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ChapterEighteen
Briar
“What the hell is this thing?” Wells asked as he inspected the toasted ravioli in his hand. I rolled my eyes at their dramatics. Graham ended up being the only one who’d had them, so when I asked if we could find some, he took it upon himself to make them for me instead.
“Just eat it,” I told him as I bit off half of mine and chewed, moaning at how fucking good it tasted.
“Well, how could I resist? What baby wants, baby gets,” Graham said, resting a hand on my bump. A fluttering movement went through my stomach, and he gasped, looking up at me. It happened again, the baby kicking even harder this time. The feeling of the baby’s movements was so strange but amazing, and we stared down in wonder as my stomach moved with it. I’d felt smaller movements for a bit, but this was a full-on kick.
“The baby’s kicking!” I grinned at the others, laughing when they all tripped over each other to reach me.
“Feed him more ravioli!” Miles demanded playfully, his hand resting right next to Graham’s. I dutifully popped the last of my piece in my mouth and chewed, a rumble of satisfaction going through me. The baby moved again in response, and seeing the look in their eyes as they watched the movement was everything.
Beckham teared up as he watched and let out an adorable ‘aww.’ He’d been buying small things for the baby here and there, but this made it all the more real for him. Tallon’s mouth hung open in a mix of awe and horror. Watching the ripple go through my skin could be a bit unnerving, I guess. Miles found it amusing, laughing in fascination as he stared at my stomach. This was the moment I’d wished for when I found out I was pregnant. I thought I’d miss out on sharing all of these special moments with them, yet here I was, surrounded by an amazing pack. As if he could read my thoughts, Ellis smiled lovingly at me. Even Wells was showing emotion, pure happiness radiating from him.
This is what my pregnancy should have been like from the beginning.
For a moment, I let myself wonder what it would have been like if I’d met them first, if one of them was the baby’s biological father. I could see it now—me coming out with the announcement, being met with shouts of joy and kisses. It would have been a true celebration, not the awful scenario that I’d actually been through.
“Hey, what’s the sadness for?” Beckham asked. His smile faltered, and I quickly tucked away my regrets.
“I’m sorry. I just was so happy. I love the way you react to things like this. It’s how it should be,” I said. I’d tried to gloss over my sadness, but the perceptive omega knew.
“It should have been like this when you found out,” he guessed. “I’m sorry you didn’t get that, but I’m not sorry that it led you here. We can’t change that part, but we get to be here for the rest, and I, for one, wouldn’t change a damn thing.”
“Fuck, you know just what to say, don’t you?” Sniffling, I grabbed his shirt and tugged him in for a quick kiss and hug. He held me tight for a moment before pulling away and placing a hand on my cheek as he made me meet his eyes.
“You’re ours, and so is this baby. You get that, right?” The room was silent as that question hung in the air, but I didn’t need time to consider it.
“Yes, I do.”
“Good,” he said, tapping me on the nose. “That’s the right answer. Plus, we have this amazing appointment in two hours that I think you’ll be excited to go to.”
I perked up at that. “What?”
“Just wait and see,” he teased as everyone went back to their original activities, avoiding my questioning gaze. Brats. I knew they’d hold out, so I didn’t bother to try.
It turned out they’d planned a 3D ultrasound for us, so we could see the baby or even do an early gender scan. We didn’t exactly have anyone other than Liam to reveal the baby’s gender to, but I was excited to find out with them.
“You know,” Graham said as he turned off the car, “I was reading a baby book, and they suggested you dress your child in gender-neutral clothes for baby pictures. A lot of clothes are frilly for girls or super sports-related for boys, and who knows what our baby will grow up to be or to love? This way, you’ll give them baby pictures to look back on that they won’t hate.”
“That’s such a great idea,” Beckham said with a grin. “I love it. Challenge accepted.”
“I’ve already got a lot of neutral stuff too,” I added in. “I couldn’t resist buying a few things, and sometimes that stuff is way cuter than the wretched over-the-top gendered products. Our baby, whoever they are, needs to have some style.”
“Well, let’s go meet them, shall we?” Ellis called out, tapping the dashboard clock. “We’ve got five minutes to get inside and check in.” That was all the motivation we needed to move.
What I thought would be a little ultrasound place was actually a full privately owned birthing center. The fact that it wasn’t centered on omegas made me ridiculously happy. Betas might not get pregnant by alphas, but that didn’t mean they never had babies, and finding clinics that included them was rare.
When we walked into the lobby, I was even more impressed. The floors were a gorgeous white and gray marble inlaid with flecks of glitter. A large crystal chandelier hung over the circular desk at the center of the lobby. They had fresh plants in every window and precisely placed around the desk. It was immaculately clean, and the soft music that played in the background set a soothing ambiance.
“This place is so fancy,” I hissed at Beckham.
He grinned. “Get used to it, babe. Graham spares no expense for us, and that includes making sure we have the best medical care.”
“Hello, we have an appointment. Pack Crane,” Graham told the receptionist when we approached.
“Oh yes, Mr. Crane. Our owner has personally volunteered to show you around before your appointment. I’ll call her now,” she chirped back in a cheery voice. Shockingly, it wasn’t a fake one. She seemed like a genuinely bubbly person, so they’d chosen well for her to be the first face anxious moms saw when they walked in.
“No need to call,” a female voice answered, followed by the clicking of stilettos. The owner was gorgeous. Her confidence and presence were a dead giveaway of her designation even before she got close enough for me to scent the familiar spicy alpha musk. “I’ve been anxiously awaiting your arrival. It’s a pleasure to see you again, Graham.”
“And you, Anita.” He grinned, air kissing her on each cheek. A low growl filled the air, and I gasped when I realized it was coming from me. The sight of someone close to my alpha had me ready to fight.
“I see you found a feisty omega,” she said before turning to me. “Apologies…?”
“Briar.” My voice was curt, but she was unaffected.
“Apologies, Briar,” she clarified. “We’re simply old friends. I promise I’m a happily mated lesbian Alpha.”
That had my possessiveness ebbing away a bit, and I cleared my throat, cheeks heating in embarrassment.
“Sorry. I don’t know what came over me,” I admitted.
“Omegas tend to get very territorial as they approach their third trimester, even sometimes midway through the second,” she said gently. I realized I liked her; she seemed connected to her business and genuine, so I let my anger fade. “Now, we have full facilities here with medical staff. Our birthing suites are amazing and adaptive to your needs. We have ultrasound rooms that are big enough to accommodate larger packs, something our hospital counterparts severely lack. We also have a plethora of classes from pregnancy yoga, to push classes, to parenting 101.”
“Wow,” was all I said. I gaped around as we walked through the halls. The rooms we passed were so pretty, almost more like a spa than a medical facility. “Can we see a birthing room? And get a list of classes I can review later?”
“We have a whole bag of information we’ll send home, with all of that included, and of course we can. Let’s head on over to one now.” There was pride in her voice, and it was well deserved. She’d obviously put her soul into this place.
“Anita and I met in college. She had an omega patient nearly die in the hospital during birth because the doctors were too overwhelmed. She started this place so that never happened again, and it’s grown to be this impressive empire,” Graham explained as he pulled me into his side, wrapping an arm around my waist as we walked. The closeness calmed any lingering tension, a subtle way to remind myself that he was mine.
“It’s hardly an empire,” she said. “Regarding the rest of what Graham said, we have excess medical staff on call to avoid that scenario.”
“That’s amazing and reassuring,” I admitted. “We’ve all heard the horror stories.”
“Thankfully, you won’t hear any about this place. We have the highest client satisfaction rate in the business, and we take great care to prepare and reserve rooms ahead of time to make sure you have all you need,” she said as she stopped outside of a door. Pushing it open, she let us file in first. It was downright huge, hardly just a room. There was a large tub for water births in the corner and a hospital bed on one end with the necessary equipment sterilized and waiting. To the side, she had an exercise ball and a few other things.
“Through that door are the extra beds, and the far door is a full bathroom,” she explained.
I moved out from under Graham’s arm to take it all in. From the fresh stack of blankets and pillows waiting, to the garden tub, it was gorgeous here. The window was open, letting the sunshine spill in to illuminate the soft gray walls. There was a bassinet and a full stock of baby items like diapers, wipes, and little onesies. They even had oil warmers for scented oils; she really had thought of everything.
“I want to give birth here,” I declared, earning a laugh from the others.
“That was kind of the plan, love,” Graham said with a grin. “It’s why we wanted you to have a tour first.”
“Thank you, alpha,” I said sweetly. He was practically beaming. Beckham had been right about Graham’s desire to care for us all and how much happiness it brought him.
“Always,” he said simply, bringing me in for a kiss. His lips brushed over mine before he deepened it. It took every ounce of my control not to jump him right, so I latched onto the only real distraction I had.
“Can I meet my baby now?” I asked. He rested his forehead on mine before chuckling.
