Page 40 of Surprise Mother Pucker

Our boy had it bad.

“I’m not sure how I feel about a stranger hugging my baby,” she admitted eventually.

“Well, what can I do to make you feel better?” I asked. It wasn't like I could get up and hug her or shake her hand, considering her child was very dead asleep on my chest. “I would get up, but the tiny terror is clearly comfortable.” Truth be told, I’d had a crick in my neck for the last hour, but I wasn't going to move. “I assume having a baby on me is the same as having a cat on me, where the universal rule is, you don’t disturb the cute, sleeping creature.”

The corner of Kennedy's mouth lifted with the hint of a smile. “I don't know about most babies, but Charlotte will pretty much sleep through anything when she’s exhausted. She's very picky with when she decides to be tired, though. Every now and again, she'll go through seventy-two hours when she believes she doesn't need a nap.”

I grimaced. “What do you do when she doesn't sleep for very long?”

This time, Kennedy did laugh, then shrugged. “I suffer.”

Holy hell. I liked sleep far too much to go that long without it. If Eli was serious about dating this omega, then we needed to look into getting her a nanny or doing some night support ourselves, because a tired and cranky omega was good for no one.

“Killer, your hair is wet.” Eli frowned, noticing the strands coming loose out of her clip.

“I was too tired to dry it,” she admitted. “Plus, I wanted to check on Charlotte.”

“She’s doing good,” I assured her. “If you want, I’ll pop her back in her crib, but she honestly seems pretty content here.”

I didn’t want to admit it, but I kind of enjoyed having the sleeping baby in my arms. It was the calm after the storm—the storm being trying to feed and medicate her when sick and crabby.

Even then, she was a cutie pie. Now that I had seen her mother, I understood where she got it from. I’d known the omega smelled good. I could tell that the moment I stepped foot in the apartment. The sweet floral scent that had been clinging to Eli after his dates was now intensified, and it made my mouth water.

Her daughter was a little miniature version of her. A mop of dark hair and a floral scent, though hers was nowhere near as rich and had a childlike essence that reminded me of baby powder.

“Seems mean to disturb her when she’s so comfortable,” Kennedy said, biting her lip. “Are you sure you don't mind?”

“Not at all. I'm perfectly happy here. I may get you to feed me snacks if she sleeps much longer, but I’m easy to please. Throw a few fruit snacks in my mouth, and I’ll be fueled for another hour or two.”

Eli wrapped his hand around her waist, pulling her close to him. A foreign emotion bombarded me at the sight. I wanted to pull her into my chest. Was I jealous? I hardly even knew this omega.

Then again, I was already getting attached to her little monster.

I knew I wanted children one day. I’d always wanted them, but playing with the baby had given me a whole new level of appreciation for it. We were all nearing graduation, and it was time to start looking toward our future.

If my future involved a certain small, blue-eyed terror? Well, I was quickly coming to the realization that I was perfectly okay with that.

“Why don't you let me dry your hair?” Eli asked. “You're only just starting to feel better. I don't want you to get sicker.”

Kennedy looked up at him, surprised. “Are you sure? You don't have to do that for me…”

I resisted the urge to snort. How did she not understand that Eli wanted to do these things for her? Hell, I had just met her, and I was already thinking of ways I could help her.

“Come on, bedroom. The food will be ready in ten minutes,” he said as he lightly dragged her out of the room. She threw a concerned glance my way. I couldn't blame her for being cautious. She had only just met me, and I had her child on my chest.

Hopefully, her omega hormones were working in our favor and she registered that our alpha scents signaled safety for both her and the tiny terror.

She didn't put up much of a fuss and allowed Eli to drag her away. A few moments later, I heard the sound of a hair dryer through the closed door. It was muffled enough that it wouldn't disturb the sleeping baby in my arms.

Kennedy was clearly exhausted and needed taking care of.

I wanted to do that.

Between my pack mates and I, we could spoil her, and I got the distinct impression that she wasn’t accustomed to being spoiled. That would make it so much more fun to shower her in love and praise.

“Your mama is cute,” I told the sleeping Charlotte. “Now, I need to figure out how to make her like me.”

Because I liked her, already.

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