“We probably should build the nursery soon.” I sighed.
I’d been putting it off, hoping to do it once Preston returned, but with every day that crawled by, I was beginning to doubt he would make it in time for the baby's birth.
We’d bought several items, but they were just sitting in boxes in the room that would be the nursery. I kept telling myself that he’d be home soon enough, and we could work on it together, but I was still waiting on that to become reality.
While I knew that my alphas would take care of me and be there for me every step of the way, I was pissed that Preston wasn't home yet.
I had to regularly tell myself that it was because he couldn’t be home, not that he didn’t want to be.
“If that's what you want to do, we'll do it,” Nolan assured me.
“Have you heard anything from Preston recently?” I lifted my brows, trying not to get my hopes up.
“Not for a few weeks, but we knew he wasn't going to be able to communicate much.”
I could tell Nolan was trying to be helpful, but it wasn’t working. “I hate this. I would like to have more than oneconversation with him before I give birth to our child. I don't think that's too much to ask.”
“It’s not, Hailey. It’s not. He’s going to have to make up for a lot when he gets home, but he does want to be here.”
I took a deep breath. “I still hate this. On one hand, I'm excited and looking forward to the baby getting here already. On the other hand, I'm terrified and unsure.”
“I think that's just being a parent in general.” Nolan chuckled. “Excited and terrified in equal measure.”
“Sunny said as much when I spoke to her the other day. She's loving being a parent the second time around, though.”
“She was on her own for her first, wasn't she?”
I nodded. “Luka's father was never around, and she did it all on her own. All of it. The night feedings, the crying, the stress—she did it by herself with zero help.”
Nolan dropped his stare, nodding. “That’s a strong woman.”
“Yeah, she really is. For the record, I would like you to note that I am not that strong, and I will not be left alone to deal with any of this,” I said, glancing down at my belly. “Thankfully, this time around with their little girl, Sunny’s got all the help she needs.”
Looking back up at me with a grin, Nolan kissed my forehead. “Give it a few years, and there's going to be so many firehouse babies.”
I chuckled. “There's already a plethora of firehouse pets. Babies will fit right in.”
“Do you want any pets?” Nolan asked, curious.
“Actually, yeah. I've always wanted a pet, but I'm not sure what kind. Maybe I should go see Melody and see who needs rescuing. I wouldn't want to get a cat or dog from a breeder when I know Melody has so many animals that need good homes.”
“I think it's good for a kid to have a pet. Personally, I grew up with dogs. I love animals.” Nolan’s face dropped, shaking hishead as he grimaced. “I draw the lines of ferrets, though. They creep me out.”
I pulled back, looking at him in surprise. “Creep you out? They’re adorable!”
“Adorable?” He choked out the word. “Have you seen their weird faces?”
Smacking his chest lightly, I nodded. “Yes! And they’re little fluffy fur noodles.”
Nolan wasn’t convinced, though, shaking his head. “They have beady eyes. I don’t trust them.”
There was something about the way he said it that made me break down into a fit of giggles, my belly jiggling as I held on to him. Even while I laughed, I made a mental note to save cute ferret videos to show him later.
“Please tell me Melody doesn't rescue ferrets…” he whispered, deadly serious.
I bit my lip, trying not to laugh. “At the moment, I'm pretty sure she only has cats, dogs, and bunnies.”
“Bunnies?” he asked, curious.