Silver Daddy

by Liam Kingsley

  “What if we organize it by material type. Sort the cotton from the synthetics?”

  I let out a bellowing laugh and shook my head. “Let’s try colors first.”

  “You’re right. We’ll do color, then maybe we could do fabrics and brands.”

  “Whatever you say, boss.”

  “Wait,” he said again. I chuckled and focused on folding a jumpsuit with bumblebees on it. I waited for him to tell me his new idea of cataloguing the clothes, but it didn’t come.

  “Greer.”

  I looked up. He was pale.

  “Keifer. Shit, are you okay?” I scooted over to him and put my hand on his forehead.

  “It’s time.”

  “Now?” Adrenaline flooded my body. My hands shook. My heart pounded.

  “Yes, it’s happening.” He grimaced and let out a pained cry. “Hospital.”

  “Ah, shit! Fuck!” I stood up quickly and searched my pockets for my keys. Instead, I found my phone. That would do. Probably better that way anyhow.

  Jaxon answered. “Hey, Dad, what’s up?”

  “Keifer is in labor, and right now I’m about as useful as a chocolate teapot. Can you drive us to the hospital?”

  Jaxon’s door squeaked in the background and in the next instant I heard his truck starting up.

  “Get his overnight bag and meet me out front.”

  I did, and we got Keifer into the backseat of Jaxon’s truck, but as I headed to the front seat Jaxon scolded me.

  “What the hell are you doing, old man? Get in the back with him and hold his hand!”

  “Of course, fuck.” I hurried into the backseat with my mate. Keifer smiled at me reassuringly before he went back to his focused breathing. I took his hand to help keep him calm, but in truth, I needed it more than he did. I couldn’t believe how shaken up I was, and how I needed Jaxon to guide me through every little step. After decades of helping others, I was completely useless in the face of my own cub coming into the world.

  “Doing alright, Keifer?” Jaxon asked as he backed us out of the driveway.

  “Hanging in there.”

  “You go ahead and give birth right there in the back of my truck if you need to, you hear? We’re family now.”

  Keifer laughed between grunts while Jaxon screeched through town and got us to the hospital in record time. I was fumbling with my seatbelt while he went in to get a team of nurses. I was still fumbling with it when Jaxon came out with a chair for Keifer, Maddie in tow. I did manage to lend a hand to get my mate out of the car and into the hospital, but from there, Maddie took over.

  “Right, let’s get you to the delivery ward, and we’ll see where we’re at,” she said to Keifer.

  “Well, my waters just broke, and—” Keifer grimaced, and then groaned.

  I’d been counting his contractions, they were coming on really quickly. “Maddie—”

  “It’s okay, Greer. I’ve got this.” She gave me a quick smile, and then began pushing Keifer down the corridor. I stood there, dumbfounded as I watched the doctor carry my mate and my cub away from me.

  “Breathe.” Jaxon appeared beside me and touched my back. I inhaled sharply, my body still shaking.

  “It’s not easy for us alphas, but rest assured, it’s worse for them,” he said, leading me toward the delivery ward.

  I leaned into him and concentrated on my breathing. My wolf whimpered, but I asked it to give me its strength, and it immediately quietened down. I remembered all I’d seen as the pack alpha, all the challenges I’d faced raising Jaxon, and everything I’d learned in my long life. I could handle this.

  We made it to the delivery ward just as Keifer was having a few monitors attached to him by Shawn. I rushed up to Keifer then took his hand as I sat by his side.

  “I love you so much,” I told him, squeezing his hand tightly.

  “I love you too.”

  “Guys, that’s all well and good, but we have a baby to deliver, and Keifer, you’re fully dilated, so, let’s push,” Maddie announced.

  Keifer and I breathed together while Keifer pushed and strained for an hour, with short breaks to suck on crushed ice that I pressed against his lips. I was almost relaxing into the rhythm of things when Maddie motioned for Shawn to join her at the end of the bed. They mumbled something, and I caught the look on Shawn’s face. Something was wrong.

  “What’s going on?”

  “She’s breech,” Maddie explained calmly.

  “What does that mean?” Keifer asked. Sweat dripped off his brow and he tightened his grip around my hand.

  “Feet first. Not uncommon, but not ideal. We can keep trying, but we may have to talk about other options because it’s too late to turn her.”

  I started sweating just as heavily as I was panicking. Keifer gasped suddenly and went through another set of contractions, growling and grinding his teeth as he pushed harder than ever.

  “You can do this,” Maddie said in encouragement.

  The fetal monitor started beeping and Shawn hurried to read the screen.

  “Baby is in distress,” he said.

  I stopped breathing.

  “Stop pushing!” Maddie demanded. “We need to move to an emergency C-section. Now.”

  Keifer let out a pained cry and a sob that cut through my heart. Coral’s face flashed into my mind, her trepidation as clear to me now as it had been then… I had to get the hell out of here. I mumbled an apology and rushed out of the room, making a beeline for the external doors. But I got maybe three feet before I slammed against something solid—Jaxon’s chest.

  “Dad. What’s going on?” He held my shoulders and shook me gently until I looked him in the eye.

  “Baby is in distress. Emergency C-section,” I said robotically.

  “Then get the hell back in there and help your mate!”

  “Jax, I can’t. I can’t be there when something goes wrong,” I whispered. My wolf had gone into hiding. I was shaking.

  “Dad. Did Maddie seem worried?”

  I shook my head. “No. She seemed direct and demanding. But not worried.”

  “Because this happens all the time. It’s a normal day at work for her, and for the whole team in there. They’re trained to keep Keifer and the baby alive, so leave it up to them. What happened to Coral was a freak accident and it’s not going to happen again. Stop worrying and take care of your responsibilities instead.”

  I breathed deeply and nodded. “My responsibilities…”

  “Caring for your omega. Get the fuck back in there, hold his hand, and be the brave rock he needs you to be. Now.”

  I exhaled heavily and rushed back into the room, thanking my past self for raising such a bad-ass son.

  Keifer smiled at me as I came back to his side. He looked completely serene and almost excited.

  “They gave me drugs,” he said happily. I chuckled and kissed his forehead, and then a team came in to wheel him to the operating room.

  “You’ll need to get a mask and a gown, but you can be in there with him,” Shawn said. I nodded and followed, holding Keifer’s hand the whole time. Once they set him up, I settled by his side once more.

  “You’re doing so great,” I told him.

  “I know.” He smiled and kept his gaze on me. I whispered praise in his ear through the operation, managing to keep my focus on the present. This was Keifer. This was my fated mate and my future. The past belonged in the past.

  All those platitudes worked for a while, until Maddie announced she was about to deliver the baby. I sat up and held my breath, ready to hear the first cry of my baby girl.

  Silence.

  More silence.

  No crying…

  Panic. My chest tightened and dizziness clouded my vision, and it felt like the entire world just fell from under my feet. No. No. It couldn’t be happening again.

  I was about to cry out when I heard it—not our baby girl, but a voice in my head. It was as clear and as sweet as I remembered. It was Coral’s voice.
<
br />   “It’s alright, Greer. She’s going to be just fine. Stay calm. Stay strong.”

  I gasped, and a baby’s cry immediately cut through the air.

  “There are those healthy lungs,” Maddie said cheerfully.

  She raised our baby up so we could see her, and I started sobbing. My heart was pounding again, hard and fast, and a huge smile broke across my face as I cried. Next to Keifer, she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

  Keifer grinned as Maddie placed the tiny wet, bundle of joy on his chest for a few moments while they did whatever they had to do, and then a nurse gently took her back, ready to clean her up.

  “C’mon, dad,” Shawn said. “We’ll get you set up in the recovery room with the little one, while Dr. Reed stitches up Keifer.”

  I tried to stop my sobs, but they kept coming.

  Keifer kissed my hand and smiled at me reassuringly. “I’ll be fine. Go take her, show her how much love she’s in for.”

  I let Shawn lead me away to be with my little angel while I was still sobbing out a life time’s worth of grief and relief.

  She was even more precious than I ever could have imagined. I sat in the recovery room with her in my arms while she gazed up at me, unfocused but seeing me just the same. She was tightly swaddled in a sweet baby-pink blanket, and I kept checking to make sure she could breathe. But the look on her face told me she was perfectly comfortable and happy.

  “Hey, you two,” Keifer said sleepily as Shawn pushed him over to us in a wheelchair, leaving him before getting the bed ready.

  “Hi, Daddy,” I said.

  “Hey, Dad,” he replied, and I grinned so wide my cheeks hurt.

  “Look at this.” I leaned forward to show him our little girl. Keifer brought a hand to his mouth as a tear slid down a cheek. He reached out, and I placed our baby in his arms.

  “You’re so beautiful, Coraline,” Keifer whispered.

  I was stunned. Of all the names we’d discussed, something with Coral in it had never come up.

  “Are you sure?” I asked.

  “It seems right, don’t you think? Or…”

  “It’s perfect. A reminder that the past is with us, always. But it doesn’t need to hold us back from the future, not when such incredible gifts are waiting for us there.”

  Keifer nodded. I kissed his wet cheek, tasting salt. Happy tears.

  Just then, I heard a knock on the door. Jaxon appeared with Stacia, both straining to see into the room. I waved them over and Stacia gasped when she spotted the bundle in Keifer’s arms.

  “Is that my sister?” she asked, rushing over.

  “Yes, she’s your baby sister Coraline.” Keifer showed Stacia, who stared with wide-eyed amazement.

  “And yours,” I said to Jaxon as he stopped beside me.

  “Gosh. She’s so gorgeous.” Jaxon put a hand on his chest and gazed down at the newborn.

  I sat back and watched as my son, step-daughter, and my mate fussed over the newest addition to our family. To our pack. To our lives.

  I sighed as a deep sense of relief washed through me. I felt Coral’s presence, and I reckoned I always would, but without any trace of guilt or grief. Just great affection for the life she’d given me then, and for my life now. She was my past, but I still had a future. Fate played a hand, but I was in control of so much more than I once gave myself credit for. And look at what I’d built. A happily ever after…

  20

  Keifer

  “And what do you credit for the book’s popularity?” the interviewer asked as I leaned back on the uncomfortable couch, trying not to be too conscious of the cameras zoomed in on my profile. The set looked cozy on camera, but in reality, everything about it was sterile and fake. The only thing comfortable in the whole place was my honey-colored bespoke linen suit, which I prayed would look good on television.

  I took a sip of water. “It’s a love story, and everybody loves those. But it’s more than that. It’s a story of overcoming challenges we all face sometime—age differences, power dynamics, cultural and family differences… I think we can all relate to those struggles, in love or in life.”

  The interviewer raised her eyebrows and nodded. “I dare say your readers agree. With over one million copies sold, you’re on every best-seller list in the country. Any chance of a sequel?”

  “You can bet on it.” I smiled charmingly, and the camera cut to the interviewer.

  “Get this book, folks. It’s what everyone’s talking about it. Read it,” she demanded.

  A cheer went up in the crowd, and I looked out to see Jason and Stacia in the audience, standing among a bunch of excited fans who were clutching their signed copies of the story Greer had inspired.

  “And cut to break.”

  “That was great,” the interviewer said. “And the book is actually amazing. I hardly ever read the stuff I interview about, but I couldn’t put this down.”

  I laughed and offered to sign her copy before glancing up at Jason who was tapping his watch. We’d have to get out of here soon if we were going to make it to lunch on time.

  I hurried out of the studio then jogged to meet Jason and Stacia at the back of the lot. It had only been a month since I’d had Coraline, but I’d recovered quickly from the C-section, probably thanks to my new wolf DNA.

  “You did great,” Jason told me.

  “So cool, Daddy!” Stacia took my hand and skipped next to me as we hurried to the car.

  “Thanks, guys. I hope this color comes through the camera properly.” I sighed, and the two of them broke out in laughter.

  Jason opened the car door for me, still chuckling. “No one will notice.”

  “Oh, thanks. I paid a lot of money for this.” I slid into the passenger seat while Stacia jumped in the back then did up the clips of her car seat by herself. I leaned over the back and checked they were all tight and right while Jason started the engine.

  Stacia cheered. “Let’s go, let’s go!”

  We gunned it back to Timberwood Cove in record time. As we were pulling into the homestead, I took in the change of environment from the town to here. I loved how the old oak trees covered the grounds with their green summer leaves, and the way wildflowers were left to grow among lawns and grasses. The place was wild and manicured at the same time. And I realized that, finally, it really was my home.

  We arrived at Greer’s sister’s home just before noon, and I found him standing outside on the porch when we pulled up.

  “Are we late?” I hurried over to him and grinned when I saw he had our one-month-old bundle of joy in his arms.

  “Not at all. Luckily, Nash is running late.” He chuckled and passed Coraline to me. “How was the interview?”

  “He did great,” Jason said as he headed into the house.

  “I don’t know about this suit,” I grumbled, but then made a big happy wow face when Coraline looked up at me. She just moved her tongue around and closed her hands into fists. A pretty good review.

  “What’re you doing hanging around out here?” Susie, Greer’s sister, stuck her head out and scolded us. “Come in, come in!”

  “Good to see you.” I kissed her cheek as we filtered into the huge mansion Greer’s sister owned. We’d spent some time with her since Coraline had been born, and I was quite fond of her. She had chronic illnesses and didn’t get out much, but the joy of having an infant around seemed to pick up her spirits, and so did the knowledge her son was returning home from the military for good.

  The house smelled incredible, and I could tell we were in for a delicious lunch. A group welcomed us in the living room, and Greer pulled up a seat next to Jaxon and Frank Shultz, the head fireman in Timberwood Cove. They talked about dragon shifters causing mayhem, and I got settled in with Coraline by my side. All I wanted to do was snuggle with her all day, every day, but the socialization was good for me, I had to admit.

  “Nash!”

  I looked up to see a handsome man in his mid-twenties with a crew cut and
Greer’s strong chin making his way into the room with a sheepish look on his face. I could tell he was a little shaken up by something, deep inside. He had the same haunted look Greer had sometimes carried before he’d moved through his stuff about Coral. But over the top of that, he seemed confident and capable.

  He caught Jaxon’s eye and his face lit up. He quickly made his way over to see his cousin.

  “Good to see you, Nash,” Jaxon said, wrapping an arm around his shoulder as the food was brought to the table.

  “You too,” Nash replied, taking a seat beside Jaxon. I glanced at Greer and found him smiling fondly at his nephew.

  “You alright?” Jaxon asked gently as he handed Nash the peas.

  “Yeah, yeah.” He waved a hand and laughed nervously. “It’s just been a while since I’ve had so much attention on me being a good thing…”

  “Life in the Navy SEALs is a little more incognito, huh?” Jaxon asked with a grin.

  “I’ve done my best to become as unremarkable as possible. Attention usually means danger. Going to be hard to change that habit.”

  Jaxon nodded, and we exchanged glances. I wondered what Nash meant, but could only guess, not really wanting to think about the horrors he may have gone through while deployed overseas.

  “How’s Bryce?” Nash asked.

  I took the peas from Jaxon and focused on spooning food onto my plate while trying not to seem nosy about their conversation.

  Jaxon spoke through a mouthful of food. “Mm, he’s at home, it’s chaos there right now. What about you? Anyone special in your life? A mate?”

  “Not for me. Not much romance in the military. I certainly didn’t meet anyone, let alone a fated mate.” Nash let out a chuckle. Greer and I shared a look, and Jaxon raised his eyebrows.

  “A skeptic about fated mates, are you?” Jaxon asked.

  Greer looked like he was about to break out in a fit of giggles but just shook his head.

  Nash tried to laugh it off. “I know it happens to other people, but I don’t think I’m sensitive enough to recognize the signs even if they jumped up and bit me.”