Page 121 of Vegas Baby!

Andrew had never wanted anyone to see me in any capacity; it felt like a small reclamation to consider putting something so intimate on display. He hadn’t even liked me wearing a bikini at the pool, insisting on a one piece. If he knew what we were discussing right now, he’d probably have an aneurysm.

“I want to do it. I can be nervous and brave at the same time.”

Luke kissed my cheek. “You absolutely can. I’d say it doesn’t even count as bravery if you’re not a little scared.”

“Luke does have a point. Plus, I’m sure Callie would let you be involved in the production if you wanted, and she’s going to let us see the final product before you decide if it’s going to market or not.”

“We have to do it before Charlotte gets here, though. I’m pretty sure I’ll lose all my nerve once she arrives.”

“I’ll get it scheduled,” said Micah, already pulling out his phone.

Time was going entirely too quickly. I needed something to focus on, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. This would be a good distraction to prepare for instead of Charlotte’s imminent arrival and the implosion of her life.

It turned out I could be nervous about a lot of things at the same time. I spent the next two weeks aggressively nesting to prepare the nursery, my pack setting me up a secondary nest so I could be extra cozy and close to the baby. We got the two guest rooms ready for Charlotte and her kids, though I wasn’t entirely certain how long they would be using them. I wanted them tofeel welcome, like they had someplace safe to stay while they figured out next steps.

Callie scheduled our shoot for the day Charlotte was due to arrive, leaving us plenty of hours between our start time and her flight landing. We were going super simple for our first attempt, so we’d be in and out in a couple of hours at the most.

Micah snared me into a hug as I was bustling past him in the hall. “Whoa there. Time to take a breath, angel. You’re due in less than two weeks; you’ve gotta rest.”

“But there’s so much to do.”

“And you have a whole house full of alphas ready to do your bidding.”

“I don’t get the same brain satisfaction telling you all to do things as doing it myself,” I insisted.

“Tough cookies. You’re going to stress yourself right into labor if you don’t chill out a bit. Tell me what task you’re working on right now.”

“Packing the hospital bag.”

“All right. Park your butt in the nest. I’ll bring everything to you and you can organize it yourself while you’re resting so you still get that dopamine rush.”

I grumbled, but let him guide me back to the nest and sat with the bag.

“Okay, what do you want to pack?”

I rattled off a list from the Internet and Micah dutifully collected each item for me so I could carefully tuck it in for transport. Bryce arrived after a few minutes with a grazing plate and a water bottle for me.

“The birthing gowns you ordered just arrived,” he told me. “Want me to put them in the wash?”

“Yes, please.”

They had scrubbed the entire place top to bottom at my obsessive instruction. Nesting instincts were so weird. The babywasn’t going to care about the condition of our baseboards or if there was dust on the pantry shelves. I needed them clean anyway, and my pack had no problem indulging me.

“Is this the last thing on the list?” Micah asked.

“I’m sure I could come up with a hundred more things before the baby gets here, but yes. For now.”

“Good, because it’s time to head over to the studio if you’re ready. Callie’s going to help you with hair and makeup on site.”

“You’re still sure about doing that?” asked Bryce.

He didn’t love my newfound desire to be on screen, but he hadn’t asked me not to do it.

“Super sure. You don’t have to come.”

“If my mate is going to be naked around strangers, I’m going to be there.”

“Are you still worried about this?” Luke asked as he slipped into the nest. “Micah and I will take care of her.”

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