12. Chapter Eleven
Chapter Eleven
Cade
I turn the radio on in the kitchen, swinging my hips back and forth as I move from the fridge to the stove.
“How does pancakes sound, sweetheart?”
Spencer steps into the room wearing nothing but a towel, low on his hips. My eyes drift down to his round belly, following the line of his treasure trail down to where it’s hidden by the towel. My mouth runs dry. Jesus, my mate is so hot.
Finally, my eyes snap up to Spencer’s face. He’s watching me with amusement, his eyebrows raised like he’s waiting for me to answer him.
“What?”
Spencer chuckles. “I said, pancakes sound amazing.”
“Oh. Right. Yes, that’s what I was working on!”
“Your brain is stuck in the gutters, love.”
“Can I blame pregnancy hormones?”
“Absolutely,” he says, stepping over to me and wrapping his arms around my neck. Instinctively, my hands go to his hips. He leans his body against mine and we begin to sway to the music. Spencer lets out a sigh, his entire body relaxing as we slow dance in the kitchen together.
“Hey, Cade?”
“Yes?”
“I love you,” Spencer says, his voice almost dreamlike. I tilt my head up and kiss the bottom of his chin.
“I love you too.” Then one of my hands moves to his stomach, cupping it gently before patting my own stomach. The pregnancy has done nothing but heighten Spencer’s beauty. I can’t get enough of him. “And I love you both,” I say to Spencer’s stomach. “Daddy can’t wait to meet you both.”
Spencer gasps and before I can ask what’s wrong, something splatters across the floor and over my feet. My socks are suddenly soaked.
When I said I couldn’t wait to meet the babies I did not mean they had to come right now !
We stare at each other for a long moment before I’m moving. I turn off the stove, usher Spencer to the bathroom to clean up, and call our midwife. Once I know she’s on her way, I go back to Spencer, rubbing his back while he sits under the hot stream of the shower, not caring that I’m getting soaked from the water. All I care about is taking care of my mate and helping him usher our child into the world.
“You okay, sweetheart. Everything feeling okay?”
“Hurts. But not too bad. I’m okay. Don’t leave me.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it, Spencer. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. I love you so much and I’m so proud of you.”
Spencer whimpers as he leans his face against the tiles of the shower, one hand rubbing his stomach, the other pressed against his face. Right now I’m watching exactly what’s going to happen to me in a few more months. Fuck. It wasn’t that long ago I was waxing poetic about how wonderful it is that we get to experience this together as omegas but now, I’m not so sure it’s as beautiful as I tried to make it sound. Or maybe I’m just suddenly scared shitless!
I’m not sure how long we stay like that until I hear our doorbell ring.
“Are you okay? Can I go let Shelby in?”
“That’s fine but you have to promise you’ll come right back.”
“I promise. I’ll only be a moment.”
I run down the hall, allowing Shelby into our home. “Hi,” she greets me with a wide smile, looking more excited than I’m feeling. “It’s the big day! Are you excited?”
“Umm?”
She snorts with amusement. “Having a bit of a panic? Don’t worry, that’s super normal. I’ll take care of you both. Lead me to Spencer, Cade.”
“Right! Yes. He’s in the shower, this way.”
I lead Shelby to the bathroom, doing my best to keep my panic at bay. I have to be strong for my mate. I have to be calm for Spencer.
“Spencer?”
“I thought you’d never come back! What took you so long!”
I step over to the curtain, peeking inside. “I’m right here,” I tell him softly. He looks up at me through wet hair, looking more miserable than I’ve ever seen him. My poor mate.
“I feel like a wet cat,” he says with a whine, sticking out his bottom lip in a dramatic pout.
As much as I’d like to tell him he looks like a wet cat too, I don’t think it would make him chuckle like usual. “What do you need?”
“You. Just need you, Cade.”
I look over at Shelby and she gives me a nod, letting me know I can get into the shower. She’s busy getting blankets and towels ready for when our baby is finally free.
Stripping down to my boxers, I get into the shower with Spencer. He turns his back to the water, colliding with my front. I wrap my arms around him, massaging his back just the way he likes. He lets out the tiniest sigh and my instincts slowly calm, knowing I’m helping my mate.
“We can do this,” I whisper into Spencer’s wet hair. “More importantly, you can do this, Spencer. Just try to relax, your body will know what to do.”
Spencer nods his head, whimpering against me. We stay like that for a long time, our fingers and toes pruning from being wet for so long, but I don’t care. If this is where Spencer is most comfortable then this is where we’re staying.
“I think it’s time,” Spencer murmurs against me. “Feels like I need to push.” “Okay. Do you wanna get out of the shower? Do you want Shelby to squeeze in here?”
“No,” Spencer says, shaking his head. “Gonna turn around. You can catch them.”
I make a startled noise but before panic can set in, Spencer puts a hand on my head and pushes me down to my knees. Spencer turns around, putting his hands on the shower wall and starts making pained groans.
I can’t do anything but stay right where I am and catch our baby as they leave Spencer’s body. Just as I said before, his body knows exactly what to do and somehow, so do I.
“Well done, gentlemen,” Shelby says, opening the curtain and turning off the shower. “That was incredibly beautiful. Thank you for allowing me to be here to experience it with you.”
Spencer gives her a tired smile. “Thank you, Shelby.”
I stare down at our baby, unable to pull my eyes away. They’re so incredibly beautiful. A little girl with a patch of dark hair on her head. She’s perfect.
“A girl,” I say breathlessly, tears wetting my eyes. “We have a little girl.”
I look up at Spencer. He holds out his hands and I carefully stand so I can place her in his arms. He lets out a wet laugh, overwhelmed just the same as I am.
Shelby helps us get dry before wrapping our baby up in a soft blanket. She helps support Spencer as we make our way to our bedroom, getting him comfortable in bed. I double check that he’s warm and okay before getting into the bed with him.
I can hear Shelby in the bathroom, cleaning everything up for us, giving us a moment as a family unit alone.
“I can’t believe we made this beautiful baby, Spencer. She’s so perfect.”
“She is,” he agrees with a tired smile. Bringing her head to his nose, he breathes her in. “I think she’s a manatee just like you.”
“She’s so tiny for a calf,” I say with a chuckle, “but perfect all the same.”
“I love her so much already and I’ve only just met her,” Spencer says, just barely above a whisper. I lean over and kiss his forehead.
“The same can be said for you and me. Maybe that’s just how this family does things.”
He chuckles, nodding his head. “I think you’re right.” His hand reaches over, caressing my stomach. “I love you in there as well, little one.”
I squeeze his wrist and hum happily. Shelby comes back into the room, passing me a bottle of formula and Spencer a glass of water.
“Have you named her?” Shelby asks as I bring the bottle to our daughter’s mouth. I look to Spencer.
“Yeah,” he says between giant gulps of water. I’m glad to see him drinking, the birth was hard on his body and this will help restore some of his strength. “Her name is Amery.”
Shelby looks down at Amery with a little smile. “That’s beautiful. Your entire family is beautiful, you’re both really lucky.”
I give Spencer a smile. “Yeah, we really are.”