Page 82 of Bonding the Band

Gary’s face went red as he tried to find the right words. “Ah…I suppose not,” he conceded. “I just wanted you guys to meet Ellie, either way. She’s highly qualified and comes with amazing references. I’ll take her to your old bus and get her set up while you guys settle back onto your…bus.” He looked around at our monstrosity of a tour bus with a thinly veiled sneer on his face.

It seemed he didn’t approve of Arlo’s purchase.

Luckily, his opinion meant nothing.

Ellie scooped up my hands, and I checked the urge to leap away. “I’ll stop by in the morning for breakfast. Even if I’m not staying here, I should be around to ensure you’re taking care of yourself. We’ll go through some questions tomorrow, and I’ll work on a meal plan for you.”

“Oh, uh, sure.”

She dropped my hands like a hot potato and turned to Hendrix. “I’ll also be taking care of Hendrix. Thanks to your bond, you two are very closely linked, so the health of both parents is paramount at this point.” The look she gave him could only be described as adoring.

Ew.

I wanted to drag her out of the tour bus by her hair, and I’d only met her five minutes ago.

Either she was bad news, or my pregnancy hormones were making me downright vicious.

Hendrix cleared his throat, not meeting Ellie’s eye. “Meadow is the priority here. She’s the reason we hired you. I’m a big boy and can take care of myself.”

“I’m sure you can,” she said in a simpering tone. “I just want to make sure you’re getting all the proper nutrients and minerals that you need in your diet for Meadow to thrive.”

Hendrix nodded, but he didn’t look happy, though he conceded, anyway. “I suppose that’s okay.”

I could have sworn I felt my blood pressure rise. No one else would be taking care ofmyalpha. Was she suggesting I wasn’t doing a good enough job?

Okay, so he was having to care for me more than I cared for him, but I was pregnant, for god’s sake!

“Okay, Gary, it’s late,” Beckett declared. “We’d like to go to bed. It was nice to meet you, Ellie.” He gestured toward the door of the tour bus, clearly showing them the way out. Beckett was being polite but not friendly. That pleased me. Instinctively, I took a step closer to him, grabbing his hand. He gave me a squeeze but kept his gaze firmly on the interlopers.

“Good night. If you need me for anything, don’t hesitate to call.Anytime, night or day.” She took a business card out of her back pocket and handed it to Hendrix, giving him a moment of prolonged eye contact.

How obvious could this woman be?

The moment she and Gary were out of the tour bus, we all looked at one another.

“You didn’t think of swinging the doula idea by me?” I asked incredulously.

Hendrix reached out, but I sidestepped him, pressing closer to Beckett.

“I intended to,” Hendrix said, “but then we ended up going back to California and got busy. Beckett said you told him you wanted someone with medical training to be on tour for the pregnancy, so I told Gary. I didn’t know he was going to hire someone without telling me. I’m not sure what to make of her.”

Arlo frowned as he spoke. “Aren’t doulas supposed to be elderly women who’ve had lots of experience with childbirth? She looks like she’s just left childhood herself.”

“Gary gave me a ton of applications to look through, but I got overwhelmed. I vaguely remember an Ellie and that she was the most qualified,” Hendrix said.

“If she doesn’t get annoyingly in the way, I’ll deal with it.” I sighed. The prospect of having someone hovering over me during my entire pregnancy wasn’t appealing. I could get on board with one of my pack mates, but a stranger? Still…if it was what was best for the nugget, then I would do it.

Butwhydid she have to be so pretty?

Phin draped his arm over my shoulders. “When she gets on your nerves, just let us know, and we’ll get rid of her. She’s supposed to be here tohelpyou, and stressing you out will do the opposite of that.”

“It sure will,” I agreed. “Now who’s going to join me in the nest for some snuggles? I don’t think we can all fit in there.”

It had been hard enough trying to fit Hendrix and Arlo in there with me before we went to California.

“Dibs!” Arlo shouted obnoxiously.

“You can’t call dibs!” Phin punched his shoulder. “It’s omega’s choice, or we should have a vote.”

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