There was also the moment when Nate’s artificial foot landed in a puddle of coffee and he fell backwards, but Brian caught him so, in the end, it was ok. But things were pretty tense in the waiting room for a moment with a pregnant man flailing his arms around and everyone screaming. Then, after we got taken to the delivery room, there was the hilarious conversation between Alex’s mate Jeremy and Austin.
The clinic hadn’t been expecting us all on the same day, so all four of us wound up being taken to the same delivery room. They decided to use it as a waiting room, then take each of us to a smaller, adjoining room when the time came. But all four of us were going through labor in that room together.
We all still had a little time before the first babies started coming, some more time than others, and Alex tried to alleviate some of the anxiety—mostly on the part of the alphas—by introducing everyone. When it came time for me to introduce Austin, Jeremy got surprisingly excited.
“Austin Dillon?” he said with a smooth southern drawl. “It’s so good to meet you, sir! I’m a huge fan! Boy you sure do look different than you do on the TV. But aren’t you supposed to be down in Daytona right about now?”
I looked at Austin and expected him to be as confused as I was, but a grin spread across his face. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not that Austin Dillon,” he said. “I get that every once in a while, but I don’t spell my last name the same as the NASCAR driver. Mine is D-Y-L-A-N.”
“Ah, like on The Nine-O,” Jeremy said, clearly a little bummed that it wasn’t his NASCAR hero in the room.
Austin finally furrowed his eyebrows and looked at me like I might be able to clarify the confusion this time, but I had no idea what Jeremy was talking about either. I looked at Alex and Alex looked back and Jeremy. “What are you talking about, hon?” he asked his mate.
“You know, Dylan McKay, Beverly Hills 90210,” Jeremy said like we should all have known who he was talking about. “That’s how he spells his name.”
Austin laughed out loud. “It’s the first time I’ve heard that one, but yeah, I guess you’re right.”
Nate was the first one to be taken out of the room, and Brian went along with him. Not long after that, one of the nurses checked my dilation and told me I was ready to go too.
“Are you scared?” Austin asked as he gripped my hand. One of the worst contractions yet had just passed, and I could feel sweat dripping down my face. I was exhausted and bummed that I didn’t get to see Nate and Brian’s baby, but I wasn’t scared.
“Not with you here,” I said, holding Austin’s hand to my heart. “I can’t wait to see our baby.”
“Me either.” Austin reached up and moved some strings of hair out of my face and kissed me. He was such a calming presence. He took everything that happened in stride, even though I know none of this turned out how he’d probably imagined it would have. I mean, who would have thought the two of us would have to ride to the birth of our first baby on a little boat. He was so awesome about all of it. And no matter how hard I squeezed his hands during each of the contractions, he never flinched once.
“Okay,” Dr. Lewis said, when we got to the smaller room. “This is the last one. Give me a big push, Shane, and it’ll all be over.” It was just the four of us in the room—me, Austin, Dr. Lewis, and one of the nurses—and everything was over so quickly. Dr. Lewis was right, after one more big push and the murmur of some voices, I heard the sound of my baby crying. My eyes flew open and I started laughing hysterically. I was so exhausted, but so elated, and all I wanted was to hold my little baby girl in my arms.
We knew she was going to be a girl and had discussed names for the last month. The one we both liked most of all, and that just happened to belong to grandmothers in both of our families, was Sarah.
“Here she is,” Austin said as he set our beautiful girl in my arms. “She looks just like you.”
I looked down at her and just then her eyes focused in on mine. I couldn’t believe how beautiful she was. “No way. She has your eyes.” I looked up at Austin and tears were streaming down his face, which made me completely fall apart.
They had to immediately wheel my bed back into the room with the other guys to free up the smaller delivery room. So I sat there with Sarah in my arms and Austin holding my hand tight, crying my eyes out while I was being moved down the hall and back into the big room.
At another time I would have probably been mortified to have everyone in the hallway see me crying like this, but in that moment I didn’t care. I wasn’t crying because I was sad. I had never been so happy in my entire life. When I looked around the room at all of my friends and their mates everything looked so different. It felt like now that my baby was born everything in the whole world was perfect.
When we got back to the house Austin took the two of us directly up to bed. Hank had brought us home in the cruiser and was now taking Austin out to Collins Park. He’d left his car there at the dock and Hank was giving him a ride out there to pick it up. So Austin made sure Sarah and I were settled in and had anything we might need before he took off.
“I’m not disabled,” I said to Austin as he hovered over the two of us in bed. “I am perfectly fine to get up and get a glass of water if I need it. Although, I doubt I’m gonna do anything except sleep.”
“Okay. You want me to put her in her crib then?”
“She’ll be fine here. You’ve lined the whole edge of the bed with pillows. Neither one of us is going to fall off in the half hour it’s going to take you to go get your car.”
“I’ve never seen this side of you before. Once you’re up and around I’m going to have to find some new punishments for my sassy little sub.”
“Well, you better get on that. I might be ready sooner than you think,” I said with a grin.
Austin kissed me then left with Hank and I was alone for the first time in months. I had Sarah with me, but other than her sweet little noises, I was in a silent house with my own thoughts. I couldn’t believe how far I’d come in such a short period of time. At the beginning of the summer I really thought I was a lost cause. That I was too messed up and would never find a mate or have a baby, and yet, here I was with everything I had ever wanted, and more.
My parents were disappointed that they had missed Sarah’s birth, so Austin invited them, as well as my entire family, to stay with us for the week before Christmas and through the new year. I was so surprised. I knew Austin was a wonderful man, but he was proving to be more generous and kind every minute we were together. I was thrilled he was willing to share his home with my family, but I found out he was just as excited as I was.
His parents had passed away years ago, and he had two brothers who were planning on stopping by with their families on Christmas day. But he seemed thrilled to have a large family in the house, and I noticed the more comfortable he became around me, the more he let me see his true self.
I had a feeling that the story he’d told me about going out to Sophie’s Island for his former mate wasn’t the entire truth. After the dinner he made for my collaring ceremony I knew Austin loved to cook, and was very good at it. While my family was there he went out of his way to make everyone feel at home. He cooked and cleaned and made sure to find out everyone’s favorite foods so he could cook what we wanted the entire time. And he never let me lift a finger to do a thing.
“I want you to rest,” he said with his hands on my shoulders one night while he was preparing a feast of Turkish food, which was a favorite of one of my sisters. He made the best hummus I’d ever eaten, as well as handmade stuffed grape leaves, dumplings, and bread. He also made kebabs that he barbecued on the back patio, and an elaborate rice dish with meat, raisins, and nuts. “You have done more work in the last six months than I would ever be able to do in a lifetime, and I want to take care of you, and our little girl, and your family.”
“I can’t believe you,” I said, falling against Austin’s chest. “You’re truly the most amazing man I’ve ever known.
I honestly don’t know how I got so lucky.”
“We’re both lucky. We found each other. Out of all of the people in the world we were drawn together, and, even though it didn’t seem possible at first, we made it happen. You know something? I can’t even imagine being that scared anymore. I’ve changed so much since you came into my life I almost feel like a different man. Part of me wants to go back in time and tell past me to get over himself. That no job is worth losing the love of your life over, but I know I had to be the old me in order to become the new me.”
“Well, I love both of you,” I said as I looked into Austin’s eyes. “And I always will.” I stepped back and watched as Austin placed some cheese pastries onto a platter. “You’re not the only one who has changed, you know.”
“You mean you weren’t a dirty little boy before I met you?” Austin said with a deep laugh. “I find that hard to believe.”
“Well, that part hasn’t changed. I was pretty ashamed of the things I did back then, though. I didn’t want anyone to know my secret. But now I don’t care. I don’t want to keep secrets about myself ever again. Not from you or anyone.”
“That’s good. You should be proud of who you are, Shane. You’re an amazing young man.”
“Yeah, I should go back and tell past me how amazing I am,” I said with a laugh.
“I think you should tell yourself that now, because it’s true. I know it, and your family knows it, and even little Sarah knows exactly how amazing her omega daddy is. I see the way she looks up at you.”
I looked into Austin’s eyes, at the kindness and love that I saw there, and I started to think maybe he was right. I mean, each one of us is pretty amazing when you think about it. So what if I had different desires than other people. What’s inside me is for me, not them. I decided right then I didn’t want my daughter to ever hear her daddy say bad things about himself. I was going to believe that I was amazing, or at least I was going to start.
If Austin could look at me and see perfection, and I could see it in him, and in Sarah, then why couldn’t I look in the mirror and see the same thing in myself? When I thought about it, there was no good reason at all.
The End
About His Amazing Summer and Christmas
One summer … one epic birth scene … and one very special Christmas.
On a drunken night of rebelling from his father, young omega Brent falls into a river. He survives just fine, although he emerges soaking wet and angry at the person who pushed him in.
Holden, a sexy young alpha who has been playing the field for a while is the man who gave Brent the push that sent him over the railing. It wasn’t intentional, though. Holden thought he was saving Brent’s life.
When it’s obvious that there’s an attraction between the two of them, Brent devises a plan to use Holden to get back at his father, who is the wealthy governor of Portville and has always expected Brent to follow in his footsteps. Brent is tired of being yelled at for being himself, and he aims to show his father just how irresponsible he can be.
Brent doesn’t expect that Holden will impregnate him that first night. He knows his father will be furious when he finds out, but the only place he can think to hide is on his father’s yacht. He also doesn’t expect that he will fall head over heals in love with an alpha who is struggling financially with his snack boat business and is too proud to take any money from him.
Can a wealthy omega and a poor alpha get over their hangups and come together for the sake of their baby?
Can the son of a wealthy governor let go of his pride and invite his father into his life?
Is there a house big enough to hold all of these omegas and alphas, as well as their babies and extended family, for a once-in-a-lifetime Christmas party?
There’s only one way to find out…
His Amazing Summer and Christmas is the fourth book in the Portville Summer Series. It is an opposites-attract romance of 30k words, with some drinking, sexy times, an epic race of 4 omegas and their partners to the birth clinic, and a Christmas epilogue that includes the couples from every book in the Portville Summer Series, and a few more! It is intended for readers over the age of 18.
Chapter 1
Brent
“Babe, come out of there. This is ridiculous. They’re not going to bite you.”
“Don’t call me ridiculous, Holden! I told you, I don’t want anyone to see me. Especially not him!”
“What’s the big deal, Brent? So you know Professor Dylan. I’m sure he’s gonna be really happy for you.”
“You don’t get it. He knows my dad. They’re friends. If he sees me he’s gonna tell him.”
“Dude, in case you haven’t noticed, you’re in labor. You’re dad’s gonna find out you’re pregnant when the baby comes. I still can’t even believe you haven’t told him.”
“I said I’d do it in my own time, Holden. Please don’t push me.”
“Well, if you were planning on telling him before the birth, your time is just about up. I’m not trying to push you. I love you, Brent. I want what’s best for you, and for our baby. And the thing is, I really think what’s best is for to tell your dad. He loves you.”
I took a deep breath, which was almost impossible while I was crouched down in a cramped storage cupboard on Holden’s Treat Boat. “Okay, okay,” I grunted. “I’ll deal with it when we get to the clinic.”
“Thank you. Now will you please get out of there before our baby pops out in a cupboard full of empty snack boxes?”
Holden held out his hand and helped me crawl onto the deck of the boat. Shane was sitting calmly with a blanket wrapped around his body and his head, but he had a pained look on his face—which I could totally identify with. My contractions weren’t too close together yet, but when they came all I felt were sharp waves, like a bunch of knives poking into my belly.
Once I made it across the deck of the rocking boat Holden sat me down on the bench seat next to Shane and gave me a blanket. But he didn’t hand it to me. He wrapped it around my body and my head, just like how Shane had his. I looked up at Holden and was annoyed as hell when I saw that he was trying not to laugh.
“What?” I said under my breath.
“Nothing, babe. You look adorable.”
“Holden!” I said, trying to sound mad through a clenched jaw and in a whisper. I started to get up again, but he held me firmly in place on the bench.
“Look, just relax. You’re gonna be a lot more comfortable here.” He kissed my forehead and then my lips, which helped a little to calm the irritation I was feeling for every single thing on the planet.
“Besides,” he said. “This way I can keep my eye on you.”
I knew Holden had said that to make it sound like he cared about me, but all it really did was cause my irritation to intensify again. I wasn’t a child that needed watching over. But before I could say any that, Holden stood up and took the wheel of the boat over from Professor Dylan.
I was definitely not happy about that, because Professor Dylan immediately came over to check on Shane, and I was forced to talk to him. It was awkward and embarrassing, but I guess I managed to handle it okay. He even offered to call my dad once we made it to the clinic, which was fine with me because I was still dreading having to tell him what was going on.
I knew I was being a total wuss. I was having Professor Dylan do what I should have done a long time ago. But if you knew my dad, you’d totally understand. Even that first morning—after I’d spent the night with Holden—I couldn’t tell my dad the truth about us, and about the fact that, even then, I knew I was pregnant. He just wouldn’t have understood. I knew he probably would have forbidden me from seeing Holden … or something even worse.
But I’m probably just confusing you, because I totally skipped over that part of the story … so if you really want all the dramatic details of how I wound up pregnant … on a boat … cruising down the river … in December … here goes.
It was a beautiful summer night.
My dad had his yacht moored on the Willamina river and he was throwing a party on board. Well, actually a fundraiser that was “guaranteed to win him another four years as governor of Portville,” to quote him word for word.
“No monkey business,” he said. “You’re representing me tonight, son. I don’t want to find you with your head in the toilet, or passed out in a pile of stuffed animals.” Another direct quote from my dad.
“That was when I was twelve!”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Brent. I would never have allowed my twelve-year-old son to consume alcohol.”
“I mean the stuffed animal thing. And that other night with the toilet was a couple years ago. I don’t understand why you keep bringing it up.”
“Because it wasn’t an isolated event. I’ve found you inebriated more times that I care to count. Also, because I expect more from you. I can’t have you getting drunk and ruining my events, son. If your brother were still with us he would already be following in my shoes. Hell, he might even be running against me next term. Bradly would be doing everything he could to make his father proud.”
“I’m sorry I’m not Bradly! And I’m sorry that doing what I want with my life doesn’t make you proud! Too bad I’m not a robot you could program. Then you’d be super happy with all my life decisions!”
Portville Summer Series: The Complete Collection Books 1-4: (MM Nonshifter Omegaverse) Page 29