All of the Silver Peak pack members, and the Dudley family, had a share of the profits. And Chelsea had joined the pack at exactly the right time.
She’d used her share to open her own bakery.
Mitch Rodgers and a couple of the police officers in Juniper who’d conspired with him were in prison, facing trial and the death penalty.
Mayor Winkleman was now the ex-mayor. He’d finally been able to step down; Lorena and Susan had tied the vote, and were serving as the town’s first ever co-mayors. They squabbled constantly.
Barbara had so much front-page news she barely knew what to do with herself, and she’d hired a reporter and a photographer.
Paul and Joyce were dating, and he and the Silver Peak pack were now building a mansion-style home on the Dudley property. Ryan and Shawn were excited about getting their own rooms.
Benjamin was the new Alpha of the Silver Peak pack. He’d proven extremely popular. He was attending the bakery opening with the rest of his pack, maintaining crowd control and picking up trash.
Marcus had even stopped by early, and had gruffly shoved a couple of twenties at her to stock up on baked goods for the week. As soon as the crowds had arrived, he’d fled.
Roman’s family in Colorado had hired Chelsea to do the wedding cake for his cousin’s Mate-Marking ceremony. And they’d dropped the charges against Roman after Chelsea had nagged him into flying out there for a long overdue visit, so Roman was no longer an outlaw on the run.
Chelsea stood at the back of the bakery, watching the happy crowd and holding Roman’s hand. Erika and Leland were sitting at a table next to them, chowing down on brownies. Louise was beaming with approval, watching them. Erika had her hair pulled back in a ponytail to show off her new Mate Mark.
Chelsea had it all. Everything she’d ever wanted. A pack, a life mate, a best friend. Well, she had it all except for one tiny little thing. Not that it mattered, except she’d been up all night prepping for the soft opening and she was exhausted.
“No coffee, curse my ever-loving life,” Chelsea said to Roman. She hid a huge yawn behind her hand.
“You can have decaf,” Roman pointed out.
“Decaf. Feh. It is a terrible tease which fails to deliver on its promise. Unlike you,” she added, kissing him on the cheek. “You never fail to deliver.”
He winked at her. “Damn straight. Five times last night. I still got it.”
“Why can’t you have coffee?” Erika asked around a mouthful of brownie.
Leland gave him a quizzical look. “Is there something you want to tell the pack, Roman?”
Erika’s eyes widened. “Are you…?”
“Maybe,” Chelsea said, blushing. She glanced at Roman, who grinned at her. “It was a surprise. We just found out. So, yeah, approximately six more months of no caffeine. Or alcohol. But, you know, worth it.”
“Oh my God, oh my God, I’m going to be an aunt!” Erika screamed. She leapt to her feet and started dancing around and waving her arms over her head. Everyone turned to stare at Chelsea and Roman.
“Wait, what? Why didn’t you tell me?” Barbara complained, rushing up to them. “Boy? Girl? I need a proper birth announcement!”
“Guys, we just found out,” Chelsea said. Everyone was crowding around her now, hugging her, congratulating her. Roman let himself get pushed out of the way, content to stand back and watch. Tears burned in her eyes—happy tears. The pack was genuinely delighted for her.
“Boy? Girl?” Esther demanded, bustling up to her. “I need to know if I’m sewing pink or blue onesies.”
“Neutral colors for now, please and thank you. We’re going to let it be a happy surprise.”
Roman flashed them a huge grin. “If it’s a boy, we’re going to name it Jesse James,” he called out. “And if it’s a girl, we’re going to name it Jesse James.” He glanced at the shifters crowding around Chelsea. “Hey! Air! Pregnant lady needs air!” he yelled. They ignored him. She waved; he could just see her hand poking up out of the crowd.
“I’m fine!” she shouted above the din.
When the crowd finally parted, Roman found Chelsea sipping a cup of decaf and making a face of dismay. She broke into a smile when she saw him, though.
“Congratulations, Dad,” she said. “By the way, I haven’t given you the complete tour of the bakery yet.”
“I’ve seen it all,” he said, puzzled. “I helped build it.”
She quickly pulled him through the back door and shut it.
“There’s a part of my office that you haven’t seen yet,” she said, leading him down the hallway.
They entered the office, and she shut and locked the door behind them.
She gestured at the corner of the office, where she’d put in a soft, lush couch that he hadn’t seen before.
“I’m calling that the nooky corner,” she said cheerfully. She leaned up against him. “And by the way, I just locked the door because I’m taking you into custody.”
“You what? Come on. You try to arrest me, you know what’ll happen.” There was a roguish twinkle in his eye.
“Chelsea Wintergreen,” he chided her as he began walking her over to the sofa. “Abandoning your customers and trying to arrest your Alpha? You have been very, very bad. You know what happens next.”
“I do indeed,” she breathed as he pushed her down.
THE END
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Mate Marked: Shifters of Silver Peak Page 14
