by Ranae Rose
“Wow.” Clarissa looked up from her notepad, her brown eyes wide. “You’re really close. There are four hundred and thirty. You win.”
Emmaline donned a broad smile as she clutched the jar close to her chest, her skin crinkling around the corners of her dark eyes. “Wonderful.”
As Mandy watched Emmaline cradle her prize, she remembered Ronnie mentioning that his grandmother had a sweet tooth. If her estimate had been more than a lucky guess and the jar of candies was any indication of what Clarissa had chosen for the other prizes, it looked like Emmaline would spend the baby shower on cloud nine.
The next game, which involved lengths of string that the women had to do their best to cut to a length that would fit perfectly around Mandy’s belly, featured some scented lotions as a prize. Mandy’s mother won those – Emmaline’s guess had been way off. After the way she’d zeroed in on the number of candies with almost pinpoint accuracy, it seemed distinctly likely that she’d lost on purpose.
After a few more games, Clarissa brought out the food and everyone settled into a seat of some sort, whether it was on the couch or in one of the chairs that had been pulled from the kitchen table. For a party with only five guests besides the mother-to-be, the number of gifts that had been piled on the artfully decorated folding table was astounding. “Mom, I’m not going to have to buy baby clothes for almost a year,” Mandy said as she pulled outfit after outfit out of the bags her mother had brought. “You didn’t have to do all this.” Onesies, sweaters, pajamas, socks and shoes were just some of the items Mandy lifted out of the bags, all in gender-neutral colors like yellow, white and green. Somewhere, there had to be a store with a baby section stripped of anything that wasn’t predominantly pink or blue.
But saying so was pointless. As Mandy’s mother watched her open the gifts, she looked every bit as happy as Emmaline, who was enjoying a piece of rock candy with gusto.
“Violet, April and I went in on this together,” Clarissa said, motioning toward a huge gift-wrapped box that had been hefted in earlier and put at the foot of the table.
Mandy stripped away the star-printed paper to reveal a box that contained a stroller and baby carrier. “Thanks you guys,” she said, beaming. She’d spent some time browsing strollers – enough to know that the one they’d gifted her with was nice, despite the fact that none of them had found jobs yet in the Smokies. “I really appreciate it.”
“We all got you a little something else, too,” Clarissa said. “We went shopping and we couldn’t resist.”
Clarissa had chosen a baby journal, one that had places to write down health and growth notes, in addition to slots for pictures and strictly sentimental facts, and April had found a stuffed wolf with soft fur and big golden eyes that reminded Mandy of Jack’s. But it was Violet’s gift that took Mandy’s breath away.
“You made this?” Mandy asked, holding the baby-sized quilt aloft and admiring the design. Done in varying shades of blue, yellow and white, each square featured either a half moon, a star or a paw print. It was adorable, and had plainly been stitched with care.
Violet nodded. “I like to sew.”
“It’s amazing.” Mandy held it up a little longer to make sure everyone had a chance to see it before she folded it carefully. “Thank you.” Just as precious as the quilt was the fact that Violet had taken the time to design and stitch it herself. It was a gift that she’d treasure on behalf of her child for years to come. For now, she placed it on top of a stack of clothing and smiled at Violet as she silently thanked God for Ronnie. If not for his presence at the cabin, she and Violet might not have rectified their rocky start.
“Thanks.” Violet beamed back. With as much as she’d been smiling lately, she seemed like a totally different person than the one who’d showed up at the cabin less than two weeks ago.
When Mandy reached into Emmaline’s gift bag, she pulled out a soft something wrapped in sunshine-yellow tissue paper. It turned out to be a winter hat, knit from soft brown yarn to look like a cute little bear’s head. Wearing the hat would give the baby a set of round, small ears, and the cap tied beneath the chin. A matching set of mittens had been made to look like little bear paws.
“Since your baby will be born in December, I knit the cap and mittens in newborn size so he or she can stay warm.” Emmaline winked in Mandy’s direction.
“Thank you, Emmaline, they’re adorable.” Mandy smiled and saw that everyone else was doing the same. Violet even giggled. Of course, Mandy made no remark on the fact that her little werewolf would be going around bundled up like a bear. Her mother was smiling, but only because the hat and mittens were so cute.
As the gifts were set aside and the cake was cut, Mandy couldn’t help glancing toward the door that her father had walked out of just hours ago. If only he’d stayed. Maybe he’d thought that Mandy’s mother wouldn’t want anything to do with him after what he’d put her through, but deep down, Mandy didn’t think that was the case. Her mother had never really been serious with anyone else, though she’d only been twenty when Mandy’s father had left her, alone and pregnant. Thirty years, and she hadn’t really moved on. Her love had truly endured all things – if only the man she’d given it to had chosen to stay and reciprocate it.
****
“So how was the baby shower?” Jack pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside.
Mandy’s heart beat a little faster, and not because of the sudden sight of his perfect body. “It was fantastic. Clarissa planned it perfectly and I received a lot of nice gifts for the baby.” She sank onto the edge of the bed and played nervously with one corner of the quilt. Jack had arrived home hours ago, but this was the first time she’d been truly alone with him; they’d gone out to eat with her mother that evening at a restaurant in the little town at the foot of the mountain. She’d been longing for the privacy of their bedroom all day, anxious to share her news about her father with somebody.
“Great.” He stepped out of his jeans too.
Normally, Mandy would’ve let herself become lost in the distractions his amazing body had to offer. Not this time.
“I reckon Noah and Daniel have applied for just about every job they’re qualified for within the vicinity of these mountains,” Jack said. “Musta taken ‘em to over a dozen places. I’d be surprised if they don’t have jobs soon.”
“That’s great,” Mandy said, echoing what he’d so recently said and glancing at the window. Soft moonlight made the reddish curtain almost seem to glow, and the mattress beneath her felt incredibly inviting. When she hadn’t been at the baby shower or out to dinner, she’d spent the evening preparing for the simple wedding ceremony she and Jack would be having tomorrow. She was tired, and would have loved to lie down with Jack and worry about nothing as she drifted off in his arms, dreaming about their wedding day. Instead, she took a deep breath. “Jack, I need to tell you something. I know who our mystery wolf was.”
****
Living in the mountains had taught Mandy that simplicity was beauty. That had never seemed more true than on her wedding day. It was a glorious fall afternoon in the Smokies; sunlight bathed the mountains, illuminating the foliage in a shimmer of red and gold. The trees provided all the color that was needed for the otherwise all black and white wedding.
They’d rented a small, latticed gazebo and a few chairs for their small audience, all draped in white tulle. The arrangement was set up to the side of the cabin, in the lawn space between their home and the forest. The minister, who typically conducted weddings at a wedding chapel in Gatlinburg, had arrived and was preparing for the ceremony, which Jack and Mandy had decided to keep simple and brief. They’d be married within the next half hour.
“You look amazing,” April said, leaning against the kitchen counter. All the Half Moon females, along with Mandy’s mother, had claimed the cabin’s main room and had helped Mandy prepare. Kimberly had styled Mandy’s hair in long, loose waves, and Violet had done her makeup. She was ready to go now, veil and all
.
“Thank you.” Mandy smiled. She couldn’t not smile. The day was so perfect.
“It’s a good thing you chose that wrap,” Mandy’s mother said. “It’s cool outside.”
It was, and Mandy was incredibly grateful for the crisp fall weather. She’d used it as an excuse to don her wrap immediately after putting on her dress, hiding her bare shoulders before her mother had seen them. She was bound to see Mandy’s mate mark at some point, but Mandy had decided that it wouldn’t be on her wedding day. She didn’t want to have to tell her mother the lie she’d decided on, one that involved her being bit by a large dog that a tourist had taken hiking without a leash. Thankfully, the other Half Moon females wore dresses in styles that covered their shoulders.
The screen door squeaked faintly, and Ronnie poked his head inside the cabin. “Are you ready, Mandy? The minister is all set up.”
Mandy nodded. “We’ll be right out.”
Mandy’s hand was momentarily enveloped in the warmth of her mother’s, who flashed Mandy a silent smile and squeezed her fingers before letting go. “I’m going to go take my seat.” She exited the cabin, walking in high heels that complemented her grey sheath dress and matching jacket.
“Clarissa, you’ll be walking down the aisle before I will,” Mandy said. Ronnie was Jack’s best man, and Mandy had asked Clarissa to be her maid of honor, completing their small wedding party. Ronnie’s father, Will, would be walking Mandy down the aisle. Mandy genuinely liked him – he was a lot like his son – and was happy that he’d immediately agreed to his role in the ceremony, but couldn’t help but think of her own father. She did her best to suppress thoughts of him and their brief, strange meeting the day before as Violet opened the cabin door and she stepped out onto the porch.
Will was waiting for her, standing tall in a black suit at the foot of the porch’s short flight of stairs. He was every bit as tall as Ronnie, and she still had to look up at him while standing on the top step. Smiling, he extended a hand so large that it reminded her, very aptly, of a bear’s paw. Mandy took it and let him help her down the stairs. When she looked up she locked eyes with Jack, who was seeing her for the first time in her wedding dress.
His golden eyes were captivating, even from a distance. She was hardly able to look away to note that April and Violet had taken their seats, joining Noah, Daniel, Mandy’s mother and Ronnie’s grandparents in the small audience. Ronnie began to walk Clarissa down the short aisle, toward the gazebo where Jack waited.
Will gently took Mandy’s arm. She looked away from Jack long enough to meet Will’s eyes. Dark like his son’s, they seemed to ask if she was ready. As a few butterflies erupted into flight somewhere in her middle, she nodded.
Mandy had never felt as drawn to anything or anyone as she did to Jack as she walked down the aisle. He was stunning in his tuxedo; the style she’d chosen for him suited him perfectly, the dark fabric clinging to his every angle and emphasizing his perfectly fit figure. His dark hair had been combed slightly to the side, and it swept over his forehead in a perfect arch. As she glided down the aisle with Will at her side, Jack’s scent drifted to her on a light breeze, setting her senses on fire with its piney muskiness and making her heart absolutely ache with a combination of joy and longing. His eyes never left her as she was escorted down the aisle, and she couldn’t have looked away if she’d wanted to.
Heat swept over her entire body when she faced Jack and he took her hands, enveloping her fingers in the pleasantly rough shelter of his own. She was vaguely aware of Will fading into the background and Ronnie and Clarissa standing nearby as the minister began the ceremony. Jack’s golden-hazel eyes held her captive as he said “I do”.
“Will you love, respect and honor her throughout your years together?”
“I will,” Jack promised.
Then came the most precious question Mandy had been asked since Jack had gotten down on one knee and presented her with an engagement ring. “Do you, Mandy, take Jack to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
“I do.”
Jack squeezed her hands so faintly that no one else would be able to see, and the gesture seemed to melt something inside her.
“Will you love, respect and honor him throughout your years together?”
“I will.” There was nothing she’d rather spend the rest of her life doing. And the best part was that she knew he felt the same way.
Rings were exchanged – simple golden bands – and the minister finished the ceremony with a few more lines, concluding with the sweet words Mandy had been anticipating ever since Jack had proposed. “By the power vested in me by the state of Tennessee, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”
Jack released one of her hands and cradled the back of her head as he pressed his lips against hers, claiming her as his wife with a kiss that was long and sweet, edged with sensual heat. His lips were hot and soft against hers, and when he slipped a hint of his tongue into her mouth, a shiver of desire raced down her spine. For a moment, it was as if they were alone and there was nothing between them, not even her wedding dress. Then the soft sound of their small audience’s applause filled the air, and a light breeze gusted by, lifting her blond waves from her shoulders.
Jack pulled back slowly, sliding his hand from her hair to the small of her back and letting it rest there. “I love you,” he whispered.
Still tingling from the kiss, her lips spread into a smile, seemingly of their own accord. “I love you too.”
Together, they stepped down from the gazebo, hand in hand. Everyone was standing, smiling and beginning to drift out into the grassy aisle, offering congratulations. Mandy’s mother wrapped them both in a tight hug, starting a trend. One by one, the other audience members did the same; even Daniel embraced them without a hint of surliness. A few leaves blew by, riding the breeze, each a vivid red. The wedding had been perfect in its simplicity; Mandy couldn’t have wished for a better one. And she couldn’t have chosen better people to celebrate it with, either – everyone who really mattered was there, and no one who didn’t was present.
Gradually, everyone made their way to the cabin, lingering inside and on the front porch for a very casual reception. Food had been brought from a restaurant at the foot of the mountain and arranged on the kitchen table and the same folding table that had been used the day before during the baby shower. They’d also ordered a wedding cake, which rested in the center of the buffet, elegant with decorative white frosting and topped with a pair of edible sugar-sculpted white lilies.
The next few hours passed in a pleasant haze of food, wedding cake and conversation. By the time the guests left the cabin, evening had settled over the mountains. Jack and Mandy were left alone with the remainder of the wedding cake and a pile of gifts. They’d get to those later. For now, Mandy didn’t have eyes for anyone or anything but Jack.
Smiling, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, his lips brushing her temple. “Sorry about your dress.”
She returned his smile and glanced down at her gown, where a little of the rich chocolate cake and creamy icing had been smudged across the front. Things had gotten slightly messy during the classic first bite of the traditional cake exchange. “I can always have the gown cleaned, no big deal.” Besides, she was just as guilty – there were a few chocolaty crumbs on the collar of his white shirt.
He pressed his hands against the small of her back, his fingertips skimming her gown’s zipper, mimicking the motions he’d use to undo it. Heat blossomed across her skin, spreading beneath her gown and causing her nipples to tighten against the bodice. The things he’d said about their honeymoon, about making her his wife, whirled through her mind. At this range, she was totally surrounded by his scent, and it combined with the memory of his stated intentions, causing her head to spin. Her lightheadedness was increased tenfold when he swept her off her feet without warning, lifting her in a sudden rush and cradling her against his chest.
Chapt
er 11
“Jack!” Lifting a seven months pregnant woman was no mean feat, but he carried her easily, strolling across the cabin’s main room and toward their bedroom door. His hard muscles shifted against her shoulder, side and hip, firm beneath his tuxedo.
Once inside, he kicked the door shut without missing a beat and lowered her onto the bed.
Her spine tingled as he leaned over her, deftly removing her wrap. His fingertips brushed her shoulder blades and spine as he caught her gown’s zipper between his fingertips and pulled it down slowly.
Cool air kissed her skin – it was warmer inside the cabin than it was outdoors, but the rush of guests exiting through the front door had let in the crisp evening air, which had quickly permeated their small home. Her nipples went rock hard, aching, and her skin pebbled as he settled his hands on her sides, stroking her ribs and reaching around to caress her breasts.
The feel of his palms cradling them and his callouses against her nipples caused her pussy to clench, sending a bolt of sensation through her core. He stood at the edge of the bed, leaning over her as she sat on the edge with her legs and skirt tucked under her body. His hips pressed against her arm as he tightened his hold, his fingers denting her soft flesh, and she could feel his erection against her shoulder, a smooth rod of firm heat. She sighed and arched her back, pressing her breasts even more firmly into his hands.
Silently, he began to stroke her nipples, his fingertips gliding over the stiff buds in an increasingly rough massage. Her body responded with alacrity, her pussy releasing moisture that dampened her panties; what little bit of them there was would be absolutely wet by the time he got to them, if he kept this up. Her breasts felt heavy and hot against his palms, full of a deep, sweet ache for more. And with every stroke, every light pinch and passing moment, she was keenly aware of the hardness straining the front of his tuxedo pants.
