Chapter 483
Chapter 483 A small meeting
It takes us longer than I know Sinclair would prefer to leave Roger and Cora’s house that morning, especially since Cora spent so much time freaking out, hugging me and scolding me for not telling her right away. But eventually they let us go, Cora wiping her eyes and Roger giving us a big smile, baby Jesse asleep in his arms.
I hold Sinclair’s hand the whole way home, squeezing it, so happy and excited. We are so blessed right now and I’m doing everything I can to bask in that glow. My partner, my baby, my baby on the way?
What more could I ask for?
When we return to the palace, Sinclair escorts me back to our rooms, though I can tell his mind is already on other things.
“You can go,” I say, balancing my little Rafe meatball against my elbow as I give Sinclair a little nudge on the shoulder. “You don’t need to walk me back to the rooms – I’m already inside our house!”
“Indulge me, Ella,” he says, giving me a small smile as he pushes our door open and holds it open for me. “I can already feel my instincts kicking in: I’m not going to want to leave your side for the next six months.”
“Oh, right,” I say, rolling my eyes and carrying the baby to his changing table. “Just like the overprotective pregnancy Alpha is very different from the overprotective new parent Alpha.”
“It’s different,” she says, smiling at me as she leans against the wall, watching me quickly clean Rafe’s dirty diaper, our little baby babbling happily as I do so. “Or at least it seems different to me.”
“Well, whatever keeps you eagerly by my side,” I say, smiling at him with a wink.
“What’s wrong with you?” she asks, tilting her chin up at me. “Do you feel different yet? Honestly, I almost feel bad: You barely finished breastfeeding. You didn’t even get to do any of the fun non-pregnant things, like tequila shots. Or lots of sushi.”
“Okay,” I say with a sigh, zipping Rafe’s onesie shut and lifting him back into my arms, where he squeals and reaches for me, grabbing handfuls of my hair. “I’ll just set them aside,” I say, stepping closer to my mate and letting him wrap his arms around me. “After the next one is born and ready for solids, you owe me two children’s worth of debauchery.”
“Ready,” he says, smiling and taking my face in his hands, planting a peck on my mouth. “Except, knowing you, you’re probably planning on having a third baby.”
“We’ll see,” I say, giving a small, happy sigh. “But you know what? There’s one thing I’m particularly excited about.”
“What is it?” he asks, genuinely curious.
I crack a wide smile and turn back to the bed, walking over to it as Rafe lets out a small, excited giggle. “The nest reset!” I say, raising a hand in the air. Sinclair bursts out laughing as I start pulling the covers up and arrange them into a comfortable circle that looks incredibly cozy. Honestly, I want to climb in right now.
“This will be the second version of the nest,” says Sinclair, and I can tell from his happy tone that he is pleased. “The next 2.0. Are you planning any innovations? Improvements?”
“Well, it’s a queen’s nest now,” I say, happily sinking into my bed, taking Rafe with me. “And it has to accommodate both a growing Prince and Princess,” I say, smiling at my son. “So yes, I’m going to need some funds,” I continue with a sigh, looking seriously at my partner. “Five to ten thousand dollars?”
“For pillows?” he protests, laughing.
“Oh, no,” I say, smiling. “That’s just the general budget and snacks. Pillows are going to be extra.”
He shakes his head, still laughing, but he reaches out again and again and takes my face in his hands. “Whatever you want,” he says, smiling.
“Exactly what I like to hear. Do you have to go?” I ask, a little sadly. I mean, I just made this nest and it looks so cozy…
“Yes,” he murmurs, leaning down to place another kiss on my mouth. “But I’ll be back to help you christen the nest later.” He sighs and walks away, handing me a tablet that’s on the nightstand. “Order whatever you want, but please, Ella, try not to bankrupt us.”
“No promises!” I sing, leaning back on my pillows and pulling Rafe next to me as Sinclair laughs and heads for the door. “Come on, honey,” I sigh as I start clicking away on the tablet, Rafe beginning to crawl through the blankets beside me. “Let’s start by ordering you and Sissy some matching outfits… we’ll get some for baby Jesse, too…”
Two weeks laterFrom NôvelDrama.Org.
“Cora!” I call to our little closet. “Are you ready!? Let’s go!”
“It’s my party, Ella!” Cora calls back, though I can hear her laughter.
“I know,” I whine, a tuxedo-clad Rafe sitting calmly on my hip. He also glances curiously toward the closet where Cora is dressing Jesse in his little tux. Jesse is two weeks old now and the cutest baby in the world (except for Rafe, of course) and I can’t wait to see what he looks like in the matching tux I bought him.
“You know it’s ridiculous, Ella,” Cora says, finally emerging from the closet with her happy little boy, who smiles almost all the time. I squeal when I see him, barely able to hold up his bald little head. “He’s just going to throw up on it, and besides, he’ll only be wearing it for an hour! He has to be naked when you introduce him to Mommy.”
“It’ll be the classiest puke!” I laugh, quickly reaching over and tickling Jesse’s sleek little tummy. “And I don’t care if he wears it for an hour or a minute, he was just too cute to resist.” I laugh, completely undone at the sight of Cora and Jesse, all dressed up. Rafe babbles happily and reaches over, trying to touch Jesse, which he always does. I smile when I see him, as I always do with these little kids, they really do have a bond already. Rafe gets so excited every time Jesse walks into a room.
Jesse, although I don’t think he really understands what’s going on, smiles when he hears Rafe and lets out a happy laugh.
“Your guests are gathered,” Roger calls from the living room door, raising an eyebrow in our direction. “Are you going to come here or just hide out here with the kids all night?”
“Coming,” Cora calls, rolling her eyes and pretending to be exasperated even though I know she’s not. “I’m sorry you only had to entertain the guests for ten seconds, Roger.”
“It was absolute torture,” he says, crossing the room towards us, a half-drunk glass of champagne in his hand. “Why do you think I came here? I missed my friends.”
Rafe gurgles and waves at Roger, causing me to break out into a happy, proud smile. He hasn’t said a word yet, but he’s getting there.
“Ohhh, you look very elegant,” Roger says, leaning down to look at his son. “The Goddess will be very impressed, I’m sure.”
“How could it not be,” Cora says, smoothing down the little bit of hair on Jesse’s head. “It’s so perfect.”
“Yes, he is,” I say, laughing a little as Roger slides an arm around Cora’s waist and together we head for the door. “And very excited about his baptism, I know.”
“We all are,” Cora says, smiling at me. And right now I know she’s remembering Rafe’s baptism and her own experiences there.
But this time? It’s my turn. Because I’m the godmother and I’m the one who gets a little glimpse into baby Jesse’s future world.
And I can’t wait to see what’s in store for him.