by Lola Kidd
“Yes. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything sooner. It was such a shock seeing you here.”
“Why didn’t you try to contact me? Did you not want me to know? Were you trying to keep him from me?”
There was a slight hint of anger in his voice. But it was more the heavy tinge of disappointment and sadness that cut straight to her heart. She hadn’t realized it would feel this bad to tell him.
She’d never considered that he’d care and be hurt. This whole time she’d been so focused on what it would mean for her and George, she’d forgotten to consider the very real feelings of Nick.
“I wasn’t hiding him. I didn’t know how to reach you. My parents talked about hiring a PI, but I had so little information that it seemed like waste of time.”
He was staring at the picture. “What’s his name? How old is he? Has he shifted yet?”
“George, and he’s fifteen months. And no he hasn’t yet.”
“That’s a small miracle. I would hate to miss my son’s first shift. Where do you live?”
“Uh...why?”
“Well, I’m going to move there obviously. I know you won’t want me living with you, but I’d like to be as close to my son as possible. I’ve already missed out on so much, I don’t want to miss another day. I can’t wait to meet him.”
“I mean, we’ll have to see when that can happen. We have a very strict schedule we stick to and I don’t introduce him to every man I meet.”
Nick laughed until he saw that she wasn’t joking. “He’s my son. I’m not just some man. I’m his father. You can’t keep him from me.”
“I’m not trying to keep him from you. I’m protecting him and looking out for what’s best for him.”
“Protecting him from his own father? You have got to be kidding me. Seriously, you must be joking, right?”
“I’m not. I don’t know anything about you.”
“You knew enough to come home with me and make a baby. I would say you know enough for me to meet said baby that resulted from that night of fun.”
Pearl pressed her lips together to stop herself from saying something she might regret.
Who did this guy think he was? He had never met George, he didn’t have any children, and he barely knew her. Yet he was going to dictate to her how her son was going to be raised? No way! He would be in George’s life, but it was only going to be under her terms. This had to happen slowly and with a plan in place.
“Listen, I don’t want this to be a big drawn out and dramatic thing. Like I said, I didn’t even expect to see you here or be dealing with this right now.”
“Right, because if you hadn’t, I never would have known I had a son.”
She held up a hand. “Calm down. I didn’t lie, did I? I was going to tell you. I was just waiting to see how you were going to be.”
“So if I didn’t meet your standards, I couldn’t know my son?”
“I didn’t say that.” She sighed. “This isn’t going how I wanted it to.”
“You mean because I found out and now you don’t have complete say over how my son is raised?”
He was getting angry. She needed to get out of this situation. Nothing productive was going to happen. “Can you just take me back to my hotel? I’m not feeling much like drinks anymore.”
“I’m guessing you don’t feel like spending the night with me either, huh?” he asked sarcastically. “You are a real piece of work, Pearl. I expected better from you.”
“You don’t even know me. How could you have any expectations?”
“I felt a connection to you. My animal did, I mean. Usually he isn’t wrong and is a great judge of character. It looks like his perfect track record is ruined though.”
That stung more than she expected it would. She wasn’t a bad person or a bad mom. She was looking out for her kid. It was her job to protect him and even if that meant hurting Nick, she would do anything to keep George safe.
He put the car in drive and they set out again for her hotel. The mood in the car had changed so drastically she didn’t know what to say to make things better. And she did still feel like she should try.
She felt like she was blowing it. She wanted to do what was best for George, but she kept flipping back and forth as they drove. Should she at least try to get to know his father better? Should she go scorched earth right away?
She cleared her throat. Scorched earth would be her last choice. That was a worst-case scenario. She didn’t want an ugly custody battle and a bad relationship with Nick. She needed to put a little effort in. Maybe if she tried, he would meet her in the middle. Shifters were pretty huge on family. Even if she wasn’t his mate, that didn’t mean they weren’t family now. They could get along if they both tried. She just knew it. They had such fantastic physical chemistry. That had to translate into something outside of the bedroom, too. He’d been really nice at dinner too. He couldn’t be that terrible of a guy. If they left on a good note, maybe in the morning they could try again. But how to begin? She was drawing a blank. Something. Anything. She needed to say something to break this tension.
“Are you excited to have a child?” Oh God. Why had she said that? Of all the words in the world, all the sentences she could have spoken, that was what her mind came up with? Good night. That was a wrap. She’d really blown it.
“I am,” he said. After a moment, “What’s he like?”
Pearl almost cried she was so relieved. He wasn’t too mad even though she’d said something so silly.
She had to smile thinking of her little boy. “He’s amazing. You’ll see. He’s so smart and he’s funny. He has his own little personality and it’s getting stronger every day. He hates green beans and peas and most things green now that I think about it. His favorite color seems to be white this week. When I put him in his white, plain jumper, he gets so excited.”
“White?” Nick laughed. “That’s not even a color.”
“I know! I have been saying that all week. Plus, I think it’s white. Maybe he just really likes clean clothes.”
“Does he speak?”
“Not much yet, but he’s babbling a lot. His first word was Mama.”
“Is he a handful?”
“He can be.” Pearl pulled out her phone, then got an idea. “You want to come to my room and watch some videos? I have a ton on my laptop.”
“I would love that.” Nick gave her a shy smile.
Okay. This just might be okay. She was going to take it slow and try to be more respectful. For their little boy, she was going to try her hardest.
Chapter Seven
A son. He had a son. He couldn’t believe it. His mate already had given him a child and he’d almost missed out on the whole thing. It was hard not to be angry at first. He was so mad when he realized what had happened, but after the drive, he’d calmed down some. Enough to think more logically and control himself.
It wasn’t like it would have been easy to find him. He couldn’t find her and he’d even used his underground shifter network. There was no way she’d have been able to find him. He didn’t even have a stable address. He understood why it had shaken out this way, but he was still sad to miss the birth of his first child. There was no getting that back.
It was all so unfair. She’d had all this time with their boy and he was just finding out about him. Even worse, he hadn’t been taking care of his child financially. He took out his wallet and pulled all the money he had out.
“Here,” he thrust the pile at her. “This is a start. I could add you to my credit card tomorrow morning too. I know how expensive raising a child can be and you’ve been doing it on your own this whole time.”
She waved away the cash. “It’s fine. We can get a better arrangement going than you giving me whatever cash you have. Let’s not worry about that now. Let’s just watch the videos.”
“All the money I make is for you guys,” he insisted. “There’s no point in me spending anything on myself beyond buying the basics. You two deserve al
l of it. Nothing would make me happier than providing for my family.”
That was every shifter’s dream. He got chocked up thinking about it. He had a family now. Pearl didn’t know she was his mate, but he would tell her soon. How soon, he couldn’t say. Right now, she didn’t seem to be his biggest fan. She’d acted as if he shouldn’t be mad that he had a son he didn’t know about. His reaction was normal, hers wasn’t.
But he had to put that behind him. It was ten whole minutes ago.
His jaw ached from gritting his teeth. He was still pretty annoyed about this whole situation. He wanted to yell at her, but it wouldn’t do any good. It wasn’t her he was mad at. It was the situation. But she was the only one around to bear the brunt of his frustration. That wasn’t right. He knew it wasn’t right. So why couldn’t he keep his anger in check? It kept creeping up on him and making his blood boil.
He was fine walking to her room, but as she took out her laptop and pulled up a video, bam, there it was again. Anger deep in the pit of his stomach.
His little boy. His son and he didn’t even know his name. His name...
“Hey, would you be open to changing his last name to mine?” Eventually he would ask her to change hers too, but one step at a time. A boy should have his father’s name. She couldn’t argue with that.
“Let’s talk about all that later.” She pursed her lips. So even this was going to be difficult. He should have known. She didn’t even want him to see the boy at first. Of course, she wouldn’t want him to have Nick’s last name. Too much, too soon?
That was part of what was bothering him. He was the one who’d gotten the short end of the stick here, and yet she was the one who was acting like a victim. She was so defensive. It was like he’d wronged her somehow and now he was walking on eggshells trying not to set her off. She was the one who should be gentle with him. He was the one getting life-changing information right now.
All of his strife left his mind the moment he saw his little boy on the screen. “That’s him?”
“That’s our George.” Pearl’s voice was filled with pride. And she’d said our. That was enough to quiet anything else going on in his head. He’d worry about all that tomorrow. Right now, he was going to watch videos of his cub with his mate.
They watched everything she had. The time slipped away and before he knew it, he was standing up to stretch and it was after three in the morning. He rubbed his bleary eyes. “Wow, it is so late. I’m sorry. You’re going to be so tired tomorrow.”
“You look pretty tired now,” she laughed, rubbing her own eyes and yawning. “We might have gone a little overboard.”
“I’d say.” He went to the bathroom and came back. “I’m going to head out. Thanks for letting me watch the videos. Can I get your number so I can call you and set up a time to meet?”
He was hoping to drive back with her and Kelly when they left Celebration. They were in town for the same event and he had nothing planned after. It was easy to pick up jobs since he could work anywhere and after a stressful kid-filled event, he would love to take a two-week break. This was the perfect time to meet his son.
She wrote her number on a piece of paper from the nightstand and handed it to him. “Call me anytime.”
He yawned again. “Thanks. I’ll be in touch and I’ll say hi if I see you at the pageant.”
Her brow furrowed. “Are you okay to drive home? I can barely see straight I’m so sleepy and my eyes are strained from looking at the screen for too long.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine.” He yawned again and moved for the door.
“I don’t know.” She put her hand on the door. “How far away are you?”
“Not far,” he assured her. “It’s only Celebration after all. The hotels are all close.”
He didn’t want to worry her, but the longer they talked the less he felt sure he would be able to make it. His eyes were bleary with sleep and strain after the hours of uninterrupted screen time. He wasn’t sure if he’d even blinked since they’d sat down to the videos.
She shook her head. “No. You should just stay here. It’s no problem for me and I wouldn’t feel right kicking you out at this hour in your condition. It’s been such a long day for you.”
It had. The accident seemed a lifetime ago, but it had been less than twelve hours at this point. He’d been up for almost an entire day. Maybe it was too dangerous to drive the few miles back to his hotel. He didn’t really want to risk it now. He’d just learned he had a son; he didn’t want to crash and die before meeting him.
“Okay. I’ll sleep for a few hours in my car and then head out once the sun comes up.”
“No, I mean stay here in my room.”
He looked at the single queen bed. “I’m not sure how much more comfortable the floor is than my car, ‘cause I’m not kicking you out of your own bed.”
She laughed. “We can sleep in the same bed, no issues. We share a son, we can share a bed.”
He laughed too. “I guess maybe I’m being a little too cautious. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
“You won’t.” She hugged him quickly. “Don’t worry. I trust you.”
For a moment, he considered leaving. It would be easier if he didn’t let himself get caught up in any drama right now. They were almost on good terms he’d say. If he left now, there was no chance of him messing this up. If he stayed, he would be spending hours with her. Even if they were asleep, he envisioned himself doing something to piss her off. Maybe he talked in his sleep. Maybe he would snore loudly and keep her awake. She had long day tomorrow too after all. They were both going to be headed to the convention center in less than four hours.
How would the morning go? Would they wake up and have breakfast together? Should he just leave before she woke up? Or would that offend her? There was so much to consider.
“Seriously,” she told him, squeezing his arm. “This is fine. I have an extra toothbrush and toiletries you can use. I always bring my own so all the hotel stuff is yours.”
“Thanks.” He slipped off his shoes. He was going to stay. He was going to have to get used to being around her. Plus, overthinking things never ended well for him.
It was just a sleepover. Nothing to worry about. He went to the bathroom and got ready for bed. When he got out, she’d already changed into her sleepwear. It was tame, just shorts and a T-shirt, but for him, it was the most naked he’d seen her in almost two years. His cock certainly took note. Maybe it wasn’t going to be such an easy night after all.
Chapter Eight
Nick lay snoring softly directly beneath her feet. Well, not literally—he was at the end of the bed. He was sleeping like a dog at her feet. It was kind of cute really. He’d wanted to sleep on the floor but she wouldn’t hear of it. Watching all the videos of George with him had made her soften to him. They shared a son. She wanted to get along with him. She wanted to be friends...or maybe more.
She was sleepy and getting confused, yet it was impossible for her to sleep. Every time she closed her eyes she was so aware of him sleeping at the end of the bed.
He was right freaking there.
She could literally touch him with the ball of her foot. Once or twice she actually did it. She couldn’t believe it. She’d spent so long the first few weeks after learning about her pregnancy and the first few weeks of George’s life thinking about and looking for him. Then, he’d just fallen out of the sky and at her feet. And now here they were.
He was so handsome too. She’d forgotten what it felt like to be around him. To want him. And she’d wanted him from the moment she’d set eyes on him. It had been so long since she’d been with a man. With him here now, it wasn’t only her mind that was curious about him. Her body was on fire.
She was dripping wet and was desperately trying to avoid thinking about him or looking at him but failing miserably. Would it be so bad if they did it again? With condoms this time! George didn’t need a little brother or sister just yet. That line of thinking le
d her to an insane question. Wouldn’t it be nice for George to have a sibling? What if she and Nick belonged together? Her mind couldn’t help but drift there. Even after the disastrous way their time together had started that day and her horrible reveal, he wasn’t a bad man.
She could see the two of them raising children together and maybe even being happy. It was so easy to picture it all in her mind.
Weekends spent with her handsome husband and beautiful children. Vacations to Celebration with their little shifter kids. Maybe they would have a little girl who could do pageants and Nick and George could cheer from the audience.
Because she had to have at least one more child. Give George a sibling so he could have someone like she had Kelly. That was far in the future, but it did cross her mind every now and then. And the perfect age gap in her mind was two or three years. George was coming up on two. Which meant she would need to meet a man and get pregnant soon if she wanted to have kids that were close in age.
Actually, she’d never done the math before. Counting down, she would have had to have met a man like yesterday. Especially if she wanted to get to know him and have a relationship before getting pregnant again.
Holy shit.
There was no time. There was going to be a four- or five-year gap from her first to second child. That was being optimistic. She hadn’t thought about it that much, but it was crazy how difficult the thought of dating was now. Her life would be much easier if she could hit it off with Nick.
He rolled over and grabbed her ankle, caressing the skin over the bone. It sent shivers up her spine. She was so hard up a man touching her ankle was sending her into a tailspin.
She quietly and slowly maneuvered her way out of bed and went to the bathroom. She put her hand under cold water and looked at herself in the dingy mirror over the sink.
She needed to get it together. Having a baby on her brain and thinking about dating with Nick in the room was a recipe for disaster. Everything was going fine between them now. She didn’t need to throw a wrench into the whole thing.
