“Our baby,” he corrected.
“Of course,” Anita said. “Right this way.”
She led us to a huge room, where a row of seats waited. There were huge TVs on the walls behind and in front of the ultrasound bed, so the family and mother could see. The bed looked cozy thanks to the plush blanket on top. I’d take that over the rough linens they had in the hospital. It was also much wider than the last one, practically big enough for the expectant mother and a pack member to cuddle. The ultrasound machine and a stool rested next to it.
“Go ahead and get her settled on, belly exposed, and I’ll send in my omega, Reece. She’s our tech,” she announced as she walked out, giving us a moment to adjust.
“Up you go,” Wells told me. “I'm ready to see my daughter.”
“No, it’s a boy,” Ellis argued. “I can feel it in my bones.”
“Well, your bones are wrong,” Tallon countered, always on Wells’ side. Miles shook his head, but even he had a vote.
“Boy,” he said firmly. “Those kicks were strong.”
“Girl,” I voted, all of them grinning as I joined in. “Beckham? Graham?”
“Girl,” Beckham said confidently.
“Twins,” Graham teased. “Both.”
“Shut your dirty mouth, alpha,” I growled. “There’s one baby and one baby only.”
“We’ll see,” he sang out. His face was set in a bright smile, and a teasing glint was in his eyes. I didn’t think I’d ever seen him quite so alive and happy. It made him look younger and more carefree, like the world could see the sweet and fun side that only his pack was privy to.
We stopped arguing when a small blonde omega walked in. Her hair was cut in a cute pixie, and her makeup was done to perfection. She gave us a bright smile.
“Welcome in. We ready to see this little one?” she asked as she adjusted my clothes and tucked cloths around them to protect them. “Do we want to know the gender?”
“We do,” I said as she squirted the warmed gel on me and spread it around with the transducer. She was short enough that she didn’t have to sit to be at the right height. She woke the machine up and dove right in. It took a moment to pick something up, and I nearly panicked, but then she found the pocket, and the heartbeat was immediate. I sagged in relief at the sound, and when I glanced over at my pack, they all had phones out, recording, eyes full of awe.
“There we are,” she said, and I turned my attention to the large screen. It looked so much more like a baby now, arms and legs waving around as it wiggled. It was weird to see it move on screen and feel it at the same time. “Nice and awake, too! Maybe we’ll have a cooperative baby. They love to make me work for it most days.”
She took a few screenshots before moving to the bottom side. The guys started whispering back and forth about what they thought they saw, but she didn’t say anything right away.
“And we have…” she finally said, drawing it out.
“You’re killing me, Reece!” Graham groaned.
“Congrats, it’s a boy!” she announced, earning excited cheers from the pack. Tears formed in my eyes, and I could already imagine holding my sweet little boy. Even though I had guessed it would be a girl, I wasn’t sad to find out he was a boy. It was just nice to know so I could pick out a proper name.
She switched it over to the 3D then, showing us the strangest images, but they were so cool. I could just make out his little features, and I couldn’t stop staring once she’d handed it over.
“What’s his name going to be?” Graham asked as they led me to the car. We hadn’t discussed names, but I’d thought about this a long time ago.
“Oliver Liam Crane.” Once I said it, I knew it was the right fit. Oliver might not have been given to me in the best way, but I would never regret that he was mine. He was going to have a mom that loved him fiercely and a pack that loved him just as much. We’d never let anything stand in the way of that.
Not even Aaron Townsen.