Page 428 of Bride of Choice

“Cake,” shouted another.

“How about we all stop shouting!” Daisy chirped from somewhere in the crowd, ever the chaos coordinator. Listening to her shouting instructions for a line and timely manner, I couldn’t help but grin.

These fools, this whole fucking village, I was part of this huge ass thing, this crazy, kooky, wild family of beings coming together, working together to keep everyone fed, protected, alive, this was what I was bringing my baby girl into, all this love.

It was the best gift of all.

Swiping at my eyes as the weepies got the best of me, I hid it by bellowing over the din, “Did someone say presents and cake?!”

Daisy sputtered incredulously, my mates grinned in amusement, Mal and Rosa laughed and then joined me in the chaotic revelry with Dorothy shaking her head at us.

My kid was spoiled beyond reason and they weren’t even here yet. They had more honorary uncles and aunties than they’d know what to do with.

The cake was phenomenal. I had Boog and Dorothy to thank for it, a joint effort with cookies pressed into the frosting.

Best fucking baby shower ever.

Chapter 54

D-Day

“You pee,” Rek announced. “My Jojo… wake. You pee in sleeps. My Jo?”

With a groan, I came to and clutched at my belly. “It’s not pee,” I muttered. Standing, liquid rushed down my legs and soaked the rug beneath my feet.

“Jojo pee… a lot,” Rek mumbled, sitting up from where he’d been napping next to me, staring down at my legs, wide-eyed.

It wasn’t time yet. I had a ways to fucking go still, compared to the many other Lo denaii pregnancies of others I was going off of. Fuck me.

“A lot,” Rek repeated, like it beared repeating.

Resisting the urge to roll my eyes at him or laugh, either giving me away, risking irritating him when I needed him in total compliance, I waved it off and muttered calmly, like I wasn’t internally freaking out here, “Be a dear and grab some clothes for me, would ya, bleach-squatch?” Ignoring the pain tearing through my middle, I smirked and flicked a finger at him. “Today.”

“Bossy,” Rek muttered, but kissed me and rushed off, grunting and grimacing at all that “pee” dampening his fur.

The rest of my crazy crew had picked the worst day to be fucking off elsewhere. I’ve been a bit of a bear lately. Honestly, maybe they needed a little break from their crazy, hormones wonky pregnant mate. Rek was the only being brave enough to stick to me like glue even when I demanded otherwise. I wanted to kiss him as often as I daydreamed about braining him.

Gripping my belly, rushing around the bed as fast as my contractions would let me, I was all set to grab the horn and step outside to blow it, alerting the others of our impending arrival, when Rek came rushing back into the room.

“My Jojo! It not pee!” he squawked. His voice bordered on a squeak. He almost sounded like Dace. I’d laugh at the look of horror on his face if I wasn’t biting back a pained groan.

“I know,” I muttered through gritted teeth. “And I need you to keep it together here. I’m trying not to lose my shit.”

I’d wanted to spend some time holed up in Celuk’s hilltop palace, another mini honeymoon, a prebaby retreat. I knew once the baby arrived we’d probably be spending most of our time at Rek’s place in the village. I really didn’t want Gopher’s parents having to travel all the way up this hill to see the baby all the time so the village made sense. BapaFuz can say what he liked but the male still limped—Gopher knows when his leg is bothering him. Don’t BS me, old man!

Rek stood there gaping as I made my way past him. Snatching the clothes in his hands from him, I gave his shoulder a little there-there pat while his brain rebooted. “Remember what we’ve talked about,” I grunted out.

Buu had run into town with Jeh-kal on a short errand. They were due back any minute. Darn my sweets cravings and bless them and Boog for so readily enabling it. I’m surprised I’m not as big as a house. I felt like one with this monster baby leading the way.

Celuk had popped over to Horn Head’s to quickly check on Baby, at my insistence. I’d just- I couldn’t explain it but I’d woken up with this odd anxiousness today I couldn’t put my finger on and I’d assumed maybe it was that. Baby was due to drop a pup or two any day now, and Celuk was not designed to sit on his butt and wait around for shit to happen. I may be regretting encouraging him to stay out longer and hunt if the need to be a wildman and get in touch with his inner dirt furball arose.

Odix and Gopher were outside somewhere around here foraging.

Rek had stuck to my side, unwilling to budge, not even an inch, he didn’t care what. We’d in fact fallen asleep bickering over names for Baby’s pups.

He wanted Bruiser for a boy, which sounds muy macho but is actually after the cute little tiny dog in one of his favorite comfort watches, whether he willingly will admit the fact or not. I wanted Mr. Darcy for a boy, for obvious reasons. We’d fallen asleep undecided.

Rek raced past me moments later, nearly knocking over the rock cock display, complete now that Buu’s and Celuk’s was added to the menagerie. Garbling noises left him as he went. Thinking it for the best, I left him to his panicked mayhem. He obviously needed a minute.

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