15. Kennedy
Chapter 15
Kennedy
E very muscle in my body ached. My head was pounding, and I was so groggy. Despite that, my body felt like it had been asleep for a while. A suspiciously long while. My entire body felt mushy, like liquid, and I was so relaxed and comfortable. All I wanted to do was nest down deeper into the blankets and sleep more.
For some reason, my nest smelled better than usual. Instead of my floral scent alone, there was now a little something darker and smoky in the mix. It was delicious, and my omega loved it.
“Sweet pea, you need to drink something,” a soothing voice said.
I shifted, cracking an eyelid open, only to be met with a solid chest.
I wasn’t alone in my bed.
Eli was the source of the lovely smell.
He was lying on his side in my nest, one arm on the pillow above me and the other hanging lightly over my waist as I nuzzled into his chest.
Why was there an alpha in my nest?
And why was my head pounding painfully?
I glanced up at Eli, the movement making my neck protest. How long had I been asleep for a simple movement to make my body ache?
“Uhhh…hi,” I said lamely.
Eli chuckled. “Hello, sleepyhead.” He spoke softly as he used one hand to brush the hair out of my face.
I was so stupidly comfortable, the last thing I wanted to do was move.
“Where’s Char?” I asked sleepily. Even though my body was languid, and I was distracted by the alpha in my bed, my first concern had to be my daughter, always.
“She’s fast asleep. Her fever is completely gone. We’ve been giving her the medicine you had listed on the fridge with times and dosages. That was smart of you, by the way.”
“I never want to risk losing track,” I admitted. “I should check on her,” I said, trying to move, but Eli’s hands kept me in place.
“You need to rest. You were sicker than her. Charlotte’s doing well, napping a lot, but I called Micha's mother, and she assured me that’s totally normal when recovering from a fever.”
“She needs to be fed.”
Eli smiled. “Also done. I didn’t know how much to feed her, but Micha’s ma assured me that just formula was okay while she was sick. We offered it to her regularly, and she ate a fair bit.”
I raised my eyebrows. “It sounds like you took care of everything.”
Eli kissed the top of my head in a motion that made my insides turn into goo. “I wanted you to be able to rest. You deserved it.”
My insides may have been goo, but at those words, I completely melted. When was the last time someone had taken care of me? Like, truly taken care of me?
Even though I was sick, I had never felt so amazing. It was odd. I wanted to stay in Eli’s arms…but I also wanted to check on my baby.
“You can’t just barge in and take care of me, a girl could get used to that,” I mumbled into his chest.
“Well, I guess you’re going to have to get used to it, because I’m not going anywhere, killer.”
I was an omega, we thrived on being cared for. It was part of our baser instincts. Alphas had the instinct to care and protect; that’s why packs worked so well.
There were still a lot of people who denied that nature. I had met plenty of alphas who were self-absorbed douchebags who couldn’t think beyond the next frat party they wanted to attend. Eli was a whole other breed of alpha, like something straight out of a romance novel.
I hummed contentedly, nuzzling deeper into his chest, huffing the smoky scent that made my body languid.
Eventually, after a few more moments of drifting in and out of sleep, I sighed. “I should get up and check on Char,” I murmured, sitting up.
Eli gently guided me into an upright position, a bottle of water appearing in front of my face. “Drink,” he ordered lightly. “You need to hydrate.”
I took a swig of the water, surprised it tasted sweet.
Eli smiled at me. “Electrolyte packet,” he explained simply.
“It’s good.” I nodded thankfully.
“How are you feeling?”
I took stock of my body. Everything was sore, but my head was somewhat clearer. “Better. Not back to full strength, but I’m on the mend.”
“In that case, why don’t you go and grab a shower while I heat up some food? There’s a veggie soup and even some Asiago bread, straight from the bakery.”
I groaned. “That sounds amazing,” I murmured. “Wait, how did you end up in the nest?” I asked, cocking an eyebrow.
Eli laughed. “I never intended to end up in the nest. I was determined to respect your space. Whenever you needed to drink or eat, I would just come to the edge of the nest and convince you to do so. But the last time I did, you grabbed me and dragged me into the nest before I could even protest. Next thing I knew, you were wrapped around me, shoving your face in my neck and making happy noises. After that, I didn’t have the heart to leave.”
“I did that?” I cried out in shock.
Eli nodded, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Oh yeah, and frankly, it was adorable knowing just how much your omega likes me.”
“I'm going to die of embarrassment,” I groaned, burying my head in his chest, so I wouldn’t have to look at him.
“Hey.” He gently tugged at my chin, forcing our eyes to meet. “I like it, and trust me, I’m just as attached to you, little omega.”
“We’ve been on two dates!” I protested.
Eli cocked his head to the side. “This counts as a third date, don’t you agree?” he asked seriously, making me giggle.
“You’re incorrigible.”
“Only for you! Now, why don’t you go grab a shower and throw on some clean pajamas, while I get the food heated up?”
“Is this your way of telling me I smell bad?” I giggled.
Eli pulled an adorable face. “You smell amazing, you always do, but I would be lying if I didn’t admit you’re starting to smell a little ripe from being sick…”
My eyes widened, and I tried to shuffle away. I had been sick for two days. I probably smelled awful. It was downright cruel of me to subject Eli to that.
His arms tightened around me as he made a dismissive noise. “I don't care how you smell. Actually, wait, that came out wrong. I do care how you smell. You smell amazing, but I don't give a damn if you smell a bit off when you’ve been sick. You’ve got way bigger things to focus on. I just thought it may be a good idea for you to take a shower before you go see Charlotte. I know babies have sensitive noses, and I'm pretty sure if Mommy smells a little sick, it could upset her.”
I gaped up at him. Had this man just straight-up fallen out of heaven? Every time he opened his mouth, he said something sweet and caring and made me feel mushy inside. He had just admitted that he liked my scent, which I supposed was a given, seeing as we were kind of dating, but it was always nice to hear it. Two, he had considered my baby and her comfort, and three, he wanted to feed me.
“You’re too damn good to me.”
Eli shook his head. “Nope, I'm nowhere near good enough, and I'm going to spend the rest of my days making you realize just what you are worth.”
Twenty minutes later, I came out of the shower, squeaky clean and in a new pair of pajamas. Now that the cobwebs had cleared somewhat, I brushed my damp hair and put it up with a claw clip. I didn't have the energy to dry it yet, so I would have to do it later.
Being sick was exhausting.
As soon as I left the bathroom, the overwhelming smell of delicious food hit me, and my stomach growled. When was the last time I’d eaten?
Food would have to wait, though. I needed to check on my baby first.
Padding into the living room, I stopped short at the sight greeting me.
There was an alpha on my sofa.
One I didn't recognize.
If that wasn't disarming enough, he was shirtless, and my baby was fast asleep on his chest. Lottie was snoozing away, looking far too comfortable, snuggled up.
“Hey! You must be Kennedy.” The alpha beamed at me. “I would stand up and greet you, but the tiny terror seems very comfortable here,” he said, smiling down at my snoozing daughter.
He was handsome—I noticed that immediately, even though I was far more concerned with the fact he was in my home and my baby was with him. He had light brown curls and bright green eyes.
His scent was easy to distinguish. Raspberry soda. That wasn't the only scent in the house, though. I could also smell Eli clear as day, so I knew he was near.
“Who the hell are you?” I whisper shouted. Even though I was terrified there was a stranger in the house, the instinct to not wake my daughter was strong. “Why the hell are you in my house, and why are you holding my baby?” I said, my breaths coming in ragged pants.
The alpha’s eyes widened. “Oh shit, sorry! I’m Micha, Eli’s pack mate.”
“Killer.” Eli’s voice rang out behind me as his hand touched my lower back in a comforting gesture. “I'm sorry, I should have told you as soon as you woke up. He brought over groceries, when I didn't want to leave you guys alone, and stayed to help with Charlotte. Turns out, it takes an idiot and a genius to feed a baby. One to make the bottle and the other to soothe the crying infant.”
I snorted lightly. “It is a challenge… You said you gave her the medication?”
Micha snorted, looking down to ensure he hadn’t disturbed the baby. “That part was easy. That little medicine syringe meant we could pop it in her mouth and distract her with toys, and she would swallow it before even realizing.”
“Usually, she wriggles when I try,” I admitted.
Micha grinned. “We tag-teamed it.”
“We also took her temperature regularly. I've kept a record on the fridge of every time we gave her medication and what her temperature was, so you can check it over,” Eli assured me.
“She looks really content.” I sighed. I didn't know if I should be yelling about the fact that there was a strange alpha in my home or thanking him for taking such good care of my child while I was sick.
Either way, I felt like I had hit my head and woken up in la-la land.