Playing You (Omega's Luck #3) - Claire Cullen Page 0,75
to move past the feelings of failure, but he still wondered if he’d somehow missed out on the true parenthood experience.
“Well, I guess the pain was shifted from the labor to the recovery. Those first few weeks weren’t much fun, but then I’m terrible at taking pain medication, even when I should. Don’t be like me. If the doctor says take them, take them.”
“Did it make it harder to bond?”
The two pairs of eyes watching him turned sympathetic, and he realized he’d revealed more than he meant to with his question.
“I’m just not sure I feel the way I’m supposed to feel. You know… like a parent.”
Grams took his hand, squeezing it gently. “Oh, Riley. You become a parent when someone puts a baby in your arms or a child’s hand in yours. It doesn’t much matter how they get there.”
“It was harder,” Angie admitted quietly. “Especially those first few weeks. Everything had happened so quickly, and I was tired, and it hurt to do stuff I’d taken for granted with my other kids. But once I was healing, it got a lot easier.”
“It’s just… Brendan’s doing so much, and I feel so useless.”
“I’m pulling my weight,” Brendan said from the doorway, balancing a tray of tea and coffee in his hands. “Just like you’d be doing if the tables were turned. We’re a team, Riley. We’re in this together.”
Cody woke with a startled cry, waking Laurie in turn.
“Is it okay if we pick them up?” Angie asked, clearly angling for a cuddle.
“Of course,” Riley said. “I can’t wait for you to meet them properly. Cody’s the one in blue, Laurie’s in green today. We use the colors to tell them apart.”
“We also painted some toenails, just to be on the safe side,” Brendan admitted. “Though right now, Laurie is a few ounces lighter. You can just about feel the difference.”
“He eats non-stop though,” Riley added. “So it won’t be a good way to tell them apart for long.”
Brendan picked up Laurie and carried him over, settling him in Gram’s arms. Angie was rocking Cody back and forth, murmuring to him.
“Isn’t he precious?” Grams said softly, peering into Laurie’s wide eyes. “That’s the Fairchild nose, Riley. Though I think he has your eyes.”
Angie perched on the couch nearby, cradling Cody.
“We can’t wait for you to introduce them to the rest of the family. They would have come with us—they’re so excited to see you—but we thought a full-scale family invasion might be a little overwhelming.”
“They all sent something, though. There’s probably enough food to fill your freezer twice over. And enough clothes to get these boys all the way to preschool.”
Riley turned wide eyes to Brendan, who shrugged helplessly. “The bags are out in the hall. We can go through them later.”
“Or now,” Angie suggested. “Half the fun of babies is the presents. All those tiny little outfits.”
Riley giggled at the look of mock despair on Brendan’s face as the alpha went out to retrieve the gifts. They spent the next hour sipping tea and eating sandwiches while going through the mountain of clothes, both new and old, that the family had sent. Brendan sat next to him, an arm around Riley as he opened present after present, each thoughtful in its own way. Riley got a little overwhelmed a few times. This was what it was like to have a family, people there to celebrate with you, to support you. He hadn’t suspected, when he first met Brendan, that he’d get so much more than just a helping hand. Now he had the first real home he’d ever had and a family all his own.
He leaned into Brendan’s embrace, smiling up at him, and the alpha smiled back, pressing a kiss to his cheek.
Epilogue
They each carried a baby in their arms as they made their way into the shifter park. It was a family day, an event that usually took place twice a month, where shifter families and friends gathered together to enjoy the open space and the chance to shift freely.
Brendan cradled Laurie to his chest with one hand, the other holding the picnic basket that he’d packed to the brim. Feeding two babies was tough work for Riley, so Brendan had stuffed as much good food as he could fit in there. There was another bag over his shoulder with towels, changes of clothes, diapers, and cloths. Everything they needed for the babies. Despite all his nieces and nephews, he’d never truly appreciated how messy kids were