107. Colton Ashford

Lauren.

There is just something about seeing your life flash before your eyes that makes you reconsider all your previous choices.

When I saw that car heading straight towards me. Knowing that I had no chance of moving away before it hit me, I regretted everything.

Regretted not telling Sebastian that I loved him. Regretted being stubborn about him choosing me. I regretted leaving the restaurant having not told him about our baby.

When I felt the impact with the car, I didn’t even know if I would ever see his face again. If I would ever see Krystal and Jax, my family. I didn’t know if I would wake up and if I hadn’t I would have died with so many regrets.

When I regained consciousness and found Sebastian next to me. His head bowed over our combined hands. Pouring his heart out, I knew this was my second chance.

So what if he chooses Mayra years to come? Right now he was mine and I wasn’t about to let my insecurities and trust issues get in the way of happiness.

Sebastian made me happy. He made me feel alive. I loved him in a way that I never loved Darren. I thought that I had loved Darren but looking back now I knew it wasn’t fully.

I saw him as a chance of getting the happily ever after I knew I couldn’t get with my own mate. So I held on to him while he held on to Miranda.

With Sebastian things are so much deeper. With him I didn’t feel like I was a chosen mate. I felt like his fated. Like we were always meant to be together. Now that I was spared from death I wasn’t about to let what we had go.

A part of me is thankful that the accident happened. It made the picture very clear for me. It cleared the doubts. If I had gone home that day, I would have remained stubborn and in doing so I would be hurting both of us.

“You ready?” his husky voice asks close to my ears just as his warm arms embrace me.

He places a kiss on my exposed shoulder before turning me around and meshing our mouths.

I could never get enough of his taste. I was addicted to everything that was Sebastian Ashford.

“Yeah, I’m ready to go home” I tell him, breaking the kiss.

I look at the room one last time. I have been here for close to three weeks and I was finally leaving.

Everyone has come to visit me every day since the accident. I enjoyed their visit but the highlights of my day was when I was with Krystal, Jax and Sebastian. My family.

Sebastian picks my bags and gently leads me outside the room. I say goodbye to the doctors and nurses who have been attending to me and then we are outside. Getting into the waiting car and driving off.

“Can we stop at a diner please? I’m really hungry” I tell Sebastian.

I’m always hungry. No matter what I eat or how often I eat. I am always hungry.

“We’re just a few minutes away from home. Monica has something already prepared for you” he answers his hands softly touching my thigh when I groan.

Apart from being hungry, I am aroused every single second of the day. It becomes worse when Sebastian touches me or kisses me.

My whole stay at the hospital was embarrassing given the doctors and the nurses could smell my arousal every time Sebastian was in the vicinity.

“But that’s too long” I argue.

He chuckles. “It’s only ten minutes away, Red”

I keep quiet as his hand skims my inner thigh. My mind takes me to a memory from a few months ago.

“You’re quiet, what are you thinking about?” he asks, looking at me from the corner of his eyes.

“The day we had sex on the side of the road”

This time he’s the one who groans and through the bond I can feel him trying to push down his arousal so he can focus on driving.

“Are those two the only things you think about? Sex and food” he teases, making me smile.

“Pretty much. It’s even worse when you have to deal with the horniness of not one but two wolves”

Blue and Midnight were driving me up the wall with their wants and desires. It makes things worse that I can’t even shift till I have the baby so there wasn’t any other way to get rid of the extra energy.

“I’m not complaining either way…I can’t wait to have my way with you every which way” he says, bringing me out of my thoughts.

“Sebastian!” I pretend to be appalled.

He smirks. “What? Since you’re the one that brought the matter up, it’s only right that I let you know that I will be making up for lost time”

I chuckle just as we reach our home. The guards at the gate greet us and they tell me that they’re happy that I was finally home. I smile at them and thank them. Sebastian drives the car to the front of the house and then switches the engines off.

He helps me out of the car and we head towards the house. He opens the door and then:

“Surprise” the chorus of shouts almost give me a heart attack.

With me being pregnant, Blue and Midnight are in what we call isolation. Wolves go into isolation when we reach or are close to five months pregnant.

They do this so that their energy and focus is on the survival of the baby. I can still feel them, feel their emotions but I won’t be hearing from them until the baby is delivered.

Given that my heightened senses comes from them. With them being in isolation, I’m merely a human.

That’s why I didn’t sense or smell the rest.

Tears spring to my eyes when I look at my loved one and some of the pack members. Behind them a big banner with the words ‘Welcome home’ written across them.

“You arranged this?” I asked Sebastian.

He pecks my lips. “Anything for you, my love”

After that everyone comes to say hi. Hugging and kissing me.

Mom, dad and Luke were here. So were Mayra, Lilly, Micah, Brent, Claire and their baby, Logan. (She went into labor about a week and a half after my accident). We can’t forget Mase, Krystal and Jax. To my surprise Sheryl and Ryan were also here. So were Darren and his parents.

I was happy and in the company of people who loved me. I ate, I chatted and danced. Mingled with the pack.

Everything was perfect and after night fell and the party was over, Sebastian showed me just how much he missed me and how much he loved me.

******************************

(Four months later)

It’s been four months and I’ve been working from home since I came back from the hospital. Sebastian didn’t want me overtaxing myself. After much pushing from him and Claire, I had agreed.

Mom and dad went back home, a week after I was discharged. Luke had gone back the day after the party.

We’ve talked on the phone every day and mom was to come this week given I was getting closer to my due date.

“Jax? Where are you? I need your help” I call.

Despite him not being Sebastian’s biological son. He was similar to him in every way. Just like Sebastian, he was a tech genius.

Sebastian had let me know that Miranda was the one that ran me over. He also informed me that he had killed her so she wouldn’t be a bother anymore.

We did tell Jax but he had shrugged it off. He didn’t look at all affected by Miranda's death. In fact, he had asked me immediately after if he could call me mom, because I was the only mother he knew. With a teary yes, I had agreed. Making him smile.

We later found out that Mandy was Miranda’s cousin’s wife. She had been stealing from the company as per Miranda’s request. Their plan was to bankrupt the company and make me lose it. This was supposed to be her revenge against me.

She was sentenced to prison and Sebastian threw so much dirt on her that she won’t be coming out unless she’s in a body bag. From there everything else just fell into place.

“What is it mom?” Jax asks rounding the corner. Krystal on his heels.

Those two were as close as thieves. It’s a bond I will forever be happy they formed.

“I need your help setting up my laptop. There’s a new program your dad sent me but I don’t know how to set it up and I don’t want to interrupt him incase he’s in a meeting”

I just finished saying the words when I felt a gush of water flow down my legs. I look down in horror to see a puddle at my feet.

Krystal releases a gasp.

“Did you just pee on yourself?” Jax asks, shocked.

“Shit” I mumbled.

My water just broke and Sebastian wasn’t home. He was on a dinner meeting and he wouldn’t be back till it ended.

“You said a bad word mom” Krystal says but my mind isn’t even on her.

“Fuck!” I curse before turning to the stairs. The baby was coming two weeks earlier than expected.

“Jax, send your dad a text…let him know that the baby is coming” I tell him over my shoulders and rush to our bedroom.

I go to our closet and pick the bag that I had packed just last week. It’s like a part of me already knew. I then take a shower and change before heading down stairs.

“Come give me some love before I leave” I tell them.

They immediately come and engulf me in a hug.

“We want to come with you” Jax says.

“I wish you could but you can’t…it will probably be hours before the baby is born” I give them each a kiss on their foreheads. “I promise to get Hunter to bring you once he or she is born”

They both nod and I leave after giving them one last hug. I call Hunter and he immediately comes and drives me to the hospital.

Sebastian and I didn’t want to know the gender of the baby. We wanted it to be a surprise. But I had a feeling it was going to be a boy.

We get to the hospital and immediately they settle me in. Thirty minutes or so after I arrived, Sebastian rushed into my room looking panicked.

“Are you okay? Is the baby okay?” he asked before giving me a kiss.

“I’m okay…the doctor said we shouldn’t worry. That despite the baby coming early he or she was healthy and would be okay” I reassure him.

It was hours before anything happened. I thought that having given birth once would prepare me for the contractions but I was wrong. The pain was excruciating, probably even worse than when I had Krystal.

“Breathe in, then out” Sebastian tries soothing me. His hands in mine. He winces when I clutch it in a vise grip when a contraction hits me.

“Don’t fucking tell me what to do” I snarl at him.

He ignores the tone of my voice and kisses my sweaty forehead.

“I want you to give me one big push Luna and then we will be done” the doctor says.

I dig my feet into the bed, lift up a little and push as hard as I can. I feel my vagina give way and my baby slipping into the waiting arms of the doctor. I slump back on the bed exhausted.

“Congratulations Alpha and Luna, you have a baby boy” the doctor tells us just as our baby boy announces his presence by wailing loudly.

“You did good my love” Sebastian says before taking my lips in a gentle kiss. I sigh in happiness.

“You too Alpha mate” I tell him after he breaks the kiss.

I was surprised that he hadn’t fainted like Darren had during Krystal’s birth. The memory of that day brings a smile to my face.

Sebastian cuts the cord and soon brings our boy to me.

I look at the perfect creation we made. He’s staring at me with green eyes like that of his dad. His mop of black hair peeking from his blue hat. Looking at him I know he will be an exact replica of his dad when he grows up.

“He’s beautiful” I murmur as I stare in awe at him.

Sebastian chuckles when our boy scrunches his nose up and begins to sob. “I don’t think he liked it very much when you called him beautiful”

I laugh. Maybe he was right.

“What will we name him?”

“How about Colton Ashford?” he asks.

I smile. “Perfect”