“What?” she asked.
“The real estate company that was supposed to sell it went under. They were also in charge of the property across the easement. So the property has gone to auction and is selling for five hundred thousand and change and has been sitting on our auction site for three years.”
“That’s great. He’ll be happy to hear that he can buy his old house back.”
“That’s not five hundred thousand for his home. That’s for both. The properties were combined for a total of one hundred and ninety-six acres, and both properties run along the national park.”
“Is his restitution going to be enough to buy it outright?”
“I would say so. It’s a little over three million.”
“What?” she said, shocked.
“The justice that signed the decree said the larger of the two values plus ten percent interest compounded yearly. It was valued at one point two million ten years ago, which brought the grand total to three point one million.”
Tara leaned back against the truck.
“That’s fantastic news. When can he collect that money?”
“It’s approved, so I can have them cut you a good faith check for twenty percent, which is a little over six hundred thousand.”
Tara was silent, sitting there on the phone while Luis watched her anxiously, trying to read her side of the conversation. She smiled at him, too overwhelmed to put into words what was going on.
“Andrew, do you think that you can help us get that money quickly so that we can buy the property before someone else does? I’d hate to be this close and miss out.”
“I’ll do you one better. I’ve marked it sold-pending payment, and I’ll go with you first thing in the morning to set up an account for him so I can personally deliver the check.”
“How did you do that?” Tara asked.
“On the auction site? I’m a Senior Agent with the FBI with a GS-15 pay scale. I’m preapproved. I’ll transfer the sale to Luis’ name as soon as he has the money in hand. Until then, I have thirty days to pay or get approved for a loan.”
“Thank you, Andrew. I can’t thank you enough.”
“You tell him that we’re even,” Andrew laughed and then hung up the phone.
Luis was waiting patiently to hear what he had said when she finally turned to him and explained everything that Andrew had said. When she finished, Luis was so happy, he grabbed her and swung her around until she was dizzy. He kissed her lips, then her cheeks, then set her down on the ground and put her arm around her.
“All this land?” he asked, surveying his parents’ farm and what he could see of the farm next door.
“Yes. And you’ll still have eighty percent of a little over three million dollars left when you buy it outright.”
“I can’t wrap my head around this. I’m so amazed at this. Fate has been good to me.”
“Fate has been good to us both,” she said, smiling at him.
“Come on,” he said, holding his hand out to her and pulling her toward the house. “I know it looks rough now, but let me show you around. We probably need to see what kind of remodeling we’re in for anyway.”
“Definitely. Hopefully, we can salvage most if not all of it.”
“It doesn’t matter if we have to tear the house down and build another. Their spirit is in the land, not in some boards and bricks.”
He pulled her in for a quick kiss again, his face flushed with excitement.
“I can’t believe this,” he said in awe, walking around the house and letting his fingers run along the bricks as he did. “I have so many memories I want to share with you. None of them are profound or much different from what a normal childhood is like, but they’re so dear to me, and I want to share them with you.”
“I would like that,” she said. She looked off into the distance, staring at the trees that were turning in celebration of fall and the coming winter. “Is that where you used to run?”
“It is. Virginia has some of the most beautiful forests in the country. I grew up stretching my legs on miles and miles of endless trails.”
“What is it like to shift? I stopped taking the pills days ago, and I don’t feel any different.”
“You did?”
“You seem surprised.”
“I guess I didn’t think that you would want to change your life. You’re twenty-seven, and you’ve never shifted.”
“It’s never too late to learn, right?”
He held his hand out to her. “Come with me.” He led her to the end of the field and up the gentle slope that led into the forest. “Try not to think about it too much, and don’t get frustrated with yourself. You’ll probably only be able to change a limb at most. It takes a lot of practice to shift, and it’s one of those things that we spend most of puberty learning to control.”
He held her hand out when they were safely in the trees and out of sight of anyone that might happen by.
“Look at your hand and imagining your cells moving and changing. Martin is a tiger and your mother was a human, so you’re going to be a tiger, too. Imagine your hand curling into a paw and nails coming from between what was once your fingers. Don’t think of anything else.”
Tara was staring at her hand, trying to will it to change on the cellular level. She did what he said, watching her hand and seeing no change.
“It’s not working,” she said, closing her hand into a fist in frustration. “See, I’m concentrating and it’s just-” she tried to open her hand, but it wouldn’t budge. It was trapped in the shape of a fist, and as she watched, her skin began to take on a yellowish hue. “What’s happening?” she asked, suddenly frantic. “I can’t open my hand and-”
“Relax,” Luis said, a huge grin on his face. “You’re doing it; you’re just doing it slowly. Very slowly.”
“Thanks,” she said wryly. “It hurts.”
“It does hurt. It’s like a muscle; the more you use it, the less it hurts.”
“I don’t think I can do this.”
“You already did it. You’re just going for a paw for now. We’ll do a little at a time until you’re good at one thing, then we’ll move on.”
“So, now what? I feel like my hand is stuck, and it’s a little frightening.”
“Now reverse the process. Think of a human hand.”
She watched her paw, delighted when it started shifting back into a hand.
“That was easier. I’m getting better already.”
Luis chuckled. “The human form is the default. It’s always easier to go back to human form. Even when we die, we take our last breath in human form.”
“Thanks for the pep talk,” she said, admiring her hand, which was now back to normal. “Why do we shift before we die?”
“No one really knows, but I suspect it is to protect our species. If our bodies look human, then the people we leave behind aren’t likely to be harassed for being shifters because no one will suspect.”
“It’s funny,” Tara said, letting Luis lead her back toward the farm house and out of the woods. “Humans act like they’re terrified of shifters, yet you have a built-in biological response to death that is specifically meant to protect you from humans.”
“Us. And yes, we do.”
“Exactly. I think that speaks to the fact that humans are the bigger threat, even if they don’t want to admit it.”
He squeezed her hand and pulled her close to kiss the top of her head.
“Have I told you today how much I love you?”
“You have, but I never get tired of hearing it.”
“I’m glad because I never get tired of saying it. Now, let’s find a hotel in DC and spend the rest of the night celebrating. Tomorrow is going to be a big day.”
“It sure is,” she said, looking around at the place they were well on their way to calling home and smiling. She couldn’t have asked for a better outcome. Fate was most definitely taking care of them both.
Three Months Later
> Tara woke up early on Christmas Eve, too excited about the arrival of Martin and Laila to sleep anymore. She got up out of bed quietly, trying not to wake Luis in the predawn hour. He’d gone running the night before, coming back into the house stealthily at nearly three in the morning and crawling into bed beside her. Normally, she would have waited up for him, but the addition they had added onto what they could salvage of the old house had been completed for a little over two weeks, and she was still exhausted from the mad dash to get the new portion of the house painted, furnished, and decorated in time for the holidays. Tara had finished all that two days ago, but no matter how much she had slept since then, she couldn’t seem to catch up on her sleep.
The new portion of the house was a little more than an addition. They had only been able to save a very small portion of the old house, but thankfully, they had been able to save and restore the entire family room. Tara couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but there was something so very special about having the original family room be a permanent and integral part of the new life they built together. Despite what Luis had insisted about the land holding the spirit of his parents, she felt their presence in the family room every time she walked in there. Every memory, every first that Luis had experienced as a child was embedded in the memory of those walls, and she could feel those experiences and the love surrounding that embracing her every time that she walked into the room, especially at night when the house was particularly quiet.
Tara padded softly to the bathroom, still feeling more than a little sluggish. She looked at herself in the mirror, washing her face in icy cold water and checking out her reflection again. She even looked exhausted.
It’s my new job, my new home, and my new life, she thought, smiling at the thought of everything that had changed in the last three and a half months. The person she had been at the end of the summer was nothing like the person she was now. It was an amazing transition, but it also came with some challenges.
Their lives in Virginia had been a whirlwind of contractors, appointments, building her new team for her task force, and working to make sure that everything she’d promised the island had been delivered in a timely manner.
She’d had so much on her plate that she’d found herself forgetting simple tasks that she didn’t normally forget. When Michele had called her to get her new address so that she could send the things that had been accidentally shipped to her old address, Tara had felt like a complete fool. She’d forgotten to update her address on her online account. She’d thanked Michele profusely and chatted with the woman for a long while before they’d finally hung up. Since that moment, Tara had been working diligently to stay on the ball, but that was proving to be difficult when she had so much to do and always felt like she’d had zero sleep.
She hadn’t even had a chance to go to the doctor-
Tara stopped her internal laundry list of everything she’d let slip past her unnoticed while she focused on her home and career and opened her cellphone to the calendar app. She scrolled back month after month, her stomach clenching as she went back more than five months before she finally found the tiny needle and syringe emoji that she used to let herself know when she’d last gotten the birth control shot.
Five months. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was supposed to get another shot a little over two months ago, which would have put her squarely in the first two weeks of moving to Virginia. She didn’t have to recap that time to know that among the meetings, account openings, and land purchasing, she hadn’t found a new doctor, gotten her shot, and just forgotten about it. No, she had completely flaked.
She rummaged around in her things under the sink. Her doctor in Fort Worth always gave her a pregnancy test before she got her new shot, but Tara liked to test at home the morning before, just in case. She made it a habit to keep a box of tests on hand so that she didn’t have to run out and buy one at the last minute before a doctor’s visit. She hated surprises, and her busy schedule often saw her a few weeks behind schedule. Not that it had been an issue before she had met Luis. Her love life prior to him had been decidedly barren.
She finally found the battered box that had once held four pregnancy tests but was now down to one. She took the test quickly, reading the directions twice to make sure that she didn’t forget a step, even though it was a two-step test and the second step was waiting for results.
The test sat on the edge of the sink, and so started the longest three minutes of her life.
She paced the large room, not even able to appreciate the beautiful tile and the large Jacuzzi tub that was the focal point of the room and one of the things she was glad they had splurged on when building the new part of the house.
She checked the time. One minute left. She was still pacing, wondering what she was going to do if it was positive. They hadn’t talked about children and whether or not both of them wanted to raise a family. This was no way to start that conversation, but it was a little too late for that.
Her timer went off, and with her heart in her throat, she went to the sink and peered down at the stick.
Two lines.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She didn’t have to reread the instructions; she knew what that meant.
She was staring at the test for a long while when there was a soft knock on the door.
“Are you alright?” Luis’ sleepy voice came through the closed door.
“Maybe,” she said, not sure what her answer was at the moment.
“Maybe? That’s a new one. Can I come in?”
“The door is open.”
She sat down on the edge of the tub, not even close to sure how this conversation was going to go.
Luis walked in, saw her sitting on the side of the tub and went to her, his tired face lined with fear.
“Are you alright?” he asked again, concern coloring his voice.
“I don’t know,” she said, letting him sit beside her and pull her into his lap. He cradled her gently, rubbing her back and kissing her head.
He sat there in silence, holding her against his chest and not saying a word, when his hand suddenly stopped and he sat up a little taller. Tara knew in that instant that he had seen the test sitting there on the edge of the sink.
“Is that what I think it is?” he asked.
She nodded.
“I’m guessing it’s positive?” he said softly, holding her a little tighter.
“It is. I don’t know what to say.”
“Why?” he asked, genuinely confused.
“We never talked about whether or not we were ready for a child.”
“What’s there to be ready for? We have a home, good jobs, and a stable life. Your new job won’t be affected by having a child, and you can work almost exclusively from home if you want, or I can be a stay-at-home dad.”
Tara leaned back and looked at him. “Are you serious?” she asked.
“Of course I’m serious. We’ll do whatever it takes to make our family work on our terms. You have a great career that you love, and I can do my advocacy work from anywhere in the world. A baby will fit right in without much work, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“I was worried you would be mad,” she admitted.
“What? Why?”
“Because I dropped the ball and forgot the shot.”
“And? Prevention isn’t just your responsibility. If I were mad at anyone, I would have to include myself in that.”
With each word, she was feeling less and less afraid. Luis sounded happy, his excitement only tempered by her anxiety and his need to make her feel better. He was excited, and he was trying to keep that in check until Tara could get her feelings sorted out.
“At least we know why you’re so tired now,” he said.
“Yeah,” she laughed. “I thought it was the remodel and everything, but I’ve been resting for days, and I still feel exhausted.”
“We should set up Uber for Martin and Laila so you can rest. I w
ould pick them both up, but somehow, one is flying into Ronald Reagan International and the other is flying into the metro. They’ll get here around the same time, and I’m only one man.”
“But you’re an amazing man, and Uber sounds great.”
“I’ll text Martin and let him know if you will text your mom. I think they’re both already on their planes, but they’ll get the message when they land.”
Tara nodded. “Alright, one crisis solved; now on to this one.” Her voice was lighter now, the burden of the surprising news a lot less heavy than it had been when she’d first read the test.
“It’s not a crisis,” Luis said. “It’s amazing news.” He squeezed her tight and kissed her again.
“I’m glad you’re excited. I didn’t know how you would react.”
“I’m beyond excited. I’ve been thinking about bringing up family plans, but I didn’t know how you would feel with your career changing directions recently and everything else. Are you excited?”
She smiled, leaning into his chest and closing her eyes. “Now that the shock of it is wearing off, yes. Yes, I am.”
“Good. Now, let’s get you back in bed so you can be well rested for tonight. I don’t know how you can be exhausted and yet up before dawn.”
“I don’t either.”
She stood up and let him lead her back to their king-sized bed. She slipped beneath the sheets and got comfortable, then he got in behind her, cradling her body against his and wrapping her in his arms. One hand slid down to her stomach, not even showing signs of life yet, and before she could remark on the sweet gesture, Luis was fast asleep again.
***
Tara awoke early that afternoon, feeling much more rested than she had in a few days but still tired. But she had a lot to do, and her parents would be there in a little over an hour. As good as lying in bed all day sounded, it was time to get up and get ready. She smiled at the thought of her parents both being there. It had taken everything she’d had not to let it slip that Martin would be there every time she talked to her mom on the phone. Luis had struggled with the same thing, but his talks were less frequent with Martin, who spent most of his days on Isla Escondida, working hand in hand with Luis and Tara to make sure that the resources that were sent to both islands made it there in one piece and were distributed accordingly.
Her Undercover Panther : A Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance Page 18
