Page 114 of Ascendant Moon
Melva began to sniffle, and Lincoln handed her a tissue.
“Thank you. Granny Melva has a nice ring to it. I accept!”
Lincoln took some photos for the baby book and Melva gave Rosy another smooch before laying her in the crib. At the door, both men received warm hugs and additional words of thanks.
“Is it all right if I tell everyone? The whole pack wants to know her name.”
Lincoln answered with a twinkle in his eye.
“That sounds like a grandma duty to me. Besides, you’re terrible at keeping secrets.”
Melva gave him “the look” and opened the apartment door.
“Go on, you. I have important news to share and baby gifts to buy! Be good to each other, and I’ll see you later.”
As soon as the door closed, both men began to chuckle. Scooter picked up his mate for a passionate kiss and headed for the bedroom. Lincoln shared an observation on the way.
“I’m afraid we’ve created a monster. Rosy’s going to have a hard time keeping up with her.”
Scooter growled at the amusing thought and began undressing his mate.
“Maybe. After all she’s done, Granny Melva deserves some happiness. Right now, you deserve an orgasm or three before Rosy wakes up.”
Chapter 57
November 25th, Thanksgiving Day
“Nate! Rosy’s had a blowout and I’m out of baby wipes! Hurry!”
Scooter came running, stark naked and dripping wet from the shower. While Lincoln tried to contain the overfilled diaper, Scooter rummaged in the closet for another towelette dispenser.
“Got it, sweetheart. Here’s a clean pad to use, too. What else do you need?”
Lincoln appreciated his mate’s quick response, and the rush of seeing him naked.
“Thank you! I need a fresh onesie, her tracksuit outfit, and the red sneakers. And can you take this nasty nappy to the trash for me? I wish someone could explain how one tiny baby can produce such a stinky mess!”
Scooter didn’t know, but they’d discovered that little Rosalee had numerous ways of keeping them on their toes—many of them unpleasant. For first-time parents, he thought they were doing fairly well, and Lincoln was determined to be the kind of father he never had growing up. Aside from lack of sleep and hurried love-making, they’d fallen into some predictable routines. When Melva wasn’t working at the daycare, she was always willing to watch Rosy, giving her dads some down time.
Once the diaper disaster had been cleaned up, Nate finished his shower, dressed, and strapped Rosy into her carrier, resting against his chest and belly. While he grabbed some premixed formula for the diaper bag, Lincoln boxed up the crockpot full of Italian meatballs—their contribution to the big Thanksgivingpotluck at the packhouse. Everyone was required to supply a dish, giving the regular kitchen staff a well-deserved day off.
Nate’s winter coat was large enough to cover both him and Rosy, saving them the hassle of wrapping her in blankets for the short walk. It was cold outside today; the ground nearly covered with patchy, dry snow—carried hither and yon by the wind. RJ and Jonah met them on the path, and they walked together in companionable silence. With less than four weeks to go, Jonah had packed on the weight, already at the waddling stage. Everyone assumed he was carrying multiple pups, (an idea RJ would neither confirm nor deny), though no one knew more than that.
It was warm, crowded, and noisy inside the packhouse, everyone busy chatting, passing babies, and scoping out the various dishes their packmates had brought in. Lincoln placed the crockpot on one of the hot food tables, stashed the box underneath, and went to give Scooter a hand with the baby and diaper bag.
Since Nate’s protective mode hadn’t eased much, Rosy would be staying very close to her parents for this shindig. The poor guy had almost burst a blood vessel when they first presented her to the pack—surrounded by well-meaning people who wanted to touch and scent and generally get too close for Nate’s comfort. They all knew better, but welcoming little ones to the pack was an exciting event, and some folks got careless.
Today, at least, their child would not be the central focus, and that took some of the pressure off. Food and conversation would keep the masses occupied, and if things got hinky, Lincoln might have to call in Granny Melva to run interference. On the far side of the room, Ben and his family, along with Evan’s parents and siblings, joined the party with their own food contributions.Nearly everyone carried something edible, setting it down wherever they could find space.
The Canada contingent had only arrived yesterday, and Lincoln didn’t know who any of them were. Apparently, Evan’s family came to see them on Thanksgiving, while Ben’s relatives joined them around Christmas time. The timing had something to do with winter travel and avoiding snowstorms, which made perfect sense for denizens of the Upper Peninsula or Canada. Lincoln couldn’t imagine having ten siblings plus mates, countless nieces and nephews, and who knew how many cousins! While he and Scooter wanted a good sized family, it wouldn’t be anywhere nearthatbig.
Ben stood on a chair, garnering the crowd’s attention for a brief speech.
“Welcome everyone! There’s plenty of food to go around, and some great desserts stashed away for later. I want to wish all of you a wonderful holiday, and to remind you how much the Gladstone pack has to be thankful for. Be sure to greet Evan’s family and our newest members. Let’s eat!”
And they did, though in a group of shifters this size, no one had to worry about leftovers. Families tended to stay together until everyone had a plate, making sure the kids were well fed before dispersing into the crowd. Since Lincoln and Rosy were still getting acquainted with everyone, they didn’t have to do much roaming. Instead, a constant stream of pack members sought them out for conversation and questions. Jack and his family came to get another peek at little Rosy, and William commented on their recent trip to the courthouse.
“It’s not the most romantic way to get married, but it does the job. RJ and Jonah are the only ones who’ve had a formalwedding, and it was lovely. Lincoln, are you going to keep your last name?”
