AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Sure. Just let me finish with this one and I’ll grab you a bottle.”
Allie stroked a fingertip down the puppy’s back. “Their mouths are like a suction cup. I’m so glad you’re here to help them, but I’m super sad they lost their mom.”
“You and me, both. It’s better for pups and fosters to have the mom, but we’re going to do our best for these babies and make sure they get a good start to life since their mom can’t be with them.”
I guided her through feeding the third pup and Allie started crying out of nowhere.
“Hey, it’s okay.” I brushed her tears away and kissed her temple.
“They’re too precious. I can’t help it.”
“I’m never going to ask you to help it. It’s sweet that you already love them so much.”
“How am I supposed to get anything done with my day, knowing they’re here?”
“Don’t look at me,” I said. “I have zero objections to you spending all your free time with the puppies.”
She sniffled. “Little angels. Thank you for sharing this with me.”
“Anytime, kitten.”
Sidney was endlessly patient as he gave me a crash course on puppy care. Mama dogs were even more impressive now that I knew how much work it was keeping babies alive. I was happy to do the work, though. I spent all afternoon staring at them through the glass of the incubator, beside myself with emotion each time feeding time came round and I got to give them their bottles. I was pretty sure this would be excellent training to prepare for having my own babies. A human baby would feel just as delicate, but definitely way bigger and less prone to being smooshed.
Motherhood wasn’t something I wanted for myself for quite a while but I could imagine Sidney being just as sweet with his own babies, rocking them to sleep and bottle-feeding them so I could rest. It was such an adorable vision in my head that I sniffled and pressed my lips together to keep from crying.
“What’s wrong?” Sidney asked, gathering me close.
I blubbered out my reasoning and buried my face against his chest. In any other circumstance I never would’ve even contemplated babies with my partner this soon, but it was impossible not to think of the future with him.
“Are these happy or sad tears?”
“I don’t know!” I wailed. My chest was tight and my throat was thick, the potential of our entire future and all of the emotions from the last few weeks trying to escape at once.
“What can I do?” he asked, stroking a soothing hand over my hair.
“I would tell you if I knew.” I huffed his scent, sweet citrus and clove filling my nose and soothing down the wildest eddies of my feelings. We had so much time. I didn’t need to think about this now, didn’t need to worry about anything except getting to know him. The problem was that I kept feeling like I did know everything I needed to know.
Stupid bond.
It soothed me as much as it frustrated me because I knew it was impossible to escape even if I wanted to, knew that flaws we each had would be glossed over, that issues we might need to work through would be muted until the bond finally calmed. That usually only took a few months, but who knew if that would be the case with this one? Nothing about our bond was normal, so who was to say whether or not it would follow the same pattern as regular ones?
“Do you think the bond might put me into a surprise heat again?” I asked, my fingers latched into his shirt.
“I have no idea. I think the whole point of the ideal mates thing is to trigger the heat to force the bond. I don’t know why it would force an additional heat afterward.”
“But we don’t know anything about it. What if this weird trick of biology isn’t satisfied with just a bond. What if it wants babies too? I read novels where that happens!”
“Were those paranormal?”
“They were alien romance, but my point still stands.”
Sidney laughed. “Well, as informative as I’m sure those novels were on certain things, I don’t think you have the same biology, so I wouldn’t worry too much. If you’re concerned, though, we can talk to the clinic and get you on some long-term suppressants. Or I can just get regular doses of birth control so that even if you do have a spontaneous heat again, there’s no chance of babies.”
“You’re being so logical.”
“I’m just trying to make you feel better. If you’re afraid of a surprise heat and having babies before you’re ready, it’s not hard for us to take steps to prevent that.”
I snuggled tighter against him, following his breath with my own, listening to his heartbeat so that mine might feel compelled to match it and calm the hell down. He was right, and I knew that, but it didn’t quite quiet the panicked whisper in the back of my brain.
