“Pass me my water bottle?”
He picked it up, shook it, and frowned. “Back in a sec.” He took the nearly empty bottle back to the kitchen and refilled it. “Here,” he put it within easy reach. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay alone?”
Xavi was returning to work after his month-long parental leave. I still had another month at almost full pay, more at half pay, but I hadn’t decided on when I would return to work. My husband was happy for me to be a stay at home parent, if that’s what I wanted. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. Spending my days with Penny was great. I loved being with her, but I think we both knew I’d return to work, just at reduced hours. It had taken me a while to build my career, I didn’t want to lose it.
“Your mom is coming over later. My mom will probably drop in since he knows you’re heading into the office. I might even go out for a walk, maybe meet up with Marty.” The omega was quickly becoming one of my favorite people. I was so grateful to Leigh-Anne and Stacy too. They were the best in-laws I could hope for.
“Sounds good. I’ll call you later.” My husband was clearly having problems leaving us.
“Go. We’ll be here when you get home.”
He kissed me, a long, slow kiss I felt to my toes. “Want me to bring home dinner?”
“Hell yes! I’m so hungry all the time, thanks to madam here.”
His worried gaze roved over my body. “Are you eating enough? I could—?”
“Xavi, please, I’m fine. You need to go to work and we,” I said, adjusting my hold on our daughter to get her to latch onto the other nipple, “need to learn how to get by when you’re not here.” I smiled when Penny latched on perfectly. The lactation consultant Xavi’s parents had paid for was worth their weight in gold, I swear.
“Okay.” Another kiss. One for Penny, too. “I love you both.”
“And we love you.”
Okay, perhaps I’d overestimated my abilities. Ever since Xavier had left for work, Penny had been screaming. First it was wind, then it was a dirty diaper. Then nothing I tried seemed to soothe her. She threw up on me and somehow I’d gotten it in my hair! I really wanted to shower, but I couldn’t leave her to cry. The noise was piercing into my brain. Hours had somehow magically passed without any sort of reprieve.
With my phone in one hand to look up advice, I rocked Penny in the chair we’d bought for her. I wanted to cry and call Xavier. He always had the magic touch with her. I heard the door open. My hand paused, as I went on alert. “Hello?” I called.
Jae and Marty rounded the corner. “Hey, the cavalry has arrived!” Marty announced. He carried Willa in her sling while Jae held Leo’s hand.
Relief flooded me. “What are you doing here?”
“Your husband asked us to head over here yesterday. He was worried about you being alone for the first time,” Jae explained with a fond smile. He and my husband were now good friends themselves.
“When he didn’t hear from you an hour ago, he called me,” Marty added. “Message him back, would you? He’s not going to last the day in the office if he doesn’t hear back from you.”
My best friend let go of Leo’s hand to come take Penny from me. “Oh, you poor things! Are you missing Daddy?” he cooed at her. Her cries quietened. “She’s sensing your anxiety, I think.” Jae glanced at me, leaned closer, and took a sniff. “Go have a shower, you stink.” He grinned, reminding me of his first few days with Leo.
I looked at Jae and how he confidently cradled my daughter, then over at Marty who was picking up the mess from this morning’s attempts at calming her. These people were my ride or die friends for sure. “If I haven’t said it recently, I love you both.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Marty waved me off. “This is what we do for each other.” Words I’d said after he had Willa.
“Still, I’m grateful.” I didn’t say anything else, just went to have that much needed shower. Not before I called my husband, though.
“Hey, are they there?” Xavier’s voice washed over me, the last of my tension evaporating.
“They are. Thank you for sending them. I… I was out of my depth.”
“You weren’t,” he said with that endless patience he always had for me. Xavi waited for me to be ready through all mydoubts. He’d worked hard to prove to me he was all I needed. He’d been right. “You’ve got this, but you don’t have to do it alone. Mom and your mom will be over in the afternoon, so you can get a nap, okay?”
“I love you. Thank you for being the best mate and husband.”
He laughed. “I love you, too. I think you hold the title of best mate and husband. My perfect omega.”
“Stop chatting with your man and have that shower!” Marty yelled from the kitchen, where it sounded like he was loading the dishwasher.
My grin was wide. “I’d better go. See you later.” We ended the call, and I stripped quickly, dumping my clothes in the hamper. The water was blessedly warm, washing away baby vomit and stress sweat. What it would never wash away was my deep love for Xavier, the bond I shared with my daughter, or the support I got from our friends and family.
I was loved in a way I didn’t think possible, and had proven that this recessive omega was capable of anything. Nothing could top that.
