He kissed the top of her head. “Try to get some sleep. Ken’s back, he’s safe, and now you can relax a little, huh?”
She nodded. When they left the office, she spotted Gillian sitting on the sofa, the TV on but turned down so low a human likely couldn’t have heard it. Lyssa and Adair were asleep on a blanket on the floor.
Gillian offered her a sad smile and patted the cushion next to her. Without a word, Dewi walked over to the couch, lay down on it with her head in Gillian’s lap, curled up, and closed her eyes as Gillian’s hand settled on her shoulder. Something else Dewi missed from her childhood—many nights spent exactly like this, snuggled with Gillian, or Badger, or Trent and Peyton, when they were home.
“If it means anything,” Gillian said, “I have chewed him out plenty of times for siloing information from you. He meant well. He loves you.”
“I know,” she said.
“Go to sleep, sweetie,” she said. “I’ll keep watch.”
And, for the first time in two weeks, Dewi actually slept without nightmares plaguing her.
Chapter Sixty-Four
Dewi
She startled awake and realized she was still on the couch, but her head now lay in Trent’s lap.
Holy shit.
She sat up, yawning, while he smiled at her. “Feel a little better, Dewster?”
“What time is it?” She looked at him. “How did you two manage to swap places without waking me?” Her heart skipped a beat when she realized Lyssa wasn’t on the blanket on the floor, but then she saw Trent point toward the kitchen. There stood Badger, with Lyssa on his shoulder, smiling and softly talking to her as he made himself breakfast.
“It’s nearly 6:00 am. You were out for about four hours. Badger already fed and changed her. And since you were sound asleep, he kinda took Prime prerogative to let you sleep while we swapped places a few times. He and Da took shifts, too. Hope you’re not mad about that.”
She sighed. “No, I’m not. Thank you. I needed the sleep.” She leaned against him, snuggling with his arm draped around her shoulders. “Sorry I’ve been a total bitch.”
“Sweetie, it’s been stressful. We get it. You’re harder on yourself than any of us ever are. But you have got to learn balance.” He sadly sighed. “Blame me as much as Peyton for holding stuff back. I should’ve pressed harder for him to tell you more. It’s hard for us not to flip into big-brother mode with you and want to protect you.”
She looked up into his face. “I love you.”
He smirked. “Love you, too. Please don’t punch me.”
That made her laugh, and she laughed until she cried again, curled up in his lap.
Badger walked over, the baby on one shoulder and a large mug of coffee in the other. “Here, take this, fuzzball. Ye sound like ye need it.”
She sniffled as she sat up. “Thank you.” She gratefully took it and sipped. He always made it perfectly for her. “How much formula did she take?”
“Even more than the last time. I think this little lass is quickly on her way to soft food.”
Dewi tucked her feet under her as she sipped her coffee. “I know Asia said not to feel guilty, but I do feel a little guilty about switching to bottle feeding this soon.” She’d opted to stop pumping, too, after talking to their pack doctor, who assured her Lyssa would be perfectly fine transitioning to formula now.
Trent rubbed her back. “Honey, Asia has this down to a science. Our pack of little heathens turned out just fine being bottle-fed. She’ll likely transition Malina to a bottle in the next couple of weeks. Shifter babies aren’t on the same timeline as human babies. Even Maisie’s already eating soft food.”
“I think ye should worry more about her first words being sweary,” Badger teased. “Ye kinda fergot that outside.”
Dewi winced. “God-shdarnit. Maybe I should let you Prime me to work on my swearing.”
“Nah,” Trent said. “We should set up a swear jar.” He grinned. “You’ll have her college tuition fully funded by her first birthday.”
Trent laughed as she playfully swatted him.
Dewi didn’t want to awaken Ken, but she couldn’t help returning to the cabin to check on him several times throughout the morning.
Seeing him there, in their bed, watching him sleep, assuring herself he was breathing and…
