Chapter 46 Hailey
Hailey
“Idon’t know how you roped me into this.” Merrick laughed as we pulled up outside of Melody’s shelter. It was a lovely afternoon, and everyone was home, so we had decided on a little family outing.
“It was a group effort, but mainly, you just can’t say no to me.” I giggled. It also helped that I’d asked Nolan when he was still a little loopy.
“Yeah, I don’t think any of us can say no to her,” Preston said from the back seat.
Merrick thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “True.”
We’d decided as a pack that an incoming baby wasn’t enough stress, so we were also considering adding a furry friend into the mix.
It took me a considerable amount of time to get out of the car, even with Merrick’s help, but eventually, I was waddling into the building, slow as molasses.
“Hailey, it’s so good to see you. How are you doing?” Melody embraced me warmly, then stepped back to take a look at my ever-growing stomach. “You look ready to pop.”
“I’ve still got a few weeks yet.” I sighed, rubbing my stomach.
Discomfort was a constant thing now, and I was more than ready to give birth. Actually, I was in no way ready to give birth—I was slightly terrified of the whole experience—but I was ready to have the baby not in me anymore and for my back to stop aching every day.
Oh, and to sleep on my stomach. Ugh.
Behind us, Nolan and Wilder got out of the car and made their way over, listening in on what Melody and I were saying.
“And you guys decided that now is the time to look for a pet?” she asked.
“Yeah. I think we all want to make a decision together as a pack, considering how messed up everything’s been.”
Melody nodded. “Actually, that makes sense. Do you want to come in? I’ll show you what we have available. Do you have anything specific in mind?”
“Anything other than a ferret.” Preston smirked.
While the others giggled, Nolan shot him a pained glare.
“I feel like there’s a story there, but I don’t want to ask.” Melody giggled. “Luckily for you, I don’t have any ferrets at the moment. Just cats, dogs, and rabbits. Do you have any preference out of those?”
“Nope.” I shook my head. “We just wanted to see who needs help and who might be a good fit. We have no preference one way or another.”
She clapped her hands together. “Oh, perfect. You guys are the best kind of adopters. Let me show you around.”
First, she took us to the cattery. Several little cubicles housed adorable cats playing with various toys or sleeping in little circular beds. Each pen was clearly thought out with love, and you could tell that Melody cared deeply about all the animals.
“This little guy is a cutie,” I said, pointing to a tiny fluffy kitten that was a mix of orange, brown, and gray. He was lying on his back, looking utterly blissed out with his belly up while sleeping.
“That little boy was brought in a few weeks ago because his owner couldn’t look after him anymore. He’s about a year old and quite the energetic little baby.”
“He seems sweet,” Merrick said, leaning forward to get a better look at him.
“Here, let me open the door so you guys can say hello to him.” Melody opened the clear panel so we could pet him.
Luckily, the pens were raised high enough that I could easily reach in and stroke him, despite my stomach and the utter inability to bend down.
Underneath the pens, I could see obvious storage. Melody had really thought everything out when she built the new shelter.
“Oh, I love him.” Wilder scooped up the kitten and held him to his chest. Instead of being startled, the cat nearly melted into his embrace. I could hear the purring from here.
“He is a snuggle buddy and loves everyone,” Melody said. “He’s even best friends with the vets who had to give him his shots.”
“Sounds like a trooper.” Preston nodded approvingly. “I like that.”
Nolan reached forward to stroke the cat, smiling. Wilder, taking that as a cue, handed the small animal to his pack mate. Nolan looked startled at first, gripping the cat awkwardly, but quickly relaxed and let him sink into the hold.
The cat rubbed himself against Nolan’s chest, burying his head in Nolan’s neck.
“Oh, I like him too,” he admitted.
Then, as soon as the words left his mouth, a gigantic sneeze erupted from him. Wilder swooped in and scooped the cat out of his arms as another massive sneeze followed.
“Nolan, are you allergic to cats?” I asked, fighting a smile because Nolan’s nose was already red.
“I don’t think so,” he said, but his voice was all nasally and his eyes were bloodshot and watering.
“Oh dear, maybe a cat isn’t for you guys.” Melody retrieved the adorable kitten and placed him back in his pen.
The entire walk to the kennels, Nolan was sneezing and sniffing. Melody, being the saint she was, had some allergy medication in her office and darted off to get it.
“How can you not know you’re allergic to cats?” Merrick chuckled, patting Nolan on the back.
“Honestly, I’ve never been around them,” Nolan said in a stuffy voice. “Growing up, I had a dog.”
“So we know dogs are okay. And definitely no ferrets.” I laughed, unable to help myself.
Instead of answering, Nolan sneezed several times in quick succession.
The rest of us looked at one another, biting back our laughter, but as soon as Nolan let out an inhumanly loud sneeze, we all burst into fits of giggles.
“I mean, it’s sad we’re not getting a cat. They’re so fun to name,” Wilder said as we walked through the kennels.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Oh God, don’t get him started.” Preston sighed.
“No, I think this is a fair point!” Wilder declared adamantly.
“Dogs have normal names. In fact, dogs with old-people names are the best. Gary, Steve, and Roger—those are some excellent dog names. But cats? They get the really fun and unique names, like Toaster, Bartholomew the Book Muncher, Harold the Wizard of Heckled, or Velociraptor.”
“And those are names you think are good?” I raised my brows at him, blanching slightly.
“They are amazing names,” he insisted, brows up just like mine as he stared at me.
If he thought those names were amazing, what was he going to consider naming our child?
“That is somewhat concerning, considering we haven’t come up with a name for Baby Boy yet.”
“Oh, we won’t let him have any input.” Nolan shook his head with a sniffle. “Don’t worry.”
“Yeah, he’s the last person to get naming advice from,” Preston agreed.
“Hey, I am amazing at naming things,” Wilder defended himself, pointing at his chest.
“What names would you suggest for a baby boy, then?” I asked, the search for pets suddenly forgotten with this new, concerning development.
“I don’t know… Maybe something classic, like Bartholomew or Horace.”
“Horace? You want to name our son Horace? That sounds like something a lawyer would be called. No offense, Nolan.”
“None taken.” He sniffed again. “I knew a Horace in law school.”
Wilder’s mouth dropped open in disappointment. “What? I was trying to pick normal names. You guys don’t like it when I name things that sound like wizards. Abryax is such a cool name.”
“I think we need to pick a name that means our son won’t get bullied in school,” I pointed out.
“Maybe something cool, like Hunter?” he suggested.
“That’s actually not a terrible suggestion,” Merrick said, the corners of his mouth turning down.
I turned toward him. “What are your top name suggestions?”
“I can’t say I’ve really thought about it. I was going to leave that to you, considering you’re the one going through the effort of growing him. But…I like the names Cole and Jackson.”
“What about you, Nolan?”
“I’m pretty simple. Connor. Lucas. I never thought I’d be naming a child, either. I always assumed that would be your decision.”
“Preston?”
“I’ve only thought of one name,” he said, looking oddly serious.
I furrowed my brow, walking over to him. “And what’s that?”
“It’s a little sentimental,” he admitted, scratching the back of his head. “So, you know… Yeah.”
“We like sentimental names here,” I insisted. “Come on. Out with it.”
“Walker.”
I paused, turning fully to look at Preston. “Walker? Like—”
“Yeah. That man did a lot for me and kept me alive. He fed me information on what was happening with you, and I owe him a lot. He’s a great man, and I don’t want to name this kid after any of my pack mates that got me through this, so…yeah. It just feels right.”
I paused for a moment to think about it. Walker did feel right. He was a great man, the alpha of one of my beloved friends, and he had done so much for me and my pack.
He was family.
“You know what? I think it would be really nice to name our son after family,” I said softly.
“That man has saved my life more than once in burning buildings. My vote is for Walker,” Merrick agreed.
Wilder sighed dramatically. “Well, it’s not as good as Abryax, but it’s okay.”
“Nolan, what do you think?” I wanted the opinion of all my alphas when it came to this important decision.
He smiled. “I’m all for it. I appreciate that man and everything he did for us. Like you said, he’s family. The question is…do you like the name?”
“I think I do,” I admitted. “But would having Walker and Wilder be a bit too similar… What if we used the name Landry? Landry is Walker’s middle name, and a cute name on its own.”
“Actually, that’s a good point—and Landry is cute!” Preston agreed, nodding happily.
“Wait…do we actually have a name?” My mouth dropped open, eyes wide as I stared at my alphas.
“We come for a pet, leave with a baby name.” Merrick laughed. “Maybe we can look at getting a pet after the baby is born.”
Nolan sneezed again, and I laughed, rubbing his chest. “That may be for the best.”
The others huddled around me, the sounds of barks and meows fading into a quiet din as I smiled at them.
“Landry. Well,”—I looked down at my stomach—“it’s nice to meet you.”