Page 130 of Vegas Baby!

Ollie thrust out his hand for a very grown-up handshake that made me smile at how serious his face was. “Does our sister have a name?”

“Not quite yet,” I replied. “We’re still picking a favorite.”

“Is she going to come live with us?” Sammy asked his mother.

“No, honey. She’s going to stay with Ava and her pack at the lovely house where we slept last night.”

“Oh.” Sammy quirked his head at the baby. “How is she our sister if you’re not her mommy?”

Charlotte swallowed hard. “Sometimes that’s just how it works. I’ll explain it to you when you’re a bit older.”

Ollie pouted. “That’s no fair. I wanna know now.”

“You have to be patient,” Charlotte told him. “Mommy will tell you when she’s ready. Are you excited to go back to the nice house?”

“Yeah!” The boys flung their arms into the air, their shrieks of delight to follow quickly muffled by Charlotte’s hands so they didn’t startle the entire ward. I smiled. She knew her boys well.

Luke left to get the car seat, everyone else waiting with me. I had heard of the hot dad walk, but as Luke lovingly tucked our daughter into the car seat and carried her off ahead of the group, I gained a whole new appreciation for him. Jesse pushed me in one of the wheelchairs, while Bryce and Micah walked the boys down, the children excitedly swinging their joined hands. Charlotte walked at my side, looking like she was doing her best not to cry. I reached out and took her hand, giving it a squeeze.

“Thank you,” she mouthed.

The trip home was blessedly uneventful. Charlotte took her boys out by the pool to work off some energy, and my pack took over baby care.

Jesse carried me up to the nursery. “Would you like to shower or sleep?”

“A shower sounds like heaven.”

“Who do you want besides me to assist?”

“Is it needy of me if I say everyone?”

“Not at all.” Jesse kissed the top of my head. A few quick texts was all it took to get the rest of my pack into the bathroom with me. Micah blew up a donut-shaped pillow for me, he and Jesse helping lower me onto it on the shower bench.

I closed my eyes and let them wash my hair and body. Luke cradled our sleeping baby, hovering nearby while the rest of the pack scrubbed me down. I felt their love in every touch. The affection flowing freely down the bonds filled up everything Andrew had hollowed out.

My pack was here.

My baby was safe.

Iwas safe.

As I stared at Luke holding our daughter, another name floated up. “What do we all think of Lucy?” I asked quietly, my gaze flicking between her sleeping face and Luke’s. “I think she’d like being named after one of her daddies.”

Luke swallowed hard, tears instantly making his eyes shiny. “You’d name her afterme?”

“Only if you want me to.”

“Fuck, yes.” He clutched us to him, keeping the baby out of the water spray, but getting soaked himself. “I love you so fucking much.”

“In a different life she would have been yours from the start.” I kissed him softly. “She alwaysshould havebeen yours. And now she is.”

“Hi, Lucy.” I kissed her forehead, overwhelmed by how small she was and how much I already loved this baby. How was it possible to feel so much so quickly? I kept saying her name, marveling that Ava had chosen to name her after me when I didn’t feel remotely worthy of that honor.

Our sweet girl was fast asleep in my arms, her baby-blue eyes closed, her blonde hair so fine and pale you could almostmistake her for being bald at first glance. I remembered seeing photos of Nathan and Ava when they were babies looking exactly the same. I’d heard that babies tended to look like their fathers early on, but all I saw in Lucy’s face was Ava: the same nose, same lips, same adorable round cheeks.

Ava was bundled in the nursery nest, fully asleep surrounded by the rest of the pack, but I couldn’t bring myself to put Lucy down just yet. It was entirely possible our daughter wouldn’t even know what her crib felt like because between the five of us she would always be in someone’s arms.

All the years lost between Ava and me melted away. I didn’t care that Andrew had contributed his genetics; Lucy was mine, my pack’s.

---