37. Charlie
Chapter 37
Charlie
“ C an you believe you’re over halfway through your pregnancy?” I asked as I placed the final box on the floor of Kennedy’s room.
She was sitting crossed-legged on the bed, watching me and my pack mates work. She had been staying in her new room for a few weeks, but it had taken some time to find a weekend where we could box up all her stuff and officially move her in. It wasn't that big a task, considering none of the furniture in her small place was her own and she had been bringing bags of clothing and other necessities home with her every time she went back.
Even though most of her wardrobe was already here, her favorite items of clothing to wear were ours. She was wearing one of Storm’s oversized practice T-shirts and a pair of tiny sleep shorts that should have been illegal for how well they displayed her ass. How was I supposed to get any work done when she looked like that?
We had offered to take her shopping to get some maternity clothes, but she had insisted that our T-shirts worked the best. I wasn't going to say no to my omega coating herself with my scent. Had I gone out and bought myself several new T-shirts, just so I could wear them once and then give them to her? Yes, yes, I had.
“I’m definitely feeling it.” Kennedy laughed, rubbing her belly that was only just starting to swell. “Though it still feels so much easier than last time,” she admitted, scrunching her nose thoughtfully.
Every time she spoke about how difficult her pregnancy with Charlotte had been, I had to resist the urge to punch Storm. Kennedy had forgiven him, and I'd caught them cuddling on several occasions, so I probably shouldn't have been as mad as I was. Our omega was clearly a better person than I.
“Well, maybe once we move these boxes, we can get some ice cream, and I’ll give your lower back a massage.” I grinned.
Kennedy groaned. “Yes, please!” Her back had been giving her pain for the last few days, thanks to the sudden growing of her bump. “Where’s Charlotte? Last I saw, you were holding her.”
“Micha kidnapped her for some playtime with blocks. Personally, I think he's just shucking his responsibility when it comes to moving boxes.”
Kennedy giggled, a beautiful sound I was obsessed with. “Are you guys going to tell me what we're doing today?”
I shook my head. “It’s a surprise.”
We were only spending one or two hours in the morning moving boxes, and then we had a pack date planned. All four of us guys had gathered around, coming up with various ideas, and we had several winners from that little brainstorming session.
It was safe to say we were ready to woo our omega over several dates.
She pouted. “I don't like surprises.”
I snorted. “Well, that's bullshit, princess. Remember when I surprised you with your favorite pint of ice cream you thought was out of stock everywhere? I thought you were going to maul me, you were so happy!”
Kennedy’s only response was to stick her tongue out at me.
“Put that tongue away, or I’ll put it to good use,” I told her.
She grinned. “I’m up for that.”
Minx.
“No,” I said firmly, pointing at her. “You will not distract me with your womanly wiles today. It is a day for wooing!”
She crossed her arms, bringing attention to her rapidly growing chest. Pregnancy boobs were a thing of glory. I was quickly becoming obsessed with them. “What if I want to distract you?” she asked.
“I am too strong for that. We have a pack date planned, and nothing is going to mess it up. So, while I finish putting these boxes away, you need to get your cute little butt in the shower and get ready to go.”
Kennedy groaned, flopping back onto the nest with a grunt. “Spoilsport.”
“You’re going to love it,” I reassured her.
“I don't doubt that. I'm upset that you're sweaty and worked up and won't play with me.” She pouted at the ceiling.
It was almost impossible to resist, but I had to. The tempting call of her sweet floral scent was overpoweringly strong.
“The zoo?” Kennedy asked excitedly as we pulled into the parking lot. We had taken Eli's car and mine, as they were the biggest, and Storm, Charlotte, and Kennedy were in the car with me.
Storm nodded, turning in the passenger seat to look at Kennedy with a grin. “That's right. Eli mentioned you’ve wanted to take Charlotte here.”
Kennedy nodded from the back seat, where she had been feeding Charlotte little bites of baby snacks to keep her entertained. “I’ve always wanted to come down here with her, but we never had the time—or the car.”
“Well, we’ve got all day now!” I beamed.
Kennedy bounced excitedly in her seat. “Where shall we go first?”
We ended up going to every single exhibit at least once, most of them twice. Kennedy was enjoying it almost as much as Charlotte was. She carried her daughter around on her hip, oohing and ahhing over all the different animals.
They had spent ages at the otter exhibit. I couldn't blame them, though. The otters were so stinking adorable. There were piles of hay in the exhibit they kept picking up in their mouths and using to make little structures and dams.
Charlotte’s favorite were the tigers. One of them sat near the viewing glass as a few younger ones ran around the enclosure like hyperactive teenagers. Anytime we tried to step away from the lion and tiger exhibit, Charlotte’s eyes would fill with tears, and she would start to blubber, gesturing that she wanted to go back.
“Oh, I can’t tell her no,” Kennedy said, gently rubbing a hand over Charlotte’s head. “She loves them,” she said as the baby placed her hands on the viewing glass. Thank God there was a big structure between her and the lions and tigers because she would be crawling right up to them if she could.
“I'll stay with her here if you want to go check out the hippos,” I offered. Kennedy chewed her lip. I knew she wanted to go see the hippos. She had mentioned them several times. “Give me our sweet girl,” I said, holding out my hands. After a moment of thought, Kennedy relented.
The baby was so enraptured by the animals, I didn’t think she even noticed that she was changing arms.
“Come on, I’ll take you to the hippos,” Storm said as he dragged her away, leaving me and Charlotte.
While she was distracted by the tigers, I took a moment to look down at the adorable baby in my arms. She was so precious and sweet. How the hell did we get so lucky? The fact that, technically, this child was named after me also brought me an immense amount of pride that I probably shouldn't have had.
Still, Storm’s fuckup was my joy.
“What’s that?” I cooed as one of the tigers jumped off a ledge and toward their pool.
A babble of noise left the baby’s chest. Kennedy said she was starting to sound out words, and would probably say her first word pretty soon. Even though every one of us was rooting for Dada, we had all been encouraging her to say Mama. She deserved the joy of her daughter’s first word.
She was the one who had done all the work.
I always imagined that babies would be smelly. All they do is poop and vomit, so it made sense in my pea brain. Charlotte didn't smell bad, though. She smelled amazing. It was vaguely like Kennedy’s scent, but it was more childlike. It was hard to explain. It was a nice smell, but it wasn't attractive in the way Kennedy’s was. Like a hint of violet and maybe baby powder.
The scent filled me with the most bizarre protective urge. It called out to my deeper instincts. I was sure it had something to do with our biology, but all I knew was that I would protect this child, come hell or high water.
“Your daughter is a sweetheart,” an elderly lady, who had come next to me to watch the tigers, said. “How old is she?”
I smiled. “Nearly eleven months.”
The older beta looked like a grandma, with long graying hair and horn-rimmed glasses. She gave off the impression of warmth and comfort that only a grandparent could do.
“Oh, that’s such a good age! I would bring my babies to the zoo constantly until they were teenagers. Some of my best memories.”
“It’s her first time. Mama is just visiting the hippos because Little Miss here didn't want to walk away from the tigers,” I said, bouncing Charlotte gently.
“Well, if your omega is anywhere near as adorable as this little girl, you shouldn't be letting her wander off alone,” she joked.
“She’s with our pack mates.”
The woman’s eyes widened, a smile spreading farther across her face as she looked at Charlotte. “Well, aren’t you the luckiest little lady?” she cooed.
I shook my head. “Nah. She’s not the lucky one. I am,” I insisted.
We may have gone a bit bonkers in the gift shop. After a busy and exhausting day, we all decided to get Charlotte a different stuffed animal.
I opted for a large tiger. Storm got her a monkey. Eli chose an adorable stuffed otter, and Micha got her a hippo.
“All these aren’t going to fit in her room.” Kennedy giggled as we piled the toys into a small cart.
“We’ll just have to get her a bigger room.” Storm smirked as he kissed the top of Charlotte’s head.
“That’s not happening anytime soon,” Kennedy insisted. “Plus, our current room is perfect!”
Storm shrugged. “I guess they’ll have to go in the nest, then.”
Charlotte was babbling happily in her stroller, all the toys on her lap almost overwhelming her. It was comical how covered in stuffed animals she was, but the grin on her face made it all worth it.
She was going to spend the rest of her life being spoiled by all of her dads.
The thought made my chest feel warm in the best way.