35. Chapter Thirty-Five

Chapter Thirty-Five

Bennett

Me: Seth!

Me: Seth!

Unanswered call.

Me: Seth, answer your mother fucking phone right now!

Me: Seth, I swear to the Goddess I will make Wade my new best friend!

Seth: B…it's like way too early

Me: Your nephew doesn't care. I'm in labor!

My phone rang in my hand, halting the text I had been furiously typing.

"Seth, I need you!"

"B, what the fuck!" Seth hissed, and I heard the soft click of a door. "You said this wouldn't happen! You said I could go out of town and enjoy New Year's Eve."

"Well, my water broke, so the party's over." I sniped, gritting my teeth as my stomach tightened in preparation for another contraction. They had been steady for the last hour. When it eased off, I sighed in relief, then shook my head when Shay offered me another ice chip. I swore the man was just trying to make me numb from the inside out with all the ice chips he was pushing at me.

Our baby, who Lily had assured me at our last appointment was still snug as a bug, and making no effort to make an early appearance, had decided to throw up his middle finger with a gigantic FU. My labor had started early this morning, New Year's Day. Of course, I had assured Seth he could go out of town, to ring in the New Year at a fancy hotel in Hollow Ridge, that was having a New Year's Eve special package.

"Dammit!" Seth whined, and I heard a rustling sound, then what sounded like him hopping, before the phone clattered against a hard surface and did what sounded like a few bounces. "Fuck! Shit! Damn!"

"Seth," pinching the bridge of my nose, I tried to stay calm. "I need you!"

"B, I'm coming, but you know I am hours away," he growled, having retrieved his phone from where he had dropped it, "where's your boo thang?"

Pursing my lips together tightly, I ordered, "Please refrain from referring to Shay as my ‘boo thang' ever again. "

Shay's brows rose all the way to his hairline, and he scowled down into the cup of ice he was holding.

"The baby isn't due for almost three weeks, he said," Seth muttered into the phone, "Go to Hollow Ridge and celebrate New Year's Eve, he said. I'm not having this baby anytime soon, he said."

"Seth!" My tone was as sharp as a knife and had Shay sitting up straight in the chair next to my hospital bed. Even Chelsea, who was the most kickass labor and delivery nurse in the hospital, tossed me a what-the-fuck look from where she was checking something on my monitor.

"My water broke a couple of hours ago, and I'm absolutely, positively in labor. Lily is out of town and Finn says it is definitely happening. Today. Finn! And no, it's not fucking weird as hell that my ex-landlord is delivering my baby and being all up in my private business. Or that my best friend is hungover in a hotel room, hundreds of miles away, because he had to get some ‘new alpha dick' . It's fine. I'm fine. Everything is fine. All fine." My voice rose to an octave I had never heard before.

"Anytime you use that many fines in a sentence, you are not fine, Bennett."

"Did you miss me telling you I-am-having-the-baby? I need you here to hold my hand, Dammit!"

"Isn't holding your hand Shay's job?" Seth snapped back. "He went all territorial in Lamaze class."

"Let the Lamaze class go, Seth! I have two hands!" I wailed at the top of my lungs. "And I need you holding one of them! I don't care if you get twelve speeding tickets getting here, just do it!" With that declaration, I hung up on my soon-to-be-replaced best friend .

"Benne–" Shay started to say something but Chelsea's vehemently shaking head, and violent hand gestures to abort, made him think better of it, and he snapped his jaw shut.

Silently I mouthed, three, two, one …smiling in triumph when my phone rang.

"I'm leaving a note for this fine as fuck Latino alpha, getting my stuff from my room, and checking out," Seth whispered, no doubt so he didn't wake up the fine as fuck Latino alpha . "Do not have that baby before I get there, B. First babies take like forever, and I expect this one to abide by the rules. He is not allowed to be born before his Uncle Seth gets there."

"Love you, Sethy."

"Love you too, B."

Why the fuck had I thought natural childbirth was a good idea?

There was nothing natural about the way my body was trying to be ripped in two by a ridiculously large sized human. Why was Shay so tall with such wide shoulders? Goddess help me, this baby felt like he was already the size of a linebacker, trying to fit through a hole way too small for him .

Panting against the pain, I shook my head, trying to evade Shay's hands. He was making a valiant effort to try to wipe my forehead, and to push the sweat soaked fringes of my bangs back from where they flopped into my eyes.

"No touching!" Not sure who's deep, growly voice that was but it wasn't mine.

Shay flinched, ducking his head, but not before I saw the telling twitch of his lips.

"Don't…laugh…at…me…" My words were punctuated by harsh pants. "My…skin…feels…weird."

The sweat he'd been trying to helpfully mop off my brow slid down, stinging my eyes. "Get…it…out…of…my…eyes!"

Shay's lips quirked. "Just to clarify, now I can touch you?"

Baring my teeth at him, I snarled, "Yes! Wipe!"

"You're doing great, Bennett," Chelsea, told me with a wide smile. She was on the opposite side of me from Shay, where Seth should be, carefully watching the monitor in between coaching me with encouraging words.

"Almost time to push, Bennett," Finn declared from his spot between my splayed wide legs. These stirrups were surely made for someone taller, because my legs were spread wider than I had ever managed to get them during sex, and I was pretty damn flexible.

"Where's…Seth?" Panting, my eyes were glued to the closed door. Chelsea went about getting things ready for my delivery and Shay squeezed my hand reassuringly. Or maybe I was squeezing his? The slightly pained expression on Shay's face and his tightly gritted teeth told me that was likely the case.

"He's on his way, sweetheart," Shay pushed the sweaty hair back from my forehead, "No one expected you to go into labor on New Year's Day. You know he was a couple of hours away," he reminded me softly.

Honestly, the man had been super calm from the moment I had woken him up to tell him my water had broken. He had helped me shower and get into clean clothes, made sure the bags were in the car. Taken care of waking up Albert and Maria and carried a sleeping Lucas next door, so they could watch him for us. He'd even called Asher on the way to the hospital to tell him we were having the baby and asked him and Gabe to check on the Santos', in case they needed anything.

He held my hand, fed me ice chips, wiped my brow, let me be irrational and snap his head off, and not once had he complained or lost his temper. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect alpha.

Shaking my head vehemently, I moaned, "Can't…do...this without…him… here."

Some kind of silent, secret code passed between Finn and Shay.

Finn gave a small shake of his head before instructing me. "Next contraction, I need you to push, Bennett. I know you want Seth here, but I'm afraid this baby isn't going to wait any longer."

My contractions felt like they were coming one on top of the other, with barely any time in between for me to take a breath. Feeling my stomach tighten with the next contraction, Chelsea and Shay held onto me as I prepared to push with everything I had.

Pushing the baby out meant the pain would stop, and then I could have some lovely painkillers.

Just my luck when I had decided that maybe going the whole natural childbirth route wasn't for me, my labor had progressed past the point of no return.

"Okay, push for the count of ten," Finn ordered .

Halfway through my pushing, grunting, growling, the hospital room door banged open, hitting the wall loudly.

"I'm here, I'm here, I made it!" Seth ran into the room, panting. "Fucking hell, my eyes! I did not need to see that. Bennett! I love you, but I've just seen more of you than I ever needed to see!"

When I heard Chelsea say ten in my ear, I lay back gratefully, panting. Squinting my eyes at Seth as he hurried over to take his place by my side. He nearly body checked Chelsea to move her out of his way. She grunted, smacking him on the back of his head playfully, then wrinkled her nose.

"Goddess, Seth, you reek." She waved her hand in front of her nose, as she moved to the end of the bed where all the action was taking place. At some point, more nurses had joined the party, bringing with them a bassinet and who knew what else.

Squinting at Seth, I took a good look at him. His eyeliner was smeared, and there were still traces of glittery shadow on one of his lids and across one cheekbone. His lips were dark red and swollen, and if I wasn't mistaken, he had beard burn running down his jawline. There was definitely a bright red hickey on the side of his neck. His hair looked like a bird had used it as its nest. It was wild, going every direction, matted and tangled. Getting a whiff of his pungent aroma, my eyes watered.

"You smell like sex. A lot of sex. Sooo much sex."

Blowing me a kiss, he snarked, "Don't be jelly. It's not my fault my nephew has inconsiderate as hell timing. We'll be having a chat about that when he gets here."

"You made good progress with that push, Bennett," Finn broke up our little tete-a-tete. "A couple more pushes like that and you'll have your baby in your arms. "

It took exactly three more pushes, along with a lot of shouting from me, Shay, and Seth, before I felt the immense pressure stop and an angry wail filled the room.

Flopping against the pillows, I was wrung out. Dazed, dizzy, and filled with so much joy. Laughing hysterically at the absolutely pissed off baby screams that echoed through the room. Had there ever been a more beautiful sound?

Shay rested his forehead against mine, whispering, "He's here. He's really here. You were amazing, baby."

Within seconds, a wet, red, squirming, still attached by his cord, screaming baby was laid on my bare chest. Staring down at him in wonder, tears of happiness slipped from my eyes. Touching his cheek tenderly, his head full of dark hair, his tiny back, I just stared at him. Not quite believing he was finally here. That he was real.

"He's beautiful, B," Seth's voice was awe-struck. "You did good."

"Shay," Finn called, "wanna cut the cord?"

Shay moved so fast he made me laugh. Which I instantly regretted, because ow . But I loved watching his face as he cut the cord that connected the baby to me. His eyes were shining, brimming with love, as he slid onto the bed beside me. Gently cradling the baby's back with his big hand over mine, protecting, as we both just looked our fill at the tiny miracle we had made.

Chelsea came over with a gentle smile. "We're just going to take him to clean him up and get his measurements and APGAR. He'll be right over there, and you can see us the whole time."

I frowned because I didn't want to let them take him off my chest. By the slight tightening of Shay's hand over mine, I knew he felt the same. Chelsea, bless her, knew exactly how to scoop the baby from our hands without looking like she was prying him away from us. "Does this little one have a name?"

Shay and I looked at each other, smiling. "Brodie. His name is Brodie. Brodie Cian Pierce."

At Shay's look, I just gave him a small shrug. We had been undecided on the middle name, not finding anything we both liked. But I had stumbled upon Cian, and I had loved one of the meanings. Enduring one. It was a nod to all Shay had endured to get to where he was now. To get to this place where our little one existed. "Do you like it?"

He nodded, all the while keeping one eye on the nurses who were busy fussing with the baby. He wasn't letting Brodie out of his sight for one second. "I do."

"Brodie?" Seth muttered, wrinkling his nose. "Sounds like a surfer. Did Josh from The Sweet Spot come up with it? Because it sounds like something Josh would suggest."

"We agreed on it together," Shay settled me snuggly against his side.

"Mmmm," was Seth's only response.

Finn finished doing whatever he was doing still perched between my legs, and one of the nurses settled the blankets over my waist, while yet another put the bed back to rights, removing the stirrups. I had no idea when so many hospital staff had entered my room, not caring about anything but pushing Brodie out.

"Everything looks good, Bennett," Finn told me with one of his rare smiles. "You did great, and the baby is gorgeous and healthy. Congratulations, you two. I'll give Lily a call and let her know. And order you some pain meds," he added with a wink.

"Please, yes," I sighed, leaning back against the pillows. Now that the euphoria of giving birth and seeing our baby was healthy, my body was loudly letting me know I had just given birth without pain meds.

Marking that idea off in the never-doing-that-again box.

"Thank you," Shay stood from the bed, trying not to jostle me too much, and shook Finn's hand.

Finally, we were handed Brodie back, and it was just the four of us, including Seth. He stood up from the chair beside my bed he was sprawled in, stretched and yawned broadly. "I'm gonna go to the cafeteria and find some food. You want something?"

"Yes! Anything, I'm starving." My stomach growled loudly, as if to remind me I hadn't eaten since dinner the night before.

"I'll see what I can scrounge up," Seth smiled warmly down at Brodie, who was snuggled in Shay's arms, sleeping peacefully. "If I can't find anything good, I'll pick up from the diner."

"Ohhh," I moaned, "pancakes. Please. And bacon."

Shay nodded, managing to reach for his wallet while not waking the baby. "I second that. Here," he held out some bills to Seth, who waved his hand away and shook his head.

"Nope, this one's on me." Bending down, he placed a sweet kiss on the top of Brodie's head, then waggled his fingers at us. "I shall return with sustenance."

Shay returned to his spot next to me on the bed, still holding Brodie. Snuggling against his side, I just stared at our baby, hardly believing he was here. Shay jostled us a bit, and I realized he had his phone up, snapping a selfie of the three of us.

A huge yawn escaped me, and I covered my mouth. "Sorry."

Shay kissed the top of my head. "Go to sleep. I'll wake you when the food is here. How's your pain? Do you need anything? Should I call a nurse? "

Smiling at his hurried sentences, I burrowed closer to his heat and delicious scent. Resting my head on his chest, I murmured, "I'm good, but thank you for taking care of me."

Another yawn escaped me, and I closed my eyes and drifted off, secure with my alpha and our pup next to me.

"He's so tiny," Lucas looked up from where his eyes had been glued to Brodie. He was sitting in the rocker in the room, holding the baby while Shay supported Brodie's tiny head and hovered over both his boys.

"He'll grow faster than you can blink," I assured him, thinking that eight pounds of baby was more than enough to push out.

Maria hugged me tightly. "He's beautiful, Bennett. I'm so happy for you both."

Asher echoed the sentiments, staring down at the baby in Lucas's arms with the same look of awe Shay was still wearing. In fact, I'd barely gotten to hold Brodie yet. Shay had woken me from my nap when Seth had returned with the food, his hair combed, and his face cleaned of his streaked makeup .

Right after we had finished eating, a nurse had come in to take my vitals and check me over, and then our family had arrived, all wanting turns holding the baby.

"Is he going to cry a whole bunch?" Lucas wanted to know, and all the adults in the room chuckled.

Gabe was trying to corral the twins, who were busy trying to open everything in the room that could be opened. Seth snatched Tristan up as he ran past him and tickled him to distract him from the fact that he had been caught.

Gabe mouthed a thank you, as he swung Rafe up into his arms, and popped him on his hip. "No running around the room like wild children."

"He's going to cry," I answered Lucas with a soft smile, shifting on the bed to try to get comfortable. The pain wasn't too terrible, but I was achy, and my hole was throbbing dully. "When he's hungry, or needs a diaper change, or any other reason he's unhappy. He can't talk yet, so that's the only way he can get our attention."

Lucas nodded, turning to stare down at his brother. Brodie was awake, and I figured he would be getting hungry soon. For now, he seemed content to stare up at Lucas.

"When will we know if he's a tiger or a wolf?" Lucas peppered us with more questions. "Or an alpha, beta, or omega?"

Shay chuckled, "It will be a while before he can shift. A couple of years. But we should know his designation before we leave the hospital. They have a blood test to determine that."

Lucas frowned fiercely, looking down at Brodie. "They stuck him with a needle? That's just mean. He's just a baby."

"He won't remember it," Shay assured him, reaching to take the baby from his arms, and bringing him over to me. I reached for him hungrily, loving the weight of him in my arms. The sweet baby scent of him as I nuzzled his soft cheek with my nose.

"So boo thang," Seth narrowed his eyes at Shay, and I narrowed my eyes at Seth, "when are you going to mate claim my bestie here?"

Shay sucked in air sharply, his face losing all its color. He shook his head, "I…I can't…" his chest was heaving, his breathing way too fast. "I…Bennett, I'm sorry, but I can't do that."

The room got tensely quiet, as Seth stood, one hip cocked out and his hand planted on it. "What? Bennett is good enough to knock up, but not claim? I knew all that fated mates bullshit was just that."

"Seth!" My voice was sharp, and I sat up in the bed, wincing. "That is enough. Do not cross that line. I'm warning you."

Seth looked contrite, and tears shimmered in his eyes. "I'm just watching out for you, B."

"I know," reaching a hand to him, he grasped it tightly and squeezed hard, "and I love you and appreciate you for it. But this is too far, okay? If, and when, Shay and I take that step, it will be a decision we discuss together. Alone."

Seth nodded his understanding, then offered a weak sorry to my mate. Shay just nodded, his chin rubbing against my shoulder, but said nothing. Grasping his hand in mine, I felt the slight trembling.

Gabe, bless him, announced to the room, "I think we should let the new parents have some time to themselves. The twins are getting restless, and we promised Lucas a movie night."

I would be forever grateful for Gabe's uncanny ability to manage people in a way that looked like he wasn't managing them.

Seth gave me a hug, saying he was going to catch up on his sleep, and Maria and Albert both hugged Shay and me. After everyone had filed out and we were blissfully alone, I sighed with relief.

"You okay?" Shay frowned, as he slid into the bed with me once more after seeing everyone out. I was so thankful the hospital had chosen the extra-wide birthing beds, made so an alpha could sleep next to their mate.

Nodding, I unfastened the side of my hospital gown, as Brodie began to fuss loudly. "Perfect, just glad for a minute for it to just be us." Brodie rooted around my nipple before latching on tightly and began sucking.

"Me too." Shay's heat engulfed my side, and I leaned into him. "Not that I'm not happy to see our family, but I'm glad for this time with you and him."

"Mmmm," I murmured, watching as Brodie nursed. The room was quiet, the only sounds were Brodie's soft suckling noises, when Shay broke the silence.

"Bennett," Shay shifted on the bed until he was facing me, his blue eyes troubled and haunted, "it's not that I don't want to mate claim you. I just…can't." His shoulders rose almost to his ears when he said the words mate claim , a tremor running down the length of his body.

"I know," smiling softly at him, I shifted Brodie to my shoulder, lightly patting his back so he would burp.

"It's just after Edward," he looked away, staring at the floor, "and breaking the bond, going through the procedures to break it and all it meant…letting Edward claim me–us claiming each other–it became a chain that bound me to him. I get almost sick to my stomach when I think about mate claiming anyone again."

Switching Brodie to my other nipple, I laid my hand over Shay's still shaking one. "Shay, I understand. I get it. You're not ready, and I'm fine with that. "

His eyes were sad, his lips a thin line. "I might not ever be ready though, Bennett. I'm trying. I'm working on it, but it's a trigger for me. I'm sorry. I love you. More than I've ever loved anyone in my life, and I want to give you…the whole world. But I don't know if I'll ever be able to give you that."

"Shay, I know that. It's not something I would ever ask you to do until you are ready." Leaning forward, I placed a soft, chaste kiss against his lips. "And if you are never ready for a claiming, it won't change how I feel. Are you mine?"

Nodding, he whispered, "I'm yours. Only yours."

"And is Lucas mine?"

"He is."

Staring down at Brodie's sleepy eyes as he nursed, I could see ourselves in him already. My dark hair and Shay's bright blue eyes, that I hoped wouldn't change. My nose and Shay's lips. This was all I needed.

"That's all I need," I told him, "you and our boys. That's all I need. I don't need a mark on my neck for the world to see to know that we belong to each other. I love you, and I love Lucas, and I love this little one. Our perfect little family."

"You deserve the world," Shay told me, the sadness lingering in his eyes.

"I have the world. You've given me the world."