Page 59 of Claimed By the Cowboys
Chapter 28
Piper
Blankets, blankets, and more blankets. That, and the thought of a scalding hot bath with lots and lots of bubbles, were my only defense against the storm of emotions swirling inside me.
Of all the things that the doctor could have told me was going on with my body, being pregnant was the last possibility on my mind. After a year of trying with Pack Adamar, I hadn’t so much as been late for my period. There was never any doubt that I had never once come close to being pregnant, and it had absolutely gutted me. Up until this morning, I had been certain that I would never have my own children.
The adjustment of my expectations left me more than a little off-balance.
There was excitement too, of course. So many things had already been set in motion with my biting into Pack Blackwood. The pack suite expansion, more dedicated play space for Maisie, and many more plans that the pack had only begun to dream up. I thought of Maisie, of her little arms helping to cradle the baby. How gentle she was with all her dolls and the animals on the farm, how lovingly she tended to them all. I could almost see her, proud to show off her growing reading skills, giving grandperformances ofPat the BunnyandGoodnight Moonto her future baby brother or sister.
Driven by nervous energy, I picked up a stack of pillows and moved them from one end of the room to the other. Dumbly, I realized this must be the sixth or seventh time I’d moved the same darn stack of pillows, so I picked up a large fuzzy white blanket and wrapped myself in it so that only my face stuck out from the fleecy fur bundle as I waddled toward a pile of tufted pillows on the far end of the bed.
Still, it was a lot for me to assume on Maisie’s part. The guys and I were still planning the details of how we were going to break the news of my bonding to Maisie—how exactly to explain that I was now a forever part of Pack Blackwood without overwhelming the little lamb. Adding the announcement of a new baby on top of my addition to the family might make Maisie worry about where she fits in it all, which would be the last thing I wanted.
I wriggled out of my blanket cocoon, too antsy to stay still. I tossed the fuzzy blanket onto the small pile before I began laying pillows like brick in a circular pattern around the small mound of my hub of collected blankies.
Of course, there was also the matter of word of mouth in the small town of Sweetwater Springs. We had been doing our best to keep things relatively on the down-low with my hidden bonding bites and our distinct lack of PDA when out and about in town or in front of the other ranch hands.
Soon enough, there wouldn’t be any hiding what’s been going on here at Blackwood Ranch. I laid my hand fondly over my lower belly thoughtfully as I imagined becoming full, round, and glowing—like the moon.
Then it hit me again with a warm and comforting glow deep in my core—I waspregnant. Something I had dreamed about and hoped for, cried myself to sleep over so many nights, andnow it had finally happened with a wonderful pack. No,mywonderful pack. We were bonded. We had made a vow to do this together, to do life together.
I felt them along the bond just a moment before they appeared in the doorway, Zeke elbowing his way past Clayton and the twins so he could get a good look at me.
“Hey, sunshine, you doing okay?” Montana asked sweetly.
“I’m—I’m just…” I stammered, not quite able to get the words out, my brain a wash of feelings and new body chemistry.
“You’re gonna be just fine, duchess,” Clay said, his arms welcoming me to him.
“She probably needs a little skin-to-skin time,” Dakota chimed in helpfully, he and Zeke racing to see who could get themselves out of their shirts first.
Montana helped me step out of my sundress as Clay helped pull Zeke’s shirt over my head, the worn red cotton swimming on me in pools of soft fabric.
Fuzzy-brained, I climbed into the pile of pillows and blankets, nestling myself between Zeke and Kota. Their juicy prickly pear and cool fresh rain scents washed over me, calming me as I lay my head against Dakota’s chest, Zeke pressed against my back, gently stroking my hair.
Slowly, my heart rate decreased, my breathing evened, and my loud, racing thoughts began to quiet and still.
As Clay and Montana crawled their way into the pillows and blankets, my arms stretched out to them, even if I couldn’t form the words.
“It’s all right, everything is gonna be all right,” Clay comforted me as he scooped me up in his arms and pulled me across the gulf of pillows and blankets so that my head rested in his lap, my legs stretched over Dakota’s. “You just take a little while to have a breather, duchess—we got you.”
It was so peaceful lying there like that, Clay running his fingers through my hair and tracing the occasional thumb over my worried brow, and Montana gently stroking my knee. Both of them taking turns lovingly laying a hand over my belly. I drifted off to sleep for a few minutes, allowing my frazzled nerves a break.
When my eyes fluttered open, my pack gathered around me, and I felt much more clearheaded, like I finally had found the words I’d needed to say.
“Hey there, pretty girl.” Dakota smiled, scooting in closer as I sat up between Clay and Montana.
“How was your little nap?” Zeke beamed, reaching forward to pinch a bit of my sleeve—his T-shirt—giving it an affectionate tug before he leaned in to peck my lips.
“Much needed.” I yawned and stretched, raking my fingers through my hair before I sat back and appreciated a good look at my pack.
“I’m sorry I got so overwhelmed back there,” I sighed, drawing my knees up to my chest as I gathered my strength to explain myself.
“But you have to understand,” I began, swallowing hard. “The pack I had been courting—they desperately wanted heirs to their businesses. Their fortunes. I mean, how could you blame them?” I explained as my hands moved widely in time with my words as my nerves built once again.
“I certainly didn’t, and I wanted to be a mother so badly. I was eager to start a family as soon as possible. So, we all agreed that I would go off my birth control, and we’d start trying,” I continued, tears welling in my eyes as I prepared myself to say the words.
