Fate Heals

Chapter Seventeen

Sighing, I allow the warm water in the bathtub to relieve some of the pressure on my back. This past week or so, my back has been aching from the extra weight of being pregnant. The only thing that I have found to help with the pressure is taking a bath.

Taylor suggested it, saying that the buoyancy of the water would help to lift my belly, taking some of the pressure off of my back. At first, I had been skeptical, but he had just rolled his eyes and prepared the bath for me, mixing some calming oils into the water. As soon as I had stepped in, I had fallen in love, and now I like to relax in the bath at least once a day.

Looking at the clock on the counter, I see that I have been in here for a good twenty minutes, meaning that Noah will be up soon. He likes to give me false hope with his naps. Sometimes he sleeps for almost two hours, while other times he wakes up as soon as I put him down.

As if knowing that I am thinking about him, I hear a cry start up in the bedroom. Closing my eyes, I rest my head against the back of the tub, trying to find the motivation to leave the warm water surrounding me. Just as I start to maneuver around, the bedroom door opens.

A low voice starts to murmur to Noah, and the baby settles slightly, but I can still hear his whines. He must be hungry then, just like he always is when he wakes up from a nap.

A knock sounds on the door before it is cracked open.

"Hope you're decent," Taylor says, and I just roll my eyes.

"Taylor, you watched me strip to get into this bath, I don't think decency is much of an issue anymore."

He lets out a soft laugh, making his way over to the tub. "This little guy seems to be hungry, so I thought I would bring him to you. The bath will help to calm him, and this way you don't have to get out."

"Thanks," I murmur, taking the squirming baby away from Taylor.

"No problem," Taylor says, standing back up. "Call me if you need anything."

Nodding my head, I watch as Noah blinks up up me, his hand in his mouth as he whines. He kicks at the water, his little toes scrunching as they get wet. Pulling him closer to me, I watch as he rubs his face against my chest. I have to scoot up a little bit, but within a few seconds, Noah is situated more comfortably and is able to nurse.

The washcloth I had been using earlier is floating in the water, and I pick it up, laying it across Noah so that he can feel some of the warmth of the water.

"You hungry, baby?" I ask, rubbing my hand over his downy hair. It is becoming darker but not as dark as my own. He looks like he is going to have light brown hair, and his eyes are becoming darker as well. They still have a lot of their blue, but specks of brown are starting to peek through.

Noah blinks up at me, his little hand waving around in the air. When I press my finger against his palm, he quickly grips onto it. Honestly, he is the sweetest baby, only ever fussy when waking up from a nap or hungry. The rest of the time, he is content, smiling whenever he can.

"You're a mama's boy, aren't you?" I say, a smile on my face. Noah gives me a quick smile of his own, which makes me laugh. "You're going to be such a good big brother," I murmur, "and we don't have that much longer until baby comes."

I cannot wait until this baby is out of me. The excitement to finally have them in my arms is high, but I also am tired of being pregnant. Liam had seemed to love it, but I just want my baby to be here already.

Looking out the window that sits right above the tub, I can spot Tate and Nik walking back over to the house. Nik starts to lag behind, while Tate climbs up the porch steps, disappearing out of sight. The beta looks around as if trying to make sure nobody is watching, before he walks over to the tree line.