Ashton Grove Werewolves (Boxed Set, Vol. 2)

by Jessica Coulter Smith

  She bit her lip. “What are you trying to say, Ramsey?”

  “I’m saying that I want you to be my mate. I had planned on waiting a few days to talk to you about it, give us both time to forget about last night. But that’s why I keep smiling today. Because I realized that I want to claim you.”

  Her eyes filled with tears and she threw her arms around him. “You really mean it?”

  “Yes,” he said, holding her tight. “I really mean it.”

  A tear slipped down her cheek. “Before you make that decision, there’s something I should probably tell you. I wasn’t completely honest with you last night.”

  “About what?”

  “I stayed at Marin’s longer on purpose. I was nervous about coming home.”

  He caressed her cheek. “Why would you be nervous to come home?”

  “Because I’m pregnant,” she blurted.

  His eyes widened and he tensed for a moment, not sure what to say or do. Sure, he’d thought of being a father at some point, but he hadn’t realized it would be so soon. What would have happened if he hadn’t claimed her? Would she have told him?

  “Why didn’t you say something?” he asked.

  “I was scared to. I didn’t know how you would react to the news.”

  “Having a baby with you is good news, Harper. It’s a little sooner than I had anticipated, but that’s okay.” He tucked her hair behind her ear. “There’s something I want to do today before anything else.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I want to call a few people to the house. I need to publicly claim you as mine.”

  She smiled and burrowed into him. “I like hearing you say that.”

  Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he called Cole and Connor. Both agreed to come with their wives to be witnesses. Ramsey didn’t want to take any chances that something could go wrong, especially knowing that his mate was pregnant. He would do anything to protect her and their unborn child.

  It seemed like forever, but a half hour later the doorbell rang. Ramsey extracted himself from Harper’s arms to answer it. With a smile, he admitted Connor and Aislinn, Cole and Marin, and Austin into his home. He was a little surprised by Austin’s presence, but didn’t say anything. The more the merrier.

  “I hadn’t expected quite so many of you on such short notice, but thanks for coming,” Ramsey said.

  “I take it she gave you her news,” Marin said with a disapproving frown.

  He nodded. “After I asked her to be my mate.”

  Her frown disappeared. “Really?”

  “Really!”

  “Well. That’s okay then.”

  Ramsey laughed and motioned everyone into the living room, where Harper was waiting. He walked to her side and took her hand in his.

  “As you all know, Harper has been living with me for the past few weeks. This morning, she agreed to be my mate.” He cleared his throat. “And it seems we’re expecting a baby.”

  The men looked stunned, but Aislinn congratulated them and Marin smiled at her new friend.

  “You know Luna is going to cause trouble for you,” Austin said. “She’s been hanging around with that new wolf, but she doesn’t seem too happy about it.”

  “Now that I’ve claimed Harper as my mate, there isn’t anything she can do about it.”

  “It isn’t official yet, so that technically isn’t true,” Aislinn pointed out. “You aren’t married.”

  Ramsey frowned.

  Cole looked over at Connor. “You know, as pack alpha, you can conduct a brief claiming ceremony that would make it official. He would just need to get her a ring today.”

  Connor grinned. “So I can. What do you say, Ramsey. Are you up for it?”

  “I am if Harper is.”

  She nodded and smiled up at him. “I’m ready to do anything that will allow us to be together.”

  “Join hands and stand in front of me,” Connor told the couple.

  They did as he bade and stared into one another’s eyes.

  “Ramsey, you have claimed Harper to be your mate, to be by your side always. In so doing, you pledge to never stray and be faithful to her until the end of your days. You will give your life to protect her and any children you may have, putting them above yourself always. Do you so swear?”

  “I do,” Ramsey replied.

  “Harper, as a werewolf’s mate you will be asked to be faithful to him, to stand by his side no matter what may come. You pledge to give your love to him and only him, to give him children and a happy home. Do you so swear?”

  She smiled up at Ramsey. “I do.”

  “As pack alpha, and as witnessed by these pack members, I now declare you mated to one another from this day forward.”

  Ramsey kissed Harper softly and wrapped his arms around her. He couldn’t remember a time he had been happier. He’d gotten everything he’d wanted in life. Now he just hoped he could keep it.

  “Ramsey, I need to speak with you,” Gabriel said.

  Ramsey smiled at Harper, slid her new ring onto her finger, and held the phone up to his ear. “So speak.”

  “No, I mean in person. Something has come up that needs our immediate attention. It can’t wait.”

  He frowned. “Are you sure? It’s my day off and I was hoping to spend time with Harper.”

  “This isn’t work related.”

  That didn’t sound good. “I’ll be there in about fifteen minutes.”

  “Come to the house.”

  Ramsey disconnected the call and looked at Harper. “I have to go to the Victorian. Gabriel called and said he needs to speak with me.”

  “Do you think he heard about our ceremony and he’s angry?”

  “No, I don’t think that’s it. Do you want to go with me and visit with Kiera while I talk with him?”

  She nodded. “Just let me slip on some shoes and I’ll be ready.”

  A few minutes later, they were out the door and on their way. It didn’t take Ramsey long to reach their destination and he parked in the driveway at the house. He didn’t like the cryptic message he’d received and it made him a little uneasy. Wrapping an arm around Harper’s waist, they walked up to the front door. It opened before he could knock.

  “I don’t think Gabriel will be pleased that Harper is with you,” Kiera said with a concerned look.

  “She wanted to visit with you while I speak with him.”

  “He’s waiting for you in the kitchen.”

  Ramsey nodded and headed that way. When he got to the doorway, he froze. Luna sat at the table with him. What the hell was going on? What did Luna have to do with their talk?

  “I’m glad to see you made it,” Gabriel said and motioned for him to have a seat.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Luna has some news for you. Something that’s going to change our deal.”

  He looked at Luna, waiting to see what she had to say.

  “I’m pregnant.”

  He just looked at her. “Okay. Congratulations. I didn’t realize you were seeing anyone.”

  “It’s yours,” she said.

  Ramsey laughed. “Try again.”

  Gabriel narrowed his eyes. “Is there a reason you believe it isn’t yours?”

  “Besides the fact that I can count?” Ramsey asked. “If it were mine, she would have known within days of us arriving here. Why wait so long to say something? Especially since she’s been trying to claim me.”

  Gabriel looked at Luna. “He has a point.”

  “I was too scared to say anything,” she said, fidgeting.

  “Bullshit. I don’t believe you for one minute. And I’ll prove that you’re lying,” Ramsey said.

  “How?” Gabriel asked.

  “A paternity test.”

  Luna paled.

  “You would willingly submit to a paternity test?” Gabriel asked in surprise.

  “Yeah, because I know there’s no way in hell that baby is mine.”

  “If it is yours, you’ll
have to take her as your mate.”

  Ramsey grinned. “I can’t.”

  Gabriel growled. “I wasn’t asking.”

  “Maybe you need to talk to Connor and Cole. They were at my house with their wives and Austin this morning.”

  “Why would you have them at your house first thing in the morning?”

  Ramsey called to Harper in the other room. When she walked in looking uncertain, he held out a hand to her. He pulled her into his lap and laced their fingers together, placing her left hand on the table so that her ring was clearly visible.

  “So Connor could perform the mating ritual,” Ramsey replied. “Harper is my mate for now and always.” He smiled at her. “And we’re expecting a baby.”

  Luna paled even more. “You can’t do this to me.”

  “That’s the point, Luna. I didn’t do anything to you. I don’t know who you’ve been with, but it’s obvious that he’s the father of your child. If you’re really pregnant,” Ramsey said. “But if by some miracle I am the father, I’ll make sure you and the baby are taken care of until you can find a mate. It just won’t be me.”

  Luna sent Harper a malicious glare. “This is all your fault. If you hadn’t shown up, then none of this would have happened! I would have been his mate!”

  “No, you wouldn’t,” Ramsey said. “We were friends, Luna, and nothing more. I told you that, but you didn’t want to listen. I’d like for us to be friends again. But you have to get over your obsession. I’m not going to be your mate. You need to find someone else, someone who can make you happy and take care of you. There are plenty of guys in the pack who are decent, hardworking men who would love to be with you. You just have to give them a chance. And you haven’t done that yet.”

  A tear slipped down her cheek. “But I don’t want them. I want you.”

  “You can’t have me,” he said tersely. “I don’t know how many ways I can say it, Luna.”

  With a sob, she got up from the table and ran up the stairs to her room. A moment later, they heard a door slam.

  Gabriel sighed. “I’m sorry for the drama, but you didn’t help things any. You should have called me before having Connor perform the ceremony this morning. I could have told you about Luna’s condition and it would have made things easier.”

  “How? Either way, Harper is pregnant and I wouldn’t have abandoned her. I’d asked her to be my mate before she told me about the baby, but I sure as hell would have asked her afterward. Regardless, the outcome would have been the same.”

  “And how do you know for certain that Harper’s baby is yours if you aren’t sure about Luna’s?”

  Ramsey growled at the alpha. “Because I’m the only man she’s been with.”

  “Here maybe.”

  “Ever,” Ramsey said.

  Gabriel looked surprised, but let the matter drop. Kiera poked her head in the room and he smiled at his wife. Ramsey had always envied them their relationship, and now he had the opportunity to have the same type of marriage. Well, sort of a marriage. Gabriel and Kiera had had a traditional wedding and not a werewolf ceremony. Either way, it was just as binding.

  Ramsey kissed Harper on the cheek. “Are you ready to go home? I thought you could select a room for the baby so we could start making plans. I’m afraid all of the spare rooms are upstairs.”

  “I have some ideas. We’ll discuss it at home though.”

  He nodded. “Gabriel, I’ll see you at work tomorrow. And I’m sorry about the situation with Luna, but that baby isn’t mine.”

  The alpha nodded. “If you’re serious about the paternity test, I’ll have her go through with it.”

  “Just let me know when and where.”

  They said their goodbyes and left.

  ***

  In the car on the way home, Harper was silent.

  “What’s wrong?” Ramsey asked, unable to take the silence a moment longer.

  “What are you going to do if the baby is yours?”

  He sighed. “It isn’t mine.”

  “But it could be. You were with her for months before you came here.”

  “If it’s mine, then I’ll do what I promised. I’ll take care of her and the baby until she can find a mate, but other than offering financial support, that’s as far as things will go. I’ll have a part in the child’s life if that’s what she wants, but I’m not going to give her hope for anything else.”

  “That could have been me.”

  He looked at her in surprise. “How?”

  “What if you’d decided to mate with Luna instead of me? What would you have done then?”

  “Anything I could to make sure you were taken care of.”

  “And you aren’t going to do the same for Luna?”

  “I told you, the baby isn’t mine. I’m still not convinced she’s pregnant. I wouldn’t put it past her to fake a pregnancy just to trap me.”

  Harper looked startled. “You really think she’d do something like that?”

  “Possibly.”

  “I feel sorry for her. She seems so lonely.”

  “Harper, she only has herself to blame. She could easily have made friends in the pack other than Kiera, and she could have had her pick of any wolf, but she’s chosen her path. There’s nothing we can do about it.”’

  “Do you think she’s going to cause problems for us?”

  “I think she’s going to try.”

  “Well... we just won’t let her.” She glanced his way. “Right?”

  He grinned and grasped her hand. “Right.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  When they got home, Harper immediately went upstairs to check out the spare bedrooms. Ramsey followed her, just as anxious to pick out a room for the baby. He’d been surprised by her news, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t happy about it.

  They walked into the room at the top of the stairs and Harper studied it from every angle. She peeked in the other two rooms, but quickly came back to the first one.

  “I think I like this one best. What do you think?” she asked.

  “It’s the largest of the three.”

  “I’m just a little nervous about the baby being so far away from us. I don’t know that I like the idea of a nursery on the second floor while we’re on the first floor. It doesn’t seem very safe.”

  Ramsey ran a hand along his jaw. “Well. What if we added a nursery on to the house downstairs? I could talk to Connor and see if there’s a way to add on to the bedroom.”

  Her eyes lit up. “You’d do that?”

  “Of course.” He smiled. “Don’t you know that I’d do anything for you?”

  She hugged him tight. “When do you think he could come over? Do you think the job could be finished before the baby gets here?”

  “I’ll give him a call and see. I’m sure he could have it finished in time. It just depends on how busy he is. If he can’t do it, then I’m sure he’ll recommend someone for the job.”

  “I...”

  “You what?”

  “Nothing.” She smiled. “It’s nothing.”

  “So if we’re going to have a nursery downstairs, what if we turned this into a room for a toddler? We could move the baby up here when he’s two or three.”

  “He?”

  He grinned. “Or she.”

  “That sounds perfect.”

  “I’ll go call Connor now. If we’re lucky, maybe he’ll stop by today on his way home from work. I know he’s already been here once today, but he might be in a generous mood. If not, I’m sure he’ll make it by sometime this week.”

  “I’m just anxious to buy stuff for the baby.”

  “There’s no reason you can’t do that before we know about the nursery. Either way, we’re going to have one.”

  She smiled and kissed him. “After your phone call, can we go?”

  “If that’s what you want.”

  She nodded and followed him downstairs.

  ***

  The next day Ramsey swapped days off with
Hunter so he could spend time with his mate.They hit the mall, stopping in both baby stores. They stocked up on cute little sleepers and onesies, baby blankets and crib sheets, towels and washcloths, and even bought a package of diapers so they would be prepared. Harper was glowing by the time they were finished. Ramsey couldn’t remember seeing her so happy, not even when they’d brought Shakespeare home. Her smile had grown bigger and bigger as they’d shopped and now she was glowing with happiness.

  On the way home, Ramsey decided to ask her the question that had been burning inside him all day.

  “If you could have done things differently, would you have preferred an actual wedding?”

  “What makes you ask that?”

  He shrugged. “Just wondered. Everyone else in the pack has had an actual wedding. We’re the first to use the werewolf ceremony and I wondered if you regretted it.”

  She laced her fingers with his. “I could never regret anything that joined us together.”

  “But would you have preferred a wedding?”

  “I don’t know. Now that it’s done, I don’t mind that we didn’t have one. But growing up I’d always fantasized about what my wedding would be like. Of course, I’d also pictured the groom as someone other than a werewolf.”

  He winced. “You could have had that you know. The wedding, a normal spouse... why did you give up your dream?”

  “Because it was the dream of a girl and not a woman. I’m happy to be part of your life, to be your mate. And I’m happy that we’re going to have a baby together. It doesn’t matter how we got here, what matters is that we’re together.”

  He grinned. “You really feel that way?”

  “Yes, I do. What about you? Any regrets?”

  “No, none. Well, possibly one. Luna. If I had to do it all over again, I would tell Gabriel no when he sent me to Mississippi. If I had known how much trouble she would cause, I never would have gone.”

  “But then we might not have met. Where would you have gone if not to Mississippi?”

  “I don’t know. I had thought about travelling a little when I got my orders from Gabriel. I’d like to think that I would have come back in time to meet you, that we still would have ended up together.”

  “That we’re destined to be together?” she asked.