CHAPTER 28
WINDY
“You all really don’t have to be here,” I say, eyeing the three men who refuse to leave my hospital room.
No matter how many times I try to throw them out, no one follows through. Not the nurses. Not the doctors. Not even the hospital's security. Apparently, no one listens to the patient anymore. They only listen to my parents, and my parents want my ex-mates to be here watching over me.
“You’re stuck with us,” Finian says with a smirk.
I lie in the hospital bed, arms crossed, jaw tight, doing my best to radiate pure get-out energy. Of course, nothing works on them. Not when my parents bankroll half the damn building. The staff treats these three like gold and treats me like just a number.
I glare at the ceiling, thinking of ways to end their miserable lives.
Then, when an idea comes to me, I look at the three oversized shadows taking up every inch of space in my hospital room.
Wolf is in the chair closest to my bed, looking like he owns it.
I hate his stupid-perfect face and his stupid-perfect body.
“I hate you all.”
“No, you don’t.” Wolf grins at me, then catches my glare with a wink.
I want to eat his liver right about now. Having them this close to me hurts more than I want to admit, twisting up something raw inside. Don’t they realize how painful it is for me to be reminded of what we had—and lost?
My eyes trail over to Amos. Amos has somehow charmed a nurse into bringing him one of those recliners with extra blankets and a pillow that he absolutely does not need.
Next, I see Finian leaning up against the wall, arms folded over his chest, pretending he’s not watching me even though he totally is.
I shift, making the bed rails clink. “I’m fine,” I mutter, loud enough for them to hear, but quiet enough that no nurse will come check on me. The last thing I need is more nurses here, slobbering over the three of them.
Not that I’m jealous or anything.
I glance at all three of them again before sighing and looking at the ceiling. No, I’m definitely not jealous.
I look down, then back up at the ceiling. Yeah, definitely not jealous or anything.
Wolf looks down at his phone, and without sparing me another glance, says, “You’re in a hospital bed.”
“It’s just a precaution. Everyone ends up in a hospital bed when they’re admitted into the hospital.”
Amos hums, all gentle and infuriating. “Precaution, right? Well, precaution means, ergo, that you’re not fine.”
“That’s not how you use ergo,” I say, rolling my eyes.
Finian doesn’t say anything, but his eyes flick to me, like he’s cataloging every breath I take. I sink deeper into the pillow, scowling.
“You know, normal people actually leave when they get kicked out of a hospital room.”
“Good thing we’re not normal,” Wolf says. I look over at him, seeing him smirking down at his phone.
Fucker.
The worst part is—they’re right. No one is going to kick them out. Not without my parents’ approval, especially not when the staff practically bows down to my parents every time one of them walks by. The universe seems determined to trap me in a room with the three people I least want to be around.
The three men I’m trying hard not to feel anything for.
I turn to the window, acting like the sunset is more interesting than the three alphas in my room.
I’m surly.
I’m annoyed.
I’m cornered.
I feel like prey, heart pounding, muscles tight, back pressed against unyielding walls by hungry predators.
Usually, when that happens, it’s do-or-die time: desperation forces the prey to lash out.
But I’m completely powerless. My parents’ demands pin me here, trapped with these three, no room to breathe, no way to run.
Can life get any worse?
Wolf chuckles, low and satisfied. “If you think this is bad, just ask your parents what awaits you when you get out.”
“What?” I snap to, jerking up in bed. “What does that mean?”
The three of them chuckle, like they’re in on some kind of inside joke I’m not aware of. It doesn’t bode well for me, especially not with the way my life has been panning out the last few months
When no one answers me, I release a huff of irritation and slide back down in the bed.
I stare at the ceiling, trying to piece together what my life has become, when something soft and unmistakable nudges low in my belly.
It’s so gentle, so light, I think I imagined it.
Until it happens again. A little firmer this time, like a tiny hello from inside me.
My breath catches. The irritation, the heaviness, the constant awareness of the three men in the room with me dissolves. I can’t stop the smile from blooming across my face. I slide my hand down, palm flattening over the bottom curve of my belly.
Another nudge.
Then another, like she’s rolling or stretching or trying to get my attention.
My throat tightens. “Oh,” I whisper, barely a sound.
There’s a shift in the air. Wolf’s head snaps up from his phone. His eyes narrow, nostrils flaring. “Your scent changed,” he says, voice low and alert. “What happened? You smell sweeter, if that’s possible.”
I don’t answer him. I can’t. I’m too busy focusing on the movements under my hand, the fluttering pressure that feels like a secret only she and I know.
“My little girl is moving,” I choke out, words thick with emotion.
Finian straightens so fast it’s like someone pulled a string in his spine taut. “Girl?”
Wolf’s voice cracks. “Moving?” His eyes drift down to my hand before meeting my eyes again.
Amos exhales a soft, awed sound, like he’s witnessing something amazing and personal. He is, but I’m too preoccupied to care. “It must feel amazing.”
I swallow hard, blinking fast as another little kick presses against my palm.
My chest aches in the best, most overwhelming way.
There is absolutely nothing more fantastic in this world than feeling your little baby kick to say hello.
Probably the only thing that can beat this is the day she’s born.
“It does,” I whisper, hand still cradling my stomach. “It really does.”
Amos leans forward like he’s afraid to move too fast, like one wrong movement might break the moment between us. His eyes lock on my hand, on the place she’s nudging softly against my palm. I watch his throat work as he swallows.
“Can I …” He stops, breath catching. For a second, he looks younger, almost uncertain in himself. It takes a moment for him to gather himself as his voice drops into something rough with emotion. “Can I feel her?”
It isn’t a demand. It isn’t even a request. There’s hope in his voice, almost a reverence to it. The way he says her makes my chest ache all over again.
“Daisy,” I whisper her name. “I’m naming her Daisy.”
I war within myself on what to do. On one hand, they are her fathers.
On the other hand, they did discard me before they even gave me a chance.
They threw away the opportunity to be with me every step of the way.
They were vicious. Cruel. They made me feel like I was two inches tall, with no one and nothing.
“I …” My voice trails off because I honestly don’t know what to say. I’m not cruel, no matter how people treat me. I’m strong, independent, stubborn, but never cruel. I think for a moment, then finish, “Sure.”
“Can I?” Finian and Wolf say at the same time.
My eyes mist instantly. “Yeah.”
I pull my hand from my stomach. The second I do, all three of them move forward, like they’ve been holding themselves back and finally got permission to breathe deeply.
Their hands settle on my belly, so careful, as if my stomach is the most fragile thing in the world.
It’s awkward, and that doesn’t even begin to cover it.
It’s weird.
There’s no other word for it. Three big alpha males are touching my stomach at the same time, all of them focused and silent. But then she nudges, one soft, little push against their palms.
Everything changes.
I watch it in real time. I see their faces soften as their eyes go wide in awe. Their shoulders drop as all the tension releases from their bodies. Something raw and unguarded surfaces, like watching armor melt off them piece by piece. They stare at my stomach like the sun is rising just for them.
Slowly, their gazes lift.
One by one, their eyes meet mine.
My breath catches all over again.
Their eyes are shiny—full, bright, trembling around the edges.
Wolf’s jaw flexes like he’s trying his best not to let anything spill over.
Finian blinks too slowly, breathing deeply, like he’s overwhelmed.
Amos looks like he’s holding his breath, afraid that anything will break this moment if they move too fast or breathe too loudly.
For a heartbeat, the room is nothing but warmth and wonder. The three of them look at me like I’m holding the whole world under my skin.
They look at me like I’ve dreamed they would ever since the night I told them I was pregnant.
After a few moments, the nudging stops. Daisy settles down and goes back to sleep. I smile sweetly, feeling a love so large that it overflows. There’s something about being pregnant and feeling your baby from within you. Something special.
“Please, give us another chance,” Wolf whispers, emotions thickening his voice. “Please.”
This man—this alpha—is all but getting on his knees begging.
I thought I would love the moment this happened, but instead I feel only exhaustion and the dull ache of old wounds.
There’s no triumph, just a heaviness in my chest. I can’t bring myself to want men who didn’t fight for me.
Remembering their rejection and the way they broke the match on Select-A-Mate makes my heart ache all over again.
I was not their priority.
I was not their first choice.
I am what they were given and didn’t want.
Remembering everything that’s happened between us gives me pause. We had one beautiful night together that resulted in my being pregnant with Daisy. I’ll never regret that night, no matter how bad life gets. If not for them, I wouldn’t be getting something I’ve dreamed of my entire life.
To be a mother.
But … “I can’t.”