Entangled

Chapter 29

Iowa will never be home. No matter how much time she spends there, whether it's in Seth's coffee shop or running in the forests, it always feels like a place she's visiting. His house is a different matter, of course. She spent enough time there during the second half of her pregnancy that she knows every nook and cranny now, especially in the nursery. Quinn, much like a puppy, doesn't like sleeping alone, and much prefers to be cuddled up to someone, so he doesn't spend much time in his crib. If he's awake, he's usually being held by some doting relative or swaddled in a carrier while Becky goes about her day. At the moment, he's being held by Seth as they enter one of Becky's true homes: the backstage area of an arena.

She won't be able to return to action for months yet, despite how good she feels, but just being back among the hustle and bustle makes Becky smile. Both she and Quinn have been medically cleared by Eleyna and Dr. Zaba and the pack has repeated their cover story to enough people that it's smoothed over and they give it effortlessly. To their human friends—the ones outside their precious circle, that is—they say Becky started experiencing strange pains, so the doctor decided to induce her; Quinn—they don't even bother introducing him as Quinlan—was premature and tiny, but such a strong fighter that he only had to spend about a week in the hospital before he was allowed to go home. Weaving the lie at the time was difficult, especially since Seth and Sasha were both inwardly beaming with joy, but now that they can show him off to friends, it's easier to fall back on the cover story. "Don't ever give too many details," Eleyna had advised them. "That's where most people fuck up. Keep it general. You're parents to a newborn; people will expect you to be tired and forgetful, so take advantage of that."

"We don't have to do this today," Seth reminds her. "Only Hunter and The Circle know you were planning to come along, so no one's expecting you."

"I know." Becky smooths some of Quinn's hair around his ear and he gives her the lopsided smile she loves so much. "I'm not worried about him. I'm worried about me. I want to be back and wrestling and I know I can't, but being back and seeing everything and everyone will probably make me want to push harder—"

"And Seth and I won't let you." Sasha hugs Becky from behind, kissing her shoulder. "Well, we can't stop you, but we'll just remind you that there's no rush. Wrestling will be here when you're ready."

Will it? Becky's not so sure. She's already in her thirties, and she knows her window for having more children is shrinking now. Getting back into shape will be difficult enough; getting ring ready is another thing entirely. She might have been out of action for only a few months, but her competitors have been wrestling several times a week. Even having practice matches at Seth's academy doesn't compare to having a live match in front of thousands. But if she wants more kids, how long can she wait? The worry was always lingering at the back of her head, but now that she has Quinn, it feels much more immediate. "Well, right now, I'm almost ready for another nap. They still have lounges, right?" she asks. She doubts much has changed about backstage life, but she doesn't particularly want to breastfeed in the women's locker room and if she wants a nap or Quinn needs some quiet, a small private room would be ideal.

"Already arranged." From the bass of the voice, Becky almost expected to see Roman for a moment, but it's Hunter standing in front of them, grinning like a proud grandfather. "But not before I get to see him. You named him Quinlan, right?"

"Yeah. But everyone just calls him Quinn." Seth hands his son over to Hunter and if the baby looked small before, he looks absolutely delicate in Hunter's arms.

"Hey, little man." Hunter's voice is strangely soothing, and Quinn barely moves in his arms, utterly rapt. "Well, I have to give it to you," he says with a grin, passing the baby back to Seth, "you make cute kids. I can almost forgive you for taking one of my best female stars out of action for over a year." Then he envelops Becky in a hug that takes her breath away. "And how are you? Everything okay? Anything we can do to help you out?"