Page 35 of Mink Hijinks
I reach out and squeeze his hand. “Good vibes, Aaron. We’re in this together.”
He nods. “Good vibes!” His cheery attitude lights up his face. “We got this, darlin’.” A wave of strength washes over me.
“Alright, Pax, I need you to push,” Denise says from behind me.
“I can’t. I can’t.”
“Yes, you can, darlin’.Push.”
And I do. Squeezing my eyes shut, I push with all my might. I push until I can’t anymore and the pressure pain subsides.
“Good! Perfect!”
A rush of relief floods me, and I drop to the bed.
Aaron gasps, his eyes glistening as he watches Denise with our baby.
A soft cry breaks the tension, and my heart leaps. Our little one is here.
“Pax!” Aaron grins, his voice a mixture of disbelief and joy. “We did it! A little girl.”
I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face and I flop to my back. “Yeah, we did,” I reply, my voice shaky, but I’m so happy.
Denise gently places our baby girl in my arms, and I look down at the tiny, messy bundle. Her delicate features are perfect, and I can barely hold back the tears. “She’s beautiful,” I whisper. “What about Willow?”
Aaron’s grin widens, and he leans closer, brushing his fingers against our daughter’s cheek. “Willow,” he echoes. “Perfect.”
I look into Aaron’s eyes. We share a moment that feels monumental. The worries, the doubts, they all vanish in the glow of this new life. I can’t help but feel the joy radiating between us, a connection that’s deeper than I ever thought possible. Parents talk about that instant love the second they see their child for the first time and I agree, but my love for Aaron deepens at the same time.
“This is just the beginning,” Aaron says softly, his eyes still on our daughter. “We’re going to be amazing parents.”
I nod. “Yeah, we are. And she’s going to be the envy of the playground with all the stuffies her dads are going to make her.”
Aaron snorts. “You’re almost getting better than me.”
“I think I win creator of the year.” I kiss Willow’s cheek.
“Willow was a joint effort for the record,” Aaron says. “But I’ll let you have it since you did all the heavy lifting.” He leans down and kisses me, and it tastes like true love. Fate knew exactly who to send to me to help me accept my whole self, Omega and all.
I look up at Denise as she cleans up. “When will we know if she’s a shifter?” Her designation will come later when she’s about five.
“It might take a few months. She’ll let you know. Every baby is different.” Denise helps show me how to breastfeed and Willow latches on like a sucker fish.
Aaron looks at me like I hung the moon and I can’t get enough of his adoring face.
EPILOGUE
AARON
1 year later
“And you have enough diapers?” I ask Buckle, who laughs at my endless questions.
“Yes, I have enough diapers and food and everything else they need. I have watched them before.” Buckle takes Willow from Pax’s arms.
“She’s too cute to leave behind,” Pax pouts.
Buckle sighs. “You two seriously need a vacation. You’ve earned it. Go enjoy time alone. Make Willow a sibling if nothing else.” He smirks and Pax goes red like he always does when his best friend mentions anything remotely related to sex.
