The packages were barely open and the cake they rolled out not even cut when it became too much for me to be jolly through, and I found myself hunched over in pain just long enough to have Rhone carrying me out and barking something to Maria about hospitals and Grams.
How he didn’t get pulled over as we raced through town was a sheer miracle and as he pulled in front of the ER entrance, the only one open this time of night, he hollered to the 9-1-1 operator that we were coming as if we were in fact having an emergency. Except there was no emergency to it. We were having a baby, something omegas had been doing for years.
In hindsight, it was a perfect delivery. The doctor on call was very excited to be ushering in what they assumed would be a Christmas baby, not that our anxious darling was staying put long enough for that to be true. The nurses were both compassionate and helpful, and my time from arrival to delivery was less than two hours.
At the time, however, it was the absolute most excruciating pain I’d ever felt. After three pushes, I was all but convinced I couldn’t do it, even gripping Rhone’s hand which, surprisingly, I hadn’t broken, and the nurses telling me how amazingly I was doing. And I might have fired the nice doctor a few times while in agony, as if he had anything to do with why I was there.
None of that mattered, though, when they presented me with my beautiful baby girl.
“Congratulations, you are the proud parents of a perfect little girl,” the doctor announced along with a bunch of numbers I didn’t care about. I just wanted to see her, my perfect little baby.
“Girl. I knew it,” Rhone said as he, too, stared at her in awe. She looked nothing like either of us, her skin two shades darker, her hair curly, and her eyes gray, although I read that eye color fluctuated so not to get used them just yet.
“She is the best Christmas present ever.” Rhone held her little foot, pretending he wasn’t counting to see if she had all her toes.
“Noel.”
“Noel?” He smiled at me, tasting the name I’d just spit out spontaneously. It fit. She was Noel.
“Yes, her name is Noel. I knew I would know the second I saw her.” More like I crossed my fingers I would. I’d been that kid who had a cat named Cat because a name never came to me. It was only luck that with Noel it had. No kid needs to have Baby on their birth certificate.
“Never had I expected our Christmas Day would be spent in the hospital,” he mused as he took her from my arms, not showing any of the tentative I’m going to break her trepidation trap the thousand books he’d bought warned us not to fall into.
Neither had I. But recovering while bonding with my daughter, our daughter, Rhone never leaving my side, was perfection. Best. Christmas. Ever.
The day after Christmas, I was discharged, the doctor offering me another night if I felt I needed it. Maybe if this were baby number two, I’d taken him up on it, but all I wanted to do was go home and be with my family, staying there to babymoon through the New Year.
“Welcome home,” Rhone singsonged to Noel as he got her out of her car seat. “We’ve been waiting for you for years.”
She didn’t hear him because even if she could understand him, she was sound asleep, so very peaceful.
“I’m glad to be home,” I sighed as I took off my coat. “I’m going to go put on some pajamas and lie down if that’s okay with you. Pushing a baby out is not for the weak.”
“True enough. I could never be as strong as you were. You were like a superhero in there.” I could hear the sincerity and awe in his words even if I didn’t feel the same way.
“It wasn’t like I had a choice. Once a baby is in there, they have to come out.” Something I reminded myself of the entire time I was in active labor.
I started to head to our room before his hand rested on my shoulder, our daughter snug in his other arm. “Do you want help?”
“I got it. You have her?”
“Always.”
I’d meant did he want me to take her to our room and settle her in her cradle, not the question he answered. I’d known from the first day at the diner that he was meant to be mine for always and knew the same was true for her well before I admitted it to myself and before he said the words. We were meant to be a family, even if our road to get there was both long and nontraditional.
As I went off to change, I stopped just long enough to listen to him telling our daughter how very loved she was. The joy, practically overwhelming.
“So, did you just change or did you peek,” he asked as I put on my slippers, referring to the nursery he had been keeping hidden from me, while he pretended to be fixing up his office and I pretended to believe him.
He’d brought Noel up and settled her in her cradle, but I could see the pain in his eyes as he put her down. He was so going to be one of those dads walking around town with a baby carrier. He’d brought her up as an excuse to check on me. He was so very much a keeper.
“I didn’t peek. I figured you would show me when it is time. I’ve always wanted a home office so to say I’m excited would be an understatement.”
“Home office?”
His face fell as I tormented him about the office I never wanted, nor would want. If anything, I wanted to work alongside Rhone, and after Noel was old enough, I planned to bring that up as a point of discussion, but, in the meantime, I was going to enjoy my time just being a dad.
“Kidding,” I corrected immediately never intending to make him sad. “Show me the nursery.”
“You’re lucky you just had a baby or I would be spanking you right now.”
“You have been promising me that for weeks, you know.” He had, too. And the crazy part was how much it turned me on. Not then, because let’s face it, birthing a child was the least sexy thing ever, but in all the times before. It was going to be fun to explore.
“And I will deliver.” He winked as he wrapped his hand around the doorknob of Noel’s new room.
“Promises promises,” I scoffed as he opened the door wide and gestured for me to go inside. It was perfect. Detailed in a way I’d never even dreamed of, soft and inviting, while not being too baby for when she was toddling around. Absolutely perfect.
“Oh my. It’s fabulous. When did you do all of this?”
“When you were napping, mostly. She needed someplace special, just for her.”
“And what if we were wrong and it was a boy?” Not that the room couldn’t be either gender, but it definitely felt like a girl’s.
“Blue stripes, too.” He pointed with pride. “Besides, gender color assigning is dumb.”
I burst out laughing, my side immediately regretting it.
“Says the man who special ordered pink onesies with I have the best dads written on it in purple.” As well as more dresses than I could count, headbands, a pink car seat, and the list went on and on. He put all money down on the girl square, which had worked out.
“Fair point.” He leaned in, kissing my cheek and whispering in my ear, “I love you.”
“And I you.”
Out tender moment was abruptly stopped by the doorbell ringing.
“Who could that be?” I asked before the knocking began. Grams.
“Who else? Grams.” He flicked off the light and ushered me into our room, where Noel still slept. “You go settle into bed, and I’ll take care of entertaining her.”
He said it as if he was doing me a favor, but, truth was, he and Grams had really bonded over the past couple of weeks, and she’d pretty much made him another grandkid.
“Thanks for taking care of us.” I squeezed his hand before heading to bed, where my body was begging to be, even if the rest of me wanted to go see Grams.
“Thank you for making my life complete.” He kissed me tenderly on the lips before turning me around and pointing to the bed.
My bossy alpha.
Mine.
There was no sweeter word.
Epilogue
Pierce
“That was wonderful, thank you so much.” Rho
ne leaned back in his chair, wiping his mouth with a napkin, his cheeks a little rosy from the eggnog Grams had spiked. Eggnog I politely declined or, more accurately, made an eww face, complaining about the raw eggs she used.
“It was just spaghetti and gravy. No big deal.” She fluffed off, beaming. Not only was she always ecstatic when someone loved her cooking, but she was happy. Happy in a way I hadn’t seen her since I was a child.
“Look at Noel. Does that look like no big deal to you?” Rhone pointed to our daughter’s sauce-filled face and spaghetti-laden hair. There was not much she loved more than Grams’ spaghetti.
“No, that looks like more of my sauce than hit her belly.” Which, to be fair, could possibly be accurate. Spaghetti time was most definitely not a time for frilly dresses and freshly bathed children.
“And the smile,” I added, Noel’s smile was just as brilliant as Grams’.
“I will give you that.” She stood up and pinched Noel’s cheek before gathering our plates. Silly Rhone had spent our first six months as a couple trying to help her clear the table before calling uncle and realizing she enjoyed the entirety of family dinners, including the cleanup.
“She is so stinking adorable, I can’t even handle it. Hard to believe one year ago today you were in the hospital about to give birth to this treasure,” Grams mused.
It was still surreal to me as well. Rhone had said many times that we all deserved Christmas magic and that was why she came that day. After my morning and the surprise it brought, I was prone to agree with him.
“You’re getting sappy with your old age,” Rhone joshed.
“With love.” I punctuated my jibe with kissing noises.
I was happy for Grams. We both were. After years of being alone and mourning my long-passed grandfather, she finally said yes to a date with William, the postman who had been after her affection for years. It was nice to see her no longer alone.
“Stop it, it’s not love. William is just a good friend.” Oh, she was such a liar.
“Who sleeps over.” I tapped my nose to show her I was watching for hers to grow, just like she used to do when I was a kid. Turnabout being fair play and all that jazz.
“Yes, a friend who sleeps over. Now, get a washcloth and clean up Noel’s face while I bring out the cake.”
“For her to get all messy again.” I’d seen enough first birthday pictures hanging up at the single parent center enough to know the cake mess was going to far outdo the spaghetti mess.
“You have been a father for a full year, and you are just now realizing how it works. Yes, again and again and again. Kids are messy little creatures.”
“But so very worth it.” Rhone got up, tousling her little curls before going to the sink to get a washcloth.
“So very much,” I agreed just as the doorbell rang.
A quick glance at the clock. Right on time. It had been hard to keep my secret from Rhone all day, but this was going to be worth it.
“Expecting someone? William, maybe?” Rhone winked at Grams before starting to clean up Noel’s face. I didn’t have the heart to tell him it was a two-washcloth job. He’d figure it out soon enough.
“I’ll get it.” It was all I could do not to skip to the door, but I needed them not to know I was in on this for it to be a surprise.
“Oh look, it’s Santa,” I called behind me as I opened the door to William dressed in a Santa Suit, not needing the fake beard. As much as this was a big night for me, it was doubly so for him, and I gave him a hug of reassurance as Grams came in, Rhone carrying little Noel behind her.
“Santa William?” She went up to him, kissing him on the cheek because—just friends.
“No ho ho, I’m Santa Claus here to bring Christmas cheer. Come settle around the Christmas tree for your presents.”
We all did as he said because who doesn’t want presents.
“First things first. Noel, have you been a good little girl?” he asked her as if she had more than a handful of words. She responded by pulling his beard. Kind of served him right.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” He reached in his bag and pulled out the package I gave him earlier. “Here you go, sweetheart.”
Rhone helped her rip the paper, which was her favorite part of all things present, before opening the box to find a dress with Big Sister in Training written across the front.
“Does that say what I think it does?” he asked, his eyes on me.
I nodded in reply.
“Does that mean…?” He looked at my belly and again, I nodded.
We’d been trying for a sibling for Noel for three months, which, in the scheme of things, was no time at all, but for us felt like an eternity. Leave it to fate for me to finally test positive on the birthday of our first child. Next Christmas Eve was going to need to amp things up to top the past two. A kitten at the very least.
“I love you,” was all he said as I hugged him and Noel both.
“Share with everyone, please!” Grams yelled as she yanked the ruffle-laden dress from the box. Because, of course she did. I nestled into my husband’s side, watching for her to piece it all together. “Oh my goodness. Really? And you didn’t tell me?”
“That’s not all I didn’t tell you.” I looked to William with a wink. He’d been nice enough to let me jump on board his plan, but the night was really for him and Grams. “Santa, you can take it from here.”
“Seriously,” she mumbled as he dropped to one knee, an open box with a ring inside held out for all to see.
“Are you going to even let me ask you?” he asked as she snagged the box from him.
“Yes.”
“Yes, I can ask, or yes, you will?” Which was a good question, even though I knew Grams well enough to know she had already decided the moment she yanked it from him. She was where I got my subtlety from.
“Yes I will, you big—Santa.” She threw herself at him, almost knocking him over, his laughter filling the room.
This was what life was about; family, laughter, and good old Christmas magic.
About the Author
Lorelei M. Hart is the cowriting team of USA Today Bestselling Authors Kate Richards and Ever Coming. Friends for years, the duo decided to come together and write one of their favorite guilty pleasures: Mpreg. There is something that just does it for them about smexy men who love each other enough to start a family together in a world where they can do it the old-fashioned way.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Epilogue
Christmas with His Omega Page 8