Chapter 45
Hailey
Usually, sitting in my sewing room and making something was my happy place since moving out of my tiny apartment. It was where I felt calmest, but for some reason, the fabric was not behaving, and I was getting increasingly more frustrated.
I’d always made things for fun, but now I was trying to make baby blankets for my little boy. For some reason, everything seemed to be going wrong. The fabric was fraying, the threads were snapping, and for some unknown reason, it felt like the universe was out to get me.
“Hey, cutie, do you want to go on an adventure?” Wilder said as he strode into the room, a giant grin on his face.
Preston was around—he was like a constant supportive shadow—and I didn’t hate it. He had taken on some yard work while I was in my sewing room, so he wasn’t hovering to the point of smothering me. Nolan was at an appointment, and Merrick was at work.
I was never alone. There was always one or two alphas around who could support me, which, given that sometimes I struggled to get out of my chair, was very useful.
“Not particularly.” I sighed, dropping the project into my lap. “I’ve got so much to do, the fabric isn’t behaving, and I’m bloated,” I grumbled.
“I don’t think you’re bloated. I think you’re just very pregnant.” Wilder laughed, gesturing toward my stomach where Baby Boy was resting.
He’d finally decided to stop kicking me in the ribs long enough that I could actually focus on a project.
“Plus, I think this is an adventure you’re going to want to go on.”
“Why?” I asked, putting down the sewing scissors as I tried to manage another fraying edge.
“Because it turns out that dental appointment Nolan went to today ended up being a bit more serious than we thought, so they had to sedate his ass. They just called me to come pick him up because he is absolutely off his rocker?”
All thoughts of sewing paused. “Wait, Nolan is high as a kite?”
Wilder nodded. “I don’t think you’re going to want to miss this.”
“Why are we still talking? Help me up. Let’s go get him,” I said, waving him over so he could help me out of my seat.
I was so far along in my pregnancy that standing up from basically anything was like climbing a damn mountain.
It took me a few minutes to get situated in the car, arranging the seat belt under my bump, but as soon as I was buckled, Wilder was peeling out of the driveway.
“Why did he wait so long for a dental appointment?” I asked. “We both know he’s been in pain.”
He’d been complaining of tooth pain for the last few weeks but hadn't bothered to do anything about it. When he finally agreed to book the appointment, I'd nearly cried in relief because he was starting to irritate me.
I adored him, but I also wanted to throw a book at him sometimes.
Wilder shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. I didn’t think he was scared of the dentist, but maybe he was keeping secrets.”
“Nolan? Scared of the dentist? I don’t think that man is scared of anything—except ferrets. He’s too calm and in control.” I giggled.
“He really does act that way, huh,” Wilder said, throwing one arm around my shoulder while steering with the other. “Either way, I think we’re going to have a hell of a time today.”
“I hope he’s not in too much pain.”
“Judging by what the dentist said, he’s not in any pain—at all. He can’t even feel his face. There’s no need to worry about him.”
The drive to the dentist was only a few minutes. Merrick’s house was perfectly placed near town but still tucked away in a quiet area. As we pulled up outside the office, nothing looked off, but as soon as we opened the front door, we could hear Nolan.
“Hailey! There’s my Hailey!” he shouted excitedly, sitting in the waiting room chairs with a nurse beside him who looked like she’d lost the will to live.
Nolan, on the other hand, looked blissfully happy—his eyes glazed over, a dopey smile on his face, and his hair completely messed up. It was kind of adorable, and I grinned as I waddled closer
“Is he yours?” the nurse asked, raising her brows at me.
I bit back a smile and nodded. Nolan was mine. My omega liked that thought a little too much, if I was brutally honest with myself.
She visibly sagged in relief. “Oh, thank goodness. He has been a handful.”
“We’ll get him home,” Wilder assured her, stepping forward and opening his arms with a massive smile. “Hello, brother.”
“Wilder!” Nolan shouted, flinging himself into Wilder’s arms with equal excitement. He was wobbly, at best, unable to stay upright unless Wilder was holding him with an arm under Nolan’s.
“What are you doing here? I can’t feel anything,” he said in an overly dramatic whisper.
“We’re here to take you home.” I rubbed his back gently.
When he looked over at me, his eyes were glassy. The lights were on, but no one was home. “You’re really pretty. Are you taking me home?” he asked in an awestruck voice.
Biting back a laugh, I looked at Wilder pleadingly. How was I supposed to get this alpha home when he was so intoxicated?
“Nolan, let me tell you a little secret. She’s our omega. We’re bonded,” Wilder whispered.
His eyes went wide, and he looked between us. I think he was attempting to move quickly, but Nolan was beyond sluggish and impaired by whatever the hell the dentist had given him.
Eyes wide, Nolan nodded at me. “Whoa.”
Getting Nolan into the car proved to be quite a challenge. He was more interested in hugging me and telling me how pretty I was.
Not that I minded a little adoration.
“How did I bag you?” he asked in a dramatic whisper as we drove off.
We’d shoved him into the back seat while I sat in the front and Wilder drove—of course.
“Because your pack mate and I accidentally bonded in the back alley of a bar,” I said playfully, turning back to look at him.
“I forgot about that. Preston’s a lucky bastard. Wait, no—I’m a lucky bastard,” he muttered.
Wilder glanced in the rearview mirror. “We’re all very lucky.”
“How long did the dentist say this would last?” I asked.
Wilder shrugged. “They didn’t really say anything. They just shoved him in my direction and pushed us out the door. I get the impression he’s been a bit of a menace for the last hour, and they were happy to see him leave.”
“Why does my face feel funny?” Nolan asked, looking out the window with a thousand-yard stare.
“You just had a little dental work done, sweetie,” I assured him.
As we pulled up outside the house, I turned to Wilder. “You know you’re going to have to be the one to get him inside.”
“Oh, I know,” Wilder said, opening his door and getting out of the car.
Nolan was still sitting in the back seat, staring off into the distance. He didn’t even flinch when Wilder opened his door and waved a hand in front of his face.
“Don’t do that,” I whispered.
Wilder shrugged. “It’s funny.”
Crouching down, my pack mate grabbed Nolan in a fireman’s carry and hoisted him out of the car.
“Why am I in the air?” Nolan asked in an adorably confused voice.
“You’ll be on solid ground soon enough. Don’t worry.” Wilder patted his ass.
Sliding out of my seat, I waddled after them as they made their way toward the house, giggling the entire way. I was so slow now, they had to wait for me at the door.
“What on earth happened here?” Preston asked as he and Merrick entered the room and saw Wilder carrying Nolan.
“The dentist happened,” I replied.
They both nodded, like that explained everything.
“I feel like air. Am I air?” Nolan asked as he was lowered onto the couch.
“You are something, all right.” Preston laughed, crossing his arms.
Grabbing a bottle of water, I sat beside Nolan on the couch and tried handing it to him. He looked at the bottle like it was going to attack him.
“Why did you wait so long for this appointment?” I asked.
The look he gave me made me believe he thought the answer was obvious. “For Preston. Duh.”
We all looked at each other. Of all the different answers I expected, that wasn’t one of them.
“Can you explain that a bit better?” I asked softly.
“Well, I knew because it hurt so much, there was a chance I was going to need more work done. I’ve had dental work before, and I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I don’t really have a filter when I’m medicated.
” As he spoke, his eyes went slightly crossed while he waved his hand at himself, so I wasn’t sure he was even making sense in his own mind.
“No shit, Sherlock.” Merrick snorted.
“So why didn’t you go to the dentist? Were you scared of saying something?” I prodded.
Nolan nodded. “Even though I’m really mad at you…” He pointed at Preston. “…I’m really mad because it’s been a stressful few months because of you. I didn’t want you to get killed in that camp. So…”
He blinked slowly, his expression softening.
“I didn’t want to accidentally blurt anything out in front of the wrong people about who you were. You know, while I was like this. So, because I love you, you stupid idiot...I waited.”
Preston’s face was a mix of emotions. Shock, concern, and confusion. “You did that for me?”
Nolan attempted a nod, but it was more of a circle. “Yeah, of course. We’re family.”
“Come here, you dumb idiot.” Preston sighed, hauling Nolan into a hug. “Let’s go get you a popsicle, because your mouth is going to be sore when the meds wear off…”
“And I’ll make some soup for dinner,” Merrick said, already heading into the kitchen.
I settled on the couch, loads of pillows and blankets around me, preparing for a fun family night at home.
Something I could get used to.
Nolan let Preston take care of the popsicle and sank onto the couch next to me, giving me a dopey smile.
“I fucking love you, Hailey.” His words were somewhat slurred, but my heart still lurched at the words.
Oh.
It had kind of snuck up on me, but yeah. Yes, I was in love with Nolan. I was in love with my entire pack, but we hadn’t actually said the words yet.
“I love you too,” I said softly, kissing him on the side of the head as he gasped in childlike surprise.
It was hard to contain the giggles as he wrapped his arms around me, shouting so loudly, I was surprised he didn’t rupture my ear drums.
“Hailey loves me!”
The rest of the pack descended into fits of laughter, all while Nolan couldn’t take his eyes off me.
Dentist-drunk Nolan was pretty fun.