Page 16 of Shopping for His Omega (Omegas of Oliver Creek #15)

Maverick

The community of Oliver Creek was hands down the best group of people on the planet.

Hawke and Mason took time out of their schedules to come down.

Hawke ran the local bird sanctuary, and Mason owned the sushi place—even though I couldn’t have any, there was some for the guests.

Rue and Pascal showed up with an entire beautiful layette for our kitten.

More people showed up, but it was all a bit overwhelming and honestly, I couldn’t remember all of their names.

There was so much food brought in, and gifts made a mountain on the table.

While everyone talked and had some cake, thanks to our bakery right in town, my forehead broke out in a cold sweat. I sat back in the chair and closed my eyes, forcing slow breaths.

It was a lot and I’d been forcing myself to rest lately. I even hired a pharmacist to cover for me while I finished out this pregnancy and then for the three months after the birth. I had a business to run, but those first few months of infancy and needing to rest were a job in themselves.

Daniel had taken over opening the presents when I realized with my belly that tearing the wrapping paper off gifts was harder than it looked. Way harder.

“Are you okay, mate?” Daniel stopped, and I opened my eyes to see him putting his cake to the side. “You’re sweating.”

“I’m fine,” I whispered, not wanting any more attention than I was already receiving. “I think it’s warm in here. That’s all. Hormones and such.” I didn’t miss Daniel’s eyes flickering to Quinn across the room. “It’s nothing to worry about.”

“If you’re sure.”

“I’m sure. Enjoy your cake.”

Danny did as I asked, but he kept his eyes on me nonstop after that.

I continued to sweat even though I’d fibbed a bit.

It wasn’t warm in there at all. In fact, there was a cool breeze coming in through the open door.

We were having the baby shower in the community center, and it was open to anyone who wanted to come in, gift or not.

They’d gotten an oversized card, and almost everyone in town wrote something kind or uplifting.

Danny and I had the privilege of serving and working with the nicest, kindest people.

“I need to go to the bathroom,” I said and suddenly felt a tug at my bladder. It was nothing abnormal since this kitten had been pressing on my bladder for the past month, but this seemed different.

“Let me help.” Danny helped me to my feet and as soon as I stood all the way up, I felt wetness wash down my pants.

“Oh my goddess,” I sobbed. “I peed at my own baby shower.”

Daniel shook his head. “No, omega. You didn’t. But your water broke. Quinn,” he called without shifting his gaze from me.

Quinn came over and started to ask me a question, but a gripping pain shot through my back and made me fist the first thing within reach, which was Daniel’s shirt. I cried out from the power of the pain.

“That’s your first contraction and it seemed like a big one. This is when we start timing them, Mav. First time births are usually qui—”

He didn’t get the word quick out because I was slapped with another wave of pain, this time a bit worse, and it radiated down my spine and pulsed.

Our kitten is coming. Birth. Now.

My rabbit hadn’t been wrong before. No use in starting now.

“Our baby is coming. My rabbit is speaking to me. We don’t have time to get anywhere,” I said, still conversating with my animal.

“There’s a back room,” Quinn said. “It’s more private.” He turned to his mate Atlas and gave some instructions which Atlas made a run for…somewhere. “Let’s get you back there. I think they have some towels there as well.”

I heard the dull roar of the people at the party. Some cheered me on and some wished me well. I thought for sure I would have our baby at home but instead, he or she had chosen today of all times to come out.

“Here we go.” Atlas came back in a flash with a bag for Quinn and a ton of blankets and sheets and towels all rolled up. By the time they got everything on the floor, I was on my hands and knees, naked from the waist down and arching my back, trying to relieve…something.

“You’re fully dilated,” Quinn said from behind me after I gave him permission to examine me. “Listen to your rabbit. He will tell you when to push.”

And he did. Almost immediately.

The overwhelming desire to push came at me with the same force as a shift. My rabbit pushed into my consciousness a bit and told me when to push and when to breathe. Daniel was with me the whole time. “Maverick, you’re doing so well. Everything is going to be okay.”

In what seemed like a blink of an eye, I felt the tearing, burning sensation I’d read so much about. The ring of fire. I let out a scream and pushed with everything in my body.

“There you go! Your baby is here.”

Daniel began crying as I released my rigid posture and lay down on the blankets, ass in the air, not giving a care who saw me.

“It’s a daughter, mate.” Daniel came around to show me our little girl. She was absolutely perfect. Daniel’s dark eyes and hair. My button nose and complexion.

“She’s beautiful,” I said, out of breath but getting a wave of energy now that I was seeing my daughter in person for the first time.

Quinn helped me deliver the placenta and afterbirth, and soon I was stable enough to go back home. Daniel picked us up in his car and drove us the short way and after some fumbling and bumbling, our daughter and I were settled in our bed and she at my chest—feeding for the first time.

Quinn and Atlas came over to check everything once more before leaving.

Mason and Hawke made sure the gifts and food were delivered to our home and put away.

Tanner and Godric, the original owners of the peanut butter and jelly store and present owners of the smoothie truck, brought us some meals to keep in the freezer and said the community center was already cleaned up and good as new.

We didn’t have to worry about a single thing.

Again, we had the best community ever.

By the time the activity ended, the sun was setting and Daniel came to lay by me. Our daughter was on his chest and we were soaking it all in.

“We should probably give her a name,” Daniel chuckled.

My eyes were closed but I was wide awake. I snorted. “We kind of forgot that part. Name her, alpha. I can’t right now.”

He took my hand in his. “I don’t blame you. You’ve done all the heavy lifting for almost seven months now. How about Poppy? When she starts shifting, we can call her Hoppy Poppy.”

I laughed but not out loud. “What if she’s a wolf?”

Daniel chuckled as well. “Then we keep the hoppy part to ourselves.”