Page 30 of Unexpected Delivery

Hael wasn’t in much better shape after losing his mentor.

And me?

I’m so tired of being lonely.

I’ve always wanted a family, and I’m not afraid of hard work or commitment. Arbor needs someone she can trust and rely on. Alphas she’s safe around.

It might be fast by the rest of the world’s standards, but I would die before I let anyone hurt her or the baby. Watching Gracie come into the world hit me on some level that I couldn’t have predicted, but I’m not upset with this turn of events.

Having a baby is an intimate time, and it doesn’t even need to be biologically my child for every instinct in my system to hyperfocus on how best to protect Arbor and Gracie.

My hand falls to her lower back as I wiggle her closer, using my arm to cage her in. Her nose ends up planted in my chest as her hand rests on my pec. It soothes my system on a fundamental level to have her this close to me, and I want her to feel safe and comfortable in return.

“What you need to do now is to focus on healing.” I will myself to purr. “Everything else, we’ll handle as it comes.” It takes a little concentration, but once the low rumbling starts, Arbor coos.

Cooing is a sound omegas make when they’re happy or content, and it makes my chest warm and fuzzy. This is just how biology works when alphas and omegas are involved. My instincts are always going to push me to comfort and coddle her, and hers will strive to find alphas who are capable of protecting her.

“You’re very levelheaded,” she says, running her fingers over my T-shirt. “Thank you for everything. I know I’ve said it a ton of times, but I mean it. I wish I had some other way to pay you back.”

“None of that. Just focus on recuperating.”

Hael’s insurance stunt has far-reaching consequences…more so than any of us could have guessed.

No one ever bothered to ask for our pack commitment certificate or marriage license to prove we are actually a pack. They just took us at our word.

When the lady who handles the birth certificate comes in, she politely asks to see each of our driver’s licenses and then says we should sign next to our names.

In for a penny, right?

Arbor and Gracie are discharged the next morning, and the nurse follows us out to ensure the car seat is installed properly.

It’s scary that it’s necessary.

Do people really try to leave the hospital without car seats?

If so, that’s terrifying.

It’s intimidating enough realizing that we have to drive with a newborn in the snow, but I’ve never questioned Hayes’s driving skills before. He’ll be as vigilant as I would be if I was behind the wheel.

The world just seems a whole lot more daunting with a brand-new baby counting on us to keep her safe.

We’ve all been walking on eggshells since the birth certificate thing, but at some point, we’re going to have to ask Arbor to stay at our house. That, or I guess the three of us can move in with her for a while, but in no way is it safe to be home with a newborn without a vehicle.

What if she has an emergency and can’t get service?

No, they need to stay with us. Technically, we could probably solve the service issue by buying her a better phone and adding her to our plan, but I’d rather not offer that until she’s already accepted that she’s going to be staying with us for the foreseeable future.

Hayes drives the truck down the long, tree-lined easement, and my stomach tightens. The cabin she’s been staying in is less than ten minutes from our house, but we’re already in a pretty rural area. All the cabins out here are run-down from going so long without being used.

Fuck.

I should have told Hayes to drive her to our house.

My fists clench as I try to talk myself down.

It doesn’t help.

I’m having a legit shit fit over how little she has. It makes sense, when I consider she left with only what she could carry in that piece of shit car, but it doesn’t lessen my frustration.

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