Five.

Five.
"Waffles?" Isla asked Colt, turning towards the breakfast table expectantly.

Breakfast had become Isla's time to shine, every morning was spent feeding up her pregnant daughter, as if that alone would assure the health of her new granddaughter.

"Mom, I'm going to burst, you've already fed me bacon, toast, sausages and eggs," Colt laughed out. "Honestly, I'm struggling to move about more because of the sheer amount of food inside me, as opposed to the little one."

"I'll have them, if they're going spare," Lewis chimed in eagerly, earning scowl from Isla.

"No, you can get your backside to work young man, if you are so adamant on skipping college and going to work for your Dad, you can be there on time for once. He has been having enough headaches without you making them any worse, Young Man." She scolded him, throwing a sponge at his head for good measure, before she put on a sweet smile and turned to Calum, "Would you like them, Dear?"

Calum smirked, quite pleased with himself, "Well I'd hate for your excellent efforts to go to waste," he praised his mother in law, as she placed the plate in front of him.

Isla smiled dotingly, before swiping him across the head gently with a kitchen towel, "Don't be a suck up."

Colt burst out laughing at this, while Calum shrugged, not caring because he was getting the waffles, while Lewis was left sulking at the scraps left over on his plate.

"So, are you excited about seeing the nursery today?" Isla asked Colt, as she passed her son in law the syrup.

"Very! That brute hasn't given anything away, not even a hint on the colour scheme." Colt smiled, rising and heading to the sink to clean her plate.

She was very excited, after they had looked at the house, Calum had fallen in love with it as it was, meaning the only work he needed to do was the nursery, and with Colt about to be in her third trimester, she was itching to get home and start nesting in her own way. Including giving the place a full scrub down from top to bottom. After they had viewed it today, they would be packing up to head out to the lodge for Scott and Jasmine's wedding, returning to their own home afterwards; for some much needed alone time before their little lady arrived. Everything was coming together wonderfully, and the past weeks back at home with her parents had been lovely, and even her annoying youngest brother hadn't been able to dampen her spirits.

"Really?" Isla asked surprised, "Because, I've seen all the pictures, and your Dad even delivered, and helped build the crib."

"Mom!" Colt shrieked to everyone's amusement which only drove her to her next act, she removed Calum's half eaten plate of waffles from in front of him, and dumped them in the garbage disposal before he could react. "You. Up. Now." She said sternly, crossing her arms for good measure. "I am not waiting another minute, we are leaving, now."

Calum snorted, while rising from his seat, all while his food was still being chewed in his mouth. After he had audibly swallowed, and barely avoided choking in the process, he scowled straight back at his wife.

"You couldn't have just let me finish my breakfast?" He asked Colt, towering over her in the process.

Colt merely tilted her head and narrowed her eyes.

"It's your second breakfast actually, and frankly" she added with a smirk of her own, "You've been having one two many extra meals of Mom's cooking. Your shifter genetics will only serve you so long, Casanova."

Colt finished her teasing by prodding Calum's hard stomach, hitting him in a spot that was particularly ticklish as his towering figure buckled slightly.

"I can't believe you're so unappreciative of my Dad bod, Mrs. Macgregor, really I'm shocked. I will have you know I am merely trying to offer you moral support by also eating for two." Calum smiled, moving closer still to his wife.

"Come on, Fat Cat, stop procrastinating, take me home." Colt whined up at Calum as she leaned into his open embrace.

Calum's arms automatically pulled her close, smirking at her teasing nickname, before inhaling all that was his wife into his lungs.

"Go get dressed then, Love. You're still in you pyjamas," he pointed out playfully.

"Oh." Colt answered, "Baby brain?"

"Yup." Calum smiled, loving the feel of his wife and her swollen belly against himself.

"You're going to have to let me go then, Calum." Colt wiggled against her husband.

Isla could be heard laughing behind the two, while Lewis scraped his chair back and walked out quietly. Just because he had learned not to comment on his sister and brother in law's displays of affection, that did not mean he could stomach watching them for an extended period of time.



A few hours later, Colt and Calum were pulling up outside their cottage next to the stables on the resort. Calum had insisted on blind folding Colt as he led her inside, despite there only being one room to reveal.

"Have you ruined the carpets or something, while making your masterpiece? Is that why I'm like this?" Colt laughed out, just as Calum guided her around a pile of paint tins he had forgotten to put away.

They were neatly stacked to the side, though he silently reassured himself before answering.

"That's exactly it, Love. The rest of the place is like a bomb site, and I dont want you to see it until you are on cloud nine at the nursery. That way, you wont be as mad." Calum teased smirking to himself as Colt tensed under his hands. "See, our baby will get brains and beauty from her Daddy."

Colt couldn't help but laugh, the tension leaving her body. Calum's obvious joy was infectious, and always left her with a huge smile on her face.

"So, are you ready?" Calum asked, before closing the nursery door behind himself and Colt.

The smell of winter, was blowing in through the open window as Colt gave herself a moment to take a breath. It was diluting the left over scent of new paint and so gave the room such a sweet freshness, like it was preparing itself for the new arrival in every way.

"Yes, I'm ready," she said, as Calum began to untie the blindfold around her head.

Colt's hand flew to her lips as she took in the sight before her.

"Oh, Calum," she cried as tears sprung to her eyes, "It's beautiful."

The furniture was all a pristine dark wood, softened with white and pale pink fabrics. The wall behind the large crib was a deep green colour, and painted free hand over it was a fine cherry blossom tree, with pink and white blooms cascading down from it as if it were blowing in the wind.

There was a thick blush coloured carpet under their feet, and different assorted toys for their daughter to grow into, including a wooden built Victorian rocking horse, that was the exact image of Solaris. Colt knew instantly, this was the gift her parents had been teasing her about since the day after they arrived. They had had a mystery gift specially ordered and had paid extra to have it expedited so it was ready in time.

Colt could only imagine how much they had spent on it. It was such a stunning piece, and so perfect a way to include her equine baby with the arrival of their daughter.

Quickly, she found she had to look away before it became too much, surveying around the rest of the room that was filling her heart so much, she almost couldn't breathe.

The same blooms from the tree, could be found repeated on the other walls which were done in softer shades of green, but what really stood out and caught her attention was back on that dark green wall. There was an elegant golden script upon one of the branches of the tree.

"Ellie" it read

Colt turned to look at Calum.

"Ellie?" She asked.

"It's a stick on, so we can change the name if you dont like it, but I thought, Ellie could be short for Eleanor." Calum answered nervously, "You loved Nora, Colt. Even if you didn't spend much time with her, you recognised your connection with her and I think the name Eleanor could honour that, as well as give our own little one a beautiful name all her own, by using Ellie."

Colt just stood ther, struck dumb by her husband's words.

"Do you hate it?" Calum asked.

Colt just shook her head, her breathing trembling as she tried to form her words.

"No, I love it." She eventually forced out.

"Good, because I wanted to add Isla as her middle name. Your Mum and you are so very close, and I would like us to honour that as well."

Colt didn't think she could cry any further, but her hormones and gratitude proved her completely wrong, tears cascading down her face so heavily they dampened the shirt below.

"Eleanor Isla Macgregor," she whispered, her hand pulling on Calum's to caress over her stomach, "It's absolutely perfect."


Author's Note: The first five chapters are here. I will.upload to this file again once I have published chapter 10 on the Devoted file.