’s going to take time to build trust and to prove through our actions that we’re nothing like Gracie’s dad.
Hael sends me another picture while I’m lost in thought. It’s two breast pumps and the words help me .
Snorting, I reply to get the one that’s cordless and remind him to get breast pads. Now that Arbor’s milk is coming in, she’s going to need them, and the pharmacy only had a small pack since the others were sold out. Probably because that location is right across from the hospital.
I’m in the process of running through anything else I might have forgotten to add to the list when Arbor calls out from the bathroom.
“Hayes?” Her voice wobbles, and I shove my phone away, taking off. I don’t reply until I’m outside the bedroom because I don’t want to wake Gracie.
“Right here.” I come to a stop at the bathroom door. “What’s up?”
“I think there’s a set of clothes on top of the dresser. Would you bring them to me?” She barely peeks out the small opening as she hides behind the door. “I need to hop in the shower.”
“Give me two seconds.” I spin around, head back in, and grab the pile of clothes.
Her nursing bra is on top, and I sneakily check the tag before glancing at the size of the dress she has laid out.
Morris and Hael can grab a few more sets of everything while they’re out. Arbor hardly has anything.
Bringing the change of clothes back to her, I pass them through the door. “I’ll stay with Gracie while you’re busy.”
“I appreciate it. After I’m done, I need to do a load of laundry.” Her eyes widen. “Oh shit, could you ask them to buy the baby detergent? It’s a special brand for newborns, and I left my bottle at the cabin.”
“Got it. Call me if you need any help.”
She squints and finally nods. “Thank you.”
I stride back to the bedroom before letting my head fall back as it shakes at the ceiling.
Yeah, way not to be a pushy asshole.
We’re pretty much doomed.
“Is there a specific reason why you bought three heads of cabbage?” I ask, shoving them into the already full refrigerator.
“They aren’t for us. Apparently they’re for Arbor’s tits. Don’t ask me. That was all Nana.” Hael shrugs. “We also got normal ice packs in case she wanted to go the modern route.”
The sound of boxes dropping in the living room catches my attention.
“We have a sleeping baby in the house,” I hiss. “An exhausted omega too. One who happens to think she has to do everything on her own.” Frowning, I shake my head and take off. “Wash Arbor’s new clothes first. She has basically nothing that fits since giving birth. I’m going to make sure Gracie is still sleeping.”
Arbor wouldn’t even let me help gather her laundry from the bathroom floor, and I’m guessing she needed an emergency shower for a reason.
The door is pushed to the frame, but not clicked closed, and I gently open it. Arbor is on her side, facing away from the door. Carefully tiptoeing across the room, I peek at the bassinet, but Gracie isn’t there. She’s in bed with Arbor. She’s nursing, and it looks like they’re both asleep.
That can be dangerous, especially with how tired Arbor is.
I climb onto the bed behind Gracie, and Arbor’s eyes pop open. “I thought you fell asleep.”
“It was close,” she says softly.
“Well, I’m here. I’ll watch her if you’d like.” My hand migrates to her face, tucking her dark hair behind her ear. “It seems like maybe she’s asleep too. She’s not even nibbling.”
“Yeah, I should probably burp and change her. I don’t think she was even hungry.” Arbor pulls Gracie off her breast and moves to fix her bra and dress. “I am, though. It’s only been a few hours, and I’m starving .”
My hand slides between the baby and the mattress, and I scoop her up like I have the right.
I chuckle. “They brought burgers and stuff back for lunch. If you hurry, I bet the fries will still be warm. I’ve got the baby.”
Arbor’s head tilts, and she flutters her long lashes. “You guys are going to make some woman very happy someday.” She scoots to the edge of the bed. “Thank you so much. My stomach went from kinda hungry to feeling like it’s eating itself from the inside out.”
Would it be highly inappropriate to tell her she’s the woman I want to make happy?
Probably.
“Go on, I’ve got Gracie.”
Morris is going to chew my ear off for not warning him Arbor was on the way out.
I can feel it.
Arbor brings her food back to the bedroom and eats it in bed as I change Gracie and get her settled in the bassinet.
“I just realized how much the couch I destroyed cost,” Arbor says, taking a long drink of the bottle of lemon-lime soda in her hand. She turns, setting it on the bedside table. “If you really do need a receptionist, I’ll work for free or something until I can pay you guys back.”
“Stop,” I growl, shaking my head. She jolts, and I frown. “Sorry, I just meant, no more of that. It isn’t an inconvenience to have you here, and you definitely don’t need to pay to replace the couch you gave birth on .”
Jesus Christ.
I’d really like to get my hands on her ex. It would give me something to focus this fury on. What the hell kind of environment is she used to that she even feels obligated to offer?
“I didn’t mean to upset you,” she says, putting the take-out container next to her on the bed.
I give Gracie a final pat. I’ll need to come back to swaddle her, but she’ll be okay for a few minutes.
Striding over to the bed, I kneel next to the edge. “I’m not upset. Not at you. Maybe a little with myself because I shouldn’t have raised my voice. I’m loud. It could be a product of being barked at in the military for a lot of years, but I’ll work on being softer.”
“No.” Her hair falls around her shoulders as her head shakes. “I don’t want you to change who you are.” She turns toward me, resting her hand on mine. “I’m not afraid of you. There’s no good way to explain why. An unbonded omega around three relatively unknown alphas? I probably should be, huh?” A soft smile tips at her lips as she squeezes my hand. “But I’m not. Although, I can smell your discomfort, and my instincts hate it. We’re just in a weird situation.”
“Yeah,” I agree. “But we do want you here.”
She laughs a light, airy sound. “Well, me too. Remember that massive mouse at the cabin? I don’t know where he was the few days I was there, but I’m so happy I didn’t see him while I was alone. I would have freaked out.”
The bridge of her nose has a smattering of light freckles that spread out over the tops of her cheeks.
My mouth goes dry the longer I breathe in her rainy, fresh scent. There are hints of some type of flower—cherry blossoms, maybe—but the overpowering scent is an electric smell that I don’t have a name for.
She’s beautiful, and I’ve spent too long stuck on her scent and those freckles. Her head tilts, and her teeth dig into her lower lip as she studies me creeping on her.
Every cell in my body aches to lean forward and capture her puffy lips. Her eyes are hooded, and she leans closer as I sway toward her. Our mouths nearly brush, but commotion comes from the doorway, making us both jolt.
“Knock, knock,” Hael says from behind me. “Is now a bad time? We’ve got a few surprises for you.”
A new urge takes over, and I grind my teeth to keep from growling at him to fuck off.
He just interrupted something. Exactly what, I don’t know, but Arbor looked like she wanted me to kiss her.
The moment is gone now.
Her eyes widen, and she smiles over my shoulder at my twin. “For me? Or for Gracie?”
He chuckles. “Both of you.” The humor in his tone proves he knows he intruded. He just doesn’t give a fuck.
A violent barrage of images flash through my mind as I daydream all the ways I’m going to make him suffer.
That motherfucker.
Sometimes I wish I was an only child.