Page 28 of Whisker Me Away

“I promise. I’ll only be a moment.”

I run down the hall, allowing Shelby into our home. “Hi,” she greets me with a wide smile, looking more excited than I’m feeling. “It’s the big day! Are you excited?”

“Umm?”

She snorts with amusement. “Having a bit of a panic? Don’t worry, that’s super normal. I’ll take care of you both. Lead me to Spencer, Cade.”

“Right! Yes. He’s in the shower, this way.”

I lead Shelby to the bathroom, doing my best to keep my panic at bay. I have to be strong for my mate. I have to be calm for Spencer.

“Spencer?”

“I thought you’dnevercome back! What took you so long!”

I step over to the curtain, peeking inside. “I’m right here,” I tell him softly. He looks up at me through wet hair, looking more miserable than I’ve ever seen him. My poor mate.

“I feel like a wet cat,” he says with a whine, sticking out his bottom lip in a dramatic pout.

As much as I’d like to tell him helookslike a wet cat too, I don’t think it would make him chuckle like usual. “What do you need?”

“You. Just need you, Cade.”

I look over at Shelby and she gives me a nod, letting me know I can get into the shower. She’s busy getting blankets and towels ready for when our baby is finally free.

Stripping down to my boxers, I get into the shower with Spencer. He turns his back to the water, colliding with my front. I wrap my arms around him, massaging his back just the way he likes. He lets out the tiniest sigh and my instincts slowly calm, knowing I’m helping my mate.

“We can do this,” I whisper into Spencer’s wet hair. “More importantly,youcan do this, Spencer. Just try to relax, your body will know what to do.”

Spencer nods his head, whimpering against me. We stay like that for a long time, our fingers and toes pruning from being wet for so long, but I don’t care. If this is where Spencer is most comfortable then this is where we’re staying.

“I think it’s time,” Spencer murmurs against me. “Feels like I need to push.”

“Okay. Do you wanna get out of the shower? Do you want Shelby to squeeze in here?”

“No,” Spencer says, shaking his head. “Gonna turn around. You can catch them.”

I make a startled noise but before panic can set in, Spencer puts a hand on my head and pushes me down to my knees. Spencer turns around, putting his hands on the shower wall and starts making pained groans.

I can’t do anything but stay right where I am and catch our baby as they leave Spencer’s body. Just as I said before, his body knows exactly what to do and somehow, so do I.

“Well done, gentlemen,” Shelby says, opening the curtain and turning off the shower. “That was incredibly beautiful. Thank you for allowing me to be here to experience it with you.”

Spencer gives her a tired smile. “Thank you, Shelby.”

I stare down at our baby, unable to pull my eyes away. They’re so incredibly beautiful. A little girl with a patch of dark hair on her head. She’s perfect.

“A girl,” I say breathlessly, tears wetting my eyes. “We have a little girl.”

I look up at Spencer. He holds out his hands and I carefully stand so I can place her in his arms. He lets out a wet laugh, overwhelmed just the same as I am.

Shelby helps us get dry before wrapping our baby up in a soft blanket. She helps support Spencer as we make our way to our bedroom, getting him comfortable in bed. I double check that he’s warm and okay before getting into the bed with him.

I can hear Shelby in the bathroom, cleaning everything up for us, giving us a moment as a family unit alone.

“I can’t believe we made this beautiful baby, Spencer. She’s so perfect.”

“She is,” he agrees with a tired smile. Bringing her head to his nose, he breathes her in. “I think she’s a manatee just like you.”

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