Page 56 of A Baby for the Beast
He strokes my cheek once more before turning his full attention to whatever's happening at my backside. The nurse comes over to me, offering me a sip of water and dabbing my forehead with a towel.
"You did so well, Hayley," she tells me, making so many of my worries fade away. My daughter is still screeching behind me, but the sound moves closer, until a tiny, perfect, kind of gross-looking baby girl is held in my alpha's hands right where I can see them both.
"She's beautiful," Lucas says, this time unable to hide his emotions.
"Let's get Mom rolled over so she can bond, and then we'll take baby to get cleaned up," Doctor Jansen says.
The nurse helps me to roll over and props me up with the bed tilted. Lucas moves so slowly with our daughter, looking like he's scared that he's going to break her if he moves too quickly or in the wrong way. My breasts are out for everyone to see, but this isn't a sexy moment. No, Lucas places our daughter against my chest, her tiny screeches starting to settle as my purr comes out soft and content.
"Perfect girls," Lucas murmurs, his fingers skating over our daughter's back before he cups my cheek. "My perfect girls."
"Yours," I nod, wiping away at the fresh tears spilling down my face. "All yours."
***
As far as I'm aware, Lucas's in-laws and my parents have been in the waiting room for the last couple of hours, waiting for us to let them back in here to come check on us and meet the baby. Too bad for them, I'm perfectly content to keep both Lucas and Tessie all to myself for the next, oh, eighteen years. I'd say longer, but she'll be an adult by then. I doubt I can keep her all to myself when she's an adult.
Lucas hasn't stopped purring since he came in. He also hasn't changed. Henry has clothes for Lucas and our bag of supplies, but he hasn't been allowed back here yet either. Tessie is fast asleep on my chest again. She used Lucas as a pillow after she was brought back to us after her cleaning, but I wanted her back almost immediately, and Lucas didn't argue. In fact, he looks content to just lean against the bed, his hands on both of us as he watches.
"We should probably let them come back here," I grumble.
"We don't have to do anything," Lucas says. "I'll tell them all to fuck off right this second."
I giggle, shaking my head. He'd do it, too. If it were for me, I don't think there's anything he wouldn't do. "No, we really should let them back here. Will you ask the nurse if it's okay?"
Lucas sighs because he doesn't want to leave the two of us, but he nods before helping me to sit up. I keep Tessie pressed against my chest and get up from the bed to place her in the bassinet the hospital provided us with. I swaddle Tessie up just like I was taught and have been practicing on and off for the last nine months. Lucas stays right behind me, watching over my shoulder, a hand on my lower back as we both admire our sweet little girl.
"Do you want anything else?" Lucas asks me, pressing his lips to his bite. "Food, a drink, anything?"
"I'm good, but if you want to go change, I understand," I tell him reaching behind me and feeling the soft, sheeny fabric of his shorts.
While I do love my alpha in his fighting clothes, which means a lack of clothing, I do know I'm an omega who just had her baby. I don't need anyone else lusting over my mate while I need him in the nest with me and our babe.
So, in case he tries not to go and change because he wants to be here sooner, I add, "Please go change. I get jealous when the nurses come to check on us."
His purr hiccups, a laugh bubbling in his chest. "I'll change."
I stay right beside our daughter as Lucas leaves the room. I smile, inhaling deeply, and my eyes go wide when the scent of lemons fills my nose. I inhale again, lifting my armpit to see if my sense of smell has finally returned. Lemons and citrus fill my nostrils, and I beam, leaning down to sniff at my daughter. She smells faintly of citrus, and I purr in satisfaction at her smelling like me.
There's a soft little knock on the door, and as it cracks open, the scent of sweet peppermint fills my nostrils, and my mind screams,"Mine."
I purr some more, thinking Lucas has come back because he's forgotten something. My body, thankfully, doesn't respond because I'm still sore from just pushing out this eight-pound baby.
"Alpha, I swear if I've been missing out–" I stop speaking when Henry steps into the room, my mouth going dry, my eyes turning into saucers.
No, fuck no. I step between Tessie and the door, my whole body starting to shake. How is this my luck? How am I scent matching Henry of all alphas?
I don't want him, and he sure as shit doesn't want me. He hasn't responded to my scent once. Oh, this is some fuckingcruel irony if I went through all of this just for my scent match to be Henry of all people.
"Hayley, what's wrong?" Henry steps toward me, Sarah at his side, and I bare my teeth at him.
Okay, my emotions are definitely clouding my judgment because all that does is ensure Henry knows something's wrong. I inhale again, unable to stop myself, and he catches the action. His brows tugging together before realization dawns on him, and his eyes go just as wide behind his glasses as his cheeks turn scarlet.
"Get out," I tell him, my voice barely above a whisper.
I can reject him. It'll be easy enough since he's perfectly happy with Sarah, and he's Lucas's brother. What isn't going to be easy is explaining to Lucas that his twin brother is my scent match. What terrible, terrible luck.
"Hayley, it's not me," Henry says, holding his hands up, stepping behind Sarah.
