Luke had basically put his foot down when it came to Finn finding a job and so he'd been little more than a housewife for the last couple of weeks. Apparently, according to Frannie, he'd been a lazy housewife.
He didn't have much time to worry about all that. Finn saw his mom during their lunches, a few here and there so she wouldn't worry, but she didn't know anything about Finn's love life.
"Those aren't warm and fuzzy feelings I am sensing from you."
"I've never, I mean, my mom doesn't…I've never officially come out to my family."
"Frannie knows."
Finn thought about that. He'd never had the talk with Frannie either, it was simply one of those things she just accepted. She was good with rolling with the punches. Finn would rather run from the punches, very quickly and then hide. He didn't have to tell her today, did he? Maybe he could just say Luke was another roommate. As long as they didn't sit too close—
"I will not hide our relationship like it is something to be ashamed of," Luke said darkly. "I will leave the house if you need me to."
Finn hurried to be by his side. He'd allowed his own weakness take control. "No, Luke I'm sorry. I don't want you to leave, I don't want us to hide. She'll just have to accept it too, or she can not accept it. I don't care." He grabbed his hand, squeezing his fingers, sliding his touch upward to his forearm, further to his biceps. "My mood is all over the place lately, please forgive me."
"Of course," came his rumbled reply.
In minutes Finn was dressed and standing next to Luke in the living room. Why did it feel so awkward? Did they wait by the front door to greet her? What, like she's a visiting dignitary or something? But then, it would be rude to just sit in the living room watching television or something. He'd gone too long without experiencing this freezing social anxiety. It made him feel less equipped to handle it.
"Whoa, Boss," Sorell said, appearing from the hallway. "You okay? Need a coffee?"
"My mother is—"
His mom's little four door pulled into the driveway. Finn grabbed hold of Luke's hand tightly, watching her park. His mouth dropped. His oldest brother, Felix, stepped out of the passenger side, Finn watching his mom hurry to Felix's side. Why was he here? Last Finn had heard, Felix had been off being an amazing doctor for very poor children in some horribly deprived country. Finn stumbled back with the shock of seeing Felix. The two of them hadn't been in the same room for at least a year and he absolutely hadn't seen Finn since his time in the institution.
Growing up, Finn had been happiest melting into the background. That became easier with the arrival of the little ham, Frannie. But for some reason, Felix was always pushing him, always putting Finn in situations that made him uncomfortable and for that reason, Finn avoided him as much as he could. Finn found Frannie hurrying toward them. She'd changed into a summer dress and had braided her wild hair back.
"Holy shit, Felix?" Frannie said as she looked through the window. "I swear I didn't know, Finn."
"Why who is he?" Luke asked, instantly growing tense and alert.
They were at the door now, there was a short series of knocks. Frannie swung her door open and Felix burst inside, lifting her up easily into a bear hug and swinging her once in a circle.
"Oof!" Frannie squealed. "Put me down before you drop me!" Their mother stepped in, a huge smile on her face. "So this is why you had to come over and it had to be today," Frannie said to their mom, giving her a hug.
Finn's mom found him immediately. Finn tried not to cringe as he watched her face. She had worry in her eyes, like always, but then her gaze went to where Finn held Luke's hand and her eyes narrowed. Too slowly, she met his eyes again and sure enough, there was a tightness in them.
Finn was happy he hadn't shrunk back from her evaluation, had kept a steady hold of his alpha's hand. But now, he stepped away from him, and hugged his mother. "It is really good to see you, Mom," he said, surprised by how much he meant it.
"You too, sweetie." She pulled back and stared at him from arm's length. "You look…different. Happier." She smiled.
"This is Luke," Finn said, going back to Luke's side. "He is my ma—boyfriend." Finn exchanged a quick, silent plea, with Luke.
"Finners!" Felix said loudly, stepping up between them. "It is so great to see you again." He gave him a quick bro hug and then turned to Luke and extended his hand. "Hey there, I'm the big brother, Felix."
"When did you get back?" Finn asked, pleased with how well everything was going so far.
"Last night. Our team got pulled out, civil unrest. I was up for some time off so I thought, why not reconnect with the family before getting reassigned?"
Just then, Pippen entered with Conner at his heels. Pippen had put on one of Frannie's frilly purple aprons and held a casserole dish. "Brunch is served," he said, proudly. Sorell sauntered forward as Daryl came in through the open front door, rubbing his greasy hands on the front of his jeans.
"Francesca," their mother said, tightly. "Who are all these people?"
It took Finn's mother one bite of Pippen's spinach and Swiss quiche to decide it was alright with her if Frannie had a few extra roommates. Of course, Frannie had spun it in such a way that it seemed like they were all paying to live here, like she was benefiting from the extra money. Now, they sat around the kitchen table, eating the quiche, sausage and croissants.
"You know, Ma, it is good you are here," Frannie said, out of nowhere. "I've been getting these horrible headaches lately. Don't you suffer from migraines?"
Their mother nodded. Finn took another bite, worried for his sister. He didn't know she'd been getting headaches too.
"And my back, especially my lower back has been really acting up. Even though I haven't done much of anything around the house since I've been so sleepy lately."
Their mother stared at Frannie, concern on her features. Then, she smiled really wide, wider than Finn had ever seen. "Oh Frannie, you have a boyfriend now? You're pregnant?"
"What? No. But why do you ask?"
"Oh, sorry, just that you should probably get tested, sounds like you might be pregnant, honey."
Frannie put her fork down and looked at Finn head on, unblinking. "Oh really? Pregnant you say?" she said without breaking eye contact.
Finn's fork clattered to the table. The quiche rolled in his stomach and started a turbo train journey back up his esophagus. "I think I'm going to be sick," he said before running to the bathroom.
***
Luke heard Finn pacing on the other side of the bathroom door. A better noise than the retching and puking he'd witnessed a minute or so ago. He'd been only half paying attention to Frannie as he'd been so keyed on making sure Finn was okay with the sudden appearance of his older brother but he'd gotten the gist of what she'd been asking. He was also very good at putting two and two together.
Luke wasn't sure if he was going to shout and start buying cigars or if he was going to need to nudge Finn over for a space in front of the toilet. He knocked gently on the door. "Finn? Babe?"
"What?" The question was quiet and a little wary.
"Can I come in?"
"I don't know, can you?"
Luke grinned. Finn was scared, that was obvious, but he still had attitude, which was a good sign. He opened the door and stepped in, silently shutting the door again behind him. Finn sat on the edge of the bathtub, his forehead braced against his hands. Luke moved to the space in front of him, dropping to his knees so he could look into his mate's face. "Hey," he tugged at a hand. "Look at me."
"I know we sort of discussed this all before but it seemed very, just talk, back then. Like something that could maybe happen. I have so many questions. So many worries. And I feel like crying, but I also sort of want to punch you. But then at the same time I want to take a nap."
Luke bit the insides of his cheeks to keep from smiling. He felt like he might explode from his elation.
"When you look at me like that, it makes me want to punch you more than nap."
"Like what, babe?"
"Like the cat who caught the canary. Or the cat that had sex with the canary and then got the canary pregnant."
"That is a gross and offensive analogy. I am not a cat person." He couldn't help the wide smile he knew was plastered across his face. He probably looked like a grinning idiot, but didn't care. He pulled Finn against him, feeling his body line up perfectly with his. Meeting this amazing man had been the best day of his life that just kept proving itself better and better. "I should go," he said abruptly. "To the store."
"For cigarettes?" Finn asked wryly.
Luke growled quietly at the implication. "No, mate. For a test."
"Oh, good idea. Could you do me a favor first and ask Frannie to come in? After she says bye to Mom and Felix."
"You're staying in the bathroom?" Luke asked.
Finn nodded, there was a little pink to his cheeks. "I'm still feeling a little nauseous."
Luke left the bathroom, wanting to quickly find Frannie so he could get the test and maybe some ginger ale. He nearly ran into Felix, skulking down the hallway.
"Oh, hey sorry. I was just looking for Finn to say bye."
"He's not feeling well, sorry."
Felix looked down at the carpet. He was either sad to not be able to say goodbye or he was lying. Luke stepped toward him, getting into his space. He was a pretty big guy and generally, just imposing on another person's space was enough to get them to rethink or confess. Felix didn't back down though. He caught Luke's gaze.
"I am really glad to have met you. I've never seen Finn look happier. He was always so…uncomfortable. He could never sit in one place, stayed to the walls afraid someone would notice him. He's a great kid. A great guy and with you…I don't know. It's like he is glowing." If he was lying, he was a master at it. He sounded genuine. He looked passed Luke to someone who'd come up behind them in the hallway. "I, uh, I gotta go now. With mom. Nice to meet you." He turned and hurried away. Luke looked behind him to see who'd had him running away like a kicked dog.
Sorell sauntered toward him, his hands shoved in his pockets. "What's up, boss?"
Luke smiled. "Want to go with me to the store?"
***
Luke returned thirty minutes later with his arms full of bags, Sorell's as well. He plopped it all down on the couch opposite where Finn was sitting. He'd made it out of the bathroom at least.
"How many tests did you buy?" he asked looking at the bags with wonder.
"Well, I bought a few of those cause I was thinking what if one was defective? And then I got you some ginger ale and Sorell said that when his pack mate was pregnant she couldn't get enough salted caramel cookies. And then a heating pad for your back and I was going to get some painkillers for your headache but the lady said to be careful with that and to try lavender oil first. And a soft blanket, peppermint tea, slippers and—" he stopped listing his items, mostly because Frannie and Finn were laughing too loudly to hear him anyway.
Frannie grabbed the test from him. "We'll see you in 3-5 minutes."
He idly wondered how Frannie knew how long a pregnancy test took but then figured that was just the type of information girls grew up knowing. He and Finn would be doing this on a learning curve. But they had Frannie. And they would find a shifter doctor. Luke stopped thinking when Finn reappeared with Frannie behind him. He saw Frannie's smile first, then saw Finn's face. He looked, there were no words. Amazing? Perfect? They didn't quite cover the soft smile that played on his lips, the color that kissed his cheeks, the fire and light in his eyes. His Finn, his mate.
"Is it?" Luke couldn't finish, his throat closed up with emotion.
He nodded. Luke roared and flew to him, lifting him up and spinning him in a circle. Finn threw his head back and laughed and then Frannie smacked Luke in the arm saying he needed to be careful. Luke set Finn down oh so gently, keeping his arms braced around him like a protective cage. The rest of their pack arrived then, Sorell at the head.
Pippen clasped his hands in front of his body. "So? Are we having a celebratory dinner or a normal dinner?"
"Celebratory," Luke said.
The pack cheered, even Daryl, and rushed forward to congratulate them. After everyone had hugged everyone else they sat in the living room. Luke held Finn half on his lap, Frannie was next to him with her feet propped up on Conner as he sat on the floor in front of her. On the other couch, Pippen, Sorell and Daryl squished together. Luke let himself look at the group of people, looked at their smiles. He hadn't realized how lonely he had been until he wasn't any more. He knew now that finding Finn had been the most important thing he'd ever do.
Chapter Seventeen
Finn propped his legs up on a pillow Luke had gotten them expressly for that purpose.
"Okay," Frannie said, balancing a package of cookies on top of a carton of double mint chocolate chip. "I've got the snacks, we've put in the movie and the guys are all out for at least two hours." She settled in on the opposite end of the couch, handing Finn the ice cream and a spoon while reaching down to scoop up her own glass of wine. She'd rented the latest horror flick, Werewolves vs. Zombies, much to the annoyance of just about every other occupant of the house.
Finn took a creamy spoonful and let it settle on his tongue. His body had settled, no more crazy urgings, and his senses had dulled, though Luke had guessed that would just be the case during the pregnancy. The pregnancy. That was still a hard one to get his head around. The aches and pains and nausea he could do without, but being able to indulge his every food craving? That was a pretty awesome perk to being pregnant with his alpha mate's baby, or babies. The first ultra sound hadn't been very clear, but everyone agreed it wasn't unusual for shifter women to have more than one baby at a time, usually two, occasionally three. They were scheduled back tomorrow. There were still a lot of unanswered questions, but Finn had faith that the shifter doctor, Dr. Roods, Luke had contacted would be able to answer most of their questions and that the rest would sort itself out. It wasn't that he had faith in the world to look out for him, but he had faith in Luke to always do what was best and safest for him. It was a weird and amazing feeling.
The opening credits had just begun to roll when there was a sharp knock at the door. Frannie paused the screen, her hand sipping under the sofa cushion. Normally, she didn't have reason to still be packing, there was usually someone around, but the rare times when it was her and Finn, she slipped the stupid gun into the nearest hiding space next to her. He'd really have to talk to her about that gun. If they were going to have children in this house, she would need a gun safe. For the moment though, she slipped it in the back of her pants and went to the door, peeking through the hole.
"There's no one there," she mumbled.
"Dong and ditch?"
"Sure, if you were a kid fifty years ago. No one dong and ditches anymore, not innocently." She kept the chain on and opened the door a sliver. She must have been convinced there was no one there because she opened the door and bent down, returning to Finn a moment later holding a brown paper package. "It's addressed to you. No return address though."
"That's weird."
"Don't open it, Finners. Wait for Luke."
"Your wild mind, great when you're writing a book but—"
"Do not discount me. At least examine the thing. Oil marks? Residue? Powder?"
Finn looked the package over. There was nothing out of the ordinary. It looked for all the world to be a normal brown cardboard box. He used the other end of his spoon to slice the packing tape and unfolded the cardboard panels. There was a small white envelope nestled on the top of what looked like an industrial strength plastic freezer bag. He couldn't see inside, the plastic was so thick and murky. He opened the card, his eyes widening after the first line, he felt weak and light headed.
"What? Finn? What? You've gone all pale."
Finn's voice shook as he read over the messy scrawl. "Dear Finn, I regret our relationship hasn't begun the way I wanted it to. I'd sent
what I thought was a trusted man to deliver you to me easily and painlessly. This is the second time I have been let down. And really, it is the second time you have been let down as well as it has kept you from me. I understand you are confused now, please accept this as a gift, from me to you. They were beautiful, but they did not serve their purpose. Besides, I believe that together, we will create a more beautiful pair. Perhaps even a whole litter. With love, Lucian."
"Do not open that bag, Finn. I am ordering you, do not open that—"
Finn ripped the top of the bag open feeling like the stereotypical girl from a horror movie who went upstairs towards danger instead of downstairs towards the exit. He jerked to his feet, letting the box and its contents fall off his lap and onto the ground. A pair of grotesque, disembodied eyeballs stared cockeyed at him and Frannie, both of them a stunning shade of frozen forest. He almost expected them to blink.
"Oh my god. There are eyeballs on my carpet. Whose eyeballs are on my carpet? Oh my god."
"Frannie! Calm down!" Finn hollered, though his own heartbeat was racing.
Frannie looked at him and blinked, seemingly coming to her senses. "Finn, breathe, slowly. You should sit. You can't get excited--you don't know what it will do to the baby-babies." She helped Finn down on the seat furthest from the eyeballs on the carpet. She squeezed into the space next to them so that they were both cuddled on the love seat. Technically, there wasn't enough room for them both, but Finn did not object and neither did Frannie.
He put an arm around her shoulders and she slid one behind his back. Together they stared at the special delivery. Finn felt stunned and figured Frannie did as well. He was just getting used to this world of shifters. He was not used to getting psychotic love letters and body part gifts.
"I know those eyes," he said to Frannie, detached. "The guy from the store, tried to take me. He has…had those eyes."
Frannie cocked her head to the side. "They are striking. Or would be, if there were in someone's head." She sighed. "I guess that is a relief. They aren't from someone else we know."
Wolf's Mate Mpreg Romance Box Set Page 13
