Page 108 of His Gentle Omega
“Thank you,” Shay stood from the bed, trying not to jostle me too much, and shook Finn’s hand.
Finally, we were handed Brodie back, and it was just the four of us, including Seth. He stood up from the chair beside my bed he was sprawled in, stretched and yawned broadly. “I’m gonna go to the cafeteria and find some food. You want something?”
“Yes! Anything, I’m starving.” My stomach growled loudly, as if to remind me I hadn’t eaten since dinner the night before.
“I’ll see what I can scrounge up,” Seth smiled warmly down at Brodie, who was snuggled in Shay’s arms, sleeping peacefully. “If I can’t find anything good, I’ll pick up from the diner.”
“Ohhh,” I moaned, “pancakes. Please. And bacon.”
Shay nodded, managing to reach for his wallet while not waking the baby. “I second that. Here,” he held out some bills to Seth, who waved his hand away and shook his head.
“Nope, this one’s on me.” Bending down, he placed a sweet kiss on the top of Brodie’s head, then waggled his fingers at us. “I shall return with sustenance.”
Shay returned to his spot next to me on the bed, still holding Brodie. Snuggling against his side, I just stared at our baby, hardly believing he was here. Shay jostled us a bit, and I realized he had his phone up, snapping a selfie of the three of us.
A huge yawn escaped me, and I covered my mouth. “Sorry.”
Shay kissed the top of my head. “Go to sleep. I’ll wake you when the food is here. How’s your pain? Do you need anything? Should I call a nurse?”
Smiling at his hurried sentences, I burrowed closer to his heat and delicious scent. Resting my head on his chest, I murmured, “I’m good, but thank you for taking care of me.”
Another yawn escaped me, and I closed my eyes and drifted off, secure with my alpha and our pup next to me.
“He’s so tiny,” Lucas looked up from where his eyes had been glued to Brodie. He was sitting in the rocker in the room, holding the baby while Shay supported Brodie’s tiny head and hovered over both his boys.
“He’ll grow faster than you can blink,” I assured him, thinking that eight pounds of baby was more than enough to push out.
Maria hugged me tightly. “He’s beautiful, Bennett. I’m so happy for you both.”
Asher echoed the sentiments, staring down at the baby in Lucas’s arms with the same look of awe Shay was still wearing. In fact, I’d barely gotten to hold Brodie yet. Shay had woken me from my nap when Seth had returned with the food, his hair combed, and his face cleaned of his streaked makeup.
Right after we had finished eating, a nurse had come in to take my vitals and check me over, and then our family had arrived, all wanting turns holding the baby.
“Is he going to cry a whole bunch?” Lucas wanted to know, and all the adults in the room chuckled.
Gabe was trying to corral the twins, who were busy trying to open everything in the room that could be opened. Seth snatched Tristan up as he ran past him and tickled him to distract him from the fact that he had been caught.
Gabe mouthed a thank you, as he swung Rafe up into his arms, and popped him on his hip. “No running around the room like wild children.”
“He’s going to cry,” I answered Lucas with a soft smile, shifting on the bed to try to get comfortable. The pain wasn’t too terrible, but I was achy, and my hole was throbbing dully. “When he’s hungry, or needs a diaper change, or any other reason he’s unhappy. He can’t talk yet, so that’s the only way he can get our attention.”
Lucas nodded, turning to stare down at his brother. Brodie was awake, and I figured he would be getting hungry soon. For now, he seemed content to stare up at Lucas.
“When will we know if he’s a tiger or a wolf?” Lucas peppered us with more questions. “Or an alpha, beta, or omega?”
Shay chuckled, “It will be a while before he can shift. A couple of years. But we should know his designation before we leave the hospital. They have a blood test to determine that.”
Lucas frowned fiercely, looking down at Brodie. “They stuck him with a needle? That’s just mean. He’s just a baby.”
“He won’t remember it,” Shay assured him, reaching to take the baby from his arms, and bringing him over to me. I reachedfor him hungrily, loving the weight of him in my arms. The sweet baby scent of him as I nuzzled his soft cheek with my nose.
“So boo thang,” Seth narrowed his eyes at Shay, and I narrowed my eyes at Seth, “when are you going to mate claim my bestie here?”
Shay sucked in air sharply, his face losing all its color. He shook his head, “I…I can’t…” his chest was heaving, his breathing way too fast. “I…Bennett, I’m sorry, but I can’t do that.”
The room got tensely quiet, as Seth stood, one hip cocked out and his hand planted on it. “What? Bennett is good enough to knock up, but not claim? I knew all that fated mates bullshit was just that.”
“Seth!” My voice was sharp, and I sat up in the bed, wincing. “That is enough. Do not cross that line. I’m warning you.”
