Filed to story: Sorry Alpha I Am Wolfless Novel
“Dammit.” I swore, not because of what happened on the phone, but because I was now left waiting for information.
“Riviana?” Dietrich asked. “What happened?”
“I don’t know. I will find out later, I guess.” I set my phone down and went to cross my arms over my abdomen. “Ahh.” I cried out as the baby stretched.
“Are you OK?” Joaquin, Vincent, and Gabriel all called out at the same time.
“Yes, just a lot of stress today.” I sighed as I sat up straighter. “There isn’t much more we can do until Dayton calls back. I am going to go take a bath to relax. I will call you if Dayton has any news, if not, I will see you all in here tomorrow morning.”
“Are you sure?” Dietrich looked at me worriedly now.
“Yes. I am sure. All of you can head home for now. Go see your families. I will see you later. Joaquin, will you come with me?”
“Of course.” He gave me a smile, even though I could see the worry in his eyes. “Want me to carry you?”
“No, I can still walk.” I shook my head. “But let’s take a door, so that it’s a shorter walk.” I gave him a forced smile that he saw through immediately.
****
Joaquin
****
Riviana was acting strange. I knew that she was, but I didn’t look into it too much. She had been through a lot today. Her body was stressed to its breaking point with the emotionally charged situations, the drama, and the pregnancy. She was going through a lot, and all I could do was be there for her. There was literally nothing else in this world that I was able to do than just be there at her side and wait for her to tell me what she needed from me.
It was annoying as all fucking hell, but that was how it was. She was my wife, my mate, my partner, and my biggest job was just to be there for her. To help her in any way that I could. To be strong for her. And to be there when she needed to lean on me.
If I was the old me, the one that I was when we were first together, I would have insisted on her going to the hospital and getting checked out by Griffin. I would have not let up until she was safe and sound in the care of people that could tell me one hundred percent that she was alright and that there was nothing wrong.
Hell, past experience would even dictate that I do just that, with all the problems with the pregnancy for the twins and the quads, there was a lot that terrified me. However, this was not a multiples pregnancy. And nothing at all had gone wrong when Riviana was pregnant with Talia, so I needed to think of it more along those lines than anything else.
“Do you want me to get the bathwater ready?” I asked my Little Bunny the moment that we walked through the door into our room. It was a magical door, and we had literally just come from the office several floors below us.
“Yes, if you don’t mind.” She smiled at me and pressed her cheek against my chest where she was leaning close to me. “I will get something comfortable to wear after I get out of the water. Remember, don’t make the water too hot, even if I could use a nice hot soak.”
…..
“I know.” I leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Don’t take too long, we can take a bath together.”
“That sounds nice.” She sighed. “I want to feel your arms holding me right now.” She started to step away from me before speaking again. “I will get clothes for you as well. Go, get the water ready. And we can wash in the shower first, so the bath can just be a relaxing soak.”
“Alright.”
As my Little Bunny went to the closet to get the clothes for the both of us, I went first to the tub to let it start filling with water. I was going to set the temperature of the water so that it would be just right when we got into it after the quick shower. Then, while that filled, I stepped over to the shower and let the water start its icy spray. By the time my Little Bunny was in here with me, it would be the perfect temperature.
This wasn’t going to be a physically intimate night, Riviana was far too pregnant for that at the moment, but I intended to make sure that it was spiritually and emotionally intimate. My Little Bunny needed me right now. She needed to know that I was here for her, that my strength was hers, my love was hers, and that my heart already beat inside of her own chest.
I stripped my clothes off quickly and threw them in the hamper in the corner of the room. When the door opened a moment later, I saw that my Little Bunny was walking toward me, also naked. She had stripped her clothes off while she was in the bedroom, most likely depositing them in the other hamper.
“That’s a nice sight.” She smirked and looked me up and down. “Too bad I can’t play with my toys right now.” The heat in her eyes told me that she wanted to play more than she was letting on.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. We can play soon enough.” I practically purred the words for her as I held a hand out for her.
“Hold your horses there, Speedy. I need to set these over there first.” She indicated the clothes that we would be wearing to bed.
I watched my Little Bunny as she walked toward the sink and the counter that surrounded it. Well, walking was the wrong word. She waddled more than anything. It was so adorable, but I couldn’t tell her that. She was self-conscious about the waddling. She thought it meant that she was too big. Not fat, she would never say that to me again. But she thought that it meant that she was too pregnant to walk anymore, as she had been with the quads and almost with the twins. Then again, she was on bedrest for most of those pregnancies, so she wasn’t walking anyway.
As my Little Bunny turned to face me, walking toward the shower and my waiting arms, I saw more of the belly that had caused the waddle. It was perfectly rounded and beautiful. Recently, the baby had been high and looked like a basketball had been stuck under Riviana’s shirt. Now though, the baby must have dropped a little, because she was sitting low and likely pressing on my Little Bunny’s hips. No wonder she was uncomfortable. The baby was telling her that it wouldn’t be long until delivery now. Maybe a week or two at most. In time for our anniversary most likely. Our twentieth wedding anniversary. Who would have thought that it would come so soon?
Finally, my Little Bunny was at my side. I wrapped my arms around her and helped her into the shower. She didn’t often let me do these things for her, she wanted to remain independent while she was pregnant, it was something that made her feel strong and happy. Right now though, she was willing to let me do more, she truly was tired, wasn’t she?
We washed quickly. I didn’t want to let the bath get too cold after all. Then again, we could always warm it up with more water, or Riviana’s magic. Still, washing quicker meant sitting with her on my lap that much sooner. And I would prefer things that way. I wanted to hold her against my chest and just sit there in the water, relaxing and comforting her.
I washed her entire body, paying close attention to her belly that was carrying our baby. I loved all of my children, and I loved that Riviana was pregnant again. This was going to be another happy year for us, after we finished with all this stuff that Orson was doing. After we settled all of that, we would be able to live happily as a family once again.
After I rinsed off my Little Bunny, I helped her out of the shower and lifted her into my arms. Gripping her with one arm, I grabbed a handful of towels and dropped them next to the tub, this way she wouldn’t get chilly when we got out.
Still holding her in my arms, I stepped into the tub and settled into the contoured side that was perfectly fitted for my body. I turned my Little Bunny so that she was facing away from me and settled her onto my lap. Her belly kept her afloat, unless I pulled her back down. And her breasts, filled with milk, were also floating a little.
I wanted her against me though, so I pulled her into more of a sitting position, pressing her back fully against my chest and abdomen. Then, with my arms wrapped around her, I held her in place, almost as if she were my prisoner there in the tub.
We talked a little, but not about what was happening in the world at the moment. We didn’t mention Orson or anything to do with the DOE. Instead, we talked about our upcoming anniversary and what we planned to do together and with the family. We talked about the kids and what they were up to. We talked about the future. Not once did we mention the stuff that had to do with the current crisis, and that was a wonderful feeling. Getting away from it for at least a little while.
Once in a while, while we were talking, Riviana would hiss in pain. I would feel what seemed like a kick from the baby, so I just assumed that this was all that it was. There was no reason for me to suspect anything else. At least, not at first.