“It most certainly is.”
“You, are without a doubt, the greatest husband to ever walk the planet,” she beamed.
“Wow, that’s a high honor. If I knew ice cream was the way too your heart I would’ve gotten you some a long time ago,” I chuckled, taking a bite of my own ice cream. I had opted for plain vanilla loaded with a half a bottle’s worth of chocolate syrup. Sophie’s was vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup, brownie bits, sprinkles, whipped cream, and a cherry on top of course.
She smacked my arm in jest and it worried me how weak the force behind the touch had been. She wasn’t well and I didn’t know what to do to make it better. Lucinda wasn’t a doctor, and Sophie’s real doctor was a human, so it wasn’t like we could explain the situation to him. He’d think we were crazy.
“What are you thinking about?” Sophie asked.
“Nothing important,” I leaned over and kissed her cheek, before taking another bite of ice cream.
“Ew,” she wiped her cheek on her shirt sleeve, “you got syrup on my face, and now it’s all sticky.”
“Sticky with my love,” I taunted.
“You’re disgusting.”
“You love me, so I don’t know what that says about you,” I shrugged.
“It says I have horrible taste,” her lips quirked up in a small smile.
It was nice to sit and joke for a change. The dark heavy cloud that had been hanging over us for way too long was still there, but right now there was a small glimmer of sunshine and we both needed to bask in its glow.
“That hurts, Sophie. It really hurts.”
She rolled her eyes and licked ice cream off her lips. “Thanks for this,” she said after a moment. “I…I needed this.”
“I did too.”
When our bowls were empty I took them to the kitchen to wash them. By the time I made it back to the room Sophie was asleep, both the dogs curled up beside her, and there was whipped cream dried above her top lip, creating an adorable mustache.
I turned the light off and climbed in beside her. The dogs got disgruntled and jumped off the bed. Sophie let off a soft cry at the disruption and then rolled over, curling her body into mine. I inhaled her sweet scent of cookies and gathered her into my arms. She rubbed her face against my chest and made a cute little sleepy sound. Her round stomach pressed up against me and I marveled at it. It seemed like overnight her stomach had went from flat to a bump. She was the most beautiful pregnant woman I’d ever seen—not that I was biased or anything.
“I wuv you,” she murmured in her sleep.
I chuckled.
She’d been doing that a lot lately—talking in her sleep. She said some pretty funny things too. One time she said, “Don’t take my salad!” Um, okay, I won’t take your salad you weirdo. I really wondered what she’d been dreaming to say that in her sleep. I wuv you, was self-explanatory.
I smoothed my hand over her cheekbone, marveling at the softness of her cheek. Her lips pouted in her sleep and her nose scrunched. She curled her head under my neck and her ear rested against where my heart beat steadily in my chest.
I kissed the top of her head and then her forehead. I loved her with every fiber of my being and I’d never stop…not just because we were mates, but because she was Sophie.
Twelve.
Sophie
I took a deep breath, preparing myself for the most monumental news of my life. I knew I didn’t care whether the baby was a boy or girl, but once I knew it would make it even more real.
I would be able to picture him or her even more clearly in my mind.
“You’ve lost weight,” the doctor said when I stepped off the scale. “Hop up here and let’s check on your baby.” Worry incased his words, which in turn made me worry like a crazy person. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to my baby.
Fear shimmered in Caeden’s eyes when I met his gaze. There was so much we couldn’t tell my doctor, and unfortunately, none of the shifters in our pack had studied to be a doctor.
I closed my eyes and draped my arm over my face. I waited with bated breath to hear the sound of our baby’s heartbeat. But…but what if it never came?
It would devastate me. That was for sure.
Then, I heard it. Strong and steady the baby’s heartbeat echoed through the room. All three of us let out a sigh of relief and I lowered my arm, opening my eyes.
“Is the baby okay?” I questioned breathlessly.
“Give me one minute,” he flicked a couple things and moved the wand around. “The baby is the right size, heartbeat is excellent, and it’s moving around like I want to see. Are you feeling any movement?”
“Not really.” I frowned. “Is that a bad thing?”
“Not at all. You might not feel any movement for another week or so. Or you might be feeling it now and attributing it to something else. I do want you to amp up on your vitamin intake. The weight loss isn’t affecting the baby—yet—but it is affecting you. We want you to be as healthy as possible for you and the baby. Understand?”
I nodded.
“Now,” he looked between Caeden and me, “are you ready to find out the sex?”
“Yes,” I nodded enthusiastically, as my heart raced in my chest like it was going to fall out and flop on the floor.
Caeden reached for my hand and we both held our breath as we waited for the doctor to tell us if we were about to welcome a daughter or son.
He moved the wand lower over my stomach and said, “Congrats, it’s a boy. You’re going to have a son.”
I promptly burst into tears—and not the cute dainty tears most girls had, I’m talking full on ugly crying. I was going to have a son—a little boy to hold in my arms and to love forever.
“Beau,” I whispered his name as love flowed through my veins. I’d loved the baby before now, but knowing that it was a boy and saying his name, made it real.
I wiped my tears away and began to laugh, embarrassed by my reaction. But then I looked at Caeden and saw a tear snaking its way down his cheek and it didn’t make me feel crazy.
“Baby Beau,” he whispered. “I’m going to have a son…” He wiped the single tear away and shook his head. “Wow.”
The doctor handed us the sonogram pictures and we headed on our way. We were both quiet in the car, lost in our thoughts.
Just as Caeden pulled into the garage, he turned to me. “When are we going to tell our parents?”
“I don’t know,” I picked at a worn thread on my jeans. “Maybe we should tell them on Christmas, so they all find out together.”
Christmas was only two weeks away, and while that seemed like forever to wait, I knew it would be fun to surprise them.
Caeden thought over what I said and nodded. “That’s a good idea. They’ll like that.”
“Maybe we can get three pairs of little blue socks and wrap them.”
He leaned over and pressed a kiss to my lips. “Whatever you want,” his fingers skimmed lightly over cheek and down my chin. I knew he was trying to appease me since I’d lost so much freedom the last five months, but instead of getting mad, I smiled in appreciation. I was really lucky to have him. He understood me and knew when he’d pushed me too far. He’d done really well about not being nearly as overprotective and he’d been spending more time doing other things. I was happy that he was getting out and not exiling himself along with me.
* * *
Bryce, Nolan, Gram, my mom and dad, Amy, and Caeden gathered in the family room. Christmas music played and the tree was all lit up and overflowing with decorations. I’d baked chocolate chip cookies this morning for everyone. Bryce looked like he’d already scarfed down about ten.
“Cold?” Gram asked me.
“Huh?”
“You have on this huge sweater. You must be cold,” she commented.
“Oh, uh, yeah,” I nodded. “I’m cold.” I was cold almost all the time now, but that wasn’t the reason for the sweater. I’d chosen the large clunky sweater to hide ho
w small my frame had become. I’d had to use makeup to hide the dark circles under my eyes and the gauntness of my cheekbones.
Gram eyed me for a moment, not believing it, and then moved further into the room to sit on the couch.
I let out a sigh of relief that I’d dodged that bullet.
I sat beside Caeden on the floor by the tree and he draped a blanket over my shoulders. A fire roared in the fireplace and everything was just so…perfect. It was everything I could ever hope to ask for, but there was so much going on behind the scenes that none of them knew about.
“When are we going to open presents?” Bryce whined. I swear, you’d think he was seven, not seventeen.
“Right now, doucheknozzle,” Caeden grabbed a package and threw it at his brother.
Bryce caught it and checked the nametag. “This is for Sophie,” he tossed it back. “If you’re going to throw a present at my head, make sure it’s one for me first.”
Caeden rolled his eyes, grabbed another present, which he checked the label on, and threw it with more force at Bryce. The box blurred as it flew threw the air and smacked Bryce on the forehead. Luckily, his curls seemed to have softened the blow.
“That. Was. Not. Nice.” Bryce glared. “But since this one’s actually for me, I won’t complain…too much.”
He promptly began ripping the wrapping paper off, throwing it everywhere, some even landed in his hair.
“Look’s like this one’s for you,” Caeden handed me the small box he’d previously tossed at Bryce. It was wrapped carefully in shiny green paper with a small red bow. The box was small and shaking it only produced a quiet rustling sound, which was unhelpful in identifying what the item was. “Open it,” he coaxed with a small boyish smile.
I slowly unfurled the paper, and a small white box sat in the palm of my hand. I lifted the lid off and was greeted by the sight of a bracelet. I picked it up, looking it over. The band was made of some kind of rubbery mint green material and it connected to an infinity symbol.
“I know you already have this one,” he flicked the bracelet he’d made me last year for Christmas that never left my wrist. “But I felt like making another.”
“You made this one too?” I questioned, gazing at him with wide eyes as I slipped the bracelet onto my wrist.
He nodded. “Yes,” he whispered huskily in my ear, sending a shiver down my spine, “because you and me, we’re for infinity.”
God, I loved the sound of that. Caeden had always had an unfair way with words. I was never able to express my feelings as beautifully as he could. “Thank you,” I said simply, rubbing my finger over the infinity symbol.
He kissed the top of my head, his lips lingering against my skin longer than necessary. “You’re welcome.”
More presents were unwrapped and we finally handed Gram, Amy, and my parents their separate boxes. My heart thundered in my chest with nerves. I knew none of them cared if the baby was a boy or girl, but it was exciting telling them. I really hoped my dad didn’t cry again. Growing up, I had never seen the man cry, but apparently a grandchild made the man all weepy.
Caeden sat back and pulled me into the V of his legs. He rubbed his hands soothingly up and down my arms to calm me. It wasn’t necessary, but I liked the feel of his hands on me, so I didn’t complain.
I watched as they all held the pale blue matching sets of socks and hats and the realization hit them.
“A boy? You’re having a boy?” Amy beamed, clutching the small items tightly in her hands like we might snatch them away at any second.
“We’re having a son,” Caeden confirmed as he pressed his lips against my cheek.
“Do you have a name picked out?” My mom asked. “Or have you not decided yet?”
“Do you want to tell them?” Caeden whispered in my ear.
I nodded. Looking at my dad, I placed my hand against my stomach, “We’re naming him Beaumont, but calling him Beau.”
“That’s—that’s—thank you,” he blubbered. “That means a lot. I’m glad the Beaumont name is carrying on in some way.”
“What about a middle name?” Amy asked.
I shrugged. “We haven’t talked about that. But Beaumont Williams seems like such a big name already, does he really need a middle name too?”
“That’s true,” Amy agreed. “Beau is a great name.”
“I think so too,” I smiled up at Caeden. Love reflected back to me from his eyes—a love that not many people experienced—the selfless kind.
After all the presents were unwrapped, we cleaned up the mess of paper…or tried to. Bryce kept making a bigger mess. Sometimes I swore the guy was still five years old. He might have been a goof, but I knew his sense of humor probably camouflaged his demons.
The evening past quickly and Amy made a delicious dinner while Gram baked cupcakes. I hadn’t had one of her cupcakes in so long and ended up eating four before Caeden could stop me.
Sitting around the roaring fire with my whole family made me so incredibly happy. This was the stuff dreams were made of—only I was living it.
Thirteen.
Sophie
I stood in the middle of the room that would soon be Beau’s. Painters rolled a beige color onto the walls since we’d opted not to go with the traditional pale blue.
I couldn’t believe that in a few months, my son would be in this room.
“Soph!” Caeden cried, running into the room and grabbing my arm. “You shouldn’t be in here! The paint fumes!”
“You worry too much,” I sighed. “They’re using that non-toxic paint, so quit freaking out. It’s annoying.”
“I still don’t think you should be in here,” he slowly began to drag me out of the room.
Wanting to avoid an argument, I let him.
“I talked to Chris,” I told him, letting him guide me back to the bedroom. I was weak, but I wasn’t that weak. I was perfectly capable of walking on my own without falling, but Caeden believed otherwise. I think he invented stuff to worry about. In fact, I was feeling better these last few weeks. Christmas with our family had given me a much needed boost…or maybe it was the cupcakes. Those had been awfully yummy.
“Why is that important?” He asked.
“Because, she’s taking me shopping for baby stuff.”
“No, no way, not happening,” he rapidly shook his head as he released his hold on me. “You’re too weak to go shopping. Remember what happened last time? And that was months ago!”
“Caeden, I don’t care how weak I am, you’re not stopping me from going shopping for the baby. Nothing about this pregnancy has gone as expected, let me have some fun!”
He sighed, running his fingers through his too long hair. He knew there was no stopping me. He wasn’t my prison guard and he had no right to forbid me to go anywhere.
“Chris may not know the whole story, but she does know I haven’t felt well. She’ll look out for me,” I continued, slowly breaking down his walls so we could avoid a fight. “And you know I’d never do anything to jeopardize Beau. If I start to feel like it’s too much, I’ll tell Chris to bring me home.”
His resolve crumbled and I knew I’d be able to leave without an argument.
“Have fun,” he grabbed me by the nape of the neck and kissed me tenderly. “If you get too weak or feel any twinge of pain, come home,” he tucked a piece of hair behind my ear.
“You know I will,” I placed my hands on his chest, grasping the soft fabric of his shirt between my fingers.
He took a deep breath, wrapping me tighter in his arms. “Maybe I could go—”
“No,” I dug a finger into his ribs, “this is my girl’s day. Stay here and hang out with Nolan. Or go out and do something.”
“I just have a bad feeling about this…what if you pass out, Soph?”
“I won’t be alone, you know that. I know you’re worried about me, heck, I’m worried about myself! But I can’t stop living. The doctor says Beau is fine.”
“But you are not fine,
” he countered.
“You already told me to have fun,” I smiled up at him. “Now stop trying to talk me out of going. It’s not working.”
He cracked a small smile. “There’s my she-wolf. I’ve missed her.”
“Yeah, well,” I put a hand to my stomach, “she’s turned into an exhausted incubator.”
That got a genuine laugh out of him. “At least you’re a cute incubator.”
“Mhmm, nice try,” I laughed. My phone buzzed in my pocket and I knew that meant Chris was here. “I have to go.”
“What if I want to keep you?” He whispered huskily, lightly brushing his lips over mine.
“Are you trying to bribe me with your kisses, Caeden?”
“They’re very good kisses.” His tongue flicked against my slightly parted lips and my eyes fluttered closed at the touch.
“Nice try.” I managed to find the strength to push myself away from his very alluring lips.
“Have fun,” he repeated, “I mean it.”
Before I could reply, he grabbed me by the waist and pulled me into him. My baby bump kept quite a bit of distance between us, but it didn’t stop him from kissing me deeply. It was the kind of kiss that made your toes curl and your heart swell. “I love you,” he whispered when he stepped back.
“I love you too,” I replied, trying not to sway with lightheadedness.
“Oh,” he grabbed my arm to halt me before I could pass him. “Do me a favor?”
“Sure.”
“Don’t buy a crib,” he stated.
“Uh…I’m confused,” I stammered. “Why don’t you want me to buy a crib?”
“Because,” he grinned crookedly, “I’m going to make one for the baby.”
“A crib? You’re going to make a crib? Like build one?”
“I think that was implied,” he laughed.
“That’s…sweet.” Oh, God. I was tearing up. I really hated these pregnancy hormones.
“Aw, Soph, don’t cry,” he frowned.
“I’m fine,” I hastily shook my head. “I think that’s great, Caeden.”
“Glad you approve,” he grinned.
My phone buzzed in my pocket again and I knew Chris was getting pissy with me.
Avenger (Outsider Series) Page 10
