Birthday

HARPER

“It’s all very normal, nothing that you haven’t encountered already. You’ll know exactly what to do, the whole process is magical and amazing and you will be thoroughly supported…”

I couldn’t fucking believe it. This woman had sat in front of me for fifteen minutes, rambling incessantly about the entire process.

I flashed Spencer a very unimpressed look but he just beamed back at me, the grin had not come off his face for two days.

Any moment now I expected to see butterflies flying around his head and rainbow streams to come pouring out when he opened his mouth.

We had been living with him for only four weeks, this was ridiculous.

I groaned painfully as my hand covered my eyes, attempting to regain some composure and hide what I was fearing the most.

“It’s all good, Doc, we got this entire process on lockdown,” Spencer assured her.

“Good, I’m very glad to hear that, Sheriff Marcelo. Harper, do you have questions?”

I just stared in silence at this lunatic of a woman.

“Ah, I think she’s a little shocked right now, perhaps we could book an appointment for her in a couple of weeks, or when she finds her speech again.”

They continued their conversation as though I weren’t in the room.

Spencer collected the paperwork as well as my hand and walked us out of there like he was dancing on a footpath of clouds.

Sitting in his pickup, Spencer tapped his steering wheel nervously. We weren’t even driving anywhere, just sitting outside the pack’s hospital.

“We gonna talk about this or you gonna just continue to avoid the subject entirely? I backed off, I gave you enough time to get used to this but now it’s making me doubt things. You won’t give me an answer to marking and now you’re shutting me out on this too. Give me something, sweet cheeks.”

I twisted my fingers in front of me. “Don’t jump to conclusions, miscommunication happens when we do that.”

“Yep, but then ghhhiu hhklupknjk jiomm hgkw,” he mumbled.

“What? What did you just say?”

He cheekily flashed me a mischievous smile. “Yep, but then make up sex makes you squirt.”

“Okay,” I cut in. I could feel the flood of embarrassment flush my face. “Why do you have to talk about it?”

He laughed as I hid behind my hands. “C’mon, you know I love it. Talk to me, Harper, are you afraid I’m going to disappear?”

I shook my head. I wasn’t afraid anymore. This man had somehow taken the broken pieces and miraculously glued them back together as if I was never damaged in the first place.

My mistrust, my hurt, my insecurities, my walls—all gone, as if they never even existed. He, Spencer Marcelo, had healed my heart.

“Then what? What is it? We’re pregnant, sweet cheeks, pregnant with an actual baby. I’ve never been so happy in my life, why are you so down about this?”

“Oh God,” I huffed, finally dropping my hands.

“Hmm,” I groaned.

“Jesus Christ, what is it?”

“I-is it going to be furry?” I squeaked out.

Roaring laughter ripped through his pickup’s cab as tears streamed down his face. “Is that what you’ve been panicking about?”

Spencer couldn’t stop laughing at me as I shrunk into his passenger’s seat. “Is it going to be furry,” he repeats incredulously, “you’re too much sometimes.”

“Spencer, I’m serious, what if I give birth to a p-puppy?”

By now Spencer was leaning on his steering wheel, keeled over as far as he could go, losing himself in hysterical laughter at me. “Stop baby, I can’t take anymore, my abs hurt so much.”

“This isn’t funny Spencer,” I growled, “I’m genuinely worried I’m going to give birth to a puppy, like legit terrified.”

“Stop, please stop,” he cried, “my cheeks hurt from laughing.”

It took ages for him to stop his laughter at me and my fear.

“Are you done?” I sneered, completely unimpressed by his behavior as he wiped the tears from his eyes and cleared his throat.

“Sweet cheeks, I can assure you, you will not give birth to a p-p-puppy”—his chin trembled in amusement—“or a f-furry baby. We don’t usually shift until our hormones kick in, activating the gene.”

I sighed in relief.

“Fuck, sweet cheeks, I don’t think I’ve laughed that much in years.”

He leaned over and kissed my forehead.

“I’m glad.”

“I can’t believe you were worried about that,” he teased. I just rolled my eyes.

I was relieved though, I don’t think anything would prepare me for seeing a wolf slide out from inside me, or anyone in the room at the time.

Tonight we were having everyone over for Spencer’s birthday, he was running around with Levi and the soccer ball in the front yard as the cars pulled into the driveway.

It had been a huge day for us already, first with getting confirmation from the doc that the stick I peed on two days ago was correct and then the embarrassment in his car and now this dinner.

Levi had come to me a while ago about a special present he wanted to get Spence and tonight, he will be presenting it to him.

My stomach was doing flips, I was that nervous about it.

Alpha and Luna walked in carrying handfuls of food, followed by Uncle Clade and Flank with Spencer and Levi, and finally behind them were Patty and Fitz.

The boys were chatting animatedly about the expensive bottles of bourbon they had brought him for his birthday.

Patty carried the large birthday cake she’d made. I found their relationship strange. It was clear they loved each other, but they had chosen to not bond in the hopes that one day they’d find mates.

It was kind of sad knowing that may never happen for them.

The dinner was in full swing when we heard a knock at the door.

“I’ll get it,” Spencer stated, rising up from his chair. Everyone we had invited was sitting in the room. Who the heck would that be?

I heard the very recognizable laugh filter into the dining room and I froze.

Her voluptuous five-foot-two frame strode right in, with her long flowy pitch-black hair and an all too familiar plumeria flower tucked behind her ear as I clambered to my feet.

“Mom?” I whispered.

“Tutu!” Leivon squealed.

~He remembers Hawaiian for grandmother.~

“Harps,” she smiled lovingly as tears welled in both of our eyes. I ran straight into her outstretched arms, gripping her with crushing force.

“What are you doing here?” I questioned, as I pulled back so she could wrap her arms around Levi.

Mom peppered kisses all over her grandson’s face before standing. “Spencer invited me. He wanted it to be a surprise, are you surprised?”

God, I love this man. I turned to him, wrapping my arms around his middle as he chuckled. “It’s your birthday, not mine,” I mumbled into his chest.

“Yeah, but seeing a smile on your face brings me happiness.”

“Harps, I’ll just get Joey, he’s having a sneaky smoke outside since he can’t smoke in the rental car.”

Just then, the front door shuts and in walks my stepfather, Joey.

He was a scrawny five-foot-nine man with gray hair and bushy gray brows, but damn did he love my mother.

“Grandpa Joe,” Levi squealed again, running into his arms.

“Hey, monster.”

“Sorry, I’m no longer a monster, I’m a cowboy now,” Leivon stated proudly.

Joey stood up. “Cowboy?” he questioned as I hugged him.

“Spencer gave him that nickname…,” I offered, just as Spence’s arm draped across my shoulders.

“On our first date,” he wiggled his brows.

I looked up at him with profound adoration, “I love you, so much, so, so much.”

My mom was already making her way around the room, introducing herself by the time we turned back.

“Juniper, so good to see you,” Clade said as he hugged Mom.

“Clade, still the same vibrant soul as ever I see.”

We served them up a plate and more drinks were poured. By the time we were all finished, Leivon was just about bursting in desperate need for Spence to open his gift.

“Mom, Mommy, Mom… now?, Mom, Mom…now?”

“It’s in my handbag,” I replied, biting my lip nervously.

“What is?” Spencer questioned from beside me.

“Levi’s birthday gift to you.”

“You guys have already spoilt me rotten today, I have a brand new smartwatch to prove it”—he flicked his wrist—“plus…” his hand circled my belly, “I have everything I ever wanted.”

“Oh god,” I practically melted at his words. “I think my heart just exploded.” Could he possibly be any more amazing?

Levi comes bounding into the room as I try desperately to taper down the urge to pull Spencer into the bedroom and ride him into orgasmic oblivion.

He hands Spencer the package before climbing onto his knee, and they open it together. “What did you get me, cowboy?”

“Hurry up, it’s a surprise.”

Spencer chuckled.

“Pull the other end then.”

Out slid a small collection of paperwork. I couldn’t stop the tears from falling as Spencer paled, flipping through it with a furrowed brow.

He blinked furiously, licking his lips, and running his hands through his hair as his mouth hung agape.

My heart slammed into my breastbone as I waited with bated breath. Shit, what if this isn’t what he really wanted? Levi will be so upset. How do I explain this to his broken heart?

“What is it?” Flank questioned, just as curious as everyone else, but I... I stopped breathing altogether.

“Are you serious?” Spencer whispered, looking from his hand to me and then back again.

I just silently sobbed and nodded, waiting for him to answer.

“Yep,” Levi chimed in, “coach, will you be my daddy?”

My chin quivered as tears poured from my eyes, and I watched Spencer, overcome with emotion, trying desperately to speak through his own tears and sobs.

He held Levi against his solid front, closing his eyes as his chest struggled to rise and fall at a normal pace.

“Cowboy, you just…made me…the happiest…man in…the world,” Spencer finally managed, struggling hard to not fall apart completely.

I finally looked up to see a table filled with teary-eyed adults, but Flank, he was bawling like a small child.

“This is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen,” he squeaked out, causing us all to erupt into laughter.

“Well, if we’re going to do this, we may as well do it properly.” I paled. Shit, no one knew about my pregnancy yet.

“Juniper, Joey, thanks for coming out at such short notice…” Oh no, this is why he invited them.

“Nnnnnnnnn,” I mumbled, shaking my head from side to side as Spencer pulled me to my feet. It was too early, we couldn’t tell anyone till we were past the first trimester.

Oh God, who am I kidding, this man was ready to explode with rays of fucking sunshine.

“Mom, Dad…everyone else, my son Levi, Harper and I are about to become a four”—Everybody just stared at us in confusion—“we’re having a baby.”

The room erupted in the loudest flurry of excited screams I had ever heard.

Everyone was on their feet, grabbing us into hugs of congratulations and high-pitched squeals. All except Flank, who was bawling all over again, blowing his nose into the napkin.

He was just too precious.

“How far along?” Mom screamed in my face shaking my shoulders.

“About five or six weeks,” Spencer called out over the noisy herd.

“Though there have been a lot of times, so we aren’t exactly sure which time was the successful one,” he winked.

“Sorry, Mom, I didn’t want to say anything until we were further along.”

She playfully swatted my arm, “how could you keep this from me? When Spencer called introducing himself—might I add—and requested us being here for his birthday, we had no clue this is what we were in for.”

As I stepped back from Mom’s embrace, I turned around to see Levi and Spencer on one knee, with a fucking ring in his fingers.

I paled once again, “Harper Maddox, you have brought so much love, joy, and completion to this empty man. You have made all my dreams come true—dreams I thought were impossible. I promise to take care of you, Levi, and our pup and be there to support and nurture all of your needs, dreams, wishes, and hopes, forever. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

~Oh. My. God.~