“Hey guys,” Bryce said from the bed, waving to us weakly. Liam rushed over to his omega dad for a hug, and I felt Cole pressing himself against my hip as he gazed at Lori.
As I wrapped my arm around Cole's shoulders, I heard a soft voice mutter, “I'll get out of your way in a moment,” and I looked up to find a nurse standing by Bryce's bed.
My eyes locked on the angle of his cheekbones, his freckled skin, and the slightest hint of golden stubble on his jaw just behind his ear where he must have missed shaving that morning. Everything else disappeared. I felt lightheaded. My wolf wanted me to sniff harder at the air, but I resisted. No way was I going to take a deep inhale of that hospital smell. And besides, it was probably nothing but the surging hormones of everyone in the labor and delivery ward that was making me feel so damn attracted to this human omega…
But as the nurse moved past me on his way out of the room, I couldn't help but catch a whiff of something unique, something I'd never smelled before. My wolf's attention was sharp and I felt it surge forward in my chest. I turned to watch the nurse walk away.
2
Shawn
A pitiful whine escaped from my sweet corgi’s snout as soon as the eggs sizzled in the frying pan. She knew a treat was coming since I gave her a little piece of my breakfast every morning when I finished eating. She didn't want to wait, though, and tapped her little paws on the kitchen tiles impatiently.
“Be patient, LuLu my love,” I said to her.
She sat down but kept her eyes fixed on the stove, licking her chops as I stirred the eggs into a fluffy scramble. When ready, I slid the eggs out of the pan and onto the toast already sitting on a plate. I reserved a small piece of egg for LuLu, then drizzled hot sauce on the rest and sat down at my kitchen island. LuLu followed me and sat next to the bar stool I was perched on. She gave me her best puppy eyes, her little eyebrows pinched together, and her adorable face cocked to the side.
“You're too much!” I said to her in between bites of my breakfast. Once I had scarfed down my portion, I grabbed LuLu's eggy treat and squatted down in front of her.
“Paw?” I asked, prompting her.
She gave me her paw to shake.
“Good girl! Other paw?”
She gave me her other paw, then stood up and wagged her tail expectantly. As a Cardigan Welsh Corgi, she had a natural bushy tail that hadn’t been docked at birth, and I loved the way it swished in the air over her back.
“Here you go, sweetie,” I cooed, extending my palm with the egg in it. She rushed forward and gulped it up without any hesitation—or chewing.
“Yum! You liked that, didn't you?” I asked her. I kissed her forehead and she ran off through her doggy door to use the facilities in the backyard while I hit the shower.
Emerging from the steamy bathroom with a towel around my waist, I heard my favorite song playing softly from the clock radio on my bedside table and dashed over to turn up the volume. It was repetitive and simplistic, but the hook was irresistible, and I shook my booty all over my bedroom, even convincing LuLu to join in with me, taking her front paws in my hands and twirling her around. Song over, I headed back to the bathroom, and then lathered up my face with shaving cream and started to shave, double checking that my sideburns were perfectly straight, meticulously rinsing my razor after every stroke. I got deep satisfaction out of my grooming routine and didn't like to miss a step. Once my face was perfectly smooth I rinsed with cold water then applied an unscented aftershave before starting on my hair. With a few pumps of mousse distributed evenly through my blond curls, I was looking fresh and ready for the day. All that was left was to pull on my scrubs and sneakers, and then get LuLu ready for doggie daycare.
Dressed and ready to go right on time, I grabbed my coat from the closet and wrapped a scarf around my neck, then grabbed LuLu's pink plaid leash from the hook by the door. She came bounding to meet me, wiggling her butt around in excitement as I unlatched the deadbolt.
“Ready for walkies at the park?” I asked her.
She gave one joyful bark.
“Ready to see all your furry friends at doggie daycare?”
This time she was so excited she wiggled herself around in a three hundred and sixty degree spin and then jumped in the air.
Her happy dance was just too much for me. My heart bursting with love, I scooped her up and cradled her in my arms, smushing my lips into her furry forehead to give her a flurry of kisses. Once I had fully opened the door, LuLu practically threw herself off the stone steps leading from my door to the sidewalk, scrambling to get her stumpy legs underneath her again when she landed on the pavement.
The dog park was just across the street, but I always kept LuLu on her leash until we got there. I just couldn't let my precious baby cross the street on her own, even in a small town like Timberwood Cove. She pulled on her lead for the entire twenty second walk across the street, and even though technically she wasn't supposed to do that, I couldn't blame her for being excited. She loved meeting other dogs and romping around in the grass.
As soon as we entered the gate of the dog park, a black toy poodle ran up to LuLu and sniffed her thoroughly. LuLu returned the favor, and they started circling each other with their curious noses.
“Hello, Little Miss Poodle, what's your name?” I asked her. I looked around but couldn't tell if any of the humans in the park were looking after her. A few metal tags jingled on her green collar, so I reached down to pet her head and tried to read her name off one of the tags. One of them said “DEMETRIA” with a phone number listed below. Demetria pushed her soft, tiny head back into my palm for more pets. LuLu, getting jealous, pushed the little poodle out of the way and took the role of accepting my affection.
“LuLu, you princess. I was just getting to know your new friend. No need to be rude.”
Both dogs started licking my hand, so I squatted down to give each dog one hand and keep everyone happy.
“Demi!” A high-pitched voice yelled from across the park.
I looked up to see a young girl of maybe eight or nine in pink leggings and a gray puffy jacket running toward me and the two dogs.
“Sorry she jumped up on you, we're still trying to teach her not to do that,” the little girl said.
“That's okay. No harm done.”
“No jump, Demi!” the girl said to her poodle, who was now jumping on her, leaving muddy paw prints on her jacket and licking her face.
A man wearing baggy blue jeans and a black hoodie strolled up behind her holding a leash.
“We better put Demi back on the leash, Lyla,” the man said to the little girl. “She's gonna get herself into trouble soon with her aggressive licking.”
He reached down to clip the leash onto Demi's collar, but LuLu ran behind my legs and Demi had decided the chase was on. They rushed around us in circles, yipping at each other.
“Sorry,” the man said to me.
“It’s fine, really,” I replied. “I think they like each other.”
“Yeah, seems like it,” he agreed. “I'm Dave, by the way.”
“Hi Dave, I'm Shawn.” I extended my hand to shake his.
“What's your puppy's name?” the girl asked.
“That's my LuLu.”
“She's so cute!” Lyla squealed. “She has such tiny legs!” She reached out to pet LuLu but LuLu was still busy being chased by Demi.
“Thank you. I love her little legs too. Your Demi is adorable. She looks like a puppy, how old is she?”
“She's eight months old,” Lyla answered. “So she's still kinda a puppy. But she's gonna stay small when she grows up.”
“How long have you had her?”
“Um…” Lyla looked up at Dave. “I don't remember. When did we get Demi, Dad?”
“It was right after Papa's birthday, remember? So about three months ago.”
At the word “Papa” I felt a pang in my heart. I had completely given up on having a family of my own. Phillip, my ex, left me because I wasn’t able
to conceive a child. We’d tried for six months, and when I didn’t become pregnant he blamed me. Insisted I must be infertile because it wasn't him. I’d accepted I couldn’t have children, that some things were just not meant to be, but times, like now, it hurt. Actually, considering my job, I had moments when it hurt nearly every day. At least I had LuLu, my furry baby.
“Nice to meet you, Shawn, but we've gotta get going. Time for school, Lyla,” Dave said.
“Nice to meet you guys, too,” I said with a smile. “See you around.”
Lyla waved at me as they headed off to the other side of the dog park.
A bell chimed as I pushed open the front door of Pampered Paws Doggie Daycare.
“Miss LuLu, you are looking gorgeous this morning,” exclaimed the daycare's owner, Trevor. Trevor's broad frame was swathed in a bright pink gingham button-down shirt and a matching pink pashmina around his neck, which probably would have clashed on someone with bright red hair but seemed just right on him.
“Isn't she just,” I said, smiling at my pretty little Corgi, with her brilliant white snout and caramel colored eye patches. Her big ears tilted forward when she heard Trevor's voice and her mouth fell open to a big, panting grin.
“Don't think I've forgotten you too, handsome. You're looking a treat yourself today, Shawn.” Trevor pointed his index finger at me while waving it around in a circular motion. “How do you get your hair to look so good? I swear there's not a curl out of place,” he exclaimed with his hands out, fingers spread in gesture toward my head.
Trevor walked around from behind the counter and took LuLu's leash out of my hand, wrapping one of his arms around me and kissing my cheek.
“I just use a good mousse,” I said.
“Whatever you're doing, it's working for you.” Trevor’s grin was as wide as the Cheshire Cat’s.
“Now, I need to tell you something.” Trevor’s grin dropped as he grabbed my forearm. “Someone has recently seen wolves near the wooded area of town, by the golf course.”
He said it so calmly, I frowned. I would have thought he’d be in hysterics about learning of wolves in the area.
“Wolves?” I asked skeptically. “I've never seen a wolf around Timberwood Cove. And why the heck would they live near our town when there’s plenty of perfectly good woodland and mountains all around? Who saw them?”
“I don't exactly know, I overheard two customers talking about it at the florist when I went over there yesterday to complain about a horrible banging noise. God! They were doing some kind of construction and it was driving all the dogs crazy barking and growling. So I stormed over there to ask them to quiet down, and Jason”—Trevor said the name with extra disdain—“told me they were just finishing up. Bullshit. Of course, it went on for another hour. That man is so rude to me,” Trevor said with a sigh and a shake of his head.
I waited patiently for him to swing the conversation back around to the wolves.
“Anyway, I wouldn't let this little party sausage out of my sight if I were you,” he said with eyebrows raised and an index finger subtly pointing to LuLu, who lay on the floor with her chin resting on Trevor's shoe. She didn't seem to be buying into Trevor's scare tactics either. “Except when she's with me, of course. You don’t need to worry about that. Our fencing is wolf-proof.”
“Uh, I don't think we need to sound the alarm just yet,” I objected. “Most people don’t have the experience with animals that you and I do… They might have just seen a Husky or a German Shepherd and thought it was a wolf.”
“Mm, maybe,” Trevor said “But this isn't the first time it's happened. Need I remind you that wolf shifters are rumored to live in this region?”
“Seriously, Trev?” I groaned and rolled my eyes at the mention of the great mythical cryptid of the area.
“Well, you never know. I mean it’s just a rumor, but…” Trever lowered his voice to a whisper. “Can you imagine?”
“Yeah. I can imagine life getting pretty chaotic if that turned out to be true,” I said in a monotone voice.
“Mm. Chaotic and…sexy.”
I burst out giggling. “I think you've been reading too many romance novels.”
“Maybe you haven’t been reading enough of them.”
“Doubtful. Remind me, how did we get from a wolf sighting to acting like shifters exist?”
Trevor suddenly dropped his gaze as if he realized he’d probably said too much about something he shouldn’t have said anything about, but if there were wolves or large stray dogs sighted in the area, he’d been right to warn me.
“Anyway, all I'm saying is… You can't be too careful,” Trevor insisted.
“Oh, you know how careful I am with this priceless angel. You don't have to worry.” I said to my friend. “I've got to scoot off to work now though, don't want to be late.”
“Of course, you go take care of the miracles of human life. Leave the canine with me.”
Trevor gave me a warm hug before turning his attention to LuLu. “Alright, Miss LuLu, let's go join the rest of the party animals out back.”
“Thanks for looking after her,” I said to Trevor.
“It’s always my pleasure, honey,” Trevor replied, then he shooed me off to work with a wave of his hand.
The labor and delivery wards were buzzing when I arrived. There were only three free rooms, and I estimated they'd all be full by the evening. Babies seemed to arrive en masse during a full moon for some reason, an odd pattern I'd noticed over my years as a registered nurse. I stuffed my coat into my locker, washed up, greeted a few coworkers at the nurse's station, and set off on my rounds.
First on my list was a cheerful woman named Deborah who was blissfully breastfeeding her newborn when I walked in the room. Deborah had a thick head of red hair pulled up into a bun and her baby also had the wispy starts of red hair on his precious little scalp.
“Good morning, Deborah! My name is Shawn, I'll be your nurse today.”
“Hello,” Deborah answered with a sleepy smile. “You can call me Deb.”
“Sure thing,” I replied, making a note on her chart. “How is this gorgeous little firecracker doing this morning?” I indicted the baby with my pen.
“He's a dream,” she said. “Just eating and sleeping and screaming. That's normal, right?”
“As long as pooping and peeing are on the list too, yes, that about covers it.”
Deborah chuckled. “You're very chipper for someone who has to talk about poop at work.”
“Ha, well, it's all part and parcel of the job. I just love to see a new family enjoying sweet moments like these. It's a major perk,” I answered honestly. “Anything I can help you with?”
“Could you just scoot that glass of water a bit closer to me?” she asked.
“Of course,” I said, rolling the overbed table to where it was within easy reach.
“Thank you so much,” Deb said.
“Of course. Just call if you need anything else. I'll be back later to take your vitals, alright?”
She nodded and beamed at me.
“Okay, see you, Deb!”
Next on my list was a guy called Terrence. I walked into the room to see a handsome black man with a shaved head and a closely trimmed goatee scrolling through his phone while he relaxed in bed.
“Good morning, Terrence. My name is Shawn, I'll be your nurse today,” I said, just like I did every day, with every patient.
“Hi, Shawn,” Terrence replied quietly, pointing at the cot next to his bed, where a fat, round-faced baby lay on their back, fast-asleep.
“Oh, bless,” I said, lowering my voice and putting a hand over my heart when I saw the angelic infant. “What's the little one's name?” I asked.
“We named her Farrah,” Terrence said with a soft smile that melted my heart. “Isn't she beautiful?”
“She's stunning. And such a cute name. Congratulations.”
Farah really was stunning. Her lips were shaped like a little heart, her eyebrows were two p
erfect little black arches over her closed eyes, and her brown skin was smooth and flawless.
“Thank you,” Terrence replied.
I glanced over at the screen of his heart monitor and scanned his chart. “Okay, your heart rate is looking great, I'm just going to check your blood pressure now, okay?”
“Yep, let’s do this.” Terrence sat up higher in bed.
“I know these things are annoying,” I said apologetically as I pushed up the sleeve of his gown and wrapped the cuff around his bicep. “But I'll be done before you know it.”
“You're the friendliest face I've seen in this hospital yet, so you won't hear me complain,” Terrence said with a smile.
“That's very sweet of you to say,” I replied as I pumped air into the cuff. I noted down his blood pressure in his chart, loosened the valve on the gauge to let the air out of the cuff, and declared him healthy.
“Alright, all systems are go, so unless there's anything else you need, I'll see you later, Terrence.”
“Nope, I'm good. Thanks, Shawn.”
“Always a pleasure. Call if you need me.”
The rest of my rounds continued as usual. I made my way down the hall to my last patient's room. Bryce Baldwin.
“Good morning. Sorry to bother you. My name is Shawn. I’ll be your daytime nurse today. I just need to check your vitals.”
“Sure thing,” Bryce said. I got him to hand Lori over to the man I assumed was his alpha, who cradled her with the confidence of someone who had handled a lot of babies, and I got to work checking Bryce’s vitals.
I was fitting Bryce with a blood pressure cuff when two men and two children laden with bags, balloons and flowers came strutting into the room, with one of the men yelling, “We come bearing gifts!”
I looked up, frowning at the man who had yelled. Suddenly the air seemed to thicken, and I felt unexpectedly dizzy as if I wasn’t receiving enough oxygen. I dragged my attention back to the task at hand, focusing on reading the sphygmomanometer as I released the air out of the cuff, but as I recorded the results on his chart, the dizziness increased, and an intense energy seemed to fill the room. I felt like I was pulled right into the moment, and everything around me came into sharp focus. I was impossibly aware of the man who had called out when he arrived, still standing near the door as one of the children came running up to Bryce for a hug. I didn’t dare turn to look at the man, but from my earlier glance I already knew he was tall and incredibly broad shouldered with thick arms and strong muscular legs. And his eyes… Wow, they were gorgeous.
Surprised Daddy Page 2
