Page 39 of Wolf's Midlife Bite

“Good for you,” Nova’s mother said as she picked up her purse and slung the strap over her shoulder. “We decided not to find out the gender of our youngest. Everyone in the family completely freaked out, like it was the strangest thing in the world. I hope you don’t have to deal with that.”

Unclipping the bib from around Nova’s neck, Robin smiled and shook her head. The Glenwoods had been thrilled about the news, and they hadn’t questioned either her or Brody once on their choices. Her own family had been equally excited. They’d welcomed Brody as part of their family, and Robin’s mother was constantly trying to take Robin out shopping for baby clothes. “No. Not at all. Now let’s go get you that sticker, Nova.”

When Robin had brought them to the front desk and Nova was eagerly digging through a big box of stickers to see which one she wanted to bring home, Dr. Sweeney stepped out from seeing her last patient. “Oh, Robin. I wanted to talk to you about something, if you have a moment.”

Robin smiled at her new boss. “Sure.”

“We’re trying to get the vacation calendar filled out for next year. I know things are never certain with babies, but if you could pop into the system and fill out your estimated maternity leave, that would be really helpful. Don’t worry, though. I’m not going to hold you to it if your little one decides to come early or late.” Dr. Sweeney beamed softly as she looked down at Robin’s bump.

“Sure, I can do that.” She couldn’t imagine what it would’ve been like to try to take maternity leave while still working for Dr. Watson. Everything at her new office felt so easy.

“Great, thank you. Oh, and you remember Daniel Fletcher that you saw a few days ago?”

“Of course.” The boy had been absolutely terrified when he’d come in for his cleaning. His mother had mentioned that he was on the autism spectrum and had sensory issues, and it was obvious that she was worried about how it was going to go.

“His mother called me yesterday,” Dr. Sweeney continued. “She wanted to make sure she talked to me personally to let me know what an excellent job you did with Daniel. She said she’d never taken him to any kind of dental appointment and had such a good experience.”

“That’s wonderful to hear.”

“You’re telling me!” her boss said with a laugh. “It’s not always easy to find good people, but I obviously did.”

As Robin finished up for the day and disinfected her exam room, she sighed with satisfaction. It was true that the paychecks here were smaller, but the work was so much more satisfying, and now that Brody had moved into her bungalow, she didn’t have to carry the burden of everything on her own anymore.

A short time later, she heard a deep rumble behind her as she pulled into the garage. Brody parked his bike next to her car and kissed her before she could even get out of the vehicle. “You seem to be in a good mood today,” she noted.

“How could I not be when I get to come home to you? Both of you, actually.” He stroked his hand gently across her belly.

Robin leaned into him for another kiss. Her wolf was content inside of her. In a way, she had to wonder if the pregnancy would’ve felt this fabulous, or if it’d worked to her advantage that she hadn’t been blessed with a baby until now. Yes, she realized as soon as the thought formed, because she wouldn’t have wanted to do this with anyone but Brody. “Even so, you seem happier than usual.”

They stepped into the kitchen, where the homemade chicken stew Brody had put together before he left was simmering in the slow cooker. He lifted the lid and gave it a stir, sending that delectable scent even thicker through the air. “I had a good meeting with Rex and Max this morning, discussing the future of the pack and what we needed to do to make sure everything stayed on track. I have to admit, I actually like this whole third in command thing more than I thought I would.”

Robin smiled to herself. She’d hardly known him for more than a few weeks when he’d gotten that promotion, but even she’d been able to tell it was a badge of honor for him. Ever since, he’d started spending a lot more time at the packhouse, eagerly discussing and suggesting ways they could keep their members safe and happy.

Brody added some extra minced garlic and a sprig of thyme to the stew before replacing the lid. “I also had a great session with the younger wolves today. They’re really excelling in their training, and even the young pups are learning how to work together. It’s such an amazing thing to see how they change as they grow.”

Robin set her purse down and went to the freezer to get a package of dinner rolls, which sounded like the perfect addition to the meal. She turned on the oven to let it warm up. “I imagine you’ll get to see the same thing happening with our little one.”

“Speaking of our little one, that’s probably the other reason I’m so happy. Come here.” He took her by the hand and pulled her into the baby’s room.

Brody had used the second bedroom as a studio when he’d first moved in. There’d been little debate as to where the two of them would live when they decided to move in together since Robin loved her home so much. His easels and extra supplies had been moved to the tattoo shop, the walls had been emptied, and the dark curtains over the windows had been taken down to make way for the nursery.

“I scheduled a day off work and away from the packhouse tomorrow,” he said as he stepped over to several large tote bags that sat on the floor. “This morning, I went down to the hardware store and picked up all of this.”

Robin marveled as she saw the tarp, paint rollers, and masking tape. The gallons of paint were marked on the top with the lovely shade of sage green they’d picked out. Another can of pure white would serve as the trim color. A surge of excitement zipped through her. “You’re going to paint tomorrow?”

“It’s about time since this little one only has a few more months before it’s ready to meet the world,” Brody reasoned. “Besides, we’ll still need to get all the furniture put in and the curtains up. There’s a lot to keep me busy when I’m not working.”

As he rattled on about all the little details he wanted to work on for the nursery, Robin couldn’t believe her luck. Here was a man who cared about her and wanted the best for their little family. He worked hard, and he liked to spend time with his brothers and pack, but Robin and the baby were never far from his mind. He was the very definition of a perfect mate, and she was so glad that they’d found each other.

Brody came around behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, or at least where her waist used to be. His hands rubbed up and down on each side of her belly, and he rested his chin on her shoulder. “You should probably go put your feet up. You’ve been working all day.”

It sounded wonderful, but what she had right there was too good to miss out on. Robin leaned into him and closed her eyes. “So have you.”

“I don’t mind. Oh.” He stopped moving his hands, and he even held his breath as he waited. “There it is again!”

Robin smiled as the baby kicked. “Little One always seems to hold onto its biggest kicks for when you’re around. I think it’ll be a fighter like its daddy.”

He shook his head and nuzzled his face into the side of her neck, dotting kisses along her skin. “Oh, it’s a fighter, all right. But I think it gets that from you.”

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