Homerun Daddy, page 19
part #1 of Timberwood Cove Series
Suddenly, a hush fell over the crowd as the music changed into a slower song. My heart hammered in my chest. It was time.
My father pulled me into a tight hug. “I love you, son,” he said before resuming his place. Linc gave me a wink and a grin, then stepped back, clasping his hands behind his back. I assumed the same position.
Nerves jittered, and I clenched my fingers together. I stared down the aisle, where a gauzy drape acted as a veil. I could see movement behind it. Bryce. He was about to make his appearance.
The piano music resonated over the hushed silence of the gathered pack. Then it swelled, and the veil parted. All the air rushed from my lungs.
There, under a matching arch, stood my mate. My love. The man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. To his side, clasping his hand, stood Liam. They both shone brightly enough to put the sun to shame.
My wolf howled in recognition of his mate. A warmth filled me, the connection I felt to Bryce filling the space between us more intensely than ever before. I barely restrained myself from rushing down the aisle to meet him when he took his first step.
The golden light cast a halo around the two of them as they made their way toward me. They were wearing identical white tuxedos that matched my navy one. The sun gleamed off Liam’s blond hair and Bryce’s sandier version. I didn’t think I’d never seen anything more breathtaking. My gaze dropped to Bryce’s swollen tummy. I knew he’d be even larger by the time Lori was ready to make her appearance in a few months. I couldn’t wait. I found it sexy as hell to see my mate swollen with our child.
As they came closer with every step, my heart pounded. By the time he reached me, I thought I might burst. Our eyes locked, and Bryce took the final step to stand by my side with Liam taking his place just behind him.
I reached for Bryce’s hand, clasping it in mine, twining my fingers with his. He squeezed back, his eyes full of adoration and anticipation. Not a hint of fear. He was as ready for this as I was, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. He wanted to become a shifter, to be a part of my pack. To be my one true mate.
I swallowed against the lump in my throat. “You look breathtaking,” I whispered, reaching up to brush my thumb across his cheek.
He smiled. “How did I get so lucky?”
I smiled back, hoping he knew how lucky I felt.
The sound of a throat clearing to my right reminded me of where I was and what I was supposed to be doing. The officiant, a shifter from our pack, smiled at me, and I nodded. It was time.
Bryce and I turned to face each other fully, and I took both of his hands in mine now, staring down into his gorgeous face. His hazel eyes with thick brows, his angular jaw, his full lips. God, I could hardly breathe.
When the officiant began speaking, I lost myself in the moment. Everything around us disappeared, leaving Bryce and I in a space where only the two of us existed. I reached out to him with my soul, finding that connection that could only exist with a fated mate. I felt his heartbeat in return, as if we were already becoming part of each other in a way I didn’t really fully understand yet.
Then it was time for the vows.
I stepped closer. “Bryce Baldwin, to say I love you doesn’t begin to describe the things I feel for you. You’re everything to me. My joy, my happiness, my hope, my heart. You’re the very air I breathe. You’ve seen me for who I am, and love me unconditionally, and I thank fate every day for choosing you for me. I promise to always be by your side, your partner in life. Your alpha who will care for you, love you passionately, and be the best father I can to our children. I vow to love you and spend every day showing you, for the rest of our lives. Forever and always.”
Bryce’s eyes were brimming with tears. Linc darted forward with the ring I’d had custom made for Bryce. It matched my lead alpha ring. Yellow gold with black etchings. Symbolizing his place beside me in the pack.
I took it and slid it on his finger, my eyes still locked with his. “I love you, Bryce.”
He nodded, the tears spilling over now. I wiped them away gently with my thumb, and he drew in a tremulous breath. Then he smiled, love radiating from within.
“Jaxon Parsons, I never expected someone like you to come into my life. To turn everything I thought I knew on its head, and to give me a love I never thought I deserved. You’ve given me everything. A home, a family, a child, and a future I didn’t even know I wanted but can now never imagine not having. I promise to love you, to stand with you and support you. To spend every day showing you just how much I love you in return. Forever and always.”
My heart continued to trip-hammer. This was it. The moment I would claim him.
Except he surprised me with a token of his own. Shifters traditionally didn’t wear wedding bands, so I hadn’t expected this. Only it wasn’t a ring.
It was a pendant, a golden wolf head with black etchings defining its features. Its eyes gleamed with twin emerald gems.
“The emeralds were my sister’s,” he said, then he swallowed hard, more tears threatening to spill over. “I loved her more than anything, and she would love to know something of hers is now something of yours. I always felt she was half of my soul, which I lost, but you are my true half. Wear this, close to your heart, a symbol of our souls coming together, making me whole.”
My throat worked. I couldn’t speak. My voice was strangled in a chokehold as a wave of emotion overcame me. Awe, gratitude, a love that didn’t even have words to describe.
Bryce smiled and reached up to brush away the single tear that fell from my eye. “I love you, Jaxon.”
The entire crowed was silent, witnessing this moment, so raw, so full of power. I stepped even closer, my heart nearly bursting, my wolf right there, ready to claim his mate. Bryce angled his head, exposing his neck. I could practically feel the thrum of his pulse vibrating through my body. I brought my lips to his neck, kissing him softly. He tensed slightly, and I caressed his face gently.
“Just relax,” I said.
When he pushed out a breath, the tension leaving his shoulders, I bared my teeth and sank them into the vein on his neck.
All at once, I was hit with a flood of sensations. The scent of him filled my lungs, stronger than ever. I felt the beat of his heart echoing deep inside me. My wolf howled, reaching out. Now I’d made the claiming bite, his presence swept through me and into Bryce, claiming him as well.
The connection between us intensified, and it felt as if we truly were two halves of the same soul. As my wolf DNA mingled into his blood, pure and potent, I felt a spark inside him, the beginnings of his own wolf coming to life—then our wolves came together, the mate bond sealed.
When I pulled away I pressed a kiss to the wound, which had already begun to heal, and then looked into Bryce’s eyes. “Are you okay?”
He smiled and reached up to brush his fingers over the closing bite mark. “The pain is already beginning to fade.”
Holding him closely, I whispered, “I think it’s time for me to kiss my mate.”
He tilted his lips, and I settled mine over his mouth softly. A gentle brush, then another before fully capturing them. I kissed him slowly. Deeply. Tenderly and full of all the love I was feeling.
Cheers rose around us as the officiant pronounced us the mated alpha and omega of the Timberwood Cove Wolf Pack.
Joy filled my chest, and I pulled Bryce closer.
When I finally broke the kiss, I looked toward Liam. The minute my gaze fell on him, he bounced on his toes, shouting, “Bite me!”
The crowed tittered, and I smiled, going down on my knee beside Bryce and reaching out a hand to Liam.
“Liam Baldwin,” I said solemnly. “I could have no greater honor than to claim you as my son. To make you part of the pack. I promise to love you and take care of you. To be your father and your leader, your friend and your support.”
Liam nodded, his eyes wide, unsure what to say. I lifted his arm and rubbed the skin on the top of his forearm where I would bite him to claim him and make him a wolf.
“Are you ready for this?” I asked softly.
“Are you kidding? I’ve been waiting for this forever!” He grinned.
I chuckled, then brought my mouth to his arm. I bit in, hoping I didn’t hurt him too much. He winced but didn’t cry out. Then I felt a similar phenomenon to what happened when I claimed Bryce. My wolf reaching out, sparking a wolf to life inside of Liam, and also forging an unbreakable bond. Liam was mine. My wolf claimed him as our own.
When I pulled back, his eyes were wide again as he looked up at me. “Can I shift now?”
The crowd laughed again. “Not yet. It will be a few days before you’re able to. We have to wait until my wolf’s blood in flowing through your system.”
I stood up, lacing my fingers with Bryce’s, kissing him while resting one hand on Liam’s shoulder. The pack clapped and cheered again, and the music kicked up once more.
Euphoric, I strode back up the aisle with my family. Bryce had a hand on his belly, and when he looked over at me, beaming and radiant, the only thing I thought could make my life more complete would be the birth of our baby girl.
I was barely hanging on. The reception had been in full swing for hours now. We’d done all the things a wedding would normally have; a first dance, cake, the works. It had been a party for the books, but all I wanted right now was to get my mate home and out of this tux. He looked so fucking sexy with his belly swollen, his hair a little messy from the dancing we’d done.
We were dancing now, a slower one, and he swayed in my arms, looking up at me with a dreamy expression. I was pretty sure I had one to match. I couldn’t stop grinning.
I rested my hands on his ass and pulled him closer. “What do you say we get out of here?”
He grinned. “I think you’ve been patient long enough.”
A growl rumbled in my chest. No kidding. I thought I’d done pretty well not dragging him home the minute the ceremony was over.
He bit his lip, his eyes darkening. “I think I’m about ready to get out of here too.”
Fuck yes. That was all I needed to hear. I grabbed his hand and started pulling him toward the door. I caught Linc’s eye and signaled to him. In a matter of seconds he was calling everyone up to see us off.
Liam ran forward. “Can you teach me to shift tomorrow when I come home?” He was staying at Linc’s tonight.
I chuckled. “A few more days, buddy. A few more days then I promise I’ll teach you, but it’s not just something you learn overnight. Practice, you know how that works.”
He grinned. “Well I do have the best coach ever.”
Bryce smiled and pulled him into a hug. “You’re absolutely right about that. You have fun with Cole tonight, okay?” He pressed a kiss to Liam’s hair. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Love you.”
“Love you too, Dad!” He grinned up at us. “And you too, Dad.”
Bryce stood still, frozen with shock at hearing Liam call him Dad. Then a huge smile spread over his face. I could sense the joy radiating from him. But then Liam went to find Cole, and the crowed pressed in around us, sending us off with congratulations.
I grinned at Bryce, then made a beeline for the door. By the time we got home my wolf was dangerously close to the surface. I slammed the car into park and then ran around to pull Bryce from it. I swept him right up in my arms and crushed my mouth to his. He moaned, slipping his hands around my neck and tugging at my hair. I scraped my teeth down to where his bite mark had faded to a light pink. He bucked in my arms, and sensations rocketed through both of us. Our wolves reaching out to each other.
With a growl, I carried him into the house and straight upstairs to the bedroom. He kissed all over my jaw, my neck, my shoulders as I carried him, like he couldn’t get enough of me. God, I knew the feeling. Kicking the bedroom door open, I put him back on his feet and took his hand, then I pulled him forward, stepping over the threshold of our bedroom together. I watched his face, smiling as he took it all in.
I’d made sure this place was decked out as well. Flowers filled the room, their shadows flickering in the candlelight. The heady aroma filled my nose, mingling with Bryce’s scent. Soft music played in the background. Bryce turned to me, love shining in his eyes. I knew he’d love this. I stepped toward him, but suddenly I didn’t feel the irrepressible urge to just ravage him right then and there.
My wolf echoed in my mind, subdued now too at the look on our mate’s face. I felt almost reverent. This moment sacred.
I wrapped my arms around him and held him closely, kissing him softly again. Wanting to savor him, to seep into his very bones. He melted against me, his kiss just as sweet. I lifted him in my arms and carried him to the bed, then slowly stripped him, taking my time, committing every second of this night to memory.
When we were both naked and spread out on the mattress, I cradled his face in my hands and stared into his eyes. “I love you, Bryce.”
“I love you too.”
In deference to his baby bump, I was going to suggest I take him from behind, but he must have known what I was thinking because he shook his head.
“I want you to face me. I want to see your eyes as you come inside me.”
I nodded, angling his hips before carefully positioning the tip of my cock against his bud. I braced myself over him, my gaze locked on his, and our wolves whimpered with longing.
As I entered him I felt a powerful shock of heat radiate through me. I was electrified, my body feeling more alive than I thought possible. Bryce gasped, his eyes widening. He obviously felt it too.
Joined together, our wolves as one, our hearts and our spirits and our souls fully united, I was nearly overcome with emotion. I made love to him sweetly, slowly, wanting to disappear into this deluge of sensation coursing through my body and my soul.
“How do you feel?” I asked, running my lips along his mark.
“Perfect, like everything is just how it was meant to be. I love you, Jaxon.”
“I love you, baby.”
I brought my mouth to his, fusing us together. He was right. Everything was perfect. I had the life I’d always dreamed of. This incredible man to spend it with. And this was only the beginning.
22
Bryce
Four months later…
I stood in the nursery, looking at how it had all come together over the last few months. It was late, but I couldn’t sleep. It was getting more and more uncomfortable now I was nine months pregnant, and I found myself in the nursery a lot at night. Earlier my back had begun to ache, and at first I wondered if it was a lingering pain from my injury, but as my wolf had formed within me, I’d been completely healed, so I knew it wasn’t that.
I picked up a little stuffed wolf Linc had bought, and cradled it to my chest, knowing Lori would love it. I was sure she’d love everything to do with wolves, including her big brother, who was still learning to shift. Jaxon had been working with Liam but apparently it was harder for a human-turned-shifter than a born shifter to learn. I knew he’d get it soon. Then after Lori was born I’d no doubt need to be taught. Jaxon kept talking about going on a run together, as a family. I couldn’t wait.
Running my fingers over the thick plushness of the wolf, I sighed contentedly. I had loved every minute of the last few months. Jaxon fawning over me, being together as a true family in our home, the baby growing. So many wonderful things had happened, and we still had so many more ahead of us. And I got to do it side by side with my mate. Jaxon was the best mate and alpha anyone could hope for.
A sudden pain in my back had me dropping the toy wolf and jerking up straighter with a gasp.
“You okay?”
I turned at the sound of Jaxon’s voice and pressed my palm to my lower back. He was right there beside me in an instant.
“How long have you been standing there?” I asked.
“Long enough to wonder why you look like you’re in pain.” His eyes flashed with worry.
I shook my head. “It’s nothing.” Other than the backache earlier I hadn’t had many issues with the pregnancy, except for sore ribs. Lori seemed to enjoy stretching out and burying her feet in them. “Probably just the baby kicking.”
Jaxon moved behind me and wrapped his arms around me, covering my swollen baby bump with his hands. Nine months of pregnancy had left me huge.
“Let Daddy feel,” he murmured.
As soon as his hands touched my stomach, I felt it again. I grunted, my body doubling over. Then I released long moan.
“Bryce?” Jaxon whipped around me, his eyes full of panic.
I panted. This wasn’t a baby kicking. “I think I’m in labor.”
As if to prove my words, there was a faint pop and then a flood of liquid ran down my legs.
“Oh my god.” Jaxon stepped back, his legs spread wide, his fists shoved into his hair. He looked around the room like it held all the answers. “What do we do?”
I lifted an eyebrow, amused. This was unexpected. “I think this is the part where we go to the hospital.”
“Hospital. Right.” He stared at me blankly, frozen in place.
I barely held back a laugh. “Jaxon? Do I need to drive?”
A confused look crossed his face, then he shook his head, seeming to snap out if it. “No. I’ve got this.”
He sprang into business mode. There’s the alpha I knew. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and lifted it to his ear.
“You calling a cab?” I asked, teasing. The pain from that initial contraction had subsided, and I felt pretty relaxed, all things considered. I knew another would be coming soon, though. I was glad to see I had my strong support back in action so he could help me through it.
I thought I heard Linc’s voice through the phone. “Jaxon? Everything okay?”
“Operation Lori has begun,” he said quickly. “You know what to do.”
Okay, now there was no suppressing my laughter. “Operation Lori? Really?” I shook my head and grinned at him.
He hung up the phone and shoved it back in his pocket before staring down at me, a serious look in his eyes. “I’m right here, baby. Every step of the way. You have me to count on.”
