The Lost Pack (Paige) novel Chapter 231

** Paige’s POV **

If someone had told me eight months ago that the thing most likely to end my mates would be a jar of pickled onions and a tub of vanilla ice cream, I would have laughed in their face, yet here we are.

Ryder stands in the kitchen doorway like a man staring down an active crime scene. His hair is a mess, his T-shirt is inside out, and he’s holding a spoon in one hand and a jar of pickled onions in the other, looking like he’s trying to decide which one is more dangerous.

Callen is pacing, because that’s what he does best lately.

He’s muttering under his breath about “impossible missions” and “hostile environments,” as if late-stage pregnancy is something you can patrol your way through.

Parker is the only one who looks remotely calm, but even he has the baunted eyes of a man who has spent the last two weeks googling things like ‘is it normal to cry because toast is too toasty’.

Remy is sitting at the table with Jaxon, both of them watching me like I’m a bomb that might go off if someone breathes wrong. I take one look at the food Ryder has laid out on the counter and sigh. He’s made so much effort, but I hate it.

“Is that… hummus?” I ask, wrinkling my nose.Ryder blinks. “It’s organic.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“It was in the fridge, probably something Parker bought,” he shrugs. “You said you wanted something salty and something sweet and something crunchy and something that tastes like summer, but not in a fruity way, whatever that’s supposed to mean.”

“That was yesterday,” I tell him.

Callen stops pacing abruptly and spins to face me. “You can not be serious.”

I stare at him… he stares back. Then his gaze drops slowly to my belly, which is currently so large I’m pretty sure l have my own gravitational pull.

He points at my stomach. “The pup’s not even born yet, and they’re already calling all the shots in this house.”

“They want what they want,” I shrug.

Jaxon’s eyes widen, and he bounces excitedly in his chair.” Does the baby talk to you?”

“No,” I say. “But they have ways to make their opinions known.”

Remy groans, dragging a hand down his face. “I feel like this is going to turn into another disaster like the cheese incident.”Jaxon gasps. “Cheese? I like cheese.”

Parker snorts a laugh. “Let’s not talk about the cheese incident.”

Callen scoffs. “Yeah, or Paige will go waddling into the village trying to fight people over cheese again.”

“In my defence, I was emotional, and they shouldn’t have sold all the best cheese before I could get there,” I say.

Remy grins. “In her defense, the sales assistant looked scared enough to give us extra cheese.”

Ryder sits on the edge of the counter, glaring at us. “Can we focus on the current crisis, please?”

“What crisis?” I ask innocently.

He gestures at the table. “This. The hummus, the pickled onions, the ice cream.”

Parker clears his throat. “And the… marshmallows.”

I blink. “Oh. Those are for later. After I eat the onions and ice cream, I would like a toasted marshmallow. But / want it toasted in the normal way.”

Remy’s eyes narrow. “What is the normal way?”

“Over a fire.”

“We don’t have a fire,” Ryder says slowly.

“That’s okay,” I reply. “We have a blowtorch.”Callen makes a noise like he’s choking.

Ryder shoots me a look. “We do not have a blowtorch.”

I point at the drawer. “Top left.”

Parker’s mouth twitches. “You bought a blowtorch?”

I tilt my head. “I might have bought a blowtorch.”

Remy leans back in his chair, looking delighted. “She bought a blowtorch.”

Callen’s eyes are wide. “Why?”

“For crème brûlée,” I say, like it’s obvious.

Callen blinks. “Have you ever made crème brûlée?”

“No,” I admit. “But only because I didn’t have a blowtorch.”

Despite all the bickering and banter, there’s a softness under everything now, something warm and steady that still surprises me sometimes. It’s in the way Ryder automatically moves closer when I shift my weight, like he’s ready to catch me even if there’s no danger of me falling. It’s in the way Parker keeps a glass of water within arm’s reach at all times, like my hydration is his sworn duty. It’s in the way Remy watches the windows and the trees out of habit, but his eyes always come back to me.

It’s in Callen’s restless energy, the way he can’t sit still because he’s convinced if he stops moving the universe might fall apart.They’re all growing more excited and nervous with every day that passes. And I am so ready for this baby to be on the outside of my body. I can’t wait to see them all with a newborn. Each of them is amazing with Jax, but a new baby is different.

I waddle to the counter and inspect Ryder’s offerings. I pick up the jar of pickled onions and the ice cream, considering what I want first.

Jaxon looks fascinated. “Can I try?””Absolutely not,” Callen and Ryder say in unison.

Remy looks offended. “Let him live.”

Poppy hasn’t returned; she hasn’t even called. Instead, she sends postcards, real ones, like an old lady. I keep them in a drawer. I don’t show anyone how often I read them. The words are always funny, and vague. But I know she is safe, and she’s settled.

Jaxon has started talking to my belly every night before bed. He tells the baby about frogs and wolves and how to be brave and also how to prank Daddy Callen by hiding his socks.

Life is good, and it’s peacefut. Which is why, when the first twinge hits low in my belly, I almost ignore it. I pause with the spoon halfway to my mouth.

Parker’s eyes narrow, observant as always. “Paige?”

“I’m fine,” I say quickly.

Callen stops pacing. “You’re doing the thing.”

“What thing?”

“The face,” Remy says.

Ryder steps closer. “Tell us what you are feeling, angel.”

I swallow. Because the sensation isn’t like the mild tightening I’ve been having all week. This is deeper. Like my body just clenched around something and then let go.

I set the spoon down slowly.

Jaxon looks up. “Mummy?”

I smile at him. “Hey, buddy. Can you go get your coat and shoes?”

Jaxon blinks. “Why?”

“Because,” I say calmly, “we might be going on a little adventure.”

His eyes go huge. “Is the baby coming?!”