Page 320 of As The Shifter World Turns

“I want Martin.”

“He’s on his way.” I had to keep him focused on his breathing and bringing the baby into the world. Martin was responsible for reaching his mate’s side.

“I gotta push, Daire. The baby won’t wait for his alpha dad.”

It was an honor to be at my friend’s side while he birthed a baby. “Do you want me to film it for your mate?”

But as I spoke two things happened. Neil shouted and fisting the bedding, he grunted and pushed. And at the same time, Martin burst into the room yelling, “I’m here.”

I leaped up and the fox shifter took my place. Waiting outside the closed door with Terrance, we held hands as Neil cried out and Martin’s calming voice soothed him.

“I see the head,” Martin yelled and Terrance and I hugged.

“Gods, get this baby out of me.”

There was more murmuring from Martin and then a final shriek from Neil followed by a baby’s cry. Terrance and I jumped up and down and it was then I realized we should have called for an ambulance. “We need to get them to the hospital.”

Terrance shook his head and explained he’d done it already.

The door opened and Martin appeared with a baby wrapped in a towel. “Meet our daughter.”

I melted at the sight of the little girl.

“Her name’s Siyala.” The name meant little fox and Martin told us Neil insisted on a fox name. “Even if she’s not a shifter, she’s part of our fox family and her name reflects that.”

Tears flowed down my cheeks. That was the sweetest thing I’d ever heard. Being pregnant had made me very emotional and I’d cry at videos of puppies, babies, old people, and kids playing. Basically anything. I gave Siyala a kiss.

There was a commotion downstairs and Charlie was crying out for Neil. Toby climbed the stairs, his little brother in his arms, with Nate behind them. Martin squatted, allowing Charlie to see his new sister. “Baby,” he squealed and offered her the toy he was holding.

“You’re such a good big brother, Charlie,” Toby said as Martin led them in to see Neil.

I fell into Nate’s arms. “All I wanted was a carbonara and instead we got a baby.”

My phone blew up with messages from Ivor, Archer, and Anthony asking when they could visit Neil and the baby.

“I can’t wait until our little one is here,” I told Nate. “But I hope our baby will be born in a hospital.”

148

MIDNIGHT RUN

Nate

“Nate!!!!” My mate called from the bathroom followed by a thump. I rushed in, terrified that he had fallen.

He was officially huge—huger than huge. The poor guy couldn’t fit into his paternity clothes and we had to buy him larger sizes. He’d confided in me once that he was sad about how little his belly was—well that sure had changed this last trimester. And I loved it, but also it worried me because it kept him slightly off balance leading me to fear I was racing into a room with an omega down.

“I’m here.” I stopped short to see him standing under the water. He was crying, his eyes all red.

“What’s the matter, love?” I stepped toward him slowly, not sure if he had realized I was there and not wanting to startle him.

“I can’t see my dick.”

Relief flooded into me even as he shared his very serious distress. I could help him find his dick. It was something being wrong with the baby or him being hurt that I wasn’t prepared for. Shit, I wasn’t truly prepared if he said it was baby time and according to the midwife we were technically “full-term” and the baby could come anytime. Apparently that whole 40 weeks thing was a lie and babies were fully cooked before then in most cases.

“Did you want me to take a picture of it for you?”

He hissed. Like a full-on cat hiss. Oops. Not the right thing to say, not the right thing to say at all.

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