by Kallie Frost
Brooks was fascinated to get to see some other shifters and seemed thrilled that he was able to meet all of my siblings, save for one. Sladin, of course did not grace us with his presence this Thanksgiving, although I was sure my mother had extended the invitation several times. It was basically a given that Sladin would never come home; but I knew he did check in to see how we were all doing from time to time.
Even with fewer people, dinner was its usual crazy affair with heaping plates of delicious food. It seemed like my poor mate only took a couple bites of each thing on his plate before filling up. Those of us who enjoyed football, which was pretty much the entire family, gathered in the rec room to watch the games. My brother Dell had the remote and was kind enough to flick between football and hockey for me. Somewhere during commercial breaks when there were no games playing, I noticed that my mate had been gone for quite some time. Thanks to our bond I had a vague sense of where he was, and I was able to follow his trail to the kitchen.
I wasn't surprised to see him with a brand-new plate of food. He looked up guiltily from pilfering a spoonful of something out from under its foil cover.
“Is this okay?” he asked sheepishly. “I kind of got hungry again...”
“Eat as much as you want,” I assured him. “You're eating for two, after all.” I moved around the counter and placed a hand over his stomach as he ate. “Don't you want to sit down?” I asked him, rubbing his back with one hand. He'd been complaining of lower back pain and I hated to see him uncomfortable.
“Actually, my back is a little sore from all the sitting today. I'd rather stand and stretch it out. Although, my feet hurt,” he admitted.
“Finish eating and I'll give you a massage,” I offered.
Brooks smiled at me. “That would be great,” he said around a mouthful of food. “I wish I could get into the hot tub.”
“Not while you’re pregnant,” I admonished.
He snorted in annoyance. “I know, I was just saying I wish. If you were this sore, you’d want to get in the hot tub too.”
“Are you saying the hot tub is better than my massages?”
He turned and planted a kiss on my cheek. “Nothing is as good as your massages.”
I kissed him on the lips. He tasted of pumpkin pie and spices. I spotted a leftover tube of frosting from my sister’s carrot cake and grabbed it off the counter. “Open wide,” I told him.
He grinned and opened his mouth obediently. I gave him just a teasing squirt of icing, which he eagerly lapped up. He opened his mouth again with adorable sound. Chuckling, I gave him another squeeze. This time I deliberately squirted way too much in. Brooks swallowed some, then spluttered, laughing at the overflow of frosting.
“Hey, don't waste it!” I leaned forward and licked some off his chin. He dipped a finger in the frosting that he had spat onto my shirt and teasingly licked it off.
“I wish I could lick this off your entire body,” he told me.
“Who says you can't?”
“In the kitchen?” he asked.
I pressed him up against the counter and straddled one leg. It was a little more difficult with his belly pressing against me. “Everybody's watching football,” I said playfully. I leaned against him just a little more, taking care not put too much pressure on his stomach, which he said was uncomfortable. I I licked the last of the icing off the corner of his mouth, and kissed him deeply. “You taste like frosting,” I murmured against his lips.
“So do you,” he said.
“Whose fault is that?”
He draped his arms around my shoulders harder as an answer. Something abruptly poked me in the stomach. I pulled away from him slightly and looked down in confusion. At the same moment his hands flew to his stomach and his eyes widened in surprise.
“Oh my God! I think the baby just kicked!”
“Really? Is that what I felt?!”
“I think so,” he said. He pressed his hands against his stomach, eyes narrowing in concentration. A moment later he gasped in delight. “There!” He grabbed my hand, put it up his shirt, and pressed it against his bare skin. His stomach was firm, but motionless. “Just wait,” he said. We waited. Just before I was ready suggest the baby was done, I felt a distinct fluttering against my palm.
Brooks looked at me eagerly. “Did you feel it?” he asked.
“Yes!” I embraced him. Hearing the heartbeats were nothing compared to actually feeling my child in there, kicking. It was surreal. I knew that in just another month and a half his feet would kick my hands directly, and I would be holding him in my arms.
“Do you think he's practicing skating?” I teased.
“What makes you so sure it's a boy?” he asked.
“Daddy intuition?” I said. “What do you think?”
Brooks smiled and rubbed his hand gently across his tummy. “I think it's a boy too,” he admitted. He smiled shyly at me. “Guess we find out tomorrow.”
“I guess so,” I said.
My mate yawned and started to close up the leftovers.
“Why don't you go ahead and get ready for bed,” I said. “I'll clean up here and if you're still awake I'll come give you a massage.”
“I can clean it all up,” he protested, yawning again.
“Go get ready for bed,” I told him firmly. “You need lots of rest and I know you're not getting it being up pissing half the night.”
“Sorry,” he said, “I don’t wake you up, do I?”
“Sometimes,” I admitted. “But I don't need to sleep like you do. Now, go on, I'll clean up and be along in a few minutes.”
“Okay,” he said. Instead of heading for the stairs, the stubborn omega went out into the rec room instead. I heard him saying good night and wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, before I heard him go up the stairs.
I quickly packed up all the leftovers and put them away, stealing a thin slice of pumpkin pie for myself. My appetite had increased too and I wondered if it was just nerves or some kind of reaction to his pregnancy caused by our bond.
When I got upstairs he was just getting out of the shower and drying off. I grabbed a bottle of lotion and directed him to spread out a towel on our bed.
“Oh, this is a serious massage,” he said.
“Only the best for my true mate,” I told him. He sat down on the towel. “Lay down, my love.”
“I wish,” he said. “But my stomach's too big to be comfortable on my back or my stomach. And I don't think you can do a great massage with me on my side.” He scooted forward and draped his legs over the edge of the bed. “So, this will have to do.”
I tucked in behind him, squirted some lotion on my hands, and started to rub his shoulders.
Brooks groaned in pleasure and leaned into my hands. “You could seriously just keep doing that and I'd be happy.”
I obliged, gradually increasing my circles until I had moved to his lower back. He bent forward a little as I worked.
“That feels amazing,” he told me. He laughed a moment later. “Hey, I think the baby likes it too. She’s kicking.”
“Is it a she now?” I asked with a chuckle.
“You think it's a boy too,” he scolded. “Oh! That's the spot.”
After I was sure his back was good and thoroughly massaged I slid off the bed to start on his feet.
“You don't have to worry about that,” he said.
“Of course I do,” I said, “I told you I would give you a massage.” He still looked like he was going to protest. “Look, you're my mate and carrying my baby. The least I can do is rub your feet.” Without giving him a chance to argue, I rubbed lotion onto my hand and set to work on his feet. His ankles were a little swollen, so I made sure to give them plenty of attention too. I could tell from the way he moaned that a foot massage was exactly what he needed. It wasn't until he yawned several times in a row that I decided it was probably best to stop and get some rest.
“Done already?” he asked with a rueful grin. Nevertheless, he moved, with som
e effort, across the bed and up to his spot. I pulled the sheet up over him and tucked him in with a kiss.
“Just think, less than two months and you'll be tucking our child into bed,” he told me.
Chapter Eleven
Brooks
Nervous didn't even begin to cover how I felt as I waited for Nolan to set up his equipment. I thought I was nervous warming up for important games. And I thought that I was freaked out before my surgeries. In fact, I would say I was even nervous every time I waited for a doctor to look at my knee. None of that was anything compared to knowing I was about to see the child growing inside me and learn whether I'd be having a son or daughter.
“Sorry we weren't able to use the ultrasound sooner,” Nolan said. “Getting on and off the island is such a hassle with the wardens now. Christ, it’s a wonder the humans don't suspect anything.”
“That's okay,” I said.
“There we are,” the doctor announced. “All set up. Comfy?”
“Yeah,” I said halfheartedly. I actually wasn't remotely comfortable on my back like this, but it was discomfort I was willing to live with to see the baby. Plus, I figured I couldn't exactly take a different position. I pulled off my shirt and settled in.
This time instead of the little battery-powered Doppler, he used a bunch of machines that he wired to his laptop. He turned on the screen and pressed a little thing to my stomach. For a moment it was nothing but gray blurs on the screen of his laptop as he moved around. It was a little uncomfortable as he prodded my stomach, trying to get into position. All at once he stopped moving. I looked up at the screen and felt my mouth go dry as I took in the undeniable silhouette of a baby.
“Oh I...” I breathed in awe. Nothing could have prepared me for actually seeing the baby. He raised and lowered his chin, and then an arm lifted and waved. A little giggle this escaped my throat.
“Our baby,” Carrick murmured, sounding just as stunned as I was.
Nolan hummed and tutted as he moved the device around and took measurements. At last his silence made me so nervous I couldn't stand it anymore.
“Is the baby okay?” I demanded.
“Oh, he's just fine,” Nolan assured me. “Everything is measuring perfectly. Here it is...” He flipped a switch and sound that I looked forward to hearing now echoed in the room. This time I could see the heart as it beat. Well, fluttered more accurately.
There was a lurch from the lower half of my baby and the heartbeat turned into a loud thud, and I actually felt him kick the device.
“Oh, you've got a feisty one,” Nolan laughed. “Soccer player maybe?”
“Hockey!” Carrick and I both snapped. We exchanged grins at our joint response.
“Can you tell the gender yet?” Carrick asked.
“Let's find out,” said Nolan. He wiggled the device around and the entire view of the baby changed. I was amazed that he was able to get such different angles just on the outside of my stomach. “Well, that looks like outdoor plumbing to me.” Nolan indicated a little spot with the cursor and added an arrow. “What do you think, gentlemen?
“It's a boy?” I asked.
“It's a boy!” Carrick said.
“One healthy baby boy,” Nolan confirmed. “ Might be an alpha… that’s a bit harder to tell. And he's looking right on track to show up just after Christmas! Let me get you a couple of pictures and I'll be on my way.”
The only reason I wasn't disappointed that the laptop shut off was because Nolan was quick to hand me the images of my son. My son! I wasn't sure I would ever get tired of thinking those words. I looked over at Carrick who was cradling his own picture, almost as if it was the baby itself. Our son. No, I would never get tired of thinking that.
~~~***~~~
Time just kept flying. One morning I woke up and realized I had less than a month to go. It was snowing, the first snow I had seen since leaving home. I didn't feel homesick, but somehow the snow raised a sort of longing in me.
I was sleeping in later and later, which was easier considering there was nothing to wake up for. I worked remotely and was allowed to drop down to part-time hours for personal reasons. I wanted to get all the sleep that I could for the baby, even though I was normally more of a morning person. As usual, Carrick was up before me and was already gone, doubtlessly making breakfast for me. I found myself drawn to the window, looking out at the snow.
I couldn't believe there were only a few weeks left to go in the pregnancy. I was excited, nervous, and quite honestly, couldn't wait for it to be over. I wanted to get on the ice. I wanted to sleep through the night without getting up to piss. I wanted my back to stop hurting.
All at once I felt guilty for wanting it to end. I was growing a new life inside of me, shouldn't I have been excited? Shouldn't I have wanted it to end so I could hold my son, and not because I was sick of trying to find a comfortable position?
“Brooks?” Carrick stuck his head into our room.
“It's snowing,” I said stupidly, turning.
“Yes, I see... whoa, are you okay?”
“I'm fine.”
“You’re crying,” he said.
I started to deny it, then realized that I did indeed feel a tear rolling slowly down my cheek. I don't know why, but the realization made me cry more. Before I knew it, tears were rolling freely down my cheeks. Carrick rushed across the room in alarm and embraced me.
“What's the matter?” he asked in a panic. “Are you okay? Is it the baby?”
“I don't know,” I told him. “I was just thinking that I kind of wish it was over, and then I was feeling guilty for wishing it was over, and now I'm crying! And now I can't stop crying because I'm crying!” It was so stupid I wanted to laugh, but I couldn't laugh because I was crying. So, logically, I started to cry more. “I don't cry,” I told him.
“Not when you're not pregnant, I'm sure,” he said reassuringly.
I got myself more or less under control and took several deep breaths. “I'm sorry,” I said, my voice still shaking. “I don't know what came over me.”
“Don't worry,” Carrick started to say.
“Whatever you're about to say,” I cut him off, “don't. I think it might make me cry more.”
“Breakfast is ready?” he offered.
“That you can say,” I chuckled. A smile spread across my face and I felt like a million bucks. Nothing at all like I had felt just a minute before.
We headed downstairs together to eat. I usually looked forward to having some of his family in the kitchen with us in the morning. It was like the big happy family I never had. At the moment though, I hoped there was no one else there; I didn't want anyone to know that I had been crying. I tried to think up some excuse for why my eyes were doubtlessly red. It was just one of the other downsides to being stuck in the house with the family.
“I hope we can get out of here soon,” I said. “Not that I don't like it here!”
“I understand completely,” Carrick said. “They’re my family and I'm kind of sick of them too. I want to be in our own house together. Damn this hunter. Is that the real reason you were crying?”
“No, but now it might be.” The thought of crying made me want to cry again. “Boy, am I hormonal whack job,” I muttered.
“You are not. Well, maybe a little bit,” he teased. “But I think it's half cabin fever too. It's no fun being stuck somewhere against your will. Especially when we have so much stuff to do to prepare for the baby.”
“Don't remind me,” I groaned. “How are we supposed to set up the nursery when we can't even be in the house? Do you even have a room for the nursery?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Don't you worry about that, if that's what's bothering you. My home has room to spare. Although, if we have any more kids we’re either going to have to add an addition, or you and I need to share a home office.”
I wondered why he needed a home office if he owned the skate shop. Wouldn’t most of his work be done there? Come to think of it, I hadn’t se
en him work at all! We reached the kitchen and before I could ask about the shop, Elliott chimed in.
“There's no need to stress about a nursery anyway,” he told us. “Verona still isn't in one, even at home.”
“She's not?” I asked in surprise.
“Nope, she sleeps in her crib in our room. Don't you, sweet puppy girl?” he asked her, as he expertly stuck a spoonful of food in her mouth. “You share daddy and daddy's room, don't you?” He straightened as she slobbered the food around and smiled reassuringly at us. “The doctor says it's best for them to sleep for at least six months, if not the first year, in the same room as you.” He grimaced in embarrassment. “In all honesty, her nursery is kind of a dumping point for our boxes of crap right now. There's a path to the changing table and that's it. We didn't really get much of a chance to start moving in before this nonsense with the hunter.”
It made me feel a little better to know that I wasn't the only one thrown in with this new big family and a baby, before even getting to settle into our lives alone together. It certainly was nothing like I ever expected starting a family would be. The baby chose that moment to kick and I fondly patted my belly, casting a look at my mate. Not how I expected it, but I certainly didn't regret it.
I settled into my chair and let Carrick bring me food. I thought it was kind of sweet how much he doted on me.
“Well, I guess that's one less thing to stress about,” I told Elliott. “Although, it will be nice once the hunter is caught.” Even though it would be a relief to have him caught and know that everyone was safe, the words still left a bitter taste in my mouth. Because after threat from the hunter was over, the Alpha Parliament would be coming to determine Carrick's fate. Everyone kept reassuring me that they wouldn't punish him for turning and impregnating me without permission from them, since it had been life-or-death, but I could tell everyone was still worrying about it. I knew absolutely nothing about the Alpha Parliament and the fact that everyone else was concerned did nothing to alleviate my worries. I wondered just what would happen if he was taken away or something like that. Would I still be welcomed into the family or would they blame me for whatever his punishment was? Somehow, I knew, that Carrick would never leave me, but his family weren’t my true mates, and as welcome as they made me feel I thought it was still a valid concern.
