Page 131 of Perfectly Naïve
“I wanted her out,” I say on a laugh. “For a while there, if I hadn’t been educated on the way babies come out, I would have been worried she was going to tear right out of my ass. No one prepares you for that.”
Wilder barks out a laugh. “That would have been a travesty, sweetness. Not your ass!”
“I know it hurt, and I know it was hard, but you made it through.” Liam presses a kiss to my temple. “And now we’re going to take care of you both, wait on you hand and foot, and make sure you rest. And you can fight us all you want, but you won’t change our minds. Not this time.”
“I won’t fight you. That was before my cervix dilated to ten centimeters, and I pushed an entire human out of my body. Trust me, I expect to be waited on after all that.”
The guys chuckle as we all stare at the beautiful, dark-haired little human we made together. Her long, dark eyelashes flutter, her pouty little lips parted in sleep. I run a finger over her soft, chubby cheeks and down the bridge of her little newborn nose. She really is perfect.
When I flew home from London and tried to picture what my life would be like back in Chicago, I never could have imagined any of this. That the boy I loved as a child would come to my rescue and teach me how to let go, that the teenage beta who twirled me around ballrooms and made me forget how much I hated the things my mother made me do would be part of Sawyer’s pack and sweep me off my feet again as an adult, that two sexy-as-sin twins would break through all my defenses and make me fall in love with them... And I really never could have imagined ending up here, holding our newborn daughter in my arms as those men surround us in a protective wall of love.
And as if all that wasn’t enough? McKinley Labs started human trials for our miracle drug three months ago, and so far, the results are incredibly promising. So promising, the manager of the lab helped me pull some strings to get Emeline enrolled. It’s only been a month, but Nigel tells me she’s more herself, less volatile, and he’s hopeful they’re getting their omega back.
Only time will tell, but I’ve never been more optimistic.
Sawyer’s phone buzzes in his pocket, and he grins when he pulls it out and reads the text. “Your brother and his whole pack, Nigel, Liam’s dads, and Cici are in the waiting room. Everyone wants to see you and meet the baby.” Gently, he brushes a strand of hair away from my face. “You up for visitors, Liv?”
I’m exhausted, sore, and feel like I could sleep for days, even though I know very well I won’t be sleeping much over the next year. But despite all that, and the fact that I desperately need a shower, there’s nothing I want more than to share this moment with the people I love most in the world.
It’s crazy to think that a year and a half ago, I was in London, lonely and wondering if I always would be. And now? I’m surrounded by my mates, snuggling my sleepingbaby, and have almost a dozen people waiting to hug me and celebrate with me. I’m not alone anymore, and I’ll certainly never be lonely again.
It’s more than I ever could have hoped for.
“Yeah,” I say, grinning tiredly up at Sawyer. “I think I am.”
Our daughter wiggles in my arms, her little face scrunching up as she dreams.
“What do you say, sweet Madison? Are you ready to meet the rest of your family?”
She grunts in her sleep, and my mates and I chuckle. I guess that’s a yes.
Sharing a glance with my beta and alphas, I allow myself one last private moment to soak up their affection and memorize the way they look spread around their girls, tired but proud, and so very in love.
“Let them in. We’re ready.”
Epilogue
FIVE YEARS LATER
SAWYER
“Madison Reese, do not feed your little brother mud pies!” I’m adding that to the mental list ofthings I never thought I’d have to say before having kids.
Henry laughs in the lawn chair beside me, his baby daughter, Eloise, snuggled in his arms, and I arch a brow at him.
“Just wait, man. One day you’ll turn your back, and Jackson will be putting worms in little Ellie’s sandwiches. You won’t be laughing then.” I pinch the bridge of my nose when my five-year-old daughter streaks past in a blur of maniacal laughter with a handful of mud as she sets her sights on her cousin, rather than her two-year-old brother, and gives chase. Henry’s son, Jackson, squeals, his three-year-old legs pumping as hard as they can as he runs away from her.
“Probably,” Henry agrees. He smiles, as if he thinks it’ll be cute and not absolutely fucking exhausting.
We lapse into companionable silence—the kind borne from decades of friendship and understanding—as we watch our families mingle in the thick August heat. It’sso much like the same day five years ago, when Liv went into labor with Maddie, but this time, we’re in our backyard, celebrating said daughter’s fifth birthday.
So much has changed since that day, and yet, so much has remained the same.
We’re surrounded by many of the same people we were the day Liv went into labor, but there are faces here this year that couldn’t be present then. Nigel stands with his arm around Emeline while Theodore stands on her other side, holding her hand. The drug Liv helped create has been a huge success, and it’s given thousands of omegas their lives back, including Emeline. Watching Nigel’s pack heal from everything they endured after Trevor’s death and Emeline’s sickness has been amazing. And it’s knit us all together in a big way. Maddie and Ryland call EmelineGrandmaand Nigel and Theo are bothGrandpa.
Our kids have a lot of those. Liv’s dads have been a steady presence. They put in a lot of work to mend their relationship with their daughter after everything blew up the night our mating was revealed. Liv cut her mom out of her life, but her dads couldn’t stand the idea of losing their daughter. Luckily for them, Liv didn’t like the idea of going no contact, either. They’ll never have a perfect relationship, but it’s more than Liv ever expected.
My dads mingle with Liam’s, and Hayes and Wilder’s parents are around here somewhere. Then there’s Henry, Verity, their pack and two kids. Cici—who is the kids’ favorite aunt because she’s so much closer to their ages and always makes them laugh—chases the kids around the yard. Our circle is vast now. Chaotic. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
