31. Kennedy
Chapter 31
Kennedy
W hy hadn’t I let Eli stay the night? We had an absolutely amazing date while Charlotte was with Storm, but I had insisted on taking my baby back home at the end of it after a wonderful goodnight kiss, and now I was regretting that.
It was eleven o’clock, and Charlotte would not go down to sleep.
“Oh, baby,” I cooed as I gently rocked her while walking around the living room. She was screaming loudly, her little face turning bright red. She was clearly distressed and unhappy, but for the life of me, I couldn't figure out why. Her diaper was clean. She had been fed. Was she so tired that she couldn't sleep?
These were some of the worst moments I had as a mother. Knowing that something wasn't right with my child, but I couldn't seem to do anything to make it better. I would give anything to make my child happy, but sometimes I thought Lottie didn’t even know what she wanted. Being a baby was difficult; there was so much learning and growing to do.
If I had let him stay the night, at least I wouldn't be dealing with her despair alone. As I gently shushed her, I walked between the rooms of our small apartment, desperately hoping that the changing scenery would help settle her.
It didn’t.
I was just about to go to the bathroom and draw her a lavender bath, in an attempt to help settle her, when my phone started ringing from the kitchen counter.
“Let’s go see who that is,” I murmured as I rushed to grab it before it stopped ringing. “Hello?” I asked, my voice thin.
“Kennedy?” Eli questioned. “Are you okay? You sound exhausted. And what’s going on with Charlotte? I can hear her crying. You didn't answer my text, so I thought I'd give you a quick call.”
“She's just not settling down. Babies sometimes get like this,” I admitted as my eyes watered with unshed tears. “I don't know what to do.”
Eli was quiet for a moment. “Pack a bag for you and Char. I’m on my way.”
“Pack a bag?” I repeated dumbly.
“Killer, you sound exhausted. I'm going to bring you to the pack house with me. The guys and I can take turns looking after Charlotte, so you can get a good night's sleep. I knew I shouldn't have left you alone.”
“I can handle my baby on my own, Eli,” I snapped, but regretted it immediately. Tears rolled down my face as Charlotte continued to scream. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that.”
Eli was unfazed. “Kennedy, I know you can handle it. You are a goddamn superwoman when it comes to your child. That doesn't mean you have to do it all on your own. I know you sometimes prefer to keep Charlotte there, because it's familiar to her, but clearly that isn't helping tonight, so please come stay with us for the night. I bet you I could even convince Charlie to make you pancakes.”
I sniffed. “What flavor?”
“He likes to make cinnamon swirl pancakes with cream cheese icing,” Eli said in a conspiring tone. They sounded delightful, and some help with Charlotte would be really useful.
“Only if you're sure that you and the guys are all okay with that. A screaming child will mess up all your sleep schedules.”
Eli snorted. “Please, they're all going to love having Charlotte and you here. Get packing, I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
“Fine,” I sighed.
Seven minutes later, Eli was standing at my front door.
“Were you speeding? How on earth did you get here so fast?” I asked incredulously.
“I was already on the way here.” He shrugged. “The moment I knew Charlotte was upset and not settling, I was in my car.”
“And what if I didn't agree to come stay at the pack house?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.
“Then I simply would have stayed here and helped you. Either way, you weren't going to endure a fussy baby on your own. And before you say anything, I know you've done it many times yourself, but you don't have to do it by yourself anymore, because you have family. I was going to respect whichever way you wanted to do it, but you were getting help, one way or another.”
I sighed. “Did you tell Storm?”
Eli shook his head. “Charlie was the only one awake, so he’ll wake Storm up when we’re on the way.”
My eyes widened. “You didn’t even give him a heads-up?” I asked incredulously.
“Nope.” Eli smirked as he plucked the baby out of my arms. “Oh, Miss Charlotte! You are not a happy girl tonight, are you?” he asked, continuing the bouncing.
“No one likes waking up to a screaming baby,” I pointed out.
“How many times in the last year have you been woken up by a screaming child, Kennedy?”
“Too many to count. That’s part of being a parent.”
“Exactly, and it’s time Storm learned. He’ll be fine with it,” Eli declared as he carried Charlotte in one arm and picked up my overnight bag in the other.
We pulled up to the pack house twenty minutes later. All the lights were on, so clearly, the pack was awake.
“Tiny terror!” Micha exclaimed as I walked through the door. He was lying on the sofa, wearing nothing but a pair of gym shorts.
“I’m starting to doubt you own any shirts,” I grumbled as I rocked my baby. Charlotte had stopped crying, but now she was hiccupping occasionally, all worked up from her crying.
“Maybe I just wanted to show off my stunning body to the pretty omega.”
I rolled my eyes as Eli placed my bag on the coffee table. “You’ve got your pick of rooms tonight,” he told me as Storm appeared, clearly tired, his hair sticking up. Still, the moment he saw me and Charlotte, his face lit up with a smile. Without a word, he strode over to me, holding his arms out for the baby.
“There’s my girls,” he cooed as he took the now-happy baby out of my arms.
Chewing on my lip, I watched as Charlotte snuggled into her father’s embrace, immediately relaxing into it. I should have been happy that my daughter was getting so comfortable in his presence—with the whole pack, in fact. It was like the moment she caught a whiff of their scents, she was happier. If it improved my daughter’s life, then I should have been completely on board.
Then…why was my stomach turning uncomfortably and my chest tightening at the sight?
“I-I’m sorry?” I said, turning to Eli.
“We have four bedrooms here at the moment, so pick one. You need a good night’s sleep.”
“I’m not kicking any of you guys out of your beds!” I hissed. Why would I do that? I would feel terrible doing that.
“We’re fine with the sofa,” Micha said.
I glowered at Eli. “What size bed do you have?”
“A king. Plenty of room for lots of pillows,” he said with a smile. “I’m more than happy to take the sofa. I’ll be up a few times in the night to check on Char, anyway.”
I gave him a disbelieving look. Either I was so utterly exhausted, or he was being completely obtuse.
“You wouldn’t want to share with me?” I asked in a small voice.
Eli’s eyes widened, and he rushed to speak as Micha burst out laughing from the couch. “You’re so busy being Mr. Fix It, you’re fucking it up!”
“No! Of course, I want to share a bed with you—I just wasn’t sure if you wanted to. I wanted to respect your choice because it’s your first night here.”
“Eli, I’m pregnant with your child. I don’t know why the idea of not sharing even crossed your mind,” I grumbled.
He pulled me in for a hug, but I kept my arms crossed, a grumpy expression on my face as he kissed the top of my head. “Kennedy, I would love for you to stay in my room with me tonight.”
“Fine,” I harrumphed.
“Now that Eli is done being an idiot—which is a change and I like it—what should we do about this cutie’s sleeping arrangements?” Storm asked, nodding to the baby passed out in his arms. “We have a small, portable crib we bought her just in case, one of those foldable ones.”
“You do?” I asked. That was surprising. If I hadn’t been so exhausted, I probably would have brought her pack-and-play, but the thought hadn’t even crossed my mind.
Storm nodded. “Yeah, I was hoping—if you’re okay with it—to set it up in my room tonight. You’re here, so if she needs you, you’re not far away at all. My room is opposite Eli’s, in fact.”
I chewed my lip. “Are you sure you want to do that?” I asked. “When she gets like this, she tends to wake up every few hours.”
Storm shrugged. “You’ve done it countless times. Let me do it this time. You need a solid night’s sleep. I don’t care if I’m extra tired tomorrow. I don’t have hockey practice until the evening, and I don’t have any classes. All the more time to spend with my girl.” He smiled down at her.
“If you’re sure…” I trailed off.
“He’s sure,” Charlie said as he left the kitchen, handing me a bottle of water, a steaming mug of tea also in his hands. “Between the four of us, we can get through this, though we won’t be anywhere near as good as you.”
Somehow, he had managed to say the exact right thing to make the tightness in my chest dissipate. The reassurance that I wasn’t being replaced put me at ease. I knew I needed to let go of doing everything for Charlotte; it would be good for everyone. She would get more time with her father and her pack, and I would get to rest a little more.
“Okay.” I turned to Eli. “Show me where I’ll be sleeping.”
Eli’s room was perfectly Eli. It was decorated in minimal cool gray tones and was exceptionally clean. The bed was piled high with several comforters in varying shades of gray.
“What’s with all the bedding?” I asked as he put my bag down on his desk chair.
“I wanted to make sure I had plenty for when you eventually stayed over. Not that I assumed you were definitely going to stay over. I was just hoping, really hoping.” He gave me a sheepish smile.
I looked back out into the hallway. It was quiet, except for the odd chatter of conversation, so clearly, my daughter was happy. “Do you really think they'll be okay tonight?”
Eli nodded. “I do. You’re nearby if they need anything, but you need rest,” he insisted. “Do you want a shower?”
“Yeah, I feel icky.”
“I’ve got an attached bathroom,” he said, gesturing to the door I’d thought was to a closet.
“Oh, good,” I sighed. “I’m guessing you don’t mind if I use it?”
Eli chuckled. “Kennedy, I want you to use it. Please get your scent all over my place and make it smell a thousand times better. I don’t know if you know this, but I’m kind of obsessed with your scent.”
“The feeling is mutual,” I said, grabbing my bag.
“I’m going to go get us some snacks while you shower, okay?”
I nodded. “Anything chocolate would be a hit,” I informed him as I rummaged through my bag. My packing skills were abysmal, and I was missing a lot of things.
Eli quickly kissed me, and I leaned into it, melting into his embrace. I had missed him over the last week or two. He had been around, and so supportive, but while the whole thing with Storm was happening, we had cooled off a bit.
“I missed this,” I muttered happily.
“Me too,” Eli admitted. “Now I get you to myself all night.”
We reluctantly pulled away from one another, and I made my way into the shower.
Thankfully, his shower was just as clean as his room. You never knew with men. I’d heard far too many horror stories from my friends.
I made quick work of washing all the sweaty stale smell off me, keeping my hair up in a messy bun. Even though a small part of me wanted to take my hair down and wash it, so I would look good for them, I didn’t have the energy for that. Besides, they needed to get used to me in my natural state.
After a quick wash, I hopped out of the shower, wrapping myself in one of the towels that smelled like Eli. Rummaging through my bag, I cursed when I realized what set of pajamas I had packed. In my rush to get out of my house, I had grabbed the first things my hand touched. It was a tiny, strappy top that did nothing to contain my chest.
The only reason I’d worn it at home so much was because it had made whipping out a titty easy in the early days of trying to breastfeed Charlotte.
I had no intention of doing that in front of any of the guys, so I needed to figure out a plan B. Wrapping the towel tighter around me, I padded into the bedroom.
Eli wasn’t there, but Charlie was at the desk, clicking on Eli’s laptop.
“Hey!” he greeted me warmly. “Sorry, I just needed to email myself something. Is everything okay?”
I nodded. “I was just hoping to steal one of Eli’s shirts because I kind of forgot to bring anything for myself.”
Charlie’s face lit up. “Eli is downstairs, but…” He trailed off, grabbing the hem of his gray T-shirt and pulling it off with one hand in a swift, almost practiced move that made me salivate.
“Y-you don’t have to,” I started to stammer.
“Trust me, I want to.” He smirked. “If he gets you in his bedroom tonight, then the least I can do is get my scent on you.” His scent was painfully temping. Fresh laundry. I wanted to bundle myself up in it. “But I'm sure none of my pack mates will complain if you decide to simply wear nothing.”
I chuckled. “Give it to me,” I said, holding my hand out.
Charlie shook his head, taking two steps toward me. “Arms in the air,” he instructed. The towel was wrapped around my chest, so I could do that maneuver without exposing myself, but it still felt oddly vulnerable.
I stared at Charlie for a moment, noticing the challenge in his gaze that I couldn't help but meet.
Lifting my arms in the air, I stood still as he carefully threaded the T-shirt over my head and arms without disturbing the towel. In a seemingly skillful move, he pulled the T-shirt down so it covered my ass before gripping the towel and pulling it away.
He had just managed to completely exchange the shirt for the towel without exposing me at all. “That is magic,” I muttered in amazement.
“And now you smell like me.”
I sniffed the shirt. It didn’t even smell sweaty and worn; it just smelled perfectly of Charlie.
“I like it,” I told him.
He glanced at the bed behind me. “You know what? I don't think it's fair for you to sleep in only Eli’s scent all night. I think I need to fuck with him!” he declared, diving onto the bed and burrowing under the covers.
“What on earth are you doing?” I giggled as he wriggled around under the covers.
“I'm scent marking his bed!” he shouted playfully.
I took a few steps over to the bed, leaving the towel discarded on the floor. “I can't say I've ever heard of someone scent marking a bed, but I won’t complain. You know— oomph !” I was cut off as Charlie's arm escaped the tangle of comforters to pull me onto the bed.
“Cuddle time,” he declared simply. “I need to get it while I can before Mr. Grumpy Pants comes back and takes you away from me.”
Instead of complaining, I turned around in Charlie's arms and nestled into his naked chest. I was exhausted, hormonal, and cranky. I was not going to say no to some alpha cuddles with a man who smelled like delicious, clean sweetness.
Pressing my face against his chest, I inhaled deeply as I wrapped my arms tightly around his midsection. His hands found my hair and started gently scratching my scalp, pushing the hair away from my face to create the most euphoric feeling ever.
“You’re not a terrible cuddler,” I admitted after a moment, my words slurred slightly.
Head scratchies were potent.
The exhaustion weighed heavily on me, and wrapped up in Charlie, I was so relaxed that my eyelids were drooping.
Maybe I should have felt bad that we were stinking up Eli's bed, but I was just so comfortable, I couldn’t find it in me to care.