Page 157 of Labor of Love

Never ever.

How in the world has the population continued to increase? Why would people knowingly have more than one child after an experience like that?

My doctor assured me my birthing was normal, and yet, I felt like I just pushed out a watermelon from a distinctly non-watermelon sized place. That wasnotnormal.

Cries pierced the air, proving my baby boy had perfectly working lungs. He also had a head full of dark brown hair. I’d caught a glimpse of it in the rush they did to get him checked out.

“Ten toes and fingers, Dads,” the nurse called from across the room.

I smiled weakly while trying to slow my breathing. It was difficult as fuck. Running a marathon might have been easier.

Ok, so maybe I was exaggerating a bit. It’s not my fault. My emotions have been high since the moment I realized I was carrying my mate’s baby.

Not only had he waited for me, his actual mate, but he’d been hoping for a baby this whole time too.Three hundred years!?!

Just thinking of it had my eyes watering all over again.

Dammit.

The reluctance I’d felt a moment ago waned at the thought of my mate. I’d give him litters of babies if it made him happy. He deserved as much for his patience.

Besides, I wanted a bunch of kids too. Always had.

The summers I got to hang with my extended family were always a blast. I loved running around with the cousins and seeing how happy we were to be together. I wanted a house full of that.

“Here we go,” the nurse said. Her voice pulled me from my thoughts.

When I looked over, my heart melted even further. She held our son out to my mate with an encouraging smile.

The bundle of blankets was tucked tightly round him, making him look more like a giant burrito than a baby. I grinned at the goofy idea.

Like the amazing father I knew he’d be, my mate took hold of our son like he’d been holding babies for years already. He tucked the little guy to his chest with ease, rocking him slightly as he purred from deep in his chest.

Even from a distance the sound settled me. I smiled at the pair, knowing they were my whole world.

Sure, I still had other family around. They weren’t going to be the focus of my life as much as these two would.

It was hard to believe my heartbreak had led me here. That the journey to see Judy gave me all new meaning in my life. I’d never be able to thank her and Kris enough for letting me stay with them.

Speaking of the pair, they burst into the room the second they were able to. Kris clapped my mate on the back as Judy came over to me to take in our little guy’s features. We’d switched off holding him a few times already, and I was the lucky one to have him now.

“He’s so perfect,” Judy whispered loudly.

I laughed. “I like to think so. He’ll have some competition soon though.”

“They’ll be family. It’s no competition. Good genetics all around.” She laid a hand to her stomach where a small bump was starting to pop.

My mate had predicted there’d be a baby boom after us. He called us trendsetters in that way.

I often had to remind him we weren’t the first since Nolan and Barrett originally paved the path for us all. He liked to deny that since it didn’t sound as cool. Not that it meant their mating was any less important than ours.

If anything, I’d say the two of them were even more unique given Barrett’s human nature. We were learning new things all the time thanks to how kind they were to share their experiences.

It also gave a lot of unmated people hope. If a human could come through town and find Nolan, then maybe others would start appearing too. Maybe everyone would get their own happily after.

I hoped they did because after getting mine, I could attest they were great.

EPILOGUE

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