Page 62 of Claiming Xan
On a blustery November weekend, Xan came into the living room and threw my winter coat on top of me. I glanced up, surprised to see him struggling to zip his puffy, baby blue coat with the faux-fur trim up over his baby bump. Breathing out a soft snort, I stood and batted his hands away, straightening the zipper and drawing it up.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“Weare going to Kace and Nevin’s place for pizza and movies,” he announced, which was news to me. I cocked my head, studying him. Funny, how just a couple of months ago, I would’ve bristled and growled at the idea of being dragged along.
Now, though? I knew Xan wouldn’t take me anywhere he knew I couldn’t handle.
When Xan looked up at me through those long, dark lashes and offered a hopeful smile, my chest tightened in the strangest of ways.
Mine. Ours. Mate.
“Okay.” I grabbed my jacket off the couch and shrugged into it, making sure to button it up, since the zipper was flimsy plastic and broke the last time I’d gotten a bit too frustrated with it.
I looked down at Xan, then cupped his cheek in one hand, tilting his face towards mine. “All you had to do was ask,” I reminded him, a soft growl to my voice that had nothing to do with anger.
“Maybe I like bossing you around,” he replied in a hush before taking hold of the lapels of my coat and pulling me in for a kiss. “Mmm. C’mon, big guy. Pizza’s in the oven. Time’s a-wasting.”
He took me by the hand and led me out to the car. I slid into the passenger seat. Xan cranked first the heat, and then the radio on, which was already playing Christmas music—a little too early, in my opinion—and we were off.
The minute we stepped inside Kace’s cottage, the smells of melted mozzarella cheese and zesty marinara and pepperoni filled my lungs. I breathed in the scents and groaned under my breath. My stomach growled. “It smells heavenly in here.”
Xan giggled and elbowed me in the side before shucking his jacket and laying it over the back of one of the kitchen chairs. I did the same.
We were greeted by Kace and Nevin, as well as a couple of their friends—Pike and Phoenix, and Sevren and Klei. Xan gave everyone a hug and gestured towards me. “Everyone, this is my mate, River. River, meet my friends. Now! Where is my little stinker?”
And just like that, Xan ditched me for Nevin’s baby. He snatched the infant away from his almost brother-in-law and cradled him close, cooing to him the whole time.
I followed Xan into the living room, but I kept my distance; instead, I watched. I couldn’t help but notice how gentle and soft my mate was with little Zechariah. How tender his touches were, how he peppered the baby’s feather-down hair with kisses. It made my chest ache.
Was this love? This tight, squeezing feeling in my soul?
“River?” Xan called softly. “Come over here for a second. I want you to meet my nephew.”
Swallowing my nerves, I joined Xan on the couch and peered into the face of the baby nestled in his arms. With a fluff of black hair and bright blue eyes, Zechariah looked like a living, breathing porcelain doll.
“You wanna hold him?” Xan asked me, but before I could tell him no, he was already tucking the infant into my arms. I tensed up, fear suddenly lighting up my heart, but Xan touched his hand to my cheek. “You’re doing just fine, baby.”
I felt awkward, and I wasn’t sure where to put my arms. I didn’t want to drop the pup, but I was half-afraid I’d crushhim if I held him too tightly. Xan didn’t let me flounder for too long, though, thank god. He whisked Zechariah away once more, beaming up at me.
“Thank you,” I uttered, relieved.
“You did just fine,” he assured me.
After Nevin came to fetch his son for a feeding, Xan nestled in beside me on the couch. In the kitchen, laughter and chatter lit up the room, but here, together, we were alone in the quiet.
Xan took both of my hands in his and held them to his belly. I pressed lightly, feeling the flutter of our baby’s kicks, and my chest tightened with that strange feeling all over again. God. Xan…
He was smiling, his dark eyes glistening with happiness. “Soon, we’ll be holding our own little one in our arms,” he murmured, biting down on his lip. “I can’t wait to meet him.”
I frowned. “We aren’t nearly prepared enough…”
“We’ll be fine,” he said. “We have family. They won’t let us falter.” He seemed so damn sure of himself, too, and I could see why. His family—hell, his whole pack—was a giant support system. But was I really a part of that equation?
“Youhave family—” I started, but Xan shook his head.
“So do you. It might take time, but my family will become your family, too. You’re my mate, River. You’re the father of my child. You’re part of me now, whether they like it or not. That’s all that matters.”
Closing my eyes on a sigh, I leaned in and pressed a kiss to his temple. Maybe he was right. Maybe that was all that mattered.
