Page 31 of His Pretty Omega (Sweet Alps Mates #7)

Everything else was just sort of white noise at this point; the crinkle of the plastic sheet beneath the fitted one we had bought just for today, knowing we would need to toss it out.

Bennett’s soft questions to Naomi and her answers.

Alex whispering nonsense words of encouragement and love in my ear.

My focus was on the pain threatening to tear me in two, the burning pressure of my hole, the need to push my baby out. My body no longer felt like it belonged to me. But it was doing what it was made to do, and I was just along for the ride.

Naomi’s voice floated over me, still soft and serene, but one hundred percent confident in her abilities and in charge.

“Next contraction you’re going to push for the count of ten. You don’t stop until you hear Bennett say ten, okay? Shout, scream, cuss out Alex, whatever you need to do, but most of all you push with everything you’ve got.”

That’s exactly what I did. Pushed, grunted, screamed, told Alex he was never, ever, ever, ever getting near me with his cock again as long as we both lived.

Until finally the burning pressure was almost too much, and I was sure this time I would be split in two. Then suddenly it stopped, and Naomi was telling me to stop pushing.

Panting, I leaned back against Alex, drawing his quiet strength around me.

“You’re doing so good, sweetheart,” he breathed, “you’re fucking amazing. So strong.”

“You’re doing great, Seth,” Bennett gave my hand a squeeze.

“What’s happening?” I asked, my voice raw and hoarse. “Why are we stopping? Is the baby here? Why aren’t they crying?”

Naomi’s steady voice calmed me. “Everything is good, Seth. The baby’s head is out. Now we work on delivering their shoulders. Nice and easy push on the next contraction, okay? The baby is a bit bigger than we anticipated, and we need to go gently.”

“Stupid, big ass alpha,” I muttered, turning and nuzzling my head into Alex.

A soft kiss landed amidst my sweat soaked hair. “Sorry, sweetheart.”

On the next contraction, I felt the baby slip from my body, angry wails filling the room.

Tears spilled over my eyes at the cries, relief and happiness and entire feelings I couldn’t even begin to name that engulfed me.

“Daddy, you want to come and cut your daughter’s cord?” Naomi held out a pair of surgical scissors to Alex, and my mind whirled.

Daughter. We had a daughter.

Alex looked gobsmacked, tears falling unashamed down his cheeks, and all he could do was nod silently.

“Go,” I whispered, “go see our daughter.”

He eased away from me gently, but not before he and Bennett placed some soft pillows behind my back.

I couldn’t see what he was doing, but I had a clear view of his face and all the many emotions that washed over him as he cut the tie holding our child to me.

Naomi wrapped her in a soft blanket, after a very quick wipe off, then handed her to Alex .

He stared down into her face, his own radiating pure love and joy. Moving over to me, he eased down onto the bed, handing her to me.

“She’s beautiful,” he whispered, his voice heavy with emotion. “She’s beautiful like you.”

Staring down at the squalling, red-faced baby, I had to agree with him.

Wet, dark hair was matted against her forehead, and she was pissed. Not at all happy about finally making her way out of the warm place she’d resided in for the past several months.

Looking up at Alex, tears in my eyes, I whispered, “We made her. Alex, we made her.”

“We did,” he agreed, running one hand over her head, then touching her little fingers like she was made out of glass.

“She’s gorgeous,” Bennett told us, reaching to take her, which I balked at. “I’m going to get her cleaned up and then you can have her back. And Naomi will need to give her a look over when she’s finished with you.”

Dammit, I hated when he made sense.

Reluctantly, I let him take the baby from me, my eyes tracking him as he took her into the bathroom, where we already had a baby bath stored.

Alex was doing the exact same thing I was, and I could almost feel the indecision in him. His need to stay by my side and his need to be near our pup .

Leaning my head against his side, I whispered, “Go be with her. You’ll need to scent her, then bring her back to me.”

He looked so torn, his muscles wound tight. “Are you sure?”

“I’m fine,” I assured him, grimacing when Naomi began massaging my tender abdomen to help deliver the afterbirth. “You don’t need to see this anyway. Trust me, it’s gross. I’ve seen it and yeah, pass.”

Naomi tried to hide her smile, but I saw her, and an amused look passed between the two of us. I had been more than happy when my Labor and Delivery rotation had ended when I had worked at the hospital. I was quite happy dealing with babies after they had been delivered, thank you very much.

“I could use someone’s help when you’re done washing the baby,” Naomi called into the open door of the bathroom a few minutes later. “How’s your pain, Seth? Do you want me to administer some pain relief?”

I had been vocal about not wanting any drugs during delivery, but now that the baby had been born, and the adrenaline was wearing off, I was hurting.

Nodding, I whispered, “Yes, please and thank you.”

She gave me another of her warm smiles as she filled a syringe, administering the drug into my thigh. “You did amazing, by the way. Seriously. ”

The drug worked quickly to take the edge off, and my eyes flicked back to the open bathroom door.

I could just see Alex’s back, and every now and then would see Bennett’s arm. I could hear the soft murmur of their voices, but didn’t use my shifter hearing to listen in to their conversation. The baby had quieted now, seemingly content to be bathed or just happy that her alpha daddy was near.

My eyes grew heavy with the exhaustion of the day, and the pain medication. I let myself doze off, only to be jostled awake by the bed moving. Or maybe because I was moving. Alex had me in his arms, holding me close.

“Wha’s hap’ening?” I slurred.

He placed a soft kiss on my lips, which were feeling a bit chapped.

“Bennett and Naomi are putting clean sheets on the bed. Do you want pajamas, or you still mostly no clothes?”

That woke me up some. “Um, I’m going to need shorts or something. There’s going to be…I’m bleeding…or leaking…there’s just stuff for a few days.”

“Yeah, we already got that squared away, sweetheart,” he told me with a soft chuckle. “You slept through it.”

Glancing down over the still swollen mound of my belly I could just make out the waistband of a pair of soft cotton shorts. “Oh.”

“All set,” Bennett called, smoothing the sheet with his hand .

Alex laid me gently on the freshly made bed, then pulled the flat sheet over my lower half. Naomi brought the baby over and handed her to me.

“Nearly nine pounds, Seth,” she informed us. “She’s a good size for you. Twenty-one inches, and a ten on the Apgar.”

I snuggled the baby close to my chest, relishing the hefty weight of her in my arms. She stared up at me, her blue eyes assessing sleepily, and smacked her perfect pink bow lips.

“She has your eyes,” Alex whispered, running one finger over her fluffy dark hair.

“Most babies have blue eyes when they’re born,” I told him, “I bet hers will turn dark like yours. She has your skin tone.” My arm looked extra pale next to her light brown skin.

Bennett sat down gingerly on the other side of me, and Naomi was speaking quietly on her phone. Likely relaying information of the birth to Finn. I knew he had been on standby should she have needed him, or if I would have had to go to the hospital.

“Does she have a name?” Bennett asked, grinning broadly but looking just as tired as I felt.

Honestly, I didn’t even know what time it was, but looking out the bedroom window I saw night had fallen.

Glancing at Alex, I raised a brow at him, and he nodded.

We hadn’t wanted to find out the sex of the baby at our ultrasound. Both of us agreed we wanted to be surprised .

Agreeing on names had been much more difficult. We had vetoed more than we had put on the maybe list. We had finally narrowed it down to two names for each sex, deciding we would pick the name when we saw the baby.

It was something I had heard many parents say, and honestly, I had always thought it made no sense. You either liked a name for your kid or you didn’t.

But when it had been time for us to choose, to pick a name for a human being to carry the rest of their lives, it had been overwhelming and daunting.

What if we screwed it up? And suddenly, waiting until we saw the baby made absolute sense.

Looking down at the perfect little person in my arms, who, after all the fussing she had done, was now content to stare at us with unfocused eyes, I knew exactly what her name was.

“Isabella Rose Ortega,” I told my bestie.

“Bella,” Alex said, at the same time I said, “Izzy.”

Scowling at him, I repeated firmly, “Izzy.”

“ Mocoso Bonito ,” he muttered, before giving in. “Izzy.”

“Well, that’s just beautiful,” Bennett told me, snapping a picture of us with his phone and quickly sending it to someone. “Shay said Lucas is refusing to go to bed until he sees proof that his, and I’m quoting here, ‘Baby cousin has finally been born, please Goddess, can it be a girl.’ ”

Laughing, then wincing at the pain jiggling my stomach caused me, I grinned. “That kid is jonesing for a baby sister.”

Bennett stood, stretching his back. “Tell me about it. So, thanks for having a girl, now I don’t have to.”

“Anytime,” Grinning, I frowned when Izzy began to fuss.

“She’s probably hungry,” Naomi had ended her call and had come back over to the bed. “Do you still want to try nursing?”

Nodding, I told her, “I do. If it doesn’t work out, or it’s not for me, we can go all bottle. But I would like to pump, so that she can at least have my milk, either way.”

Alex watched with rapt attention as Naomi helped me get the baby to latch on.

“I’m going to head home,” Bennett told us quietly, after a few minutes of Izzy sucking.

“Oh, my Goddess, I don’t even know what time it is?”

“It’s nine-thirty. It’s not too late,” Bennett assured me. “Do you want me to call your parents?”

“I called them,” Alex told us both. “And my family. They’re going to stop by tomorrow morning and later in the afternoon. I figured I’d let you tell your little chatty omega group.”

“I got it covered,” Bennett grinned, then kissed my cheek. He followed it up with a big hug for Alex, then snuck in a kiss to the baby when I switched her to my other nipple.

Once he had left, Naomi went over some things with Alex and me, then promised to be back first thing in the morning to check on both of us.

Finally, we were alone, and I yawned widely, exhausted.

“How’s your pain?” Alex asked, straightening from placing a sleeping Izzy in the bassinet he had pulled next to the bed. “Naomi left some pain killers.”

“Mmm,” I gingerly scooted down in the bed, noting the time since she had administered the shot. “I’m okay for now.”

Surprisingly, I really wasn’t feeling half bad at the moment. I knew I needed to stay on top of the pain though.

“I’ll take a pill when she gets up for her next feeding.” I would need to check my bleeding and change the birthing pad, too.

Alex yawned then, pulling the shirt he had donned after helping bathe Izzy over his head and tossing it on the floor, which was so unlike him I let out a small laugh.

He climbed into bed, careful not to jostle me too much. “I’ll get it in the morning. I’m exhausted. And we need to sleep while she does. I have a feeling she’s going to be up every couple of hours. ”

“Probably.” He pulled the bedspread over us, turning out the bedside light. “I want a proper shower tomorrow. And a massive breakfast.”

He let me get snuggled into his side, then asked, “Anything else, sweetheart?”

“Coffee,” I mumbled, “so much freaking coffee. An entire pot of it.” One cup a day had been torture.

Alex brushed a kiss over the top of my head, and I craned my neck up to chase his lips. He bent down, his lips capturing mine in a sweet kiss that still managed to curl my toes, if nothing else at the moment.

“I love you, my pretty brat. Thank you for stealing my drink that night. And thank you for our beautiful daughter.”

“Anytime,” I grinned at him in the darkness. “And I love you too, Alejandro. So very much.”