by V. A. Dold
“You guys want to do that again sometime?” Stefan whispered out of the corner of his mouth.
“Hell, yeah!” they both said enthusiastically.
Thomas noticeably slowed the SUV as he neared them and opened the passenger window a crack. “What the heck is wrong with all of you?” he asked suspiciously.
“Quit being such a baby and unlock the doors.” Cade laughed.
“You missed out on the best foot rub ever in the history of history,” Stefan grinned and glanced at Thomas’s pants. “Maybe next time you’ll have the balls to come with us.”
“I wouldn’t bet on it.” Thomas scowled. “Get your happy asses in the car. We have work to do.”
“I think grumpy boy could really use a massage, don’t you?” Simon whispered to Cade.
“You got that right.” Cade nodded.
“At least one man in this vehicle is still wearing pants,” Thomas boasted and floored the SUV onto the main street headed for home with all three men laughing hysterically.
In no time, they were home, and the instant Thomas put the SUV in park, Cade jumped out and pulled open the back doors to haul boxes into the house. “Come on, guys, we need to get these put together before Anna gets home.”
Simon, Stefan, and Thomas piled out behind him. After two quick trips, all the boxes were in the house and the cardboard packaging was tossed aside. The parts, hardware, and instructions for all three pieces of furniture lay in piles on the floor of the nursery waiting to be assembled.
“Hey, Thomas. While we work in here, could you start installing the security system?”
“Sure, Cade. I can get it laid out. However, after that, I’ll need a second pair of hands.”
Cade didn’t raise his head as he studied the gazillion tiny pieces of hardware for the crib. “Okay, shout when you’re ready, and one of us will help you.”
Stefan was across the room with the diaper-changing table, wearing the same confounded look on his face that Cade had.
Simon was in the center scratching his head. “Have either of you ever put one of these kits together before?”
Cade and Stefan looked at Simon and shook their heads, a frisson of fear skittering across their expressions.
“We are so screwed,” Stefan mumbled.
“Come on. We’re all extremely intelligent. If the saleslady can put these together, we sure as heck can, too.”
“I don’t know, Cade. Spreadsheets and investment graphs are a far cry from these instructions. Are they even in English?” Stefan squinted at the step-by-step directions for the changing table for the fourth time. He wasn’t even sure he had the paper turned the right way, but he wasn’t going to tell his brothers that.
“Don’t tell me you’re quitting already?”
“No. But didn’t she say the store offered assembly? Maybe we should take them up on that?”
“Putting it together ourselves is part of the point. You know. Hands-on daddy and uncles. Or are you giving up the favorite uncle crown already?”
“Hell, no!”
“Then quit bellyaching and start putting it together,” Simon goaded. “No, wait. I’ll do yours and mine and claim that crown right now.”
“You wish, little brother. You’ll never wear the favorite uncle crown. It’s mine, all mine,” he growled and squinted harder at the ridiculous instructions.
While the brothers bickered in the nursery, Thomas drew a schematic for the security system. He learned the hard way, a long time ago, to plan out the installation and wiring before drilling a single hole. He still had nightmares of filling hundreds of poorly placed holes. Any electrician will tell you it only takes one major screw-up to learn the lesson of thorough preparation.
Thomas and Cade had decided on both a main security room for the bulk of the monitors in the house and a single portable monitor for watching the baby in the crib. The portable display would actually be a feed of the nursery camera displayed on either Cade’s or Anna’s tablets. The rest of the cameras would be monitored in the main security office, away from the house.
Cade wanted his family protected, but he also wanted his privacy. Thomas could respect that. “Hey, Cade. I could use some help now,” he yelled toward the nursery.
Chapter Four
Rose giggled and did a happy dance in her chair. “That’s the perfect color of red!” She turned her outstretch fingers this way and that, admiring the results of her manicure. “When I do my nails at home they never turn out this awesome. Simon is going to be putty in my hands when I rake these nails down his back.”
“Newsflash, Rose,” El stage whispered, “you just said that out loud, and your mother-in-law is sitting in the next chair over.”
Rose instantly turned such a bright shade of red she almost matched her fingernail polish.
Emma laughed hardily. “Don’t mind me. I’m thrilled my sons are happily mated. And I’m sure every single one of you knows I adore all my daughters-in-law.”
“What is it about a man’s libido and long red fingernails? Cade’s the same way. I swear,” Anna shook her head, “it’s like bees to honey.”
“Not Stefan,” El chimed in. “He doesn’t require any fingernail polish to act like that.” She scowled. “He’s just a natural horndog. He has a track record to prove it.”
“If you think that’s part of the honeymoon phase, think again.” Emma grinned. “A shifter male’s libido never decreases. Ever.”
“I can testify to that, and pregnancy actually revs them up even more, at least it does in Cade’s case,” Anna said, rolling her eyes and rubbing her belly. “It escapes me what he saw in my puffed up, water-retaining body with this monster belly.”
“All men, human or shifter, love their women pregnant,” Emma laughed. “A long time ago, when I was pregnant with Cade, I did a little research. I was bored out of my skull with everyone pampering and hovering, so I decided to ask every woman, human or other, how their man reacted to them when they were pregnant. I got the same response across the board. ‘He couldn’t keep his hands off me.’” She winked.
“Hey, Anna, maybe you should do your own version of the research and take a poll from the men,” Rose suggested. “You could ask them why their wife is so sexy when she’s as big as a house?”
“That would be interesting, but I don’t think I have enough time to take a poll before this little cherub greets the world.”
“Yeah, maybe not,” Rose agreed with a look of disappointment on her face. “Still, it would be interesting to know what makes them act the way they do.”
All the women nodded in agreement.
El frowned in thought. “Do any of your guys watch you eat and ask you repeatedly if you want more? Stefan does that to me constantly.”
“Oh, my goodness! Cade hovers like a worried mother, analyzing my food intake. You can’t repeat this to anyone.” She looked each of the women in the eye until they agreed. “He actually keeps a journal of what I eat. It’s driving me crazy. When I went to my first doctor’s appointment, I told them I couldn’t take the prenatal vitamins, and they suggested I keep a food diary to make sure I was eating a well-rounded diet. I should have known better than to repeat that to him. Cade took it literally.” She groaned shaking her head.
“Simon tracks my meals in a journal, too. He must have gotten the idea from Cade. He’s determined to make sure I keep my ‘soft yummy curves,’ as he calls them. He’s terrified I’ll get skinny.” Rose rolled her eyes and busted out laughing. “My body doesn’t have a clue what skinny looks like. I keep telling him he has nothing to worry about, but when I lost a size or two during the conversion, he really freaked out. Now, he’s obsessed with my diet. I never thought I would see the day when I had more chocolate than I knew what to do with.”
Emma silently grinned as she listened to her daughters-in-law talking. They were all going through the same adjustments. Thankfully, they were enjoyable adjustments. She had experienced th
e same things with Isaac when they were first mated. The Le Beau men loved a woman’s curves and tended to be fanatical about them.
“Talking about hovering and watching over us, are your guys fixated on safety and security? Cade is about to drive me mad.”
“You have no idea,” El growled. “Stefan insists he come to the ranch every morning and evening. And if my ranch manager isn’t there to ‘watch out for me.’ He stays the entire time I’m training the horses. The babysitting routine is annoying as hell.”
“Simon was like that for a while, especially after I was kidnaped,” Rose said quietly, making sure the spa ladies didn’t overhear. “I try to cut him some slack because he was terribly traumatized by the experience of losing me, even for a short time.” She glanced at Emma and gave her a soft smile. “A very wise lady helped me understand the inconceivable terror a mate goes through when the other is threatened and the very real possibility they will lose their mate exists. She helped me understand his need to ensure it never happens again.”
Anna adjusted her position in the chair. There was just no comfortable way to sit or stand. Heck, lying down was an issue. “Cade was intense at first, but he’s gotten a lot better.” Then her lips twitched into a wide grin. “Actually, some of the things he does are extremely entertaining.”
“What does he do?” Emma’s eyes gleamed with mirth.
“The most recent thing happened after my doctor appointment where he saw the ultrasound. Seeing the baby triggered something in him and it suddenly became very real. When we got home, he immediately went online and bought every baby and pregnancy book he could get his hands on. And last night, he mapped out three routes to the hospital. When I asked why three, he said, he wanted to be prepared in case there was a roadblock or something.” Anna laughed as she shook her head. “He’s scheduled a day off next week so he can practice driving all three routes several times.”
El, Rose, and Emma gaped wide-eyed at her.
“You’re joking, right?” El asked.
Anna chuckled. “Not even a tiny bit.”
“I’m never getting pregnant,” El insisted.
“Really? Simon and I are talking about babies, but we decided to wait a little longer. I definitely want to have at least four, though,” Rose admitted.
“Have you and Cade discussed how many children you want?” Emma asked nonchalantly.
“Before I got pregnant, we talked about it, and we both agreed we wanted at least two. After that, we are going to wing it.”
Emma nodded. “Sounds like a sound decision to me. You might find you’re done after two, especially since you already have Thomas and John.”
“That’s what we thought, too.”
Cade glanced at Stefan and Simon to see how their projects were coming.
I better not interrupt them.
“Can you two handle this while I help Thomas with the security cameras?”
Simon scrunched up his chin and nodded. “Yeah, I think we’re okay.”
“Sure, Cade, we’ll keep plugging along,” Stefan assured quickly before ducking his face. If Cade saw his expression, he might panic. They were in trouble. He had already given up on the instructions and was guessing as best he could to put the changing table together.
“I’ll be right there, Thomas,” Cade yelled back.
Cade left the mess of the crib he was working on where it lay and walked from the room.
“Do you understand your instructions?” Simon hissed at Stefan the instant Cade was out of earshot.
“Hell, no. I gave up on them after five minutes. I’m trying to figure it out as I go.”
Simon’s eyes brightened. “How’s that working for you?”
“Horribly.”
The hopeful gleam faded from Simon’s eyes. “We really are screwed, aren’t we?”
“Beyond all hope,” Stefan growled. “But I’m going to try anyway. Who knows, maybe we’ll get lucky.”
“I don’t know about you, but I started praying to the Goddess the minute we took these out of the boxes.”
Stefan growled as the changing table listed left. “Not a bad idea, I could use all the help she’s willing to give.”
Cade found Thomas on a ladder running wires in the living room. “What can I do to help?”
Thomas indicated the coffee table with his head. “There is a temporary monitor set up over there. Once I attach this wire, go to the laundry room and turn the breaker switch on, and then check the monitor to see if the camera is working.”
“You got it.”
A few minutes later the camera was fully operational, showing a view of the entire room from its location in the upper corner of the space.
“Okay, now we need to install the dining room.”
Cade remained unmoving, staring at the monitor, a small frown creasing his forehead.
“What’s wrong?” Thomas asked when he didn’t follow him.
“Are these going to be on all the time?”
“They need to be if my team is going to protect my baby sister,” Thomas informed him.
“I’m not sure about this. Anna’s not going to like it if we can’t turn them off when we’re home.”
“Let’s just get them installed, and I will show you the setup, and then we can talk about it.”
Cade continued to scowl as he followed Thomas to the next camera. Now that he saw what Thomas had in mind, he wasn’t at all sure this was going to end well. He was depending on Thomas to know what he was doing, as well as know his mother well enough to not get his balls in a vice.
A couple of hours later, Cade and Thomas were wiring the last of the cameras while Stefan and Simon continued to work on the furniture.
Stefan was carefully attaching the pulls to the drawers when an image of El entered his thoughts with her in nothing but red stilettos and matching nail polish. He practically choked on his tongue and leaned on the edge of the changing table for support.
Bad move. Very bad move.
The rickety table was barely holding its own weight upright. With Stefan’s added poundage, it went over like a domino.
Stefan gaped in horror as his table nailed Simon’s dresser with a solid thump. Simon managed to jump back as the two collided, avoiding injury. Too bad the dresser didn’t fare as well.
A loud moaning sound preceded the dresser slowly toppling toward Cade’s half-constructed crib. The poor thing never stood a chance. By the time Cade and Thomas slid to a stop outside the nursery door, the crib was flat as a pancake.
“What the hell happened!” Cade barked, horrified by the vision before him.
Stefan raked his fingers through his hair. “Sorry, man. All I did was lean on it, and it crumbled.”
“It shouldn’t do that. Did you follow the instructions correctly?”
Stefan snorted. “Here,” he handed the papers to Cade. “See if you can follow these. I tried and couldn’t understand them, not even when I tried to follow the pictures.”
Cade frowned at the instructions in his hand. He had to admit, they seemed pretty sketchy and lacking in steps.
Cade handed them back. “Okay, I see your point. So, what are we going to do? We need to get these together and now all the pieces are mixed up.”
“I hate to say this, Cade, but I think you should scrap these and order something pre-assembled before Anna sees them,” Simon quietly suggested.
“Aw, hell,” Cade growled, rubbing his face. “I really wanted to do this ourselves.”
Thomas squeezed into the room and inspected the wreckage carefully. “Before we give up completely, let me try to help. Let’s take this one item at a time and do it as a group. Since the changing table is on the top of the heap, let’s start with that.”
Cade looked at Stefan and then Simon, they were both nodding at Thomas’s suggestion. “All right. We will give this another shot, but we need to hurry. Anna will be home soon.”
The ladies had just
finished lunch and were walking to the massage tables when Lucinda Le Beau, Emma’s sister-in-law, walked into the spa.
The instant she saw Anna, Rose, and El, her expression soured.
Anna, always polite, greeted her. “Hello, Lucinda, how are you?”
Lucinda raked her with a sneer. “Are you talking to me?”
Refusing to take the bait, Anna calmly said, “Of course.”
“I don’t speak to your kind,” Lucinda hissed.
El stepped forward, gently putting Anna behind her. “Perhaps you would like to revisit that bad attitude and try again?”
“No. Actually, I wouldn’t,” Lucinda snarled, advancing toward El.
Rose was stepping forward to go shoulder to shoulder with El when Emma joined them from the ladies room. “What’s going on, girls?” she asked as she rounded the corner. Then she saw Lucinda and the protective positions of El and Rose.
“Nothing we can’t handle,” El answered bitingly.
Emma glared pointedly at Lucinda. “Are you causing problems again?”
Lucinda gave Emma a scathing look. “I never cause problems.”
“Of course, you do. You thrive on it,” Emma stated matter-of-factly.
Lucinda bared her fangs at Emma. “At least I don’t advertise the fact that I have filthy humans in my family.”
“ENOUGH!” Emma barked. “You and I are taking this outside. NOW.”
“Screw you, filthy human.”
Emma’s glare snapped to Lucinda. With a flick of her finger, Lucinda slowly began to kneel. By the strain on her face, it was obvious Lucinda was fighting Emma’s magic.
“We can do this here or outside. Your choice,” Emma snarled into Lucinda’s ear.
“Outside,” Lucinda forced through pinched lips.
Emma gracefully left the spa with a snarling, red-faced Lucinda in tow. Once out of sight of the humans and earshot of anyone on the sidewalk, Emma spun around. She put her hands on her hips and sighed. “Why do we need to have a conflict each time we see each other?”
“Because, you’re human and below all shifters,” Lucinda spat.
“Really? The last time I checked, I was a full shifter and had the ear of the Goddess. How does that make me below you?”
