Desire to go back to where I was, not a chance.
Chapter Twenty-One
Remi
Bowen texted me when he got to work that morning but hadn’t since. Not a surprise. It was peak hiking season and people were on vacation for the late summer before school started, so he was probably very busy. Our park system had offered up an annual pass for families at a great discount. Families flocked in by the dozens. Good for the parks and their funding. The more people went, the more the people in charge thought they should get in terms of grants and budget. At this time of year, the native plant growing project took a back seat to tourism. The greenhouse had mostly emptied, the growing things now part of the landscape, and then next year’s batch would not need to be dealt with for a few months.
But what was good for the park was not so good for my very pregnant omega who was doing his best to go to work every day while carrying around a cub inside him.
I finished up payroll for the week and went outside to help Noel water. She and Bowen had become best friends over the months, and I was glad for it. Their relationship somehow made our whole family stronger. Seth was considering building a home on the land as well and dating someone he was sure was his mate.
Noel and Bowen came up with the idea of having the family over to our house every Sunday night for dinner and, so far, no one had missed a single one.
Bowen had even come up with some ideas for our plant nursery in coordination with the state park native plant restoration project. We went to the local schools and started community gardens, teaching them how to grow their own food. Showed them the type of things that had grown locallyfor thousands of years and gifted the schools some for their landscaping. The teachers said that the benefits of fresh air and working outside had spilled into the classrooms as well. Students who participated were calmer and more focused, and it felt good to give something back.
We also had an event at the nursery where in exchange for a donation to the local food bank, we gave each person a set of seeds to start their own vegetable garden.
My omega had changed everything for the good.
“Have you heard from Bowen?” I asked Noel who was rolling up the hoses since the watering was done for the morning.
“Not since last night.” She looked up at me. “Why? Haven’t you?”
I shrugged. “Not since he got to work this morning.”
She laughed. “You two are so cute. Letting each other know when you get places. In my opinion, and I know you didn’t ask for it, it’s high time that omega took a break. He’s going to pop any second. Mark my words.”
“I’m going to…” My phone rang just as I was planning on calling my mate again. “Hey, I was thinking about you. What? Where?”
I hung up the phone. “You must be psychic. Bowen’s in labor. The other rangers are bringing him to the birthing center. We have to go. Now.”
Noel got right down to business. She yelled out at the manager to watch the nursery and told me she was going to our cabin to grab our bags. She would meet us there. I barely heard her. I was already running to my car, fob in hand. I jumped inside, and the next thirty minutes were a blur. Speed limits were broken. Many, many times.
“I’m here,” I announced, walking into the birthing center. Some of the park rangers were in the waiting room.
“He’s in the back. Go on,” one of them said.
“Thank you for bringing him,” I managed to say before I sprinted to the back.
When I walked into the room, Carrie was checking my mate out under a sheet. Bowen was red-faced and sweating, and he didn’t get to say hello before he cried out in pain, clutching the edges of the bed.
“You made it just in time, Papa,” Carrie chirped. “He’s ready to give birth.”
I rushed to Bowen’s side and, just like the ride here, the whole thing was over in a flash. Bowen pushed with all his might, clamping down on my hand as he did. It hurt to see my omega in so much pain, but he managed to smile at me through it.
“You’ve got this, my love,” I encouraged him. “You’re so strong and brave. You are everything to me.”
Bowen threw his head back against the pillow in absolute surrender. The cries of our baby filled the room.
“Do you want to cut the cord?” Carrie asked. I took the scissors from her hand as the surge of the moment took over. Our baby was here. One moment, we were a couple, and the next, we were family.
She placed our baby on Bowen’s chest and while they were there, she checked for fingers and toes and made sure everything was okay. And it was.
“Congrats, you two. It’s a girl.”
Bowen and I both began to cry as a knock came at the door. Carrie walked over and spoke to someone and then turned to us. “It’s a Noel?”
“She can come in,” Bowen said. “It’s my sister-in-law and best friend.” He winked at me. “Other than you.”
