Page 28 of Rejected Nanny Mate
“Well, hello, my little sunshine. Did you have a good nap?”
Her reply was a stream of babble that I took to mean yes, and Joe shook his head.
“You've got the touch. How the hell did you do that, Omega?”
“That's my actual secret,” I said, grinning. “And you'll never get it out of me.”
I held Rose for a little longer, letting her calm down after her crying jag, before handing her back to Joe so I could get dressed. I turned on the shower as I picked out my clothes, and stepping beneath the hot water was akin to a religiousexperience. The rest of the hangover disappeared like doves on the breeze, and I was left feeling clean, refreshed, and ready to take on the day.
Once dressed, I went downstairs and found Joe feeding Rose a jar of applesauce. My heart swelled when he smiled at her and wiped her little chin. She giggled and blew raspberries, and he did the same back, making her laugh harder.
“Having fun, Alpha?”
“The best,” he replied, turning his grin on me.
“Want some help?”
“Sure. Here, I'll wash her up, and you can take her.”
I helped him with her and watched as he cleaned her sticky fingers and face. He was so gentle and kind with her, and the love and affection was clear on his face. My heart swelled.
“I still can't believe you're a father, Joe. You're so good with her.” I mused. “It's really impressive. I'm proud of you.”
“Thanks,” he chuckled, handing her to me while he washed his hands. He actually looked a little taken aback by the compliment. Joe, being so experienced with everything else, meant that most of the other wolves had just assumed he would take to parenting easily. None of them understood how hard it must have been, with Joe being a first-time father, and Rose being almost nine months old by the time he was even aware of her. He stepped up to the plate and then some. He had plenty of reasons to be proud when it came to Rose.
“I'm serious. It's not an easy thing, raising a child alone.”
He nodded. “Yeah, no joke. And I've definitely had my fair share of sleepless nights. It's worth it, though.”
“It is.”
“So,” he said, changing the subject. “Did you have any plans today?”
“According to the schedule, you're doing training exercises with the pack, and I'm with little Rosie here, aren't I?”
“About that,” Joe said, “If you want, and only if you want, the pack would love it if you and Rosie could come along and watch. I know you barely know anyone in my pack, but I want them to be familiar with Rose and understand her importance to both me and the pack as a whole. Just having her around helps. What do you think?”
“I think it's a great idea,” I replied, smiling. Inside, my stomach was in knots—I hate pack functions—-but it was a little easier since it wasn't my pack, and I wouldn't be expected to shift. I calmed down by reminding myself that if I felt too out of place, I could use Rose as a convenient excuse to leave. I rubbed my chest with my free hand, but the now ever-present odd tightness didn't expand. I was okay for the time being.
And I owed Joe, whether he wanted to admit it or not. Bringing his daughter to a pack function was the least I could do.
“You'll be there?”
“Of course. I'll have to bring the stroller and the diaper bag, just in case. Do you think she'll be okay? It's a little cold out. She doesn't have her own fur just yet,” I joked.
“We can handle it,” he promised. “And the pack will love it. They all know her already, of course, but they'd like to see more of her. She's the only baby in the pack right now, after all.”
“That's true. We're happy to come, aren't we, little one?”
Rose laughed and clapped her hands. I'd take that as a yes.
Chapter 11 - Joe
It all happened so fast that I barely had time to breathe.
It was one of those off days where Gwen was set to go to work at the cafe, but pack business call suddenly called me away. The quad pack alliance had a lot of perks, but I was really leaning a lot on the perk of being able to call the other Lunas to watch little Rose in a pinch.
Nayeli was looking more pregnant by the day, but those pregnancy hormones seemed to be working to my advantage, since she jumped at a moment's notice to watch Rose when asked. Well...she didn't exactly jump. She made Scott jump instead, but I knew once the Shadowbay Alpha handed my daughter over to his wife that Rose would be well-loved and cared for.
