The Baby Shift: New Jersey
Shifter Babies Of America 41
Becca Fanning
Copyright © 2019 by Gizmo Media
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Contents
1. Claire
2. Raul
3. Claire
4. Raul
5. Claire
6. Raul
7. Claire
8. Raul
9. Claire
10. Raul
Also by Becca Fanning
Claire
Trouble came in threes or at least that’s what Claire’s grandmother used to say, and Claire rarely listened to the superstitions. Her grandmother was a Russian immigrant married to an American man and was prone to telling fairytales. Perhaps Grandma Natalia had been wrong this time; there had been only two bad things in the last two days.
Claire sipped her coffee at the morning table and counted with two fingers. One, without a word to her parents, her sister had up and left yesterday with that rugged beast from up the hill. Elopement! It was 2019. They could’ve at least gone to the courthouse. How had they even met? Her sister, Ana, had just finished her bachelor’s degree and had barely been home for the summer.
Two, the Shifter’s father, a man who introduced himself as the chief of his clan, had come by last night to announce plans for grievances. He apologized that his son had acted so boldly. He promised that they would make plans for forgiveness. Claire’s parents were dumbfounded. This display of honor had clearly soothed her parents, and her mother had dried her tears for now.
Apparently, running off with someone (especially a human, she suspected) was a big no-no in Shifter communities. She tapped her fingernails against the grain of the family kitchen table, a table that had served the Goodwin family well for the last thirty years. A table that just a few days ago, she’d been gathered around with Ana, laughing and telling jokes. Claire, the golden first-born, was bent on ambitious goals, whereas Ana had always been the hippie baby. And Claire was still living with her parents while she worked on finishing her master’s degree.
Baby Ana at 22. Claire at 27. How old was the Shifter that she ran off with; the Chief hadn’t mentioned that. Claire blew a piece of unruly hair out of her face and shook out her black curls with a groan. Ana, with straight golden hair and kind blue eyes, was the exact mirror of their mother, while Claire favored their father.
Ana’s gone. Claire pressed a hand against her chest and could feel the terrible thunder of her own heart. Her parents were off at the grocery store. They asked if she’d wanted to tag along, but she stayed behind. She wanted to wait just in case Ana came back.
She was so lost in her thoughts, she nearly slipped her coffee mug out of her hand when a distinct knock sounded at the door.
“Ana?” She got up from her chair and knocked into the table. A bit of her coffee splashed onto her jeans; she didn’t bother grabbing a rag. Her feet dashed towards the kitchen door, the red paint chipping—the red paint that Ana and she had decided on together—and hastily grabbed the knob.
It wasn’t Ana, at all.
She swung open the door; the first thing she saw was his tattoo peeking from a black muscle t-shirt: a bear paw over a full moon—the sign of the Midnight Clan—inked in black on his bicep. She dragged her eyes up to meet a pair of green eyes so clear, that a stare could sweep a woman off her feet and convince her to run away with him. This creature from the gods had light hair swept neatly to one side, a well-shaved jawline, and he flashed set of white teeth and sharp incisors to form a sly grin. She stuttered as he extended his hand.
“Raul of the Midnight Clan,” he said. She was distracted by a voice pouring like honey, and at that moment, she felt her heart thumping. Then she snapped back and her hand twitched, unwilling to move to meet his gesture. Her gaze narrowed. He stared at his unshaken hand and gave a disappointed sigh. “Fair enough.” He brought back his hand, and she stifled an “argh, I could’ve touched his wonderfully tanned skin.”
“Did your Chief send you?” she asked. It was no trouble keeping her tone icy. He returned an exasperated sigh and swept a hand through his thick hair.
“This is going to be hard, isn’t it?” He leaned against the doorframe, and she could see his towering, built frame nearly eclipsed the entire doorway with. Inside her, a little caterpillar of excitement was crawling across her back. She steeled her shoulders, shook the feeling away, and faced the handsome intruder.
“Your sister ran off with my brother,” he said in an even voice. She didn’t find it nearly apologetic enough. “The elders have come to a decision about how to pay you back for this.” A sudden roar came up the driveway. She recognized it immediately as her father’s faithful—unwilling to part with—pickup truck. She placed a hand on her hip and smirked.
“You can tell us all,” she said. “My. Entire. Family.” And then, with a wicked look, “Well, the family that I have left.” She was being a bitch, and she knew it. He bit his lip, no doubt stifling a sharp reply. For the moment, she was victorious.
Her mother, Ruth, came from behind him.
“Oh, hello.” Claire saw her mother’s eyes zero in on his tattoo. “Should we prepare some coffee?” She gave Claire a look that said, please don’t make a scene and serve some damn coffee. Claire blew out her cheeks and marched over to their coffee machine. She listened as her mother and father came in, exchanging greetings with the handsome newcomer.
“Raul,” he said. “I’m sorry about this business with my brother and Anastasia.” His voice was buttery smooth. She turned on the drip coffee maker and prayed her parents would send him with his tail tucked between his legs. He and his people had taken Ana from them. She hid her smug smile while she prepared the cups on a tray.
Whatever he was offering on behalf of his clan wouldn’t be enough for the Goodwin household, she felt firmly.
Bad things did come in threes, after all.
Raul
The Firecracker’s beauty wasn’t what he signed up for. He slyly surveyed the brunette as she served the coffee. Small features, but big eyes. Big wavy hair that she shook out like an irritated horse might. The worse for her to glare at him with, he considered. He felt awfully large in this small kitchen chair. He was so tall that his head would collide with the hanging light if he stood up a little more.
He waited until everyone was served before he dropped the news.
“My Chief has pledged my service for a year to you due to my brother’s actions.”
A collective intake of air occurred, save for Ms. Wavy Hair who choked on her coffee. She dabbed at herself madly with a napkin.
“Are you crazy?” she asked, throwing the question straight into his face. No hidden feelings in her. “What does that even mean?!”
“Claire,” the mother snapped. Claire. So that was the spitfire’s name. He smirked with the victory of knowing her name, and she glowered at them all.
“It means that I will serve you for a year. Any service that you need. Your yard keeping, your odd jobs, your cleaning. In our clan, we believe strongly that a person’s family must be responsible for their own kin. I don’t believe that my brother meant any harm, but I’m fully prepared to take responsibility in his wake.” He stared at them. “The Chief has decreed it so.”
Her parents spoke with their eyes, staring at him dead on.
Claire let out a harsh breath. “You have to be responsible for your brother’s ac
tion?” she asked and then mumbled, “That hardly seems fair.”
“Claire is right,” the father spoke and dragged a hand down his face. “I’m not sure if we can accept such a deal. We can’t exactly take you as a free handyman for the next year just because our Ana ran off.”
Raul felt his nostrils flare as he straightened his back, making sure to come to his full height in the seat, and narrowly missed the light. “I’m not sure you understand. My brother has dishonored you, and I am here to repay this grievance. If you don’t accept, it’s a shameful mark for my family and my entire clan. These are not human politics.”
Claire’s mouth might have scowled, but he found her even more attractive in that state. His stomach clenched. There was nothing to be done. He was walking into a chaotic family dynamic, but he was no stranger to that. His brother, Leonardo, had done something unforgivable to his clan and to this human family.
“I can come to your house every weekday. From sunrise to five o’clock in the afternoon.” He pressed his lips together. “There is only one caveat. There will be some days when I must bring my daughter. She’s a newborn, and the clan can only take care of her three days out of the week.”
The mother spoke first. “Claire works at home on her thesis when she’s not at school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Bob and I work full-time jobs.”
Claire was absolutely aghast at this assumption. “Mom! You can’t be serious.”
“Ana did something foolish,” Bob said, “but, we don’t want to disrespect this man’s culture.”
Claire got up from the table and stormed into the hallway. “Insanity!” she cried and then a door slammed.
The mother sighed. “Raul, thank you for this. I’m not sure we feel okay putting you to work.”
Bob snorted. “But, you’re stronger than all three of us put together. It wouldn’t be a shame to finish our roof finally.” His wife swatted him.
Raul smiled. But inside, he was furious. Furious with Leonardo and the human girl that ran off with him, and furious at his own mate for deserting him with their newborn girl.
And he was furious at Claire for being enchanting despite her obvious fury.
Raul kept his word. In the heat of the oncoming spring on a Tuesday, he drove down the hill from his clan to the human house that he would be serving for a year. The Chief had instructed him to obtain a list of every project that he could complete within a year along with smaller duties.
“Humility,” the Chief had told him. And then he’d done a funny thing before Raul left. He rested a hand on his shoulder and looked him square in the eye. “There is much love left for you in this life.”
But Shifter Chiefs were notorious for their fortunetelling and their vague messages. Raul shook his head as he climbed out of his truck. Angelle, his baby girl, would be staying at the clan for Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays to fit the angry human woman’s schedule. Her parents had already declared that she could help look after the baby sometimes. He was sure she was thrilled loved with the idea.
The two cars in the driveway were gone this morning, meaning the parents had left for work. The Chief personally called Bob to make sure that there would be a list of duties today waiting for Raul.
Raul climbed up the porch steps and knocked on the door.
A cranky voice from inside cried out, “It’s open!” He tried to suppress his amused smirk. He opened the door and saw Claire wrapped in a fluffy pink robe sitting at the kitchen table. Her freshly showered hair hung down her back.
“There’s a list on the fridge,” she said without looking up from her computer.
“You have class today?” he asked.
She sighed. “Yes. Not until one o’clock. I walk to the bus station then.”
“Do you want me to drive you?” he asked, surveying the list. He heard her stop typing. From the corner of his eye, she could see her weighing the options of public transport versus a chauffeured ride.
“Not today,” she said finally. With a huff, she walked out of the kitchen, leaving her dishes. Purposefully, he thought. He shook his head. If she thought he would break that easily, she was sadly mistaken. But, he couldn’t help but catch the delectable scent of vanilla on her skin, fresh from the shower that lingered in the kitchen as he set about his work.
His chest tightened. A year. He left behind the anger and got to work.
Claire
“It’s week two,” Claire said to herself. Fifty weeks left. And yet…
Her squeaky door no longer squeaked. The leaky faucet in the downstairs bathroom no longer leaked. The lightbulbs in the attic had finally been replaced. She huffed. How annoying. Raul was too damn efficient for his own good.
“And he’s absolutely handsome,” her mother said under her breath when her father went out of the room last night after dinner.
Well, Claire couldn’t argue that point. Especially since Raul was now half-naked, scurrying on the roof with the strength of two men. He padded into the kitchen for a glass of water while she was making a cup of tea. She presented him with a pitcher of lemonade she’d made and a glass of ice.
“As a thank you,” she said quickly. Without waiting for a response, she retreated to her makeshift office upstairs in the old storage closet with no window. It was the best for zero distractions, lest she gets one glimpse of that Adonis-esque body...
She fanned herself at her desk. Her tea sat waiting for her, along with a stack of work. She had to focus. Her degree program was coming to a close.
She would never say sorry to him. But, now that her anger was waning, she could offer lemonade.
And she liked Angelle.
He brought his daughter along twice a week. Today, Angelle was at the Clan. But last week, Claire had stolen moments to admire the baby in her crib set up in the living room. Raul was, at least, a responsible father. He’d brought an entire set-up for his baby daughter and worked while she napped. Claire carefully timed her visits to the baby; she didn’t want Raul catching her secretly adoring his baby.
A thud sounded on the roof above her head. She put on her headphones and pushed down thoughts of Raul and his exquisite eyes. Her thesis— a work on the psychological development for school-age children—needed to be finished. She massaged her temples and sighed, wishing that she had a drink much stronger than tea. Coffee. Or better yet, an Irish coffee with plenty of her father’s good whiskey from downstairs.
About a half-hour later into her writing, she ripped herself away from the computer and stretched. She pulled off the headphones, just as a knock sounded on the door.
“Yes?” she asked. Maybe her mother had come home early.
Raul, sweaty naked torso and all, greeted her. His low-rise jeans hung around his hips, exposing a sliver of his briefs to her greedy eyes.
“Hey.” He smiled a wary one. She didn’t blame him. OK, maybe she’d been a viper when they met, and maybe she felt a little guilt. “Your father said he has a red toolbox in the garage, but I can’t find it. I’m looking for a tool he might have.”
She snorted and shook her head. “He’s always forgetting that he moved it underneath the kitchen sink. There’s a pipe that leaks slightly, and he keeps promising that he would fix it.” She got up and grabbed her empty mug. “I’ll show you.”
His smile melted into an easy-going grin. “I’d like that.” A cold chill crept up her spine, and she pulled her sweater around her, suddenly feeling that her camisole dipped too low. How was it that she felt more naked than him? He stepped to the side to allow her to brush past, and she skirted beside him. Her fabric brushed against his naked body; the blissful tension was unbearable. She cleared her throat and hurried down the stairs, with him close behind her.
In the kitchen, she opened up the cabinets beneath the sink with a flourish. The red toolbox was, indeed, sitting beneath the sink.
“Another leaky pipe,” Raul said. “A lovely surprise.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “My Mom is much better with home repairs. It�
�s just that they work all the time.” A look of deep annoyance crossed her face. “They worked hard to pay Ana’s tuition since she chose to go to a private college.”
“I know nothing of human colleges,” he admitted and grabbed the toolbox. “I’ve heard they’re expensive though. Are you mad at your sister?”
“Stupidly expensive. Furious,” she admitted with a blush. Then, the words came out of her mouth before she could stop them: “I was…a bit severe to you, too. Sorry. I’m mad at your brother and Ana. I took it out on you.”
He smirked a delectable gesture. “How do you think I feel with carrying out community service for my brother’s stupidity?”
She bit her lip. “True.” And it was true. At least she wasn’t having to work off her sister’s rash decision-making like Raul was. “Sorry about that.”
He shook his head. “It’s about honor. Always among Shifters.” Something dark flashed in his eyes. Something that she deeply wanted to know about. Her heart jumped. He turned away. “I’ve got to get back to the roof.”
“Of course.”
He left through the kitchen door. She stared for a few moments at the coffee machine before realizing that she needed to turn it on. With a groan, she raked a hand through her hair and tossed out the messy waves. Things were so awfully complicated.
As she poured her coffee, the steady thwack of a hammer came from above her. A little voice in her head scolded her: You were so mean to him, and look, he has to do all this work for your family. She caught her reflection in the mirror. Little makeup since it wasn’t a campus day, dirty hair. She blushed.
OK. She would be nicer. She would shower daily and make sure the raccoon circles beneath her eyes weren’t too scary looking. Not because she liked him, she chastised herself. Just because. Taking care of her appearance would improve her work, right?
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