Chapter 241: Gender Reveal Plans

I sat in the middle of our massive bed, surrounded by a mountain of pillows, hoodies, and soft blankets I had spent the last hour meticulously arranging into a tight ring around myself. My back throbbed, my ankles were swollen, and the baby was now kicking with the force of a professional athlete.

When Reid carefully opened the suite door, holding a tray with a glass of water and a fresh bowl of strawberries, I immediately snapped my head toward him, my eyes narrowing into a fierce glare.

"Take off your shoes before you step any closer," I barked out, my voice laced with sharp, unquestionable authority.

Reid froze mid-stride, his dark grey eyes blinking in absolute shock. He didn’t even argue. He kicked off his loafers instantly, moving with extreme caution as if navigating a minefield.

"Sorry, honey," Reid murmured smoothly, keeping his voice as gentle as possible. "I brought your strawberries."

"Set them on the nightstand and don’t touch the blue blanket," I ordered, my breathing heavy as I leaned back into my nest. "You creased it earlier and it took me twenty minutes to fix."

Instead of getting defensive, Reid’s Alpha instincts flared with pure, protective devotion. He set the tray down, keeping his hands visible, and slowly crawled onto the edge of the mattress, offering his scent freely—warm, rich frozen pine flooding the space to soothe my irritable nerve endings.

"You’re doing great, Kain," Reid whispered, slowly reaching out until I gave him a curt nod, allowing him to pull me gently into his lap. He slid his broad hands under my shirt, his warm palms flat against the heavy, firm bulge of my stomach, resting his chin right on my shoulder. "You’re allowed to be as bossy as you want."

I let out a long, shuddering sigh, the sharp edge of my mood instantly melting into sheer exhaustion as I leaned my head back against his chest.

"I’m heavy," I muttered, my voice dipping into a tired pout. "My ribs hurt, my back feels like it’s split in two, and if anyone else asks me if I’m ’ready to pop,’ I’m going to punch them."

Reid laughed, his thumb tracing soothing, rhythmic circles against the stretched skin of my bump. "Sure,"

Later that afternoon, after Reid had spent a solid forty-five minutes shifting pillows under my knees and rubbing my swollen ankles, Brad knocked gently on the open double doors.

He stepped into the sitting room carrying a small pitcher of iced tea, his eyes crinkling with fond sympathy as he took in the sight of my elaborate nest—and Reid sitting cross-legged on the floor beside the bed, acting as my footrest.

"How are the third-trimester joints holding up, Kain?" Brad asked, setting the pitcher down on the coffee table.

"Everything hurts," I grumbled from my fortress of blankets, though I couldn’t resist reaching out to grab a slice of strawberry from the bowl Reid held up for me. "And your son breathes too loudly when I’m trying to nap."

"I’m barely inhaling, honey," Reid protested softly, though he immediately adjusted his posture and smoothed a hand over my covered bump to keep the peace.

Brad chuckled, pulling up a plush armchair near the edge of the bed. "Well, while you two are resting, I actually have an idea I wanted to pitch. It came up while I was talking with Fidora earlier."

I blinked, looking over at him. "What kind of idea?"

"A gender reveal," Brad said, his face lighting up with genuine, nostalgic excitement. "Now, I know Reid made a strict rule with the doctor that neither of you wanted to know the baby’s gender early because you wanted a surprise at delivery—"

"I stand by that," Reid interjected quickly, pointing a finger at his father. "If we know, my mother will know, and then she’ll have the entire nursery painted in corporate McCoy colors before the week is out."

"Hear me out," Brad urged, leaning forward with a bright, enthusiastic smile. "When I was carrying Reid, Fidora and I were so stressed with drama and public scrutiny that we barely took time to celebrate the little milestones. But midway through my third trimester, my family threw us a private gender reveal party. The doctor handed the sealed envelope straight to the baker, and we had no idea until we cut into the cake together in front of everyone."

Brad looked between the two of us, his voice softening into something sweet and reflective. "It was one of the few moments back then where everything felt completely light, fun, and magical. No press, no hockey, no corporate stress—just us celebrating the life we were bringing into the world. You two have fought so hard over the last few months. You deserve a moment like that."

Reid looked down at me, his dark grey eyes softening as the initial resistance melted off his face. His broad hand slid beneath my blanket, his fingers lacing tightly with mine over the heavy swell of my belly.

"What do you think, honey?" Reid asked quietly, leaning up to press a soft kiss to my jaw. "You want to throw a party and cut a cake, or do you want to keep waiting?"

I looked at Brad’s expectant, hopeful smile, then down at Reid’s warm, attentive face. The territorial, irritable fog in my brain seemed to clear just a bit at the thought of a quiet, joy-filled celebration with our families.

"A sealed envelope straight to the baker?" I asked, a faint, amused smirk tugging at my lips.

"Directly to the baker," Brad promised with a nod. "No leaks, no early peeks."

I leaned back into my pile of pillows, letting out a long, contented breath as the baby gave a firm, affirmative nudge against Reid’s palm.

"Alright," I agreed softly, resting my hand over Reid’s. "Let’s do a gender reveal."

That was the plan, but later that night, the peaceful mood completely shattered.

I was curled on my side in the middle of our massive bed, buried under three different duvets, when the silent tears started. Within minutes, the quiet weeping escalated into heavy, breathless sobs that shook my entire frame.

Reid rushed into the bedroom, dropping a pile of freshly folded laundry onto a chair, his face instantly going pale with panic.

"Kain! Honey, what’s wrong?" Reid scrambled onto the mattress, sliding behind me and wrapping his broad arms securely around my chest, pulling my back flush against his warm torso. His frozen pine flared strong and thick, trying desperately to ground me. "Are you having contractions? Is it the baby?"

"No," I choked out, clutching his forearms as I buried my wet face into a pillow. "I don’t... I don’t want to do the gender reveal."

Reid froze, utterly bewildered. He held me tighter, resting his jaw against the top of my head while my tears soaked the sheets.

"Why, honey?" Reid asked gently, his voice soft, careful, and laced with deep concern. "If you don’t want to do it, we won’t. I’ll tell my father right now. But what happened? Did something make you upset?"

I shook my head violently against the pillow, unable to stop the irrational wave of fear washing over me. "I don’t know! I just... I don’t know!"