“We’re excited that we get to give you one,” Violet told her, tucking the girl’s hair behind her ear and stroking her cheek fondly.
“Violet, I have a question,” Penny said with a serious expression. “When the baby gets here, it’s going to call you Mom, right?”
“Yes,” Violet answered. I could hear the hesitation in her voice, but it was muted enough that Penny was unlikely to pick up on it. “I’m sure it’ll start as ‘Mama’ or ‘Mommy’ first, but when the baby gets to be older like you, it will call me ‘Mom.’”
“Do you think I could call you Mom, too? Like the baby will?” Penny asked.
She and Violet were looking intently into each other’s eyes, and I knew this would be a moment that all three of uswould remember forever. Penny had never had the chance to call someone “Mom” before.
“Penny, I would love it if you called me ‘Mom,’” Violet said tenderly.
It was my turn to cry as I watched my mate and my daughter become a true family right in front of my eyes. They had chosen each other, day in and day out, for months. While their barriers were different than those Violet and I had faced, they had overcome their obstacles with the same amount of work and perseverance. She was a true mother to my daughter, and I couldn’t ask for anything more.
Chapter 21 - Violet
Ever since I had told Nile about my pregnancy—and even before, when he thought I was sick—he had been hovering incessantly. I had always been independent and capable, but suddenly, he was treating me as if I would break if I moved too much. Today was no exception.
“It’s fine, Nile. I can carry it myself,” I told him as he took the laundry basket from my hands.
“Go rest, you shouldn’t be straining yourself,” he told me.
“It’s just laundry, for god’s sake,” I countered. “Soon you’re going to tell me I can’t make the bed.”
“Do the sheets need to be changed today? I’ll run up and do that as soon as I finish with this,” he said, hurrying off toward the laundry room.
“It was an expression!” I shouted after him.
The sheets didn’t need to be changed. I had, in fact, done that yesterday while he was at work. It seemed like the only time I could get anything done was when he was out of the house. The only thing he didn’t have any qualms about me doing lately was painting, and even then, he frequently checked on me to make sure that I was eating enough and drinking water.
This is getting out of hand, Lavender said to me.
If he interferes with one more thing, I’m going to scream,I said in agreement.
I had cut my hours down at work significantly lately, mostly due to Nile’s obsession with me not overworking myself. Between that and the fact that I could hardly get a moment to myself, I was beginning to go stir-crazy.
I think it’s time for a run, don’t you?I asked Lavender.
I could feel her excitement and knew it was just what the two of us needed. We didn’t have as many opportunities to run in wolf form in Pinedale as we had in Sparkle Hollow. With so many humans around, we had to be much more careful. But today, it felt like a necessity.
Nile had finished the laundry and come back upstairs to the bedroom to strip the sheets from the bed.
“Nile, stop,” I said, placing my hands on his chest. “You don’t need to change them. But there is something else I need.”
“Anything,” he said, immediately jumping on the idea of being able to help me.
I smiled at him. “I need you to come somewhere with me.”
“Violet, you really should be staying at home and resting,” he said sternly. “If there’s anything you need, I can go and get it for you.”
“I need you to hear me,” I said. I held his face between my hands and forced him to look at me while I enunciated very clearly. “I. Am. Fine. I promise. The doctor has checked me out and said my pregnancy is low-risk. The baby and I are both healthy. You’re driving me insane with the amount of hovering you’ve been doing lately.”
“I just want you to be safe,” he said.
“I am safe. And I’m with you,” I reminded him. “So, will you please come with me to the forest so we can go on a run together? Lavender hasn’t gotten the chance in ages, and I’m sure Wick could use it, too.”
Nile didn’t respond right away, and I could tell from the faraway look in his eyes that he and his wolf were discussing it.
“Wick says that he is worried about you, too, but that he thinks we should go for a run. As long as you promise not to overdo it,” he added quickly when he saw the excitement on my face.