Page 56 of Fur-Ever Home

"Fine," he muttered. We stopped in our usual bathroom on the first floor, where he'd left his clothes. While he dressed, I called my midwife, Magda.

"It's time."

She laughed. "You doubted me, but I said it would be Thanksgiving Day around noon."

"You were right," I huffed.

"I'll be there in twenty minutes."

That gave us time to walk home and for me to strip down. Connor helped me readjust my nest to give Magda room to work, and then she explained the next steps.

All the rush, and then we waited. Our little one didn't want to join the world just yet. My contractions were too far apart and my womb hadn't opened yet.

The contractions didn't hurt that bad, either. I thought I would get off easy when a sharp pain doubled me over my knees with my head down on the bed. "Oh, shit, what was that?"

Magda spread my legs apart to check again. "That's more like it," she said. "You're dilated now. The real action will begin soon."

"Real action?" I whined as another sharp pain wracked my body. Before, the pain had been centrally located in my midsection, but these I felt all the way from crown to toes. The pain stole my breath.

"Breathe with me," Connor said. "You can do it." He sat beside me, leaning against the headboard while I squatted back on my heels. We held hands and counted together until the contraction passed, but another followed soon after.

"Let me check you again," Magda said.

I leaned forward and spread my legs, and she grunted in approval. "Baby's almost here. Push with the next one."

Pushing sounded like the worst idea ever, but I stayed on my elbows and knees. Connor held my hands and talked me through each push.

"Okay, Daddy, it's almost time."

We'd told Magda that Connor wanted to be called Daddy. He leaned forward, kissed my cheek, and hopped off the bed.

A few more pushes, and I heard our baby's sweet cry for the first time.

"Aw, it's all right, little one," Connor said. "She's a girl!"

Once I finished pushing out the afterbirth, I fell over on my side, exhausted and grateful for the nest wall of pillows at my back. Connor placed our daughter in my arms while he cleaned up the bloody blankets in the middle of the nest. Then, he lay beside me weeping tears of joy.

"She's here!" he said. "She's perfect! What are we going to name her?"

I studied her pinched little face. She was cute as a button, with a rosy complexion, a full head of dark hair, and lanugo halfway down her back.

"Jordan," I said. "Her name is Jordan."

Magda had everything already laid out for her weights, measurements, and inoculations. She whisked Jordan away, but then she returned, helping me roll onto my back in the nest for a short nap while she cleaned me up. I woke with Jordan asleep on my chest, her mouth still attached to my nipple after her first meal.

"Aw, she likes her papa," Connor said. "Fell asleep immediately."

"She will like her daddy soon enough," Magda said. "Such a sweet girl." She patted my shoulder. "You've got this, Papa. I need to get back to my own family."

"Oh no. I'm so sorry we ruined your Thanksgiving!" Tears sprang to my eyes.

"Honey, I knew she was coming today. I hope they paused the football game, though. If I miss even one touchdown, I'm going to be pissed." She leaned down and kissed the back of Jordan's head. "Have a wonderful long life, little wolf."

Connor walked her out, leaving me to stare down at a baby I now knew was something more than human. We'd known it was a possibility, but now that it was reality, I worried I wouldn't begood enough. I was only human. Connor would be the fun dad with whom she could shift and play.

"Whatever you're worrying about," Connor said from the doorway, "don't."

"You told me not to lie to you," I whined. "This is important."

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