Page 16 of Accidentally All Inclusive (Beartastic Summer of Love #5)
Epilogue
Jules
It was time. I knew it within my very bones. My bear knew it too, which was why he paced just below the surface.
My mate, on the other hand, was completely unaware.
He was currently at work finishing up the last of his tasks.
It was Friday, and we knew that I would be giving birth any day now.
He planned to have everything wrapped up today, and I wanted to give him as many possible minutes of work as I could.
I knew he wanted to get as much work done as he could so he could have even more time off.
So when it came time, I had Kip drive me to the clinic.
Braxton followed along, as he often did.
Someday Kip would realize the alpha was pining after him.
I checked myself in to the clinic. I had my bag ready, my gown on—that had been a gift from Westley’s mom—and when I sensed the contractions getting close enough, I made a call.
Westley answered right away. “Is everything all right? I was just about to pack up.”
“Don’t bother going home. Come straight to the clinic.”
“What? So soon? Are you sure?”
I smiled. “I am. I’ve been here a little while. I’m already settled into our room. Dr. Straven and I are just waiting for you.”
“And you didn’t tell me!?”
I chuckled. “Just come here.”
He wasted no time in getting to the clinic. I don’t know if he ran or if he actually drove, but either way, within a few minutes, he was walking in the door.
“Is everything all right? Do you need anything?”
“I’m fine.”
The nurse, Stacy, smiled and patted his shoulder. “Easy there, Papa. Everything’s going to be fine. We’ve got Jules set up on the monitors. We’re keeping a close eye on his heartbeat and baby’s. Contractions are getting close together, so it’s going to start ramping up.”
“Why didn’t you call me sooner?” Westley asked.
“There was no need for you to wait here with me while I got checked in and dressed and all that.”
He sat by the bed and grasped my hand. “Are you sure? I feel terrible that I wasn’t here.”
“Trust me. You’re going to be here for the rest of it.”
“You aren’t the squeamish sort, are you, Westley? Your father passed out at your birth. Don’t tell him I told you. I was sworn to secrecy.”
Westley’s face went white. “I don’t think I am.”
She smiled knowingly. “Let’s just keep you up by your mate’s shoulders then and we’ll keep a chair close by.”
And he was by my side through every bit of it.
The screaming, the shouting, the part where I squeezed his hands so hard that his knuckles cracked.
I didn’t think they broke, but we’d never know, because shifters healed so fast. All attention was on me and the baby, so if Westley needed medical attention, he was out of luck.
It was all worth it, though, when Dr. Straven placed our baby in his arms. The little guy’s arms waved around, and he let out a cry. He settled as soon as Westley placed him in my arms after cutting the umbilical cord.
“He’s so small,” I said.
The doctor chuckled. “He was close to nine pounds, son. That’s not small at all. He’s a strong alpha bear, just like his papa.”
“Indeed.”
“Westley Junior.”
Westley gasped. We had talked about names but hadn’t decided on any. Westley Jr. wasn’t even on the short list.
“Do you think that’s what we want to call him?” he said.
I nodded. “It seems right. Don’t you think?”
He sniffled, tears pooling at the corner of his eyes. He wiped them away. “It does. I think… Westley. Westley Junior. I like that.”
Westley Jr. grabbed onto his alpha father’s finger and squeezed.
“He’s a strong one.”
“He is,” I said.
Westley kissed my forehead. “Just like his daddy.”
My eyes fluttered closed, the exhaustion of the day and the birth finally settling into my bones. My body may have healed quickly, thanks to my bear, but that didn’t erase the fatigue. “Like both his daddies.”
“I love you, mate.”
“I love you, Westley.”