Through half an hour of grunting, crying and extreme swearing, Kyle pushed. I mopped his brow with warm towels as sweat flowed off him, and I let him bite down on my hand as hard as he needed to. In the end, I was holding him from behind as our baby was born into the warm water, captured securely by our doctor’s waiting hands.
I watched as she lifted our little girl out of the water where she took her first breath and immediately wailed.
“Good lungs,” Maddie said as she placed our baby on Kyle’s chest.
My heart, my wolf, and every part of my body ached when I saw her up close. Kyle relaxed back against me and I cradled him in my arms.
“Raina,” Kyle whispered. Our little cub instantly stopped crying but continued flailing her tiny arms and legs, scrunching up her fists and kicking.
“Raina.” I looked down at her and a huge grin broke across my face. I’d never felt more proud or more capable.
Maddie helped me cut the umbilical cord, and we got cleaned up before she escorted us to the bedroom then left us to it, promising to be on call for anything we needed. We napped on and off with Raina all afternoon, until we heard a gentle knock on the door.
Brock poked his head into the room with Jaxon right behind him. “Is she here?” Brock asked quietly.
Jaxon had picked up Brock for us and told him that he had a new sister waiting at home.
“He was so darn excited I thought he was going to jump out of the car and sprint home,” Jaxon said as he put a hand on Brock and urged closer.
“Thanks for getting him home, Jaxon,” Kyle said sleepily.
“Oh wow,” Brock whispered when he saw his little sister resting in my arms.
“Come say hi to Raina,” I said, and he hurried over to my side of the bed. He leaned over and smiled down at his new sibling.
“She looks like…”
“She looks just like you, buddy.” Jaxon smiled down at our newborn. “Welcome to the pack, little Raina,” he said, smoothing a finger over her cheek. My pack alpha connecting with my newborn cub had something deep and ancient tugging at my heart.
“There are a few other visitors here, if you’re up for it?” Jaxon asked, motioning back into the hallway.
I looked to Kyle who looked downright exhausted, but he smiled and nodded. “Send ’em in.”
Our bedroom was quickly filled with most of the pack’s eager faces looking down at our new baby. Nic knelt down at my bedside where she kissed Raina’s face over and over again until she was distracted by Jason entering the room with an oversized bouquet. She went to help him arrange it in a vase by the dresser. The rest of the pack popped in and out of the room, mingling in the hallway and all through the house. Trevor stood by Kyle and leaned over him to get a good view of our baby girl, holding his face in his hands and squealing.
“I’m declaring myself an honorary uncle,” Trevor stated.
Kyle grinned and told him, “Hey, you’ll be next to have a baby, Trev.”
“Oh, please. No one will ever be interested in me,” he mumbled.
Jason turned, glanced at Trevor and frowned. His gaze lingered on him for a moment, but when he noticed me looking he quickly glanced away.
Not long after, Britt and Kennedy pushed their way into the crowded room. “Aunties coming through! We need to see the baby!”
They scooped Raina up out of my arms and took care of her for the rest of the evening while Nicole entertained our guests so we could get some rest. When we woke up, only Brock, Britt, Kennedy and Nicole were still here, tidying up and taking care of Raina.
“Thank you, aunties,” Kyle said as he gathered Raina up from Nicole’s arms so he could feed her. “We can take it from here.”
“You need more rest,” Britt said, pointing Kyle back in the direction of the bedroom.
“I have something else in mind,” Kyle said before smiling at me.
Once the aunts had left, we found ourselves in the games room. Kyle relaxed back against the couch with Raina in his arms, while Brock leaned back against me as he played a game.
I looked over at Kyle and smiled as he reached out to take my hand.
“I love you,” he said softly, sending a flutter to my heart.
“Thank you for all of this,” I said sincerely. “You’ve given me two beautiful children, and a life that’s even better than I ever could have dreamed for myself. I promise you, I’m not going to miss a moment of it from now on.”
“I know,” Kyle said with a smirk. “I won’t let you.”
I laughed and gave him a playful shove, which woke up Raina. The whole room instantly filled with crying until we got her settled down again. I kept laughing and shaking my head at the mistake—without any shame, fear or guilt about it. Maybe I was getting the hang of this parenting thing. Maybe I was good at it, after all.
20
Kyle
Two weeks later, our little girl was feeding well and hadn’t lost too much of her post-birth weight, but she was also causing serious mayhem. I had barely slept, and my whole body was still sore after giving birth.
“Did you get the you-know-what from the you-know-where?” I asked Gavin as he hauled in three overflowing bags of games, sports equipment, and other last-minute presents for Brock’s birthday.
“Yes, I got the I-know-what,” he said as he hoisted the bags onto the kitchen counter. “How has the little miss been?”
“The same.” I sighed and ran a hand over my face. I felt downright exhausted and could not wait to get back into a normal routine. I was even day dreaming of going back to work.
“Still demanding?” he asked, calling after me as I headed into the other room.
“Oh yes,” I said as I came back carrying three rolls of wrapping paper. “That one is so spoiled.”
“”There’s no such thing as spoiling a baby,” Gavin replied with a smirk.
“Oh, so you’re an expert on babies, now?”
“I’ve been doing my fair share of research, but no, I’m not, but you can’t give a baby too much loving.”
I couldn’t argue with that because Raina was just too beautiful not to spoil. Granted I’d probably regret it later on, but now… I nodded, and then unrolled the sheets of paper on the table and motioned for Gavin to hand me a present. He peeled a price sticker off and passed me a video game called “Horror Car Crash Wars!”
“Well this looks appropriate for an eleven-year-old boy,” I muttered, but I wrapped it anyway.
“It’s rated for a general audience,” Gavin said. I just grunted, feeling myself slipping into another exhausted, bad mood, but then Gavin wrapped his hands around my waist and pulled me back against him.
“I love you, you wonderful, protective father,” he said before planting a kiss on my cheek. I laughed and arched my back so I could look at him, then I reached up to run my hand through his hair. Even when I was so tired he still managed to make me feel better.
“I got you something.” Gavin put a small gift-wrapped present in front of me.
“What? What is this?” I smiled and picked up the gift. I gave it a shake and instantly knew what it was. I gave him a sly grin and he laughed.
“It’s hard to disguise that kind of thing…”
I ripped off the gift wrap and beamed when I saw he’d bought me a vintage cassette. I turned it over and gasped. A rare edition of Feather Boats’ first album.
“I noticed there was a space in the cabinet, and you don’t have that album, right?” he asked.
I nodded, suddenly too overcome with emotion to answer. My throat closed up and my vision swum with tears.
“Oh, Kyle.” Gavin wrapped his arms around my waist and I instantly leaned into his warm embrace. My hormones were still all over the place, and we hadn’t had full sex since the birth yet, and I was still learning to shift and—
Gavin tilted my face up and feathered soft lips across mine. I moaned, my body sparking to life. I slid fingers into Gavin’s hair and pulled him closer, parting my lips to deepen the
kiss. When he lowered his hands to grip my ass I pulled away and smiled.
“Bed?”
“God yes.”
I laughed and grabbed his hand, ready to drag him to our room…
“Hey dads,” Britt said as she and Kennedy arrived with Nicole, all helping to carry an oversized cake between them.
I groaned, not hiding my disappointment. I really could have done with Gavin’s soft tongue lapping at my—
“She’s sleeping! And mind her tummy!” I shouted as they disappeared down the hall after putting the cake on the kitchen counter. I trusted them, but I still turned up the volume on the baby monitor. Gavin chuckled and kissed the top of my head, before we got back into wrapping presents.
We’d just finished tying the last of the bows when we heard tires on the gravel in the driveway.
“Already?” I asked, glancing up at the clock.
“Birthday boy coming through!” Brock shouted as he stormed into the house followed by a huge crowd of his friends from school and a bunch of parents from the pack. Dishes of food were spread out through the dining room and snacks found places in the living room where a bunch of pre-teen boys started making loud mayhem. Trevor hurried in at the rear of the group and stopped to give me a big hug before disappearing to find Raina and the aunts.
“Love you, but I gotta see that baby!”
“How was your birthday at school, Brocky?” I asked as I gave our son a big hug.
“So cool!”
Cole came up beside him and pointed to a big button on Brocks’ shirt that said “11 TODAY!”
“I got him that,” Cole said proudly.
“Very cool,” I said.
Jason and his little girl Stacia, Linc, Shawn, Liam and baby Samuel came in, followed by Jaxon, Bryce and Lori, all carrying big plates of food. The rest of the pack and the cubs filled the house and soon enough the whole party was taking care of itself. People were dishing up their own food, putting on music from my collection, and most importantly, Brock was having a good time.
I sat back and took in all in. How had I gone from living a quiet life as a single dad to suddenly having the biggest, loudest, sweetest family in less than a year? It was too loud to tell Gavin just how much it meant to me, but I smiled at him and he nodded like he knew exactly what I was saying.
The night went on beautifully with no problems until Jaxon and Steve Daniels pulled Gavin and I aside.
“There’ve been some more reports,” Jaxon said quietly.
“Of…” I glanced between the three of them. Gavin was frowning, as if he already knew exactly what it was about.
“Dragons,” he said sadly. My stomach flipped and I sucked in a sharp breath.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“They seem to be causing more problems in town. There have been reports of small fires at the back of Kay’s diner, and Tony’s pizza… And a lot of burned patches in the woods, getting closer to the homestead. There has even been a break in at another pack omega’s house.”
I swallowed and glanced at Gavin. He stared at Steve. “How bad is it?”
“Let’s just say I’m worried,” Steve stated.
Gavin shook his head, and my heart raced. I gripped Gavin’s hand, unable to hide how my fingers trembled.
“We have to do something,” Jaxon said. “Before they do.”
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Jason
“Ooowwww, Daddy!” Stacia exclaimed, yanking her head away and effectively undoing the last ten minutes of work I’d done on her hair.
I winced. “Sorry, princess. But we only have a few minutes left or you’ll be late for school.”
Stacia had insisted on an intricate braid for the day. Something she’d seen on a cartoon character. And I was doing my best to make it happen. I was certain Keifer would be able to fix her hair exactly as she wanted. As for me, her silky strawberry blonde hair was slipping right through my fingers.
“Are you sure you want it exactly like this?” I asked, picking up my phone to study the picture I’d looked up.
“Yep,” she said, nodding enthusiastically. “And with the pink bows just like that.”
“Okay, sit still and I’ll see what I can do.” I threaded her hair around my fingers and tried again, shaking my head. Stacia knew exactly what she wanted and made sure she got it. Parenting was definitely an adventure with her.
Luckily, Keifer and I were pretty much on the same page there. I’d go so far as to say we made damn good co-parents. We’d never actually been a couple, just good friends all our lives. But it turned out a night of too much drinking could sometimes make you forget these things. One night of letting go had resulted in our sweet baby girl. Neither of us would change a thing. Except perhaps my ability to do hair.
Stacia sat perfectly still this time as I attempted to create the multiple braids with ribbons woven throughout. “I can’t wait for my friends to see!”
I chuckled. Stacia had never met a stranger. It was the first day of the new school year, and Stacia would be starting kindergarten. While she didn’t know who would be in her class, she already considered them all her friends. I loved her to pieces, especially her spunky attitude and outgoing cheerfulness. I’d definitely lucked out in one area of my life. I couldn’t ask for a better daughter.
“Okay,” I said a few minutes later. “I think I’ve got it this time. What do you think?” I held up a mirror for her.
She grinned, her eyes shining. “Perfect!”
I sighed in relief. Thank god. My fingers were cramping as if I’d been working an all-nighter on flower arrangements. Braiding was harder than it looked. I could put together intricate flower displays in my sleep, but braiding? I was just happy Stacia was satisfied with my attempt.
“Okay, princess, go grab your backpack and let’s head out.”
She jumped up enthusiastically and flung her arms around me. “I’m so excited!”
Laughing, I gave her a quick peck on the forehead. “Me too. You’re going to have a great first day.”
She ran off to grab her things, and I met her at the front door, ready to take the obligatory first day of school pictures. She cheesed it for the camera, then I messaged the pictures to Keifer’s phone. He’d want to be as much a part of her first day as he could, but unfortunately he was stuck editing with a looming deadline so couldn’t be here in person.
“Here we go,” I said, getting her buckled into the back of the car then circling around to the driver’s side. I pulled out of the drive and made my way toward the elementary school.
“Pops said maybe I could get a dog,” Stacia said, momentarily distracting me.
“What?” I glanced in the rearview mirror and found her smiling face and hopeful eyes. It made my stomach sink. Stacia had been asking for a dog for ages. And I kept telling her no.
“You know I’m not a dog person, baby,” I said gently, wanting to soften the blow of not making all her dreams come true yet again.
“Please, Daddy,” she said, her voice high-pitched and pleading. “I’ve wanted one forever. It could stay at Pops all the time.” She frowned. “But I want it at your house too.”
I sighed. No matter what I said, Stacia would be just as persistent as ever on this matter. Like she was determined to wear me down one way or another, no matter how long it took. Her determination was a trait she came by naturally, and it would serve her well as she grew up. But it sure put me in a hard spot sometimes.
“Just give it a chance,” she said sweetly. “I know you’d love it as much as me.”
Stacia loved all animals like they were her kindred spirits—not a surprise considering her wolf nature—but she loved dogs most of all. Which just so happened to be the one animal I wanted nothing to do with. For reasons I didn’t want to tell her.
“We’ll talk about it later,” I finally said. She didn’t need to go into her
first day of school full of disappointment.
It seemed to satisfy her, and she sat back contentedly as we made the rest of the short drive to the elementary school. She was all big smiles and excited jitters as we parked in the lot, and as soon as we got to the classroom, she ran inside, calling out a goodbye without even looking back.
I chuckled. She’d do just fine today. I waved at her teacher, then headed back to my car. Time to get to work. The timing of Stacia starting school full time couldn’t have been better. I had a huge wedding order coming up, and it would take every spare minute to meet my own deadline.
I drove the short distance from the school to Petal Pushers, my home away from home. The old flower shop had been a mainstay in Timberwood Cove for the last fifty years, a family business that thrived in this small town.
Located on the historic main street that ran through town, Petal Pushers took up the first floor of a three-story brick building. Recent renovations had filled the other two floors with apartments, much like the other historic buildings on the street. I pulled into the back alley to park since parking on the street was limited, then went in through the back door.
The sound of dogs barking followed me into the back room, and I sighed again, thinking about Stacia and the dog she desperately wanted. The Pampered Paws Doggie Daycare on the next street backed up to my building, and I could always hear them when they were out in the back yard. It was unsettling at times, but I tried my best to ignore it. I’d already gone the route of trying to talk to the owner, Trevor Perry, about keeping the noise down, but it hadn’t gone well.
Focusing on the job I had to do, I pushed those thoughts aside and took stock of what I had to work with today, referencing the timeline I’d come up with. This wedding was a really big deal for the shop. Usually, I let some of my staff make arrangements for bigger events, but for this one I’d wanted my personal touch on all of it.
“Hey, boss,” Sarah Mitchell, the young woman who ran the front of the shop, said as she walked through the open archway that separated the workroom from the front of Petal Pushers. She went to one of the refrigeration cases and took out a vase of sunflowers. “Long day ahead of you?”
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