Bay nodded, her gaze fixed on the floor as well. "That sounds like a good idea."

Adam took a deep breath and slowly walked her to the door. But as soon as he got there, she curled over and winced in pain.

"Damn! I'm a freaking wolf. Why can't I handle this?"

"Because apparently childbirth is hard?"

"So not helping."

He nodded then lifted her into his arms, cradling her to his chest.

"Adam! What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm taking care of you. Stop fidgeting."

"Oh." She looked genuinely confused but leaned into him as she groaned again.

"I should call Hannah shouldn't I?"

"Probably, but we'll just surprise them, right?"

"I'm not doing a very good job with this."

"Well, it's your first time."

He nodded and walked her over to North's clinic, which thankfully wasn't that far. As soon as he reached the porch, Hannah came running to them.

"I felt her pain all the way from home. Let's get her set up and maybe we'll have a baby soon." She led them to the back where North was already setting up the equipment so they would get comfortable.

He sat Bay down on the table, making sure he didn't hurt her, then backed away. Tension squeezed his shoulders, and he didn't know what was going on. For all he had thought about getting over his issues and being with her, he hadn't thought about the fact, really thought, that there would be a new life.

A baby.

Oh, Jesus.

Bay screamed as another contraction hit, and she threw out her arm. Instinctively, he gripped her hand and moved closer so he could be near her. She looked up at him, fear in her eyes, and gave a weak smile.

"Thanks for being here."

"Nowhere else I'd be." The words surprised him, but when he thought about it, he knew they were true.

North and Hannah set her up and got her dressed to be ready for the birth. He held back a growl as North touched her, but his wolf relented. After all, North would help make sure everything was okay. Plus, he didn't love her, so he shouldn't feel so territorial.

Right.

Hannah rubbed small circles on Bay's stomach, using her Healing powers to bring down the pain. Bay immediately calmed but didn't let go of his hand. Frankly, he wasn't sure who needed the strength more, him or her. Josh walked to the door and stood by his mate. Adam watched as Josh rubbed his hand up and down Hannah's back and kissed her temple. He still had a large scar on his neck that looked brutal, and he would probably have it for the rest of his life.

"Everything's going to be okay," Josh said, his voice lower and more gravelly than it had been before.

Jesus, the Centrals were taking too much from their family. It had to end.

Hours passed. Adams didn't move as Hannah worked her magic, though she seemed more sad than usual, but Adam didn't know why. Finally, Bay pushed and pushed until she screamed, and then a baby's cry filled the room.

The cry seemed to pierce something in Adam, and he let go of Bay's hand. He took a step back and watched how North and Hannah cleaned up the small little bundle and brought it over to Bay.

Hannah put the blanket-clad baby on Bay's chest and smiled. "You have a little boy. Congrats, Mama. What did you decide to name him?"

Adams's tongue grew heavy, his mouth dry. He blinked, trying to make the back spots go away.

"Micah. Baby Micah," Bay whispered as she traced a finger down his little chubby cheek.

The room seemed to go out of focus, and it started to buzz in his head. He took another two steps back and shook his head.

It was all too real. He couldn't do this. Couldn't be the man she needed him to be, couldn't be whoever the little blanket-clad being needed, couldn't be anything but the shell of a man he'd existed as for so long. He needed to leave. He needed to just breathe and get out of there.

With that, he turned on his heel and stomped out of the room, ignoring the disappointed faces of his family as he passed.

He couldn't do this. He couldn't.

It felt as if someone had taken the most perfect moment and stabbed her in the chest. Bay took a deep breath, and she watched Adam walk out the door, leaving her and her child alone. Just what she'd always thought they would be.

Alone.

She shouldn't have trusted he would've stayed. It made no sense that he would want her. She should have known.

The crevice opened up in her, threatening to swallow her whole. The cold slapped at her, breaking through her skin, seeping into her bones. He was gone. He hadn't even looked at Micah.

Their child.

No, her child.

She looked down at his chubby little cheek as he nursed. She felt so connected to him, like he'd settled into her heart when he'd been in her womb. In all that had happened, she hadn't thought about a new life as much as she should have. This little person was dependent on her for everything. She needed to hold it together for him.

Especially since he still had the demon's blood running through him.

She traced his little face with her finger again, loving how soft the skin was below her fingertip. Pat came to her side and squeezed her hand. Bay held on for dear life but didn't cry. She couldn't, didn't, have anything left.

"He looks so handsome," Pat whispered.

"Your grandson is precious." Though Adam would never claim him, she knew he would always be part of the Jamensons through Pat and the others. At least he had that.

"You did a wonderful job."

Bay nodded but wasn't really listening. How had everything gone so wrong so quickly?

She cleared her throat and looked up. "Do you think I could just have some time with Micah?" She was surprised at how strong and steady her voice was. Inside she felt like she was dying, but she knew she couldn't hide it from the alpha wolf. At least Pat didn't outwardly show her pity. Bay didn't think she'd be able to take that.

"Of course, dear." She touched Micah's face and then Bay's before leaving. As she walked out the door, Maddox walked in and then closed the door in North's and Ellie's faces. She heard growling from the other side, but then they left.

Without saying anything, Maddox got onto bed with her and held her and Micah close to him.

"Mating sucks." She looked pointedly at the door when she said it, and he coughed a laugh. He held her closer, and she cried into his shoulder, letting everything she'd held in come out.

When she pulled away, she patted his damp shirt and rocked a sleeping Micah.

"Thank you, I needed that," she whispered.

"I'm the Omega. That's what I'm for."

She looked up at him and saw the sadness she felt reflected in his gaze. It seemed like nothing would be fixed, or could be fixed. She would just have to move on and be strong, for her baby and for her.

The next day Maddox came to Bay's house. Or rather, Adam's house, even though he still had not come home from wherever the hell he had run off to. She'd ignored the hurt and pain and coldness from his departure and now was just pissed off.

Maddox sat on the couch holding Micah, but he didn't quite know what to do.

"I thought you said you babysat Finn before."

"Yeah, and I was scared to death to do it then too. These things are just so little. You could break them at any moment."

"Don't call my son a thing," she growled lightly.

He just shook his head and waved his fingers in Micah's face. Her little guy scrunched up and gave a small smile.

"Hey, he's smiling at me!" Maddox looked so cute in his response to the gesture that Bay almost didn't have the heart to tell him the truth.

"It's gas, hon. You're going to need to check his diaper."

A look of horror crossed over his face, and she held back in a grin. "Uh, I think I will let you take care of that. After all, you need the practice."

"Thanks," she said dryly.

Bay took Micah from Maddox. She changed her little baby's diaper then went to sit back on the couch and watch her little one take on a whole new world. But even as she tried to focus on the good things, Adam's blatant absence ate at her more and more.

"We just have to give him time."

"Stop intruding on my emotions, Omega."

"I can't help it if you're blaring them out at me. But really, Adam will come back. You know he wants you. He's just being an as-butthead."

"I already gave him time. I know I'm not what he wanted. I guessed that. But he left without even looking at his son. How am I supposed to forget that?"

"Don't forget it. But forgive him when he comes back. And kick him in the ass."

They visited for another hour or so, and Bay put Micah in her room to sleep. She hadn't felt comfortable enough to put him in the nursery yet. Then she had noticed that Adam had cleaned it out for the baby. Why had he reacted so cruelly?

Maddox left, needing to deal with his normal Pack duties. As soon as he left, the door opened again, and she tensed. Adam walked into the living room and fell to his knees before her. She'd been standing near the couch and was unable to move. His body shook, though he didn't reek of alcohol. At least he hadn't gotten drunk this time. He laid his head on her stomach, but she couldn't move, couldn't breathe.

"I'm so, so sorry. I'm so, so sorry." He just kept repeating it over and over again, but Bay didn't move. "Please forgive me for leaving. I know I said I wouldn't, and I did. I'm a coward. Please."

He rubbed his arms on her sides and wrapped them around her. Still, she didn't move.

"I would've forgiven you if it had only been me when you walked out. I even understand it completely. You're not ready. I know that. But it's not just me anymore. You left your child. You never even looked at him. You left him. How am I supposed to trust you when you do that? You don't know what he looks like; I didn't know if you even cared.

"You can't get over the fact that you never got to hold your child. The other one. The one who died. Well, guess what, Adam? This one didn't die. And it's not fair to either of us, Micah and me, to let you keep doing this. I'm not strong enough to say no every time. You need to learn to grow a spine and take responsibility for your actions. You are a grown man and a grown wolf. Act like it. For the rest of my life, I'll always remember my son's birth with the sight of you walking out on him.

"How am I supposed to get over that, Adam? What am I going to do next time you decide to leave and I don't know if you're coming back? What's going to happen if you do it when Micah is actually old enough to remember? How are you going to explain to him you don't love him? I know that you don't love me, and I'm strong enough, at least I hope I am, to get over that. I'm not strong enough to watch you break my child. My child. Not yours. You lost that right."

Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she shook with each word. She could feel Adam's tears against her stomach as he hugged her tighter, as if the harder he hugged, the more he proved he wouldn't let her go. But she didn't trust him.

She heard Micah's cry from the bedroom, and Adam looked over his shoulder. He didn't look like he was going to run away. But how could she know?

"My son deserves his father. And because of that, I'll give you one more chance. But if you walk out on him or treat him like anything less than the best thing in your life, I will leave, and you will never see him again. Do you understand me?"

Adam stood and kissed her softly. She didn't kiss him back, not wanting to give him the wrong idea.

"I can't, Adam. I don't trust you."

He traced a finger down her brow line and nodded. "I'll earn it. It was just too much right then, and I hadn't thought about what it meant to have a new baby in my life. It was selfish, cruel, and unthinking. I know you don't trust me, but I won't do anything that will make him think I don't want him. And it's the same with you. I'm so sorry, Bay."

She nodded, upset with herself for wanting to believe him. But Micah deserved more than her bitter attitude so she nodded and walked toward the bedroom. She stood by the bassinet and looked down on a whimpering Micah. She knew he was just fussy for attention because he had a full belly and a clean diaper. It was amazing how quickly she could learn this mom stuff.

Adam stood by the side and gulped. His eyes widened as he looked at her. "He looks just like me."

She gave a soft smile. "I know." And that would have killed her to know that every day she'd be looking at the image of the man that left her. She prayed that wouldn't be the case.

"I'm going to go wash my hands." He went into the bathroom, and she heard him wash up. She held back a smile at his nervous tendencies.

He walked back in and looked scared to death.

"You've held a baby before, right?"

"Not since Cailin."

She nodded at that tidbit of knowledge. Apparently, this baby thing was more than just Micah, considering there were two relatively new babies in the family.

"Go sit on the bed now and I'll bring him to you, okay? We'll take the slow."

He did so quickly, and she picked up Micah and held him to her chest. He looked up at her, and she knew he looked so much wiser than a one-day-old should. She carried him over to Adam, and he held out his arms, as if he knew instinctively what to do. She held back a smile and gently placed Micah into his father's arms. Adam cradled his son's head and bottom and looked down at him as if he'd never seen something quite like him. Bay had done a similar thing when she'd first seen him.

"We made him," Adam whispered in awe.

"I know. We didn't do too badly."

"We did perfect. He's perfect."

Unconsciously, she leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. He twisted so he could kiss her forehead, and she closed her eyes. This was how it should've been. Not storming out and lost glances. This.