Page 38 of As The Shifter World Turns

38

AND BABY MAKES FOR NO SLEEP

Micah

She was perfect. Absolutely perfect. I never thought I could love the way I did her. It was all encompassing. It was an I would die to make her life what she deserved kind of love. Archer felt it too. I could see it in his eyes every time he looked at her, spoke of her… even when he folded her little onesies.

Archer was born for the role of dad.

I just wished he didn’t look like he could fall asleep standing up.

“Nap when the baby naps.” I reached out for our sweet Elune. “I’ll put her down.”

It was a lie. We both knew it. She had not slept anywhere but someone’s arms since she came into this world.

“And then I’ll get up when she cries and be back to where I am now only with a sad baby.”

“Nope. Watch this.” I went to the hook by the door. Patch misunderstood and thought I was getting his leash and came barreling over to me. I grabbed the baby carrier and attempted to ignore Patch. He was having none of that.

“I’ll go for a walk with Elune and you sleep.” I fastened the carrier around my waist and held my hands out for her. He thought about it for a few seconds, then gave her to me.

“If I fall asleep I might not wake up for a week,” he confessed.

“Good. Get all the sleep you need.” I couldn’t help but rub noses with my sweetie pie before getting her settled in the carrier. Unlike some babies, Elune didn't care if it was Archer or me holding her as long as one of us was. And really, she was cool with her “uncles”, and the other residents of Sunshine Manor, holding her too.

“But what if she’s hungry?” He looked up at me, his poor eyes sagging.

“Then she will have to make do with her alpha dad warming up some of that breast milk you’ve been pumping for ‘just in case’. I’ve got this. You need sleep and besides, Patch here wants to show off his sister.” He was so ready to go for a walk. “Sleep my love.”

“Maybe I’ll take a shower, too.” He pushed himself to stand. “Yeah, I’ll do that.”

“Perfect. And when you wake up, we’ll either have pancakes because it’s the morning or I’ll make enough veggie fried rice so we can eat and freeze the rest.”

He walked over and kissed Elune, who was already starting to doze, on the head and then kissed my cheek. “You’re the best mate I’ve ever had,” he winked.

“Eh. You’re up there near the top too,” I sassed back. “Go take care of you. You need it.”

I grabbed the leash, clipped it on Patch and then once we made it downstairs, opened the stroller. It was mostly for decoration and to carry the diaper bag, but I always brought it with me when we went out. Maybe one day she would want to stay in it and look at the big world around her. Today was most likely not that day,

I somehow managed to get everything and everyone out onto the porch without waking Elune or dropping the bag or even tripping over Patch for that matter. Go me!

“Where are you going?” I nearly jumped at Neil’s words. Where did he come from?

“I was going to the park, I think. That’s what parents do right?” I plopped the diaper bag in the stroller, being sure there was a bottle in there just in case. “Not sure why just walking isn’t the cool thing. It’s not like babies play when they’re there.”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” he shrugged, looking extra fidgety. “I need to get a sandwich from the deli. Their delivery person got a flat. Want to walk with me?”

Poor Neil. On some days he came across as being over the need to be in his place and nowhere else. And then other days? He looked so frail and terrified.

“I could eat.” It was true, too. I needed to get groceries. After Archer rested, grocery shopping was top on the list. But the way he was, I didn’t want to add to his exhaustion and even though he’d be fine with me leaving to get food, I felt bad.

Being a new dad had a lot of emotions tagging along with it. That was for sure.

“I wouldn’t be sad getting a bologna sandwich.” Neil made a face. “What?” I told him. “That was my childhood. Let me have my joy. ”

“You mean eat animal by products mushed together when your mate can’t get grossed out by it.”

And there was that.

“I’m guessing you’re not ordering the same?” I asked

“No, I am,” he chuckled. “But my Martin doesn’t care, seeing as he’s a meat eater too.”

“Speaking of Martin.”

“Can we just grab our food?” He didn’t sound like he meant it. But I let it go. If he wanted to talk about Martin, he’d have plenty of time as we got our sandwich and continued on our walk.

“Absolutely. I’m hoping to stay out for a while. Archer needs sleep.” Lots and lots of sleep.

“I was talking to the guys about that.” He helped me get the buggy onto the sidewalk.

“I’m handling it,” I told him. Wow I sure got snappy and defensive fast. “I mean thanks.”

I started to push the buggy and he fell in step beside me. “I didn’t mean to bark at you. I’m sorry.”

He didn’t say anything for a while, just walked in silence until we reached the corner. “It’s a huge adjustment becoming parents and then you have a tiny human you’re afraid to take your eyes off of even for a second, you’re running low on sleep and you have your mate to worry about too,” Neil said. “It’s a lot.”

“You sound like you’ve been there.” I snapped my jaw shut. He wasn’t overly forthcoming about his past and I didn’t want to push. “I might get a cookie too.” There. That would take the foot out of my mouth.

“Naw. Just know some dads.”

The deli was on the left and we crossed the street. Elune still didn’t know we were out of the house.

“I’m getting a cookie too and chips,” he announced as we went in. “Ohh, never mind. They have Jojos today.”

The heating lamp had a tray of the yummy potato goodness I loved. I was so getting one as well.

I ordered my sandwich and Jojo, not bothering with the cookie, and Neil grabbed his, adding on the potato and cookie.

“Eat here or at the park?” I was letting him decide. There was comfort being within four walls but also the park meant we could be away from people.

“Park. Except the Jojo. I’m eating mine along the way.”

We managed to find a picnic table away from everyone at the park. It was an odd time of day where the older kids were just about to get out of school and the younger ones were probably having their naps. Basically it was the perfect time to be in the quiet outdoors. As quiet as the city got anyway.

“I’m going to attempt a miracle.” I unbuckled the carrier and eased Elune out, setting her in the stroller, immediately rocking it as soon as she was secure inside .

“The fresh air will help,” Neil noted and he was right. She stayed asleep.

“Let’s eat fast.” I sat down and the buggy was still rocking. It was then that I noticed Neil’s foot on it.

Patch heard the word eat and was all in.

“I like movement when I sleep. I used to have a hammock. It was the best,” Neil told me.

I opened my sandwich and they’d put enough bologna on it for ten people. It was fabulous. And plentiful enough I could share with Patch. Who was I kidding? If it had one piece of bologna. I’d have shared with the furball. It was impossible to say no to our dog.

“I like Martin,” Neil said just as I stuffed my face. “And he likes me. And all that stuff I said about having babies before… it was what Martin said the day we watched Elune while you guys met with Dr. Grey.”

Archer had vowed never to leave our daughter again after that one time. He swore it was why his blood pressure had been high. Dr. Grey assured him it was normal BP for a wolf who’d given birth, and not to fret. Archer still fretted.

“Martin’s so good with babies and kids. He’s a great dad.”

“Why does that sound like a problem?” Neil wasn’t meeting my eyes, which while not completely unusual for him, still gave me a vibe that he was hiding something.

“Because of what I do.”

Poor Neil. His job might not be conventional, but he worked hard for his money and it was legal. There was absolutely nothing wrong with what he did.

“You mean work and get paid? Because last I knew that was a good thing.”

He picked up his sandwich and gave it another bite. “Maybe,” he mumbled around a mouth full of food. “And Martin’s so good with your sweet baby and… I’m just overthinking things. Can we talk about soccer instead?”

“Absolutely. I know very little about it so chat away.”

And he did as we finished our food. Elune, not one to be left out, woke up for hers too. We stayed until my phone started to buzz. Just as I feared, Archer wasn’t able to sleep with her out of the apartment.

“We need to go back,” I apologized.

“Maybe I could watch her in the living room and you two can nap.” Somehow Neil’s words felt bigger than their literal meaning, like me taking him up on the offer mattered. So I did.

“Thanks. I’ll even buy you Thai for dinner,” I promised as I gathered up our trash.

“I was going to hold out for pasta, but given I like you…” He rolled his eyes. “Thanks for today.”

“No. Thank you. I needed to give Archer a bit of quiet time and I needed that bologna more than I realized. Sooooo good. I don’t care if it’s made with all the leftover bits. It’s delicious.”

“If you say so.”