Path To Restoration (Fighter's Den, #3)

Chapter 22 - Delilah

"I'm coming, sweetness!" I call out to a crying Zack.

I quickly shut the oven off and move the sizzling pan to a place mat on the counter. I wash my hands down as thoroughly as I can do there's no residual spices on it and dry them once I'm down. Zack's crying intensifies and I whip off my shirt as I trek down the hall to save time. I open the light to my room and my heart sinks when a red-faced, kicking Zack comes into view.

"I know." I coo and sit on the bed before lifting him up into a cradle. "Mama took too long and her big boy is starving."

He's getting chubbier day by day. He turned one month yesterday and is now at the full "9-month mark" and looks healthy as ever. His pale skin is rosy and his cheeks sag just the slightest from all their weight. His eyes are somehow bigger than when he was born and the grey sometimes look blue, just like mine do. His blonde hair now covers his head completely and he's steadily growing out of all his clothes. You would never think by looking at him that he was one month premature.

As soon as I lift up my bra Zack attacks my nipple, barely able to latch on to it in his haste.

"Alright, calm down!" I use the back of his head to guide him and he finally latches on, body visibly relaxing and eyes shutting as he drinks. I gape down at him and mumble, "How much do you need?"

I give it another month before I go down one cup size because of Zack's tendency to suck the life out of me. My post-pregnancy C cups are not about to last long.

I sigh and lean back against the headboard while Zack does his thing. I can feel exhaustion creeping into every bone in my body. I don't even have it in me to care that I burned my dinner before coming to feed Zack. I'm used to missing a meal here and there, tiredness making me indifferent to a full stomach. I haven't written since Zack was born and although my editor has been very understanding I still feel an ache for that familiar feeling of cool metal under my fingertips as I type away, an endless stream of words flowing out of me. Emily and Avery have visited a couple of times and both times I fell asleep in the middle of our conversations. Mom is a huge help but she has a restaurant to run and can only offer so much of her own time when she's so tired herself.

Nate comes by whenever he can but he's also extremely busy with training for pros. After the match he lost, Coach has been harder on him than ever. Coach also has a lot of time on his hands now that Jaxon is handling the new youth division—six new additions to the gym—so he's focusing everything on Nate. Him and I have collapsed on my couch completely dead to the world on more than one occasion. And although there haven't been more close-calls since the one a month ago, there's also an easiness between us that wasn't there before. We flirt openly. He touches me with even less reservation and I like it. He loves Zack as much as I do. Despite all the tough days, I really can't complain. Things have been going great.

I jerk when I hear a knock on the door to my room, squinting at it when I realize I fell asleep. It probably wasn't more than a few minutes because Zack is still sucking away and looking content as ever. I yawn and call out, "Who is it?"

"Me. Can I come in?" The deep voice replies. Nate has had his own key ever since my Mom gave him one and I let him keep it. It's easier anyways because he's always at my house.

"I'm feeding. He's almost done, though." Looking around for my shirt, I remember that I flung it somewhere outside. "Can you grab my shirt and throw it in here?"

"Yeah." A minute passes by and then my door opens just a crack before a bundled cloth comes hurdling at me and smacks me in the face. I make an oof sound and Nate immediately asks, "You good?"

"Lovely." I deadpan.

I hear his chuckle from the other side right before he tells me, "I'm going to look for some food. I'm starving."