Baby's Got Bite

by Candace Havens

  Casey reached down and kissed her cheek. “Nick and I are going to run and get some stuff for the baby. We’ll be back in an hour. Do you want anything?”

  “A cheeseburger, sweet potato fries, and a giant chocolate milkshake.”

  Everyone laughed.

  “Well, my love hasn’t lost her appetite. I’m glad to hear it,” Linc said.

  My love. Those kind of words had always made her worry what would come next, how the relationship would inevitably fall apart, but the way he said them, she’d give anything just to hear them again.

  “Is it okay?” Nick asked the doctors.

  “She can have whatever she wants to eat,” Branson said. “And I read in the chart that you wanted to breast feed, but we had to put you on some medication. It would be best for now to give the baby formula.”

  God, she was lucky to be alive. Too surreal. She glanced down at the little version of Linc in her arms.

  Heart in throat, she sniffed. Her baby. He snuggled deeper into her chest, and she lost her heart for good.

  “The nurse will take your vitals every few hours,” said Jacinda. “We’ll have to keep an eye on you for a few more days. The baby can stay with you in the room. If you need help, you need only push the button.”

  So much to remember. So much going on. She held the baby a little tighter to her, unable to tear her eyes away from her child. “I…uh…”

  “I’ll be here,” Linc said. “I’ll take care of her and the babe. Do you want to feed him?” he said to Bennett. “It’s about time for his two-hour feeding.”

  “You do need someone with you at all times to help with the baby,” Jacinda said. “Right now, we don’t want you lifting him too much. He’s a hefty eight pounds. But you can hold him as much as you want. Just make sure you have a pillow for support.”

  Bennett nodded.

  “Now, on a scale of one to ten, what’s your pain level right now?” Jacinda asked.

  “My head, probably about a six. My body, a twelve. I feel like I was hit by a truck.”

  Jacinda smiled. “That’s a fair assessment. Labor is tough on you, but you’ll bounce back quickly. The nurse will be in later to tell you things to look out for with aches and pains. As far as your head, if you have a sudden onset of sharp pain, or if that pain inches toward a seven or eight, tell us immediately.”

  “Okay.”

  “We’ll give you some time alone,” Jacinda said. “If you need anything push the button. Don’t tough it out.”

  “Get some rest,” Dr. Branson said, and then he followed everyone else but Linc out and shut the door.

  “Don’t ever do that again,” Linc whispered.

  “What?” The fog in her brain was slowly lifting. She stared down at her perfect baby. “He’s healthy, right?”

  Linc touched her cheek. “Yes. He’s as healthy as he can be. And you…” He paused and swallowed, and she saw again that flash of emotion in his eyes that made her feel safe and secure. Like she was home.

  Something was different about him…

  “Linc,” she said. “What do you want to say?

  He took her hand in his. “I’ll do whatever you want. Abide any wish you want to make. You can go with your father if you must, but please don’t ever run away from me again. I can’t stand the idea of being in a world where you don’t exist.” He kissed her forehead. “I love you more than my own life. I would have given my life for yours if I could have.”

  “Are you having sympathy hormones or something? I’m sorry I scared you, but I’ll be fine. You don’t have to make all these crazy declarations.”

  “Bloody hell, woman. I love you. I think I have from the moment I met you.”

  “Don’t cuss in front of the baby.”

  He chuckled. “I meant what I said. I do love you. And I know now what that means. I’ll respect your wishes from now on. If you wish to take the babe…” His voice broke. “If you wish to go with your father… That’s your choice.” He cleared his throat. “I won’t stop you. I love you, Bennett, and I’m here to support you no matter what you choose.”

  If she hadn’t been sure about her love for him, she was now.

  Was it possible to be this happy?

  “I’m a woman of my word.” She forced herself to frown. It wasn’t easy with the joy clogging her throat.

  “I know that,” he said solemnly. “I understand why you need to go.”

  “Dude. So not going anywhere. I told you that. I won’t take your son away from you. I have no idea what the future holds or how we’re going to do this, but I want us to do it together. I love you, you dumb jerk.”

  The biggest grin broke across his face. “You do?”

  “Well… You better give me a kiss, just so I can be sure.”

  She grabbed his shirt before he could respond, and then she brought him close.

  Damn, the man could kiss.

  She pulled back and looked at the ceiling, as if considering it, then said, “Yeah. I’m pretty sure… I do. I love you. Probably loved you from the first time I met you. But don’t let that go to your head.”

  “Never,” he said. And then he kissed her. Careful not to smush the baby, he showed her everything that was in his heart, and she gave it right back to him.

  When they finished, he grabbed a tissue from the side table and dabbed her cheeks.

  “Hormones,” she said gruffly.

  He took a deep breath. “I want thou to be my wife. For all eternity, I want thee bound with me. I will be ever faithful and protect thee with my life. This is mine oath of fidelity to thee. I am thine. Thy partner in everything. Thy life mate.”

  “Holy hell. Eternal oath? That sounds like a big deal.”

  He brought her hand to his chest. “I’ve never made this oath before. I’ve never wanted to. But with you? I love you. I love your stubbornness and loud mouth. I love your kindness and your heart of gold. I even love your decorating skills. My home will never be the same, and I’m the better for it.”

  Tears welled and spilled onto her cheeks. He loved her. “Moron. You’re making me cry.”

  “The babe can hear you.” He dabbed her eyes with a tissue. “You have to stop with the swearing and calling me names. I don’t want him to grow up with a—what is it Casey says?—a potty mouth.”

  “I’ll take it under consideration.”

  He brought his face close to hers. “I’ll spend the rest of my life doing my best to make you happy,” he whispered against her lips. “Do you accept my oath?”

  “I love you, uh, you big hunk of an Irishman. And yes, I accept your oath. I pledge my love to you. I don’t have a fancy oath, but I’m yours.”

  He chuckled, deep and rumbling. She loved that sound.

  Her heart was so full of love for this man and their child. And she was grateful to be alive. More so than she ever had been before. She would appreciate each and every day with them.

  She cocked an eyebrow at him. “So partner… Life mate… Maybe now would be a good time for you to start on your fatherly duties and get me the baby’s bottle.”

  “Yes, my love.”

  …

  “Bennett?” Her father rushed through the door to her hospital room and to her side. “They told me you almost died.”

  Linc rose with the babe in his arms. He didn’t want her father upsetting her. One look from Bennett and he backed off. She wanted her father to meet their son. Fine. But this was tough.

  And that was enough to quell Linc’s anxiety. No matter what happened, he and Bennett would face it together.

  “Shhhh,” Bennett said. “Your grandson is sleeping.” She pointed to Linc, who held their son in his arms. “I decided to have some blood pressure drama at the worst possible time, but I’m fine. And the whole death thing was an exaggeration. I just passed out for a bit.”

  Her father had a hold of her hands. “I was so worried when Nick called.”

  “She only woke up an hour or so ago,” Linc said. He was standing on the op
posite side of the bed from her father.

  “Thank the goddess,” her father said. “Did they say when I’d be able to take you and the baby home?”

  Linc suppressed a growl in his throat. She was his. No one would be taking her anywhere.

  Bennett rolled her eyes. “I can see you getting all puffy, Linc. Calm down. You’ve been so good this afternoon. Don’t start now.” She turned to her father. “Dad, I–uh… Linc, you tell him.”

  “We’re getting married,” Linc finished. “We love each other, and we don’t care about the outdated treaties or anything else you might use to keep us apart. She is my beloved, and she will be for an eternity.”

  Bennett sighed. “What he meant to say before he got all cave man wolfy is that we love each other. And this baby, well, you should see his birth as a sign of peace, Pops. Linc’s going to be my husband, and you’re just going to have to nut up and get with the program.”

  Her father arched an eyebrow. “Nut up?”

  “As in suck it up. Be the king and tell people how it’s going to go down. I love him and he loves me, and I feel like I’m singing a fucking Barney song. Shit. I mean— Oh my Gawd, this not cussing thing is going to be hard.”

  Linc sighed. “Sir, I love her. I will protect her with my life. And we will protect our son with our lives. But the lass and the babe will be staying with me. Not because I will it, but because that is her choice.”

  Her father’s eyes narrowed as he turned to Linc. “May I see the child?”

  Bennett gave him the stink eye. “Before you touch him, you swear an oath that you won’t do anything crazy. You won’t walk through a magical mirror or turn into a dragon and fly away.”

  God, Linc loved her. She had no problem expressing feelings.

  Her father stared at her like she was crazy. “I will not harm the child, nor ever dare to take him from you.”

  Then he glanced up at Linc as if to ask if she was mentally stable.

  Linc shrugged, then winked at Bennett.

  “I’m not crazy,” she said. “Just protective, something you two should understand.” She smirked. “Okay, you can hold him. But I’m watching you.”

  Linc reluctantly passed the baby across the bed to his grandfather.

  The other man chuckled. “He’s heavy for one so new.”

  Linc took Bennett’s hand in his.

  Her father moved around the bed to sit in the recliner in the corner of the room.

  “You’ll make a strong warrior prince someday,” her father said.

  Bennett cleared her throat. “Dad?”

  He smiled. “Just a phrase. And we are at peace, for now. But there may be a time when he will be expected to take the throne, and I will make sure, with your permission, that he is ready.”

  This time it was Bennett who sighed. “For now, can we just focus on everyone being alive and here? I don’t know about you guys, and I’m not one who usually does this sort of thing, but I’m counting my blessings. I have a son.” She sniffled.

  Linc leaned down and kissed her forehead. “We have a son.”

  “And I have a grandchild.” Her father smiled. “A fine boy, who will grow up to be as smart and fierce as his parents.”

  Bennett took his hands and squeezed.

  “We have a family,” she whispered reverently.

  Not one for tears, Linc blinked his back.

  “Aye, luv, we do.”

  Epilogue

  The couple’s baby shower was in full swing, but Linc only had eyes for his wife and child. He held baby Liam while Bennett opened presents, surrounded by friends, many of whom had become their family.

  Linc was happier than he’d ever been in his life. Didn’t matter that he was sleep deprived and living with a hormonal maniac whose moods changed from one second to the next. He welcomed it all. Gave her whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted it.

  He was so grateful his lass was alive and well and giving him hell.

  “What?” she mouthed when she found him looking at her.

  “I love you,” he said. Not bothering to whisper.

  A blush spread across her cheeks. “I love you, too, doodle.”

  That was her nickname for him. They both knew it meant ‘moron’, but she’d cleaned up her mouth since they came home from the hospital. God, he loved her for it.

  Everyone around them paused.

  “So when are you two going to get married?” Casey asked, watching the pair of them.

  Linc glanced at Nick.

  “Actually, I was hoping we could borrow a certain Greek tycoon’s island in a couple of months when my lass and babe are ready to travel.”

  “Say the word,” Nick said as he patted his friend on the back. “It’s yours.”

  “Oh, yeah. I forgot to tell you guys,” Bennett said. “We’re engaged.” She held out her hand to show off the ring he’d given her at the hospital. Right after he’d said the second binding ritual, which was about five minutes after her father had left. Linc wasn’t taking any more chances. As far as he was concerned, she was already his wife. But he would go through the traditional American ceremony to please her. Well, with Bennett it probably wouldn’t be very traditional, but he didn’t care.

  His lass belonged to him heart and soul. Everything else was, as she liked to say, cake. For the rest of their lives, he would show her just how grateful he was to her for teaching him the meaning of love.

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  Acknowledgments

  I want to thank everyone at Entangled for their help. It starts at the top, thank you Liz P. for believing in me. You are a wonderful human being who has done so much for authors. Stephen Morgan, you are one fine editor. Thanks for your patience and encouraging words. From the amazing marketing and publicity teams, to Curtis our managing editor, thanks. You guys are awesome. A quick shout out to my lovely agent Jill Marsal, who is gets my crazy. You are the best!

  I want to thank Linc’s fans, who loved him so much in “Take It Like a Vamp,” and waited patiently for him to have his own book. I wrote this book for you guys. I hope you love Linc and Bennett as much as I do. You have no idea how much I appreciate your kind and encouraging words.

  About the Author

  Bestselling author Candace Havens has written multiple novels for Berkley, Entangled and Harlequin. Her books have received nominations for the RITA’s, Holt Medallion and Write Touch Reader Awards. She is the author of the biography Joss Whedon: The Genius Behind Buffy and a contributor to several anthologies. She is also one of the nation’s leading entertainment journalists and has interviewed countless celebrities including Tom Hanks, Nicolas Cage, Tom Cruise, George Clooney and many more. Her entertainment columns can be read in more than 600 newspapers across the country. Candace also runs a free online writing workshop for more than 2200 writers, and teaches comprehensive writing class. She does film reviews with the Hawkeye & Dorsey on 96.3, and is a former President of the Television Critics Association.

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  Discover the Take it Like a Vamp series…

  Take it Like a Vamp

  Vampire Nick Christos might’ve been born in the Middle Ages, but the good old days seem tame compared to the last eight years he’s spent ruling the Supernatural Council. His only respite is with his cute neighbor Casey Meyers, a woman he wants more than any undead man should. Now he’ll risk everything to save the human he’s come to love.

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