Sinthy finally raised her hands in defeat. “Okay. I think I canmaybegive you some help.
She turned to look at me. “As long as Nico is okay with you and your siblings staying in the pack lands.”
I looked across the lawn at Maddy, who was chasing the two kids in some sort of game of tag. The boy had to be about ten or eleven, and the girl was a year or two younger. They were smiling and laughing. I also saw the big grin on Maddy’s face as she played with them.
Glancing back at Sinthy and Maxwell, I said, “I think we can make that work.”
Now that all the drama and danger were over, Maddy and I could finally get to the hospital to have the baby checked. Doc had done what he could in the pack lands, but without an ultrasound and other things, we wouldn’t know how the baby was developing and if it was healthy.
Once the appointment was made, Maddy leaned over and nudged my shoulder.
“What are you hoping for?”
“Huh?”
Maddy laughed and punched me lightly. “The baby, dummy. Boy or girl? What are you hoping for.”
That was one of the major things you were supposed to think about when you were having a baby, but it hadn’t even crossed my mind. What I wanted didn’t matter. Fate would determine that.
“Doesn’t matter to me. All I want is a healthy baby. I don’t care about gender. I’ll love it the same no matter what.”
Maddy looked genuinely taken aback. “Really? I thought for sure you’d say you wanted a boy. Someone to carry on the Lorenzo name. Then you could train him to take over and be the next alpha.”
I shook my head. “No, I wouldn’t force anyone to be alpha. That’s an honor you should take willingly. It’s what my dad did with my brothers and me. It worked out that I was the one who wanted it, and I was the oldest. If my child doesn’t want that responsibility, then one of my brothers will surely have a son who will take over. I mean, I hope any son I have wouldwantthe job, but it’s not meant for everyone, and I’d never try to stifle any dreams they had that led them to something different.”
“Wow,” Maddy said. “I guess I never asked how that worked. That actually makes me really happy.”
She leaned in and gave me a kiss. “Well, I’ll go ahead and wish for a boy for both of us. How about that? But I think, boy or girl, they deserve a dad like you.”
Her words sent a bolt of emotion into my chest, and my eyes stung as I tried not to cry. I wiped at them. Thankfully, Maddy didn’t mention my tears.
Three days after Maxwell’s return, Maddy and I were nervously sitting in an exam room as a technician ran the ultrasound wand across Maddy’s belly. I watched, completely oblivious to what she was doing. She clicked different spots on the screen, took pictures, and made some sort of measurements, but all I could do was stare at the squirming gray form. The heartbeat seemed to reverberate across the room and all the way into my chest.
Shifter babies developed faster than humans, and the baby already had the outline of arms and legs. It moved and twisted in Maddy’s belly. The more I watched it, the more love I felt. It was strange to fall in love with something that wasn’t even born yet. The lump in my throat told me the feelings were real, though.
“Okay, folks,” the technician said. “Baby looks great. Measuring exactly where they should for a wolf-shifter. I got a really good picture of the genital area, so I can say for certain it’s?—”
“Wait,” I blurted.
The technician and Maddy both looked at me in surprise. My cheeks flamed.
“Is everything okay, Mr. Lorenzo?” the technician asked.
“Yeah, are you okay, Nico?” Maddy said, rubbing my arm.
I nodded and smiled. “Yeah. I just thought… wouldn’t it be kind of exciting to be surprised when our baby is born? I’d like to know then. What do you say?”
Maddy grinned back at me. “I love surprises.”
143
MADDY
Abi was planning our baby shower, and when she heard that we were going to wait until delivery to find out the sex of the baby, she’d been playfully irritated. She’d been hoping for a girl so she could have pinkeverything. A full pink extravaganza. Instead, she had to readjust her plans and go gender-neutral. To say she wasn’t a fan of the middle-of-the-road colors of yellow, green, and gray was an understatement, but she still planned a hell of a party over the next couple of months.
It was during the baby shower, while I was filling my plate full of finger foods and appetizers, she sidled up next to me.
“Are you guys still serious?” Abi asked.
