The Merry Moose’s Mates (Male-Order Mates #16)

Chapter Twenty-Four

Austin

Shifter babies came more quickly than the fully human type, or so the healer had informed us. And with this little one’s possible genetics, they couldn’t predict exactly. But, to Alice’s disappointment, it was still several months before baby time. Our little girl spent hours talking to Briar’s tummy, telling her new sibling about all the fun they’d have if they would just hurry up and grow enough to be born and join the “outside family.”

By the time Briar was stretching out even his paternity clothes, he’d joined Alice in her pleas.

Poor guy was so uncomfortable, and the healer stopped by for a quick check and finally admitted that it could be any time now. Late spring was heading for summer, and warm days made him even more uncomfortable, although Shay and I did whatever we could to help from foot massages to distractions of any kind we could come up with.

Which was why on this beautiful Saturday afternoon we were down by the lake for a picnic. Alice splashed in the shallows, pretending to be a moose diving down for tasty underwater snacks, while the three of us sat in beach chairs and relaxed with icy lemonades.

“Alice, come and have a sandwich,” I called. She had become such a water girl since it got nice enough, and I was extra grateful for the preschool swimming lessons she’d received. Not that it meant we weren’t watching her every minute, but water safety was priceless.

“Five minutes, Daddy,” she begged, but since this was the third time I’d called, there was no reprieve this time.

“Now, young lady.”

She stood up and trudged out of the water, her pooched out lower lip an indication of her displeasure with my insistence, but that was not changing anything. “I was having fun.”

“And you can go back in after a little while, but you need to eat some lunch for energy.”

She brightened at that. “I do need energy. I’m going to be a bear next, hunting salmon.”

“Actually, I don’t think so.” Briar’s voice broke in the middle of his sentence, and I darted an alarmed glance at him. “We might need to head back to the house.”

“Briar, why?” Alice whined, but then her eyes widened. She ran up to Briar and pressed her ear to his immense bump. “Oh, the baby is coming.”

I never ceased to be amazed at my daughter. I didn’t think she had any idea of the anatomy, and we’d only given her the five-year-old version of how all of it worked. But she spent so much time talking to the baby, for all I knew, they had a two-way communication going. And she was right.

We left Shay to gather our things and hustled up to the house, calling the healer as we went. We got him settled in the bedroom and began the wait. The healer arrived and confirmed the baby was on the way, but we would have hours yet, according to their estimation. Alice wanted to be with Briar but after a while the hours of playing in the water had her falling asleep where she sat, so I tucked her into her bed for a nap.

Right after that things sped up. I had planned to have Alice leave while the actual birth occurred anyway, so we let her rest until, after three long pushes, baby Noelle slip out into Shay’s waiting hands. The healer stood by and supervised, but we were able to do nearly everything both for her and for our mate. Then the healer left, and soon a sleepy Alice came in, rubbing her eyes.

She spotted the bundle in Briar’s arms, and I had to catch her before she launched herself at them. “Slow down, sweetie, you sister is very fragile yet.”

Alice nodded and tiptoed over, very quietly, to gaze down at the little face peeking out of Briar’s embrace. She studied her and then nodded. “Yes, that’s my sister. She’s the right baby.” She crawled up beside them and curled next to Briar, one hand resting on the baby’s blanket. My heart swelled so big I feared it would burst out of my chest at the sight.

We were home, Alice and I, with my mates and the new baby. Maybe there would be more children, and they’d be welcome, but these two were more than I could have ever imagined and my mates…a gift of Fate.

Shay and I stood with our arms around one another looking down at them, tears on the cheeks of our fluffy bear. And mine. Tears of joy and gratitude and love. Family.