The level of tired I’d reached probably needed to be researched in a lab somewhere. The baby was sucking all of my energy, and I wasstillattempting to work. I was determined to work until I couldn’t any more. There was no doubt I was struggling, though.
A lot.
I was only four and a half months pregnant, but it felt more like a million months already.
All week, I'd been looking forward to Sunday, the one day I had off to just lie in bed and sleep. I had already told the guys that all I was going to do was be lazy and eat food. They'd all wholeheartedly agreed that I should because they wanted me to relax.
Yet, when Sunday morning rolled around, I was up bright and early for some God-awful reason.
“Hey, what are you doing up? I was gonna bring you breakfast in bed,” Wilder said as I padded into the kitchen.
“I need to go shopping,” I muttered, not entirely thinking that through.
“Uh, why?” Wilder frowned, his brow creasing as he turned to face me, setting down a plate of food on the counter. “I can run to the grocery store if you're craving any snacks in particular.”
“No, it's not that. I just realized that I'm halfway through this darn pregnancy, and I don't haveanybaby clothes. Or baby items.At all.”My heart was beating fast, and I felt that telltale prickle in my eyes. “We haven't even decided where the baby is going to go!”
My voice took on a shrill tone, and I plopped into a chair at the kitchen table.
Understanding dawned on Wilder's face. “Are you feeling like nesting for the baby?”
I nodded. “I can't explain it. I justneedto start organizing things. I've been putting it off for so long, and now it feelssourgent. Only, I decided to wait and open that stupid envelope when Preston gets back, so I don’t even know what I’m gestating right now!”
“Hey, it’s all right. I’m here.” Wilder paused, thought rumbling behind his brows. “Well, we can work with what we’ve got. For now, we can buy everything neutral. Keep it simple and just general baby-centric. How about I get everyone together? We can drive into the city and start setting up the nursery when we get home with the stuff?”
“You would do that?” I asked in a small voice.
I felt stupid. I knew my desires weren't exactly logical right now. We were falling into a good routine, and I was disrupting it with my desperate need to go shopping for all the things. But knowing something was being guided by hormone-fueled emotions didn’t actually stop those hormones from fueling them.
“Of course!”
“But Merrick is working…” I couldn’t explain why, but I wantedallmy alphas. I needed them to help me make the house ready for the baby.
Wilder snorted. “That's easily solved.”
As he spoke, he pulled out his phone. I spluttered as he brought it to his ear, refusing to believe what he was doing as my cheeks heated, and I buried my face in my hands.
“Hey, man. Can you come home today? Our girl wants to start preparing for the baby. I think we're gonna take a drive into the city. As a pack.”
“You can't ask him to leave work to go shopping!” I hissed, grabbing Wilder’s arm.
He didn't respond, though, simply held his arm higher so I couldn't get hold of his cell phone, grinning at me happily.
“Yeah. Sure thing. See you then.” He hung up, putting his cell in his back pocket and turning to me. “He will be home shortly. Do you want to go wake Nolan, or shall I?”
I was flabbergasted. “You butt! I don't want to wake him! I can’t believe you called Merrick!”
Wilder’s grin turned mischievous. “Well, it's gonna be you or me, cutie, and I think he wouldmuchprefer to be woken up by you. As for Merrick, he was more than happy to come home.”
Knowing my psychotic pack mate, he would probably wake Nolan up by throwing a bottle of water over him or something equally as college dormitory-level nuts.
“It's not even eight a.m.,” I whined.
He shrugged. “See, he's practically gotten to sleep in.”
I didn't think that was quite how it worked, but all I could do was shoot him a glare before padding toward the stairs. If the choices were between me and whatever Wilder was going to cook up, I would do it.
And apologize profusely afterward.
