There were few people in the station since most of the usual travelers were already en route to their destinations. Arriving at noon had been a good time to arrive. She sat down on the smooth, polished platform seating, snuggling Eric closer against her chest and pulling her bag closer to her so she could rest her elbow on it. Closing her eyes, she did her best to rest. She knew her sister would be there soon to collect them.
It had been a long train ride, but Eric had been a perfect angel throughout the trip. He stayed by her side, sitting patiently through the long days and the uncomfortable nights. Sadness filled her as she realized that she hadn’t given her son much of a childhood so far. He had been shushed and hidden and made to know that their lives were dependent upon his ability to stay quiet.
The past few months at the Circle Three Ranch had been the most freeing and happy times he had ever experienced. He had been relaxed and had smiled often, finally able to live his life as a little boy should be able to with no important decisions to make other than which toy to play with or what bedtime story to read.
His attachment to all of the people on pack land had been almost instant. Meeka saw that he had changed from the shy son who had deep worries about his mother, to a little boy who laughed often—especially when he was with Reece and Wade.
Thinking about the two men caused a pain to take root deep within her chest. She couldn’t fall apart now. She had to be strong. She was always strong. She was so very tired of always being strong.
“Meeks,” a familiar voice whispered directly in front of her.
She opened her eyes and saw the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.
“Hey, Kales,” she said softly. “I’m so happy to see you.”
Kaley wrapped her arms around her and hugged her carefully, leaning in to kiss her cheek before pulling back to look at Eric. Meeka couldn’t hold back the tears as she saw her sister lean in and kiss Eric’s cheek lightly.
“Hello, little man,” Kaley said, smiling. “It’s so nice to finally meet you in person. You know I’m going to spoil you rotten, right?”
Meeka laughed softly, reaching up to grab her sister’s long black hair and tug on it lightly. Kaley’s light blue eyes sparkled with unshed tears as she looked at her.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Kaley told her. “Are you ready to go home?”
Meeka nodded, standing slowly and holding Eric tightly against her body. Kaley grabbed for the canvas duffle bag and turned to walk out of the station, turning right and walking toward the parking garage. Meeka followed her silently. It was all she could do to keep calm, but she was determined to stay in control. There would be plenty of time to fall apart and cry later when she was alone.
Chapter 20
“Would you like some more coffee?” Meeka asked the young couple who sat in a back booth at the restaurant she had been working at for the past few weeks.
“No, thanks. Just the check, please,” the young man answered, smiling up at her.
“Sure thing. I’ll be right back,” Meeka told him, turning and heading toward the front of the restaurant to the cash register where her sister Kaley was standing.
“How’s it going, Meeks?” Kaley asked her as she wrote down the recent reservation.
“Busy, but good,” Meeka said tiredly. “I’m really looking forward to the end of this night.”
Kaley looked at her sister in concern. Meeka looked more than tired. She looked completely worn out. The past month had been very hard on her. Since she and Eric had arrived at the train station, each day was a chore for her. Kaley could tell that her sister was doing her best to be positive for all of them, but Kaley knew her sister was not doing well.
“Do you feel sick?” Kaley asked, concerned. She handed her sister a glass of water and looked at her sternly. “Drink.” Her voice commanded that Meeka obey her.
Meeka took the glass of water and drank it quickly. “Satisfied?” she asked her sister, handing her back the empty glass.
“No, Meeka. I’m not satisfied. You’re not doing well. Don’t deny it.”
“Kaley, I’m not denying anything,” Meeka said tiredly. “I just don’t want to talk about it right now, okay?”
Kaley took in her sister’s pale appearance. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her hair had lost its shine. Something had to be done, and it had to be done soon. She was truly worried for her sister’s health.
Each afternoon Meeka dressed in the formal black pants, white, ruffled shirt, black bow tie, and cummerbund to waitress at the Crystal Springs Bar & Grille. She worked hard and was an exemplary server. Her tips were outstanding because her service and her kindness made every customer love dining there. On the outside, she looked to be the perfect worker who had not a care in the world. Kaley knew better.
Meeka went through her days almost by rote. She took care of Eric, reading to him, playing with him, cuddling him, and loving him. She helped Kaley with the chores. She took her turn cooking. By all accounts, she looked like she was starting a new life. But she wasn’t.
Kaley heard her crying whenever her sister was in the shower and thought that her sounds were being drowned out by the sound of the water. She saw how Meeka’s hands trembled, and she could never seem to get warm despite the many layers of clothes she wore or the blankets she bundled herself under.
“You’re missing your men,” Kaley said softly, reaching out to take her sister’s hand in hers before she could turn away and go back to her customers.
Meeka turned and looked up at her sister, smiling sadly. “Yeah,” she admitted. “But it doesn’t matter.”
“Of course it matters, honey,” Kaley admonished her.
“No, Kales,” Meeka stopped her. “It doesn’t. Reece and Wade made their decision when they talked to Drew. They planned to break our mating bond. I just made it easier for them.”
“I don’t know, Meeka,” Kaley said softly. “Maybe you should have stayed to talk it through with them. Maybe you could have worked it out.”
Meeka shrugged. “I don’t think so, Kales.”
“Why not?”
“Because they were pretty adamant that they were going to break our bond. And…”
“And, what, honey?”
“They were horrified that I might be pregnant.”
“But that doesn’t mean anything. Lots of guys are shell shocked when their women get pregnant. Besides, it doesn’t apply to you.”
“Well…”
“What, Meeks?” Kaley barely whispered. “Are you pregnant?”
Meeka looked around quickly to make sure that they couldn’t be overheard. “I think I might be,” she admitted.
“Holy crap!”
“And I will not get rid of this baby!” Meeka said angrily.
“Geez, Meeka! Who said you have to get rid of the baby?” Kaley asked, stunned by the vehemence of Meeka’s words. “There may not even be a baby.”
“I know what it feels like to be pregnant, Kaley,” Meeka told her quietly. “I feel exactly the way I did at the beginning of my pregnancy with Eric.”
“You do?” Kaley whispered, her blue eyes wide with shock.
“Yes. And I’m having this baby,” Meeka said firmly. “Reece and Wade may not want her, but I do.” She looked at her sister, her eyes daring her to say anything negative. “This baby was made with love. I love Reece and Wade, and I love their baby. I may not like them very much right now, but I can’t deny that I love them.”
Kaley tugged on the end of her hair, twisting the black length of it around her index finger nervously. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around the whole triad mating concept. It’s amazing to me that the two men are the fathers.” She looked at her sister and saw the way she was smiling sadly. “You really think you’re pregnant?”
Meeka nodded. “I was going to get a pregnancy test at the pharmacy during my break,” she said quietly.
Kaley took a calming breath and squared her shoulders. “Well, whatever it is, we’ll
deal with it,” she said finally. “I absolutely adore Eric, and I’m going to absolutely adore this baby.”
“Her name is Maizy,” Meeka said softly.
“Maizy?” Kaley whispered. “Ok, Meeks! Mom would be so happy that you named your daughter after her.”
Meeka smiled, her eyes bright with excitement despite her worry. “I think so, too.”
She thought about the two men who had loved her so tenderly. They had made the baby that was growing inside of her. She wanted their daughter very much. She already loved her. She had no doubt in her mind that their daughter was inside of her. She just wished her baby’s fathers could be a part of their lives. But Reece and Wade had made their choice when they had decided that breaking their triad bond was the right thing to do.
“I’ve got to get back to my customers,” Meeka said, taking a calming breath and smiling at her sister. “Let’s hope this night passes quickly. I really want to get home and cuddle with Eric. I could sure use some time just loving my baby boy.”
Kaley laughed softly. “I hear ya. I would be content to sit and hold that precious boy for the rest of my life, Meeka. You’ve done such a good job raising such a wonderful kid.”
“You need to have some kids, Kales,” Meeka said, hugging her sister quickly before walking back into the dining room to give her customers their bill.
Kaley turned and picked up the stack of receipts she had been gathering. She kept the smile on her face as she passed by the customers waiting to get in to the popular restaurant. It was only when she closed the door behind her and sat at her desk in her small office that she sagged back against the comfortable chair and closed her eyes.
“It’s hard to get pregnant when there’s not a blessed man that I respect enough to make a baby with,” she whispered, her heart aching with loneliness.
Chapter 21
“Mommy, you smell good,” Eric said happily as he leaned into Meeka’s neck and took a big sniff.
“Do I?” Meeka asked, laughing.
“Yes,” Eric said, laughing as he was tickled by both his mother and his aunt. “Aunt Kaley, you’re not playing fair.”
“Oh, little boy, I don’t play fair when it comes to loving you,” Kaley told him as she leaned in and kissed his neck. She blew a raspberry against it and snorted with laughter as Eric dissolved into the sweetest giggles she had ever heard.
“Did you have fun with Cammy today, baby?” Meeka asked softly as she lay on the double bed with Eric cuddled between her and Kaley.
“Yes, Mommy,” Eric said, pulling on her hair and leaning in to take another deep breath. “Cammy is really nice. I like her a lot.”
“I’m glad, honey,” Meeka whispered, relieved. She had felt all kinds of guilt for leaving her son with the young woman, but Kaley had said that Cammy was a good person who could be trusted.
“Can we build a snowman tomorrow, Mommy?” Eric asked her, excited about the snow that was falling.
“I think that would be fun,” Meeka said, reaching up and gently petting her son’s dark hair.
“I like when you do that,” Eric said as he closed his eyes and smiled, laughing softly with each soothing touch.
“You are such an adorable cub,” Meeka said, her heart aching as she slipped and used the term that Reece and Wade often called her son.
Eric smiled sweetly and turned onto his side to hug her. She couldn’t help but hold him against her tightly. She was so overwhelmed with feelings and worries that she would not be able to take care of her son and the daughter she truly felt she was carrying.
“You smell just like Daddy and Poppa,” Eric said against her neck. “I like that you smell like them.”
“Daddy and Poppa?” Kaley mouthed, her eyebrows raised in question.
“Reece and Wade,” Meeka explained softly, shaking her head slightly so Kaley wouldn’t press.
Kaley nodded and reached out to touch Meeka’s hand lightly. “You smell like them?”
“I’m not surprised. It’s a wolf thing. When they claimed me my body changed,” Meeka whispered, watching her son as he closed his eyes and relaxed against her. “No one would ever question that I belonged to them. Their scent will always be a part of me. Especially now.”
Eric looked up at his mom, tipping his head a little to the left as he thought. “Mommy, you smell a little bit like Aunt Laurie, Aunt Nikki, Aunt Suzie, and Aunt Abbey, too.”
Meeka smiled softly as she thought about the women of the pack who had been good friends to her. She knew that the reason Eric was sensing that she smelled like them was because each of them was pregnant, just as she believed she was. The thought made her smile. She was actually glad that she was carrying Reece and Wade’s baby. She may not be able to have her mates in her life, but she would be able to have their baby. She would certainly treasure their child.
“Why do you think you smell like them, Meeks?” Kaley asked her sister.
“All of them are pregnant.”
Kaley nodded, understanding the significance of her sister’s words. Even though she was worried about her sister, there was something about the way Meeka calmed when she thought about Reece and Wade. Eric had said that Meeka smelled different. If that was true, and it was because Meeka was pregnant, Kaley realized that the permanency of a triad mating was a very real thing that was going to hurt her as her time away from her men increased. She didn’t know how Meeka was going to survive being away from the men she obviously loved.
Kaley held her sister’s hand, squeezing it lightly before releasing it and reaching down to pull the blankets over the three of them. Whatever happened, she was determined to take care of Meeka, Eric, and the baby. She wasn’t going to let any man hurt her sister again. Or any wolf.
Chapter 22
“Damn it all to hell!” Reece yelled, throwing the socket wrench across the garage to bounce it off the wall with a resounding crash.
The growl that left Reece matched the morphing of his hands and face as his wolf took control of his body. Wade stepped forward, his pajama pants hanging low on his hips and his feet bare. He was a little cold since he had just jogged the distance from their home to the shop in the brisk cold of the winter night, but he hadn’t taken the time to dress when he realized that he couldn’t sense Reece in their home. His worry for his triad partner far outweighed his need to dress warmly before leaving their home to find him. He stood beside him, waiting in case he had to step in and save Reece from himself.
Reaching out, he touched Reece’s right shoulder carefully. “I agree with you, partner,” he said firmly, his own wolf fighting him for control.
He pushed him down with determination. He could not shift now. Reece needed him to remain in control for the both of them.
“It’s nearly three in the morning, Reece. What the hell are you doing here at the shop?”
“Couldn’t sleep,” Reece said, his voice rough from his partial shift. “Thought I would come out here and try and work on the bike for Mr. Russell.”
“How’s that working out for you?” Wade asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Reece just glared at him. Wade knew as well as he did that nothing worked. Nothing took his mind off of their missing mate. Nothing eased the ache in his chest or the self-recriminating thoughts in his head.
“It’s been one damn month, Wade,” Reece said finally through clenched teeth. “We can’t feel her. We can’t sense her. What if something has happened to her?”
“Nothing has happened to her,” Wade said firmly, stepping back and crossing his arms across his chest as he took an angry stance. “She’s fine. Eric’s fine. She’s just keeping herself closed off from us. And you know what? We deserve it, Reece. We were absolute bastards.”
Reece nodded. “We didn’t mean to hurt her, Wade,” he said quietly.
“No, we didn’t. But we did,” Wade answered sadly. “We’ve hurt the only person who loved us despite how screwed up we are. She brought us tenderness and caring. She made me smile. I’
ve never been so happy.”
“One day of happiness,” Reece said, his voice barely understandable.
“Yeah. It was only one day, but it was the best day of my life, and yours, too,” Wade insisted. “We’re going to find her, explain everything, and beg her to forgive us. Maybe then we’ll have a lifetime of those kinds of days.”
Reece shook his head, denying Wade’s words. “Not gonna happen,” he said finally. He looked down at his hands and was relieved to see that he no longer had claws. “We should have brought her with us when we talked to Drew. We should have let her know what it was that we were worried about.”
“I agree,” Wade said, walking over to the back door of their shop and looking out at the blanket of snow that covered the ground. “If we had been honest with her, she would have known that we were talking about breaking the triad bond with her only because we were afraid of hurting her.”
He turned back to look at Reece as he sat on the cement floor of the shop. His partner looked completely dejected as he sat with his head tipped back against the wall and was staring up at the high ceiling. His blue eyes were clouded with frustration and sadness. Wade completely understood how Reece was feeling. Wade felt the exact same way.
“Why can’t we find her?” Reece said softly, looking at Wade as he stood by the back door of the shop and stared back at him. “Why isn’t Mother Fate helping us by telling the women where we can find our mate? She helps them and talks to them all the time. Why is she suddenly silent?”
“Maybe because we don’t deserve to be happy, Reece,” Wade offered. “Why should Mother Fate help us when we hurt Meeka so badly? She protects the women. She helps the women when they’re about to be mated. She wouldn’t help us find Meeka so we can hurt her again.”
Reece nodded, reaching up and running his fingers through his long hair and pulling on it at his skull. “No. She wouldn’t. And we can’t blame anyone but ourselves. Meeka shouldn’t come back to us. She deserves men who will treat her better, not hurt her like we did after she gave us nothing but love and tenderness.”
Meeka's Reluctant Mates [Beckett's Wolf Pack, Triad Mates 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) Page 19
