Page 13 of Duke's Baby Deal
“Holland, Holland,” she sang happily and pulled me down so she could plant a kiss on my cheek. “Love you, Brammie.”
“Love you, too, Bea,” I said in a low voice, and watched her bounce out of the room.
Abel waited patiently in the opening to the hall, but it wasn’t a friendly patience; more the kind of patience a wolf shows when it sees a rival. Or prey.
I cast him a quick glance, then swiftly lowered my eyes and followed him down the hall to their bedroom.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
We filed into the bedroom, and Abel closed the door behind us. It felt like a trap closing on my leg, and I had a moment of panic, wanting to run away. The problem was, the thing that I wanted to run away from, I would be taking it with me. I put a hand to my belly, then snatched it away.
Bax woke with a start, and a wary expression. It made me wonder if there were things that went on in their mating that I hadn’t noticed, unpleasant things. But then he saw Abel, and his eyes lit up and the wariness faded, to be replaced with something that my educated guess said was closer to, “Oh, shit.”
“You might as well tell me. I know something happened. I have a pretty good idea what it was too.” Abel walked around the end of the bed and sat on the edge, close to the cradle. He leaned in to give Bax an unhurried kiss, pressed their foreheads together, then turned to peek into the cradle. “Thank the moon he’s asleep.”
“You can stay in one of the other bedrooms if he’s bothering you,” Bax said. “I don’t want you to lose sleep over this.” There was an edge of tension in his words, and Abel leaned back in to him, his mouth moving on nearly silent words. I couldn’t hear anything, but from where I stood, I could see his lips move, and it looked like he said, “I’m not Patrick.”
Bax gave him a startled look, then his eyelids drooped and he peered up at Abel with a wicked smile. “I know,” he said, loud enough for me to hear. He stretched his neck out and kissed Abel again, ran a finger over his mate’s collarbone and down the middle of his chest, plucking at the t-shirt as he went. “I’m sorry.”
“No sorries. I’m good.”
Bax grinned and his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. To my delight, Abel turned just the palest shade of pink and sat back, while Bax looked like he’d just caught the fattest rabbit in the glade.
That was what I wanted in a mating.
Adelaide sat on the end of the bed and cleared her throat. “How are you feeling, Bax?”
Bax’s grin relaxed into a contented smile and he reached out to rest a hand on the edge of the cradle. “I’m fine. Tired. I hope he decides to start going longer through feedings. I’ve never had a baby born at night before—they were all morning pups.” But he didn’t appear bothered by the difference as he gazed at the cradle in quiet happiness.
“No discharge? No discomfort?”
“No, it’s pretty much business as usual.” Tiny noises floated up from the cradle. “Abel, could you pick him up for me?”
Abel looked uncertain and startled, which startled me. “I’m not sure…”
“He won’t break.” Bax stroked the backs of his fingers down Abel’s cheek. “After all, look who his Pap is.”
Abel took a deeper than usual breath, then reached into the cradle. A moment later, he leaned back, the baby cupped in his large hands. Taden squished up his face and made tiny squeaking noises, waving his little arms around. Abel held him out to Bax. “Here’s Dabi, Taden.” As if he were handling something made of spun glass and sugar, he oh so carefully placed him in Bax’s arms, then watched with as much fascinated interest as me while Bax tried him at the breast. Taden fussed and kept turning his head away.
“Oh, thank goodness.” Bax laid him in the center of his chest and felt at his diaper. “Well, that explains the fussing. Love, hand me the jean bag over by the wall?” While he waited, he murmured to the baby, “Soggy little boy, aren’t you? I should give you to Pap to hold.”
“You’re going to give him to Pap to hold.” Abel set the bag down on the bed. “I want to learn how to do this.”
“You never diapered Cas?”
He shook his head. “But I bet Quin still remembers how to squash a kid into a diaper.”
“That’s good to know.” Bax started pulling things out of the bag. He handed a small cloth to Abel. “Go wet that?”
“Sure.” Able kissed Bax again—these two were always kissing!—and headed for the bathroom.
Bax spread a small towel out on the bed beside him, and laid the baby down on it. The baby kicked and made noises of protest, but then Abel was back and Bax walked him through the whole take the diaper off, clean the baby, cleanallthe bits of the baby, put cream on the baby—yes, there too—then wrap the baby back up again.
I was pleased to see he was using the ones I’d made for him. I’d put Velcro on them to hold them closed, like the ones I saw in the shops on the computer. I couldn’t afford the ones in the stores, but I’d scrounged old flannel sheets and other ends of fabric and made him a dozen little diapers in all sorts of colors.
Adelaide slipped in for a moment to check the baby over again, then Abel wrapped him back up in a new little blanket and cradled him in his arms. Taden smacked and dozed off again, and I felt a pang as I watched Abel dote on his baby. I’d never have that, not if everyone found out about last night. And if Justin had been in that room, I would have beat him with the rocking chair in the corner until he wished he’d never been born.
The room was quiet for a moment, and I almost forgot why we were there. Until Abel looked up from Taden and said, “What happened?”
