Page 91 of Surprise Mother Pucker

Lately, most of my nights were spent at the pack house. It was where I felt the most comfortable. Things were shockingly easy with the pack around and helping me. My studying hadbeen easier, and I had gotten more sleep in a few weeks than I had in the months prior. I was waiting for the cracks to appear, but the guys seemed content with me around. They all doted on Charlotte, and it was beautiful to watch.

“Hey,” Storm said softly, pulling me out of my blissed-out state. Having my swollen ankles rubbed sent me into another plane of existence, and I forgot I was in a living room, surrounded by people.

I turned my head to smile lazily at him. “Hi.”

Storm returned my smile, though his was wider. Mischievous, even. “Hey. I know you’re comfy, but are you willing to get up for a minute? I want to show you something.”

Instead of replying, I hauled myself up, ignoring the way my head spun as I did so. A violent craving for mint chip ice cream overtook me, and I made a mental note to ask them to go pick some up after I had seen whatever Storm wanted to show me.

He grabbed my hand with a gentle grasp, tugging me toward the back of the apartment, where they had been redoing their gaming room over the last few weeks.

“So…this is yours,” Storm said as he opened the door.

I frowned, but followed him into the room, my steps faltering as I took in the space.

I had seen the room before. It had consisted of dirty carpet, old sofas, and threadbare rugs. Everything had been covered in a fine layer of dust because the guys hardly ever used the space.

In a short span of time, the entire area had been completely altered. Gone was the dingy flooring, replaced by rich hardwood flooring and several fluffy pale pink rugs. The walls had a fresh layer of paint, and all the furniture that had been there before was gone. Now there was an absolutely gigantic bed taking up the majority of the space, with a gauzy canopy over the top. There was a chest of drawers and some storage units, all of them matching the bed.

It was beautiful. It was spacious, light and airy, but the canopy over the gigantic bed also gave it a cozy feeling. My eyes were drawn to the little bassinet that was next to the bed. It was for a newborn, and I had looked at one just like it before giving birth to Charlotte but had deemed it too expensive.

“Storm… what is this?” I asked, circling the room.

“You’ve been staying here more and more, and we've all agreed that we want you to stay here permanently, but you can't do that if you don't have a space of your own. Before you say anything, there is also this room over here that I need to show you that is a small nursery for Charlotte. The bassinet is for the newborn. I know that Charlotte wouldn’t fit in that.” He rushed over his words as he gently dragged me toward where there used to be a very large storage closet that had somehow been transformed into the cutest little nursery ever.

It was small and compact, but he had managed to fit in a decent-sized crib and changing table. The walls had been painted with fluffy clouds, and Charlotte's name was written above her crib on the wall in cursive writing.

A mobile of little moons and stars also hung over the crib. It was beautiful, the kind of room I had always wanted to give Charlotte.

“Storm…” I whispered.

“There’s also a rocking chair just outside the room that is pink. That’s for when Charlotte doesn’t want to sleep. I was going to put it in here, but it didn't quite fit. I know it's not perfect, and I wish we had more space, but I promise, once we finish classes, we intend to find a proper house for our family.”

“You did all this to convince me to move in?” I asked, taking in the larger room once more. It was like the perfect blank canvas—it was plain but not too plain. The perfect starting point. The scent of the guys was mild, but it was there. A small air purifier sat in the corner of the room, which was probably why.

Storm shook his head. “No, this is yours, whether you move in or not. Don't get me wrong—every single one of us wants you to move in desperately, but I wanted you and Charlotte to have your own space here, instead of having to move between alphas’ beds. This is our home, and we want you to feel at home here, especially as your pregnancy progresses and you get more tired. You need somewhere to be comfortable.”

“Storm, this is insane. It’s too much,” I said as I marveled at the room. It was immaculate, and like Storm had said, it wasn’t the biggest, but it was a lot bigger than my apartment. Had Storm done all of this for me?

He snorted, pulling me in for a hug. I buried my nose in his chest, enjoying that fresh petrichor scent. “Kennedy, this is the bare minimum I should be doing for you. I am so fucking lucky that, of all the women I could have accidentally impregnated, it was you. I've seen you with our daughter, and you are goddamn amazing. I don’t know how you managed to raise her for the last year while studying and doing it all by yourself.

“But I want you to know,reallyknow, that you don’t have to do it alone anymore. Doing this for you made me happy because I want to provide for you and Charlotte. I want to support and help however I can—not just you and Charlotte, but with the new baby as well. I didn't know it back then, but you are really fucking amazing, Kennedy. I regret that I didn't get to know you better then.”

Tears welled up in my eyes, and I kept my head buried in his chest to avoid him seeing them, which was probably useless, considering my body was starting to tremble with tears.

Storm’s eyes widened as he pulled back, looking down at me. “Fuck. Did I do this wrong? Did I pick the wrong colors? We can repaint it. Or if it's the bedding, I only got the basic amount of nesting materials because I wanted to take you shopping with the pack to get all the nesting supplies that you wanted.Whatever you want, we can order it… or do you not like this place? We can find a house sooner, but given your pregnancy and Charlotte and studying, I thought?—”

His nervous rambling made a smile spread across my face. He was so earnest and vulnerable. Unlike before Charlotte was conceived, I felt like I was finally starting to see the real Storm, and he was a sweet guy.

Leaning up on my tiptoes, I pressed my lips to his, silencing his rambling. His lips were warm and minty; he must have brushed his teeth when he showered. I, on the other hand, probably tasted like greasy food from the rink, but Storm didn’t care.

His hands flew to my face, cupping it as he explored my mouth, his pace almost painfully slow. My chest burned with the desire to tug him closer, but it wasn’t the time for that.

Pulling back, I looked up at him, my face warm, my breathing heavy. “It’s perfect. I love it.”

His face broke out in a dazzling grin. “Seriously?”

I nodded, looking around the room the best I could while in his arms. “I guess I’m moving in.”

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