Chapter 34
“ W hy does this all sound like nightmares?” Luke whispered. “I hate that we can’t know exactly what’s going to happen.”
Luke and Bryce weren’t handling the second baby class with nearly the same level of chill that Jesse and Micah had handled the first. They were both looking green in the gills as the instructor went over information on epidurals, inductions, and C-sections.
Bryce was really trying to not let his discomfort show on his face, but it was like an air raid siren going off in the bond when the instructor went into detail on all the layers that needed to be cut to access the uterus for a C-section.
“Do you need to take a break?” I asked.
“I’m fine ,” he croaked.
“This seems like the perfect opportunity for us to practice some of our relaxation and breathing techniques we learned in our first class,” the instructor said, pointedly looking at Bryce, who blushed at her acknowledgement of his poorly disguised distress.
She led everyone through a breathing exercise, and I was relieved that it actually helped him. Hopefully he remembered to do all of this on the actual day.
Those of us who hadn’t already decided on everything were given some time to create a bullet point list for a potential birthing plan. I wasn’t sure how I would react at the time, but Bryce and Luke knew I wanted all my alphas there unless I told them otherwise during the process, and that I was open to basically any pain relief option they had available.
“Partners, you should know the birthing plan inside and out so you can advocate for the birthing parent when they may not have the presence of mind to do so for themselves. Now, please take a few minutes to discuss the plan amongst your parties and then we’ll move on to the baby care section.”
“You’re sure you want an epidural?” Luke asked. “I would be way too chickenshit for that.”
“You’d probably be less chickenshit if the alternative was being able to feel what squeezing a watermelon out of your bits is like.”
He paled and I knew he was imagining exactly that happening to him. “Okay, fair point.”
“I want you in as little pain as possible,” said Bryce. “I hate knowing you’re going to experience it and we can’t do anything to prevent all of it.”
He was going to share some of it through the bond, but so much genuine affection was flowing from him right now that I knew he wasn’t worried about my pain for himself, but out of concern for me.
“We’ll get through it together,” I promised.
Watching my two alphas in the next portion of the class was a fucking treat. I was pretty sure neither of them had played with baby dolls before and they were almost hilariously larger than the toys.
“Why is it so small?” Luke cursed, trying to wrangle it into a baby onesie. “These ones can’t even move. I feel like dressing a real one is gonna be like fighting an octopus.”
“Let me show you a trick.” I folded the bottom leg of the onesie inside out, stuck my fingers inside and used them to snare the toes of the doll to bring the leg up and over before doing the same with the other.
“Damn,” Bryce whispered in awe. “That’s way easier than trying to shove a leg down there.”
Next on their task list was swaddling.
“This feels illegal.” Luke carefully burritoed the doll after watching the instructor do it. “It’s like baby jail.”
“They’re in baby jail right now,” I said, patting my stomach. “It helps them sleep because it simulates being in the womb, where they have limited wiggle room.”
“Everyone is doing a wonderful job,” cooed the instructor. “Once the baby is home, it’s going to be extremely important for all of the non-birthing parents to take an active role in childcare. Post-birth should be a time of recovery for the birthing parent, which means that the partners, friends, and family need to take initiative and figure out what needs to be done without bothering them. That being said, maintain open communication about what tasks the birthing parents would like to handle themselves and what they would prefer be delegated out.”
I snapped a couple photos for myself of my alphas sitting on the floor with their swaddled baby dolls, listening with rapt attention as the instructor explained normal newborn behaviors that usually freaked out first-time parents and how to distinguish them from the baby actually being in distress.
“Let’s practice some baby wearing. Partners, you’ll be wearing the wraps since your little ones to come are occupying the space the birthing partners would be putting them.”
“This is witchcraft.” Luke had managed to get tangled in his wrap, but before I could offer to help, Bryce was scooting over, smoothing the fabric where it was twisted and arranging the ties so it matched what the instructor was showing. “Thanks, man.”
Delight surged through me and Bryce glanced over at me. “What? We can mostly get along now.”
“I didn’t say a thing.” I grinned at them. “You two are being so cute right now.”
Both of them flushed pink.
We sat through another hour of tips on baby sleep, breastfeeding, and organization to make the first month as stress-free as possible.
My other alphas and my brother met us after class for a quick lunch before it was time for me to have my omegas’ day with Callie.
“How did it go?” Jesse asked when he swept me into a hug at the diner, carefully wedging me into a booth between him and Micah since Luke and Bryce had gotten to hog me all morning.
“Pretty good. It was touch and go during the medical parts, but the actual baby care section was adorable.”
“I didn’t realize how many surgical things could be involved,” confessed Bryce.
“Fingers crossed it’ll all go smoothly,” replied Jesse.
I wiggled excitedly through my grilled cheese and tomato soup, excited to head over to visit Callie.
“What’s got so many ants in your pants?” Nathan asked.
“I’m going to see an omega friend as soon as we’re done here.”
“There’ll be a double surprise for you when we get there,” said Luke.
“Double—oh my god. She had the twins?” I was vibrating with excitement over getting to see the new babies, and also check in on how Callie was doing.
“She did indeed. She actually went into labor only a couple days after your party.”
“The babies are okay?”
“Fit as tiny fiddles. They’re all back home already.”
“And they’re ready for guests so soon?”
“Specific ones,” he replied. “Callie thought you might appreciate getting some baby practice in.”
“She’s not wrong about that.”
“Well,” said Nathan, “you have fun with that. I’m going to stay in the baby-free zones.”
“If you’re going to be weird about babies, you’re going to automatically lose your favorite uncle position. There’s a lot of competition if you’re going to be a butthole.”
“I’ll settle for being the favorite uncle whenever I swoop in for visits.”
I rolled my eyes.
Once I finished eating, I kissed each of my alphas and hugged my brother, and then Luke drove me over to Callie’s.
Her pack house was practically a castle. “It’s huge!”
“Ten bedrooms, last I heard,” said Luke.
“Are they all rich?”
Luke shrugged. “Getting there for sure.”
He walked me up to the door and one of Callie’s alphas answered.
“Hey, Kai,” said Luke. “One omega delivery as requested.”
Kai laughed. “Come on in. Luke, are you staying?”
“I’ve got a guest to babysit. Call any of us if you need anything.” Luke pulled me into a kiss before heading back to the car, leaving me alone with Kai.
Callie’s alphas were still basically strangers, but Kai had a sweet smile and relaxing energy. “I’ll show you to the nursery nest. Do you want anything to eat or drink before we go?”
“I’m fine, thank you. What do you mean nursery nest? Is there more than one nest?”
“We have two,” Kai answered, leading me deeper into the pack house. “Callie wanted something cozy that would be accessible to take care of the babies. The omega suite is separate for her regular bedroom and heats.”
“That’s so cool. I wouldn’t have thought of that.”
“Definitely a good option if you have the money and space for it. The energy between the two is radically different.”
I should definitely talk to the pack about setting up a second smaller nest in the nursery. I could understand what he meant about the different energies. The nursery nest would be so chill and soft for all the baby cuddles. And then the regular nest for…
Kai knocked lightly and swung open the door to the nursery. Callie was snuggled in with one baby having a snack, another of her alphas holding the second baby.
Callie’s smile brightened when she saw me. “I’m so happy you could come. Park yourself where you’re comfy. Do you want me to send Diego out for a bit?”
I hesitated. I didn’t really want to snuggle into a nest with her alpha there, but I didn’t want her to have to kick him out of her private space. Callie read my hesitancy correctly, whispering to her mate, who set the baby he was holding into a bassinet and climbed out of the nest to make room for me. It was a struggle to get in next to her, but the moment I was enveloped by her candied apple scent and the sweet milk hovering around the babies, I instantly relaxed.
“Hit the button if you need us,” Kai instructed before closing the door behind him and Diego.
“You have a button?”
Callie held up a big red one. “Buzzes an alarm in all of their bedrooms, plus living room and kitchen, and it also sends a text to all of their phones.”
“Your pack has really thought of everything.”
“They are very diligent in making sure all of the bases are covered,” Callie said with a laugh. “Do you wanna hold one of the babies? Alice just finished eating.”
Her offer made me realize just how unprepared I was to handle a baby.
“Your eyes got so big.” Callie handed me a burp cloth. “Drape this over your shoulder, hold her close, and just pat her until she gets all the air out.”
I arranged the fabric, and accepted the baby, cuddling her against my chest while Callie scooped up the other for their meal. “They’re so little.”
“Right? Absolutely mini. Yours will probably be a bit bigger.”
“So, this one is Alice. What did you name the other?”
“Daniela. Miles and Diego are the fathers of this round.”
“Too sweet. I like your method of choosing from their list of favorites.”
“Me too. Ended up working really well. How have you been doing?”
I breathed in the milky scent of Alice’s head and patted her back. “It’s been a lot of chaos, but I feel like we’re getting to the point that we need to be. How are you feeling?”
“Better than I expected. The doctor said having all my bonded alphas around so much helps regulate my system and boost healing.”
“I’ve got two bonded,” I replied. “Unless I have another one of those weird heat flushes, the other two won’t be bonded until my next heat at the earliest.”
“Two is still good,” Callie insisted. “Even if the others aren’t bonded, they’re still scent matches. All of it helps.”
“I guess that’s true.” Alice let out a frankly monstrous burp for how tiny she was. “My goodness, that was impressive.” I carefully adjusted her to rest on my bump and balled up the burp cloth to set it beside me. “Your house is amazing.”
“Thank you. We actually just paid it off with the last set of videos we did.”
“Videos like what Luke and Micah do?”
“The very same. You would not believe how much people are willing to pay for pregnant omega content.”
Warmth flushed through me. “Is that so? People really like it?”
Callie tipped her head to examine me. “Honestly, it’s almost concerning how popular it is. There’s not that many performers to fill that niche so the people who like it are usually fairly starved for content.”
“Really? And it’s not…weird?”
“Weird how?”
“Being pregnant and being recorded?” I shrugged, adjusting Alice. “I mean, I guess the whole thing could be weird even outside of the pregnancy.”
Callie laughed. “I got over everything really fucking fast. I met my pack doing a live heat in front of an audience and then we started our company. You’d be surprised how quickly the awkwardness disappears.”
“I saw one of Micah’s videos…”
“He used to do the heats too before joining our company. Luke as well.”
“And you still perform even though you don’t have to since you own everything?”
“It’s a lot of fun with my pack. Plus it’s not like I would let them do it with anyone else.” Callie ran her fingers over Daniela’s downy hair. “Is that blush on your cheeks because you’re curious about doing it? I’ll tell you we one hundred percent have the market for what you could offer right now if you wanted to give it a go.”
“I like the concept but I don’t know about everyone being able to see me.”
“You could always record for fun,” Callie suggested, trading babies with me before setting Alice in the bassinet and adjusting her top to cover herself.
“I can ask Micah about it.”
“You definitely should,” Callie agreed. “If you want to get fancy with it, I’m sure I’ll be getting cabin fever in a couple weeks and you could use the studio. Decide from there if you want to keep it or sell it.”
It was still absolutely wild to me that anyone would pay to see me.
I burped Daniela and admired her chubby little cheeks. Callie was right that the practice was good for me. I hadn’t held an actual baby in so long it was nice to let myself get comfortable with it before I had my own to contend with.
“You’re a natural.” Callie beamed.
The two of us chilled together in the nest with the babies for a couple of hours until it was time for another feeding and Callie looked more than ready for a nap. I messaged Luke to come get me.
“Thank you so much for having me over. I feel a lot better.”
“I’m really glad you came. Stop by anytime. We can plan some playdates when your little nugget is on the outside.”
“I would love that.”
The entire pack came to pick me up, blessedly leaving Nathan to his own devices, and I mused in the front seat. “Do you think we could record something sometime?”
“If you tell us what you mean by something ,” said Luke.
“Callie was telling me all about the videos she and her pack do.” Embarrassment crept up my chest and throat, my cheeks hot. “Apparently pregnant omegas are really popular.”
“We can abso-fucking-lutely film something,” said Micah from the backseat. The vehicle filled with alpha scents, spiced fruit filling my nose.
“Um,” Bryce said. “Are you asking to film porn?”
“Yes?”
“To sell?” Bryce clarified. “Isn’t that exploitative?”
“You really think Callie’s pack are exploiting her?” Jesse asked.
“I don’t know her pack,” replied Bryce.
“It’s a totally valid career path,” added Luke.
“I’m not saying it’s not. It’s just that Ava has been through so much.”
“But it sounds fun,” I insisted. “Callie only does videos with her pack. It’s not like random alphas would be involved.”
Bryce frowned anyway. “I think it would be better if you were more settled before you made decisions like this.”
“You’re just making me wanna do it more. You don’t have to be in it.”
“What’s wrong with waiting?”
“Just let her film if she wants,” said Micah. “Callie would never force a sale if Ava changed her mind after the fact.”
Bryce still didn’t look impressed. “That’s not the point. I think we need to be practical about this with everything that’s going on.”
“Come on, Mr. Stick in the Mud.” Luke reached behind him to clap Bryce on the knee. “Let her experience the thrill. We can delete it right after.”
Bryce was trying to protect me, and I respected that even if I wasn’t going to listen to him. The others could protect me too in different ways. Luke and Micah knew what they were doing with this kind of thing and Bryce needed to trust that we could all handle something that made him contemplate the borders of his comfort zone. I, for one, was tired of boxing myself in and was ready for a whole new adventure before the baby got here.