Chapter 47 Mable
Mable
“Ineed to shower, but I don’t want to let her go.” I pouted as I snuggled with my sweet little girl. “Okay, I need a shower, though. We’ll both appreciate it.”
The first two weeks of Maggie’s life had flown by in a blur of diapers, feedings, blowouts, sleepless nights, and so many naps.
But my body no longer felt like it was haunted by an evil ghost making walking and peeing uncomfortable.
I mostly felt like myself—a very exhausted version of myself who was pretty much always covered in milk and rarely changed her clothes.
“She’s sleeping so peacefully. We should put her down,” Devin said as he sat next to me on the couch nest. Even though I adored my main nest, I had become particularly fond of the makeshift one in the living room.
The large patio doors onto the terrace were kept open, letting in a wonderful, cool breeze, and it was a lot easier to get Maggie or me food, get comfortable, and change her.
“I mean, I can always shower later…” I reasoned, looking between my baby and Devin.
“Maple girl, we love you no matter what, but you’re starting to stink the place up.” Jasper laughed as he came up behind me, placing a kiss on the top of my head.
I craned my neck to glare between him and Devin. “Are you guys saying I smell?” I asked, aghast. Surely, it hadn’t been that long since I’d taken a shower? Except, I knew they were right.
Devin laughed, leaning forward and placing a quick kiss on my cheek. “Your scent is getting a little more potent, but we don't care one bit.”
“We’d still love you if you smelled like a trash can!” Jasper declared, heading back to the kitchen. “Do you want some tea? Maybe a cookie?”
“Both…” I trailed off, before turning to Devin. “Please don't tell me I smell like a trash can.”
His resulting laugh was so loud that Maggie started to stir in my arms. Her little eyes blinked open, and she looked at me, almost expectantly.
“You smell delicious as always, if a little ripe,” Devin said, putting his arm around me and tugging me close.
He didn’t smell bad. He was wearing nothing but a loose pair of black sweatpants and no shirt, so I got a glorious hit of his scent as he pulled me closer.
“Take our daughter. I’ll shower. Plus, I deserve a few minutes to myself,” I grumbled, passing the now wriggly baby over to him. He took her with a smile, placing her on his chest. Immediately, she pressed her face into his chest like she was looking for food.
“Yes, you do. Oh, sweet girl, I don't have what you're looking for, but I will take you and get you a bottle,” he cooed, a large grin on his face.
I cocked my head to the side as I stood up. “You know, it really is rude having so many man muscles on display.” I playfully glared.
“Why is that?” he asked.
I raised my brow at him. “Because my lady business is still recovering, and you keep displaying your beautiful self around the house. And you're also confusing our daughter because she thinks you make milk. It’s unfair all around.”
Devin bit his lip, clearly trying his best not to burst into laughter. “Are you saying you like my chest?”
I glowered at him. “You know I do. Ugh, I can’t wait until I’m healed,” I grumbled as I stomped off to the bathroom.
“I love you!” Devin called after me.
“And I love you too!” I shouted back as I entered the bathroom, turning to close the door. “Even with your perfectly chiseled chests and damned boundless energy that should really be going to me!”
***
“I think we're going to have a fast growing little lady on our hands if her food consumption is anything to go by,” Percy said as I lifted my T-shirt to feed Maggie for probably the third time in a handful of hours.
The shower had been a good call, and I did feel a million times better afterward. When I came out, I found that they had cleaned the sofa nest and put fresh blankets and sheets down so I could get comfortable.
My back was pressed against Percy's chest as he gently ran a hand through my hair, watching me feed our daughter.
“She really is a bottomless pit, isn't she?” I said wistfully. “I guess it's a good thing I'm an over producer.”
“Though, I'm pretty sure she tried to bite Saint the other day when he held her with no shirt on. She really needs to learn that he doesn’t have the parts she wants.”
I chuckled lightly. “Funnily enough, she almost did the same to Devin before my shower.”
We lapsed into a comfortable silence as I fed Maggie, simply basking in each other's presence.
I was about to open my mouth and ask for a glass of water, because nursing made me darn thirsty, but Saint was already at the side of the couch, holding out the bottle of water that was probably much too large for a regular person, but I was obsessed with it.
“Fresh water with ice.” He smiled.
“Thank you,” I said, reaching out to take the bottle. It was the kind that had a built-in straw, so when Percy plucked it out of his grip, he held it out for me with the straw so I could take a deep chug.
“Dinner won’t be long,” Saint said, glancing toward the kitchen.
My entire pack was home for the evening, and it was downright domestic bliss. The guys had taken over all of the cleaning, not letting any housekeepers in the apartment after I'd given birth because they didn't want me to feel like my space was being intruded upon.
That was something I never would have asked of them, but I was eternally grateful that they did.
My hormones right after giving birth were a mess, and I didn't know if I could handle any strange scents in my home. In fact, I knew I couldn’t.
I was still getting upset at the drop of a hat, and the guys were making the house as nice as possible.
They’d already talked to me about sitting down with my OB and making sure I was taking care of myself.
My appointment, so graciously scheduled by Devin, was in a few days.
Now, though, Jasper was cooking, and Devin was doing laundry while Percy and Saint were on Mommy and Maggie duty.
After Maggie was full, going from one boob to the other, Percy took her to burp her, and I chugged down some more water.
The living room was looking much better than it had in a while, and it made me think.
We had been in “comfy” mode for so long, sitting on the couch or in the bed and rarely doing more, that I wanted to change things up. I finally felt like I could.
So, I insisted on actually sitting at the dining table to feel a bit more like I was a normal person for a few minutes. The guys took care of setting the table, and I brought my massive water bottle with me so I could hydrate while I ate.
Saint insisted on holding Maggie while I was eating because he knew I wouldn’t be eating a hot meal otherwise.
He had read somewhere that mothers usually ate last because they were holding the babies, and he had made it his personal mission to make sure that I always got hot food right away. It was sweet.
“Ooh, this is delicious. Thank you so much for cooking, Devin.” He smiled at me, rolling his eyes because he never did well with a compliment. “Ugh, it’s been too long since we had lasagna and garlic bread.”
“Well, tell your mom I appreciate her sending over the recipe.” Devin shoved a big bite into his mouth just as I did the same, and I chuckled quietly, humming my agreement.
“The baby seems to like the smell too. Look at her.” Saint laughed as she waved her little arms enthusiastically at his fork. “Not yet, baby girl. You get wallpaper paste first.”
I snorted. “Baby cereal is not wallpaper paste.”
“It might as well be,” Jasper added. “Watery milk rice? Yeah, pass.”
We all chuckled, enjoying the time as a family at the dinner table.
It had been a minute, and I knew that this was the way life would be for a while.
Raising a child is hard work, but when we came together like this, when I had my alphas there to keep me safe, to care for our daughter, and make this place a home, it was work I was glad to be doing.