by Renee Rose
Audrey hadn’t said anything about it, and since the night I hooked up with Becky, I’d definitely paid attention when Audrey was around in case she mentioned her friend. I’d been away though, so maybe she knew and was keeping her close friend’s confidence.
Or, maybe she hadn’t even told Audrey yet. Audrey was a doctor though. An Ob/Gyn. It was her job to know this shit. For some reason, that thought comforted me. Like I wasn’t the only one in the dark. The only one Becky had shut out.
Fuck, I wasn’t a woman. I had no clue about these things. I did know we’d used a condom, and it hadn’t broken. I felt virile, fucking potent knowing my swimmers still got in.
I smiled to myself. I had a mate… and a child.
I was Becky’s mate, and I knew every nuance of her body, and it was different now. Because of me. Because of the baby we made. A prickle raced across the back of my neck. The night before, Todd had lied out his ass and said he was checking on his wife. He hadn’t mentioned a kid. Maybe she didn’t want her ex to know.
She might be worried this would further complicate her legal proceedings with the divorce. But then, she’d have to certify to the judge she wasn’t pregnant—it was part of the paperwork. I only knew that because I’d found what she’d filed over a year ago and read through it. She’d checked the box that said she wasn’t pregnant. At the time, she hadn’t been.
Yeah, if the asshole found out she was pregnant with another man’s child, he was going to lose his shit. Worse than he already was.
She stirred beside me, and I propped my head on my hand and watched, not wanting to miss a single thing about the way she woke. Her eyes blinked open and met mine. They were soft and open at first, like waking in my arms was the most natural thing in the world to her. I saw the moment her mind caught up. She reached for the sheet and yanked it to her chin, rolling away from me.
“Uh uh.” I eased her to her back and slowly lowered the sheet, holding her gaze. She clung to it for a moment, but I persisted until I had it down by her waist. I didn’t speak at first. We definitely had things to talk about—big things, and I didn’t even plan to touch the I’m a shifter, and when I bit you, I claimed you as my forever mate issue—but first I needed to show my reverence for her beauty. The gift of her body and the gift of the sweet pup she was growing.
I trailed the backs of my fingers along the side of her plump breast, down her ribs. I turned my fingers over and lightly brushed over the swell of her lower belly. “You have something to tell me, sugar?” I asked softly to take any sting out of the accusation.
Her pulse went frantic at her throat, and she abruptly tried to roll away again, but I caught her and dragged her back against my front, my arm wrapped snugly around her waist. I cupped her breast. “You didn’t think I’d notice the changes in your beautiful body?”
I felt her heart pound under my palm and through her back, pressed against my chest. I thumbed her nipple which went instantly hard. She sucked in a breath. Fuck, she was sensitive to my touch.
“Aren’t you going to ask if it’s yours?” she asked in a strangled voice. Her shoulders were tense, like she was bracing for my anger.
“I know it’s mine,” I said.
I couldn’t say for sure, but it didn’t matter. If that pup was mine or some other guy’s, I’d bitten her last night. I’d be protecting her and the pup until the day I died. Once a male wolf claimed a she-wolf—or in this case, a human female—there was no stopping him from the need to protect and provide for his mate.
That was going to be a huge fucking problem, considering my role with the council. It was why I’d walked away twice in the past few days. What was done was done, and there wasn’t any going back. If I hadn’t bitten her, the baby bound me to her just the same. I hadn’t meant to mark her, but my wolf had driven me to it. It had been just too good between us, especially knowing about the baby. He couldn’t stand for our pregnant mate to remain unmarked. He’d lasted all of ten minutes.
We had a lot to figure out.
She rolled over, her gaze searching my face. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell—”
I cut her off with a shake of my head. “I forgive you.” I gently pinched her nipple between my thumb and forefinger, applying a little pressure and watching her to see what she liked these days. When I added a little tug, she gasped. “Sensitive?”
She nodded as I continued to play.
“Might have to punish you later for keeping it a secret, though.” I gave her a wicked grin to let her know it would be the kind of punishment she would enjoy. “I bet we can be… inventive.”
Her hips rolled against mine and pupils dilated.
Good. That turned her on. Noted.
“Were you ever going to tell me?” I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear the answer to this question. I probably shouldn’t have asked it.
The way her gaze slid sideways told me enough.
“Never mind,” I said. I definitely didn’t want to know.
She drew a breath. “Clint, my life is really complicated right now. I mean, you saw what happened last night with Todd, and you don’t even know half of it. I like you—I really do—but we barely know each other. I don’t want to, I mean, I can’t be stuck with you just because we made a baby. My parents did that with me. I was an accident, and they married because of me. They pretty much hate each other.”
She raised a good point. A good human point. Humans didn’t know their life partners just by scent. Hell, I couldn’t imagine how much of a pain straight up dating would be to find compatibility. It hadn’t worked out for Becky so far, so I couldn’t blame her for being skittish now. Especially if she’d had shitty parents to model.
“You aren’t an accident,” I told her. “Fuck, sugar.”
But I was sure. Completely positive we were lifemates. My wolf had scented her and knew. I knew. I’d bitten her and claimed her. I doubted any of that would be good to share right about now. She didn’t want to be forced into a relationship because of a baby. I doubted she’d want to know when I bit her last night, she’d become mine, permanently.
She didn’t have a shifter mindset, and I definitely needed to keep what I was a secret. For now. I wanted her in my arms, not running away screaming.
I’d done it the shifter way last night. She was bound to me. My wolf was happy, and I was confident she was mine. I’d play it human for her.
“Your ex is an asshole. I’m keeping you safe. No arguments. That doesn’t mean we can’t get to know each other at the same time. What do you say we get some breakfast and then head to the ranch? There’s a new foal you’ll probably like.”
Her stomach rumbled. Loudly. We laughed.
“It’s better than being nauseated,” she said.
“Have you been sick much?” I wondered.
She rolled her eyes. “Pretty much from the very beginning.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you,” I murmured, caressing her tiny bump. I couldn’t believe the curve meant my child was in there. “I’ve been away for work. I’d have come back if I’d known.”
She shook her head. “I know. I see that now. Got any avocados?”
I frowned at the change of subject.
“Avocados?”
Smiling, she sat up, and I got a front row view of her gorgeous body. I was going to like those full tits. My mouth watered to suck on them some more, but my woman was hungry, and I would take care of her needs. All of them.
“I’ve got some wild cravings.”
“Don’t have any avocados or anything else here, but we can go pick up whatever food you’re craving. Me? I’ve got a craving, too. Your pussy.” I lowered my hand to cup her, to feel my cum still slipping from her.
“Oh,” she said, and I lifted my gaze to her face.
“I… I have a doctor’s appointment at ten. Ultrasound.”
My eyes widened, and my hand stilled. “To see the baby?”
She laughed. “Yes, we can even learn the sex. Do you want to know what we’
re having?”
We. She’d said it not once but twice. This was our baby now.
12
BECKY
A girl. Holy fuck, we were having a girl. I’d thought of the baby inside of me as a peanut, not as a boy or girl. But now? I saw a mental pink explosion. I stared down at the ultrasound image in my lap. We were in Clint’s truck, and he sat in the driver’s seat staring out the window. I’d never seen anyone go pale like he had when the tech had told us what we were having.
He’d dropped into a chair as he stared at the monitor with our baby on it. It looked like a black and white alien inside a big black circle. It had a big head, legs and arms. It was our baby, who didn’t have a penis. Which meant she was a girl.
A girl!
All Clint had said since the announcement was fuck over and over.
I bit my lip and glanced at him. He was in big trouble if he was freaking out about having a girl now. He hadn’t seen more than an ultrasound of her. When she came, he was going to lose his shit. I doubted he would let anyone near her. He was going to be a protective bear. God, when she started dating… I wondered how many shotguns he owned.
He also had lots of male friends. Big, brawny cowboys who lived on a ranch, who were the overprotective sort. Audrey and Boyd had decided to let the sex of their baby be a surprise, so Boyd wasn’t losing his shit like Clint was. Yet. If they had a girl though…
“I’d like to see the foal,” I said, trying to snap him out of his thoughts. Maybe it would distract him. Maybe, or maybe he’d be catatonic until she went to college.
I hadn’t been sick all morning, and it was almost lunchtime, and I still felt fine. I didn’t dare hope I was past the morning sickness in general, but I could take a moment to appreciate my calm stomach. I felt almost human.
“Fuck,” Clint whispered, his gaze still affixed at the road.
“How old is it?” I asked, wondering after the age of the foal.
He didn’t reply.
“I’m thinking of having sex with the college football team after lunch.”
He blinked. That hadn’t gotten through either. “Fuck.”
I tried not to smile. I really did. “I’m not wearing any panties.”
He blinked again, this time looking my way. “What?”
“Have you heard anything I’ve said since you found out what we’re having? Do you even remember walking to your truck?”
He ran a hand over his face. “Fuck.”
I laughed. “Clint. A girl’s not scary.”
His lips thinned. “A girl is fragile. We should have a boy first who can protect her.”
“First?” When he didn’t respond, I went on. “Not all girls are fragile. Some are tomboys who like to ride horses and catch frogs.”
“Not by herself she won’t,” he countered.
I rolled my eyes.
“Did you roll your eyes at me, woman?”
I rolled them again.
“Wait until my parents hear about this,” he muttered. “My mother’s going to be cooking you her lasagna every day.”
My stomach grumbled at that.
He glanced down at my belly although it was well hidden beneath my coat. He might not have even remembered, but he’d zipped it up for me in the medical center lobby. “Hungry, sugar?”
“Me and our girl want some of that lasagna. Think your parents will like me?”
He took off his hat and sat it on my head. Grinned. “Like you? They’re going to forget I’m even in the room when we show up. Let’s go surprise them with the news.” He turned the truck on then muttered, “Fuck.”
CLINT
I’d called my mother from the car, asking her if I could bring a friend for lunch and if she’d put one of her famous lasagnas in the oven. There was usually one ready to go in the fridge for some pack function at all times since it was Rob’s favorite dish—the alpha—so I knew I wouldn’t be putting her out. Especially when she learned of the reason for the spontaneous visit.
“I assume you didn’t say who was coming on purpose,” Becky said as we started through the canyon out of town.
I flicked her a glance but kept my eyes on the windy road. The roads were dry, but this was where the Wolf parents had been killed in an accident. I had precious cargo now, so I lightened my foot on the accelerator.
“This is the kind of thing to share in person, don’t you think?” I asked.
I loved my parents and saw them several times a week. We were close. It was a surprise, even for me, to have a mate and a baby on the way all in the matter of the two days. It wasn’t easy to explain. Becky wasn’t a woman I shared on a phone call.
“Sugar, I’ve barely processed the fact that we’re having a girl.”
When I’d looked at the ultrasound monitor, I’d had no idea what I’d been looking at. The tech had been patient and talked us through it all. When she turned a dial and the sound of a hummingbird-fast heartbeat filled the room, Becky had started to cry. I didn’t, only because I was a big brawny man. Still though, it hit all the fucking feels. We’d made that little thing. I’d leaned over Becky where she reclined on the exam table and kissed her.
When the tech told us the sex… I almost fainted dead away. A girl. I never in a million years imagined I’d ever have a daughter. Hell, I’d never imagined having kids, let alone a mate.
Fate fucked even someone like me and was laughing. Hard.
A girl.
I hadn’t been lying when I’d said girls were fragile. They needed protecting from… everything. If I was insanely protective of Becky, I’d probably go ballistic about a daughter.
She’d cry little toddler tears, and I’d give her anything she wanted. She’d get in a fight on the playground, and I’d have to punch some little shit. She’d go to prom and… fuck no. That was never happening.
I’d known we were having a girl for all of thirty minutes, and I was turning insane. Who needed moon madness when there were baby girls to put you down?
Becky began to fidget then pulled down the visor to look in the mirror.
“Relax, they’re going to love you.”
I took her hand, set it on my thigh. Love her? Holy shit, Mom was going to freak. She’d hinted at wanting grandpups, but she knew that finding a mate wasn’t easy. Neither of my parents put pressure on me or Rand, but I had a feeling they would be claiming Boyd and Audrey’s child as a grandpup, blood or not. Now they’d have a granddaughter to dote on.
If they watched her closely, didn’t let her fall and get hurt. Didn’t feed her too many sweets. Kept her warm with mittens and a hat and—
Fuck!
Twenty minutes later, I parked in front of my parents’ cabin in the woods. It was about a mile from the main ranch house, set up in the mountains. They’d chosen this spot after they were first mated, and I’d grown up here. The cabin, at first, had been small, but additions had been built on for additional bedrooms and space.
“It’s beautiful,” Becky said, as she looked out the window at the log home.
“Thanks. Wait there, and I’ll help you out.”
I hopped out, snow crunching beneath my boots. Up here, there were several inches on the ground.
I opened Becky’s door and took her hand. “Careful, it might be slippery,” I said, when she stood beside me. “Fuck that.”
No way was she slipping, so I picked her up and carried her up the walk to the front door.
“You can’t carry me for the next five months,” she commented.
“Watch me,” I replied. Opening the front door, warm air and the scent of garlic and tomato sauce hit me. It smelled like home, but I realized that home was in my arms, and we’d make a place just like this for ourselves. Soon. Hell, very soon if we only had five months. No fucking way were Becky and the baby staying in the bunk house.
My mom came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel and stopped in place when she saw us. “Well. Hello.” Her eyes shone with wonder as she looked from my face to Bec
ky’s.
I tipped Becky gently back to her feet. “Mom, this is Becky. We’re having a baby. Becky, my mom, Janet.”
Mom stared and stared. She raised two kids, me and my younger brother, Rand. When Mr. and Mrs. Wolf passed away, she’d pretty much taken in Boyd, Colton and Rob. Five boys in total. The stuff we’d done should have made her hair white, but she’d taken it all in stride. But this?
I’d surprised the hell out of her.
“Wh-what?” My mom was strong as anything, so I didn’t expect her to burst into tears as she rushed to engulf Becky in a hug. “Oh fates, really? You’re going to give me a grandbaby?” I watched her breathe in Becky’s scent, picking up all the clues. That Becky was human. And I’d marked her.
My dad came into the room, looking on in confusion, but with a smile on his face.
“Dad, this is Becky,” I said again. “I admit, we went at things a little backward. She hasn’t agreed to date me yet, but she is pregnant with my baby.” I used the human word instead of pup to signal to my parents the situation. It was one they were becoming familiar with because Audrey and Marina hadn’t known about shifters when their mates had found them. They’d learned in time, and that was what I was asking for now. “Becky, if my mom ever lets you go, this is my dad, Tom.”
“Nice to meet you.” Becky extricated herself from my mom’s embrace and shook my dad’s hand. Little did she know, while he wasn’t a hugger, he’d cover her hand with the other and refuse to let go.
“Becky,” my dad said. His smile had spread to a big grin, and he was as shocked as Mom. We’d completely surprised them… and over lunch. “Not sure what to say in this situation other than we’re both so pleased to know you. Sounds like you’re not ready for a welcome to the family, but that’s how we feel, just the same.”
Because my parents would never break pack law and discuss our nature with a human who wasn’t aware of our existence, I was sure I could trust them not to say anything to Becky before I’d had the chance.
