Page 65 of Galaxy Between Us

Chapter XXVIII

“Shh, it’s okay,” I mutter to my daughter as she shrieks incessantly in my ear.

Arius is upstairs, finally painting the wall. We haven’t had a chance to leave the house in days as the first few baby scares hit us hard. Luna sounded like she was having trouble breathing. Raul rushed over, only to tell us she was a little congested which is normal.

We installed a few humidifiers around the house and that seemed to help her sleep better. After that, we noticed a rash on her leg. I thought the absolute worse, and Ari stressed himself into nesting which I couldn’t even join him for. It was agonizing for both of us. While Ari stayed home to handle himself, careful of his healing body, I rushed over to Raul with the baby.

He said the rash was common and recommended gentle laundry detergent. After giving Luna some soothing ointment, the rash cleared up within days, and everything was fine for what felt like minutes.

Then, she was crying more than usual, and we thought something was wrong. That maybe she was in pain. Again, Raul was here in a flash, giving her a check-up and reminding us that sometimes babies cry for the hell of it.

Cradling her in my arms looking worse for wear with my tattered pajamas and messy hair, I try every toy and pacifier before giving up and bringing her upstairs. As she wails, I poke my head into the nursery, getting a whiff of paint as Ari rolls the purple liquid up and down the wall.

“Babe, I think she’s hungry.”

His shoulders slump and he turns to me with an exhausted sigh. Milk stains the front of his shirt, seeping through from his agitated nipples.

“Please, no, I’m so fucking sore. Is she ready for formula yet?”

I shake my head, “Couple more weeks.”

“It wouldn’t kill us to try it now,” he grumbles, setting down the roller.

“Yeah, but…it’s healthier if it comes from you for as long as possible.”

“That’s a myth, Knox.”

“Okay, but it sounds healthier.”

Looking unconvinced, he scoops our wailing infant into his arms.

“What time is it?” he yawns through the sentence, walking her to our room.

“It’s got to be like eleven? Maybe twelve?” I scratch the stubble on my chin as he places her in the bassinet beside our bed, resting her next to the stuffed bear my mom bought her.

Peeling our eyes off the baby for one second, we both glance at the alarm clock on the nightstand.

“Damn,” I mutter as the red letters display four in the morning. “Is that correct?”

“I don’t even know what day it is, babe,” Ari mumbles, stretching his neck. “Oh! Here!” he picks up a bottle of milk we must’ve forgotten about beside the alarm clock.

“It’s only half full,” I point out over Luna’s hungry whines.

With an irritable whine, Ari sits on the bed with his back against the headboard. He reaches for his breast pump, pouting through the demanding task as he peels off his shirt, handing it to me so I can fetch him a clean one.

Would it be weird to say that I like the smell of it? Nobody warned me that lactating is oddly hot, but I’ve kept the thought to myself since I know Arius finds it absolutely taxing on his healing body.

His tired eyes fall closed as he attaches the mechanisms to his nipples, letting the pump milk him repetitively. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I quietly watch the white liquid seep into the tubes and slowly fill the bottle while I massage his legs.

I could just lean forward and lap up the warm drops from his puffy nipples, but I know it wouldn’t taste as good as it looks. At least, not for a grown ass Alpha. I’ll keep fantasizing about it, though.

He wakes up once it’s done, moving to get up and warm the fresh drink for our picky daughter, but I lightly push him back down and help him detach the pump.

“Let me go warm it up. You get some rest,” I hand him a fresh shirt, accepting the bottle from him and a kiss.

He nods with a wide yawn and crawls under the covers while Luna sputters and whines. If he saw my erection, he doesn’t call me out on it. Not like we can do anything about it anyway.

By the time I return from the kitchen, my mate is sleeping heavily. Very quietly, I pick up Luna and let her drink, deeply relieved when it calms her down. Even more blessed when she doesn’t spit it up for once. The sun is already crawling up behind the clouds as I lay her to bed in the bassinet and tuck her in. Growing tired after her meal, she drifts off, wiggling in a cozy pile of baby blankets.