all over again. This time with a tiny little blob of cells, my daughter. A daughter. Holy shit.
Flipping him over onto his back, I blew raspberries against his stomach before pressing a wide circle of kisses around it. Charlie squealed and giggled the whole time, undoubtedly both from excitement and the way my whiskers tickled his tender flesh. When I sat up again, I bounced on my hands and knees beside him like an overgrown pup. "I can't believe we’re having a little girl. That's amazing, beauty. You're going to have to watch me so I don't spoil her to death."
Charlie gave an evil laugh. "From what Romeo said, we might want to be careful. He says she's going to be smart as anything and a total handful."
I jumped up and scooped him from the bed, cradling him against my chest as I spun in a circle before heading out of our room. "Of course she will be every bit of those things. With us as parents, we can't expect anything less. Our baby girl will be smart and beautiful. And probably spoiled. We should get used to the idea."
My voice traveled, preceding me into the breakfast nook, where Tina and Essie were gossiping over a cup of tea and poring through a recipe book. They both looked up with their mouths hanging open.
Tina pressed a hand to her heart, her lip trembling as she spoke. "Did I hear you right? Are you having a baby?"
Waving a hand, Essie nodded sagely. "Of course they are, dear. They are true mates, no? They probably conceived straight off the bat. Most do, from what I've heard."
"You're not wrong. I'd forgotten how fast I got pregnant with Ford." Tina seemed so happy, she was glowing.
I set Charlie down at the table and turned to get my coffee. At this point, when he officially shared our news, it felt anticlimactic. “Since you've worked it out between you, the answer is yes. Lucian and I are having a baby. And according to my brother who has a touch of the sight, we're expecting a girl."
Essie nodded as she crossed herself. "Ay, anyone blessed with the sight would know."
By the time I sat down with my coffee and a cup of tea for Charlie, the two ladies were busy talking nurseries and something called a layette. I drained half my cup before a break in their conversation.
"Excuse me, ladies. If I may be so bold, isn't it a little early to be worrying about this? We haven't even been to the doctor yet. We're going on his brother's vision and his own wonky stomach."
Charlie lifted a finger. "And don't forget different foods have been smelling off to me."
The women nodded in tandem, while Essie patted my hand. "The signs are all there, Alpha. Your mate is pregnant, and it's never too early to plan."
Tina's eyes widened. "It really isn't, trust us. His pregnancy will fly by before we know it."
Shrugging, I reached my cup again. "Then plan away. Let's get this figured out. I don't mind talking about our baby the whole day anyway, but especially when it puts the smile I'm seeing on Charlie's face right now."
When they both immediately turned to look at him, Charlie blushed, but his smile didn't fade. Tina scooted around and went for a hug, and for the first time, I noticed Charlie eagerly return her embrace.
Eleven
Charlie
About two months later…
Eli watched patiently while I walked back and forth with Stevie on my shoulder, rubbing his back and trying to calm him while the little guy screamed. With every step, my baby bump felt heavier, or maybe it was simply my sudden fear I was going to suck at this parenting gig. When I turned back his way, I looked at Eli in dismay.
"What am I doing wrong? I can't handle knowing your child's suffering because of something I did or didn't do. His diaper was changed, nothing was pinching, and I made sure his clothes were fitting properly. He drank the entire bottle, and I got a good burp. What does Stevie need that I'm not providing?"
As I held the baby out toward his father, silently begging him to take the poor tyke from my hands, Stevie's cry came to an abrupt halt. In its place came another burp, followed by a strange gurgling sound right before he spewed the contents of his bottle out like a fountain.
Not thinking to lower him in time, I took the hit directly in