“It smells great,” I said as my stomach growled audibly.
My mom laughed as she stirred the sauce on the stove before she set the wooden spoon aside. She walked around the island and pulled me into a hug. She hugged Sam next as she whispered words of encouragement to him. Had I not had wolf hearing, I wouldn’t have heard her tell him to take a deep breath and relax. I snorted in amusement and Sam glared at me over the top of my mom’s head.
I stuck my tongue out at him as I sat at the island and snatched a piece of freshly baked bread. “Where’s Dad and Luca?”
“They went to grab some wine. They’re getting your favorite,” she said, an evil grin lighting up her face as she returned to the stove.
“Ugh. I miss blueberry wine,” I threw my head back and groaned as Eleanor settled herself down on my lap.
“More for me. Should’ve been safe,” she snarked playfully.
“Whoa!” I cried in mock outrage. “Who are you and what have you done with my mother?”
“You deserve my sass. Look at poor, Sam. He went from tan to ashen and I’m certain it’s because you’ve been stressing him out about your father.”
I placed my hand on my chest and gave my best aghast face. My voice thickened to a sticky sweet stereotypical southern belle accent. “Why I neva’.”
“Oh my left toenail,” she retorted as she handed Sam a spoonful of her spaghetti sauce.
“Toenail? Seriously? Why not your left nut?” I asked, a wicked grin splitting my face. I always won the embarrassment game with my mom. She flushed a deep scarlet as she grabbed another roll of bread and shoved it into my mouth.
“You’re so much sweeter when you don’t talk. I should have never taught you,” she said. I laughed through my full mouth and began chewing as she turned to speak to my mate. “How’s the sauce?”
“Incredible, Bianca. It’s a shame your daughter can’t cook like you. You make rolls and she sets the house on fire by putting them in the microwave,” he replied.
“Hey,” I shouted around a mouth full of carbs. I swallowed as my mother berated me for not having manners. I ignored her and pointed my finger accusingly at Sam. “You weren’t even around for that. I’m totally going to kill Tessa for sharing stories.”
“It’s not like I didn’t already know you were a menace in the kitchen, babe. Tess just told me to keep you away from the microwave, too. I appreciated the warning.”
I flipped him off and bit off another piece of bread. “Now, I kind of hope my dad kicks your ass.”
My mom’s instant scolding made Sam’s grin turn into a full blown laugh as he grabbed a roll. He had no chance to respond though as Luca and my dad walked into the kitchen. My dad slapped Sam genially on the back before he placed a kiss on my cheek.
“Why would I kick Sam’s ass?” He asked before turning to my mate. “What did you do?”
“Uh-uh. Dinner is done. You can all talk while we eat. Luca, help your father set the table,” my mom said, deflecting my father’s question… for now.
20
Sam
Dinner was uneventful. Thank God. Bianca hadn’t so much changed the subject as shut it down and for that I was eternally grateful. I felt like a man on death row being granted his final meal. Dread consumed me but I still managed to eat two plates of spaghetti. I may have been scared for my life but only a fool would pass up anything that Lily’s mom made. The woman could cook.
After we finished eating, Luca cleared the table and I began to wash dishes while Lily and Bianca put dinner away.
“Have you seen Nate lately?” Lily’s brother asked as he brought over more dishes.
“Yeah, why?”
“He usually joins me and my friends on Friday nights for basketball, but he ghosted us.” He said it nonchalantly, but I could tell he was worried about Nate.
“He’s been busy with work--traveling a lot,” I lied.
I was washing the saucepan when Alessandro interrupted us. “Luca, finish that up. Sam, join me on the patio.” He exited the kitchen before either of us could respond.
I swallowed hard as I rinsed the remaining suds from my hands. Lily handed me a dish towel and kissed my cheek before murmuring in my ear. “Want me to come with?”
I shook my head. “I got this. You tell Luca.”
She nodded and smiled, looking much more confident than I felt. I handed the towel back and thanked her before following her father outside.
He sat on a wooden adirondack and motioned to the one beside him. He remained silent until I was seated.
“How are you doing with everything? Losing a parent is hard. Losing your last living parent is harder. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone your age,” he cleared his throat as emotion thicked his voice.
I sighed and leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees, as I stared up at the sky. The moon’s light shone brightly as I thought about my father and his belief that all wolves joined the moon’s cycle in the afterlife. “I don’t know how I am, Ale. Sometimes I feel okay. Sometimes… Sometimes I’m so angry. It’s not fair. With Mom… it was hard but we expected it. We had time to prepare, but Dad was healthy. He was fine. He should be here.”
“Aiden is watching over you but you’re right. He should be here,” his voice was pensive as he stared into the sky as well. He let out a sigh and turned to face me. “He should be able to meet his newest grandchild.”
I jolted in my seat, my gaze tearing from the moon of its own accord to stare at Lily’s father. “How did you know?”
“I know my daughter,” he said simply.
I furrowed my brow as he met my gaze. He smiled softly before elaborating. “I bought her favorite wine. She picked it up twice and took fake sips. You know as well as I do that Lily would have at least finished a glass with dinner. She didn’t drink at all.”
My lips quirked up at the edges. “No wonder you’re such a good cop.”
He nodded and took another swig of bourbon. “Plus Bianca locked up all my guns. I knew something was going on. Although, I assumed you proposed to her without asking for my blessing.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “No way. I’m not that stupid. This… wasn’t planned. A proposal is. I’d never do that.”
“How far along is she?”
“Four and a half months. We just found out not too long ago,” I said as I wracked my brain for the explanation Ember had provided us earlier that day. “Her birth control messed with her cycle so we didn’t know until she went to the doctor and they did a test.”
He shook his head. “I can’t say that I’m not disappointed. I didn’t expect my daughter to have a child of her own so young and especially not before she was married. That’s not how I raised her.”
I opened my mouth to defend Lily but he held his hand up in a gesture for silence as he continued. “That being said… You two are the real deal. Seeing you together reminds me of her mother and I when we were younger. You’re doing things differently than I would have preferred, but I have no doubt that you’ll make it work. Just remember--I have a lot of guns. I suggest you not break my daughter’s heart a second time, Sam.”
“I would never and I have every intention of marrying your daughter one day. I just want to wait for the perfect moment to ask. I don’t want her to feel like I’m only proposing because she’s pregnant. I don’t want her to feel like it’s a shotgun wedding,” I explained.
“I can understand that. When the time comes, you have my blessing.” We sat in silence for a few moments before he spoke again. “I can’t believe I’m going to be a grandpa.”
I weighed my options for a few moments before I decided to break the news. “You’re going to be a grandpa… twice. Lily is having twins.”
A hybrid somewhere between a laugh and a cough emanated from Alessandro and it took a moment for him to collect himself. “You’re in for a wild ride, son.”
Son. That one word made a lump form in my throat. It was nice to have Lily’s dad accept me even after our rocky hi
story as a couple, but it just made me miss my father even more. He noticed the shift in my emotions and clasped my shoulder as he stood.
“It gets easier. I promise. It’s never easy, but it’ll hurt less some days at least.”
I nodded, squaring my jaw in an attempt to hold back the ache in my chest, and stood. There was only one person who could make me feel better and she was inside breaking the news of her pregnancy to her little brother.
21
Liliana
“Twins!” Luca shouted. “I’m going to be the best uncle ever. Probably their favorite. Just saying.”
I laughed at his enthusiasm. “I’m pretty sure Alex is going to fight you on that one.”
“Puh-lease. He’s got his own kid to spoil. I got this.”
“I mean… you’re my only sibling and you’re not even my favorite so good luck winning my kids over,” I joked as we joined our mom in the living room.
I curled my legs under me as I snuggled up on the love seat. Luca joined my mom on the couch. He flipped me off as Mom scanned through a list of movies on the television.
“Luca James Moretti. I saw that,” she snapped.
“Sorry Mom,” he replied, his face beat red from his chagrin.
I laughed silently and pointed, openly mocking him. There weren’t many things I enjoyed more than teasing my brother.
“You’re both children,” she muttered as Sam and my dad joined us. Sam sat beside me and I moved to curl into his side but stopped as my father stopped in front of me on his way to his favorite recliner.
He held his arms out and I stood, hugging him tight. “Congratulations, baby girl.”
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t relieved at his words. I’d been legitimately concerned that he’d react poorly to my condition. Dad had always harped about young women having children out of wedlock. It was silly and a completely antiquated mindset but he was still my dad. I didn’t want him to be upset with me.
He placed a kiss on the top of my head as I thanked him. “You’re my daughter. Never be afraid to tell me anything. I’ll always be here for you.”
“I wasn’t afraid,” I paused. “Okay, I was a little afraid… but Sam wanted to ‘be a man’ and tell you himself.”
My mate was a Neanderthal but I loved him anyway.
Dad released his hold on me and sat in his chair. My mom caught my eye and gave me a thumbs up behind his back. I smiled and shook my head, amused at the fact that she was much more sly than my brother had been with his middle finger.
We watched a movie about werewolves, a fact I found endlessly amusing, before Sam and I said our good-byes.
I pulled out of the driveway, pausing to look over at my mate. “Man, hollywood really fucked up werewolf lore, huh?”
Sam snorted in amusement. “You can say that again. There are a few books out there that are pretty accurate though. Makes me wonder if the authors were actually in the know.”
“Wouldn’t that be wild?”
We continued to chat on the way home. We weren’t in the best place in our relationship but it was nice to have a break from the drama. We’d fought so much lately and I was honestly over it. A break from the bullshit was pretty glorious. My dad wasn’t trying to stuff me in a wedding dress and shove me down the aisle. The Alpha Council had gone ghost after Sam’s meeting. My pack was settling into the new homes that Tessa had finished. Things were starting to look up… finally.
22
Sam
The next two weeks crawled by. Lily and I hadn’t really come to any sort of agreement when it came to our living situation or our future together. Neither of us were willing to budge on our position within our packs and I wasn’t sure how we were going to come to a decision. We had to figure it out though and fast. We had two babies on the way that depended on us for their familial stability which was a terrifying thought.
Tessa and Nate had left the day of our ultrasound to meet with Chancellor Warren. We hadn’t heard anything on the witch treaty front, but I hoped that my transparency about the Alpha Council matter went a ways to earn their trust. I’d basically told the council to stuff it. I needed the witches on my side and, more importantly, on Lily’s. I wasn’t too worried about Lily being protected at least. Tessa was no doubt championing for her best friend. I just had to hope Nate was convincing enough to seal the deal.
The pair were due back any minute now. It’d leave just enough time for a briefing before we had to head over to A.K. and Alex’s for our evening gender reveal barbeque.
I would absolutely never admit it out loud but I was actually impressed that Tessa had managed to collude with A.K. to remotely plan the reveal while simultaneously hammering out the details of the alliance.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Lily said as she walked out of the en suite bathroom. Her stomach had begun to round out more now and you could actually tell she was pregnant. She went from looking like she just had a large meal to a full-on baby belly practically overnight. Thankfully, her parents weren’t suspicious over her rapid growth. They just thought it was because she was having twins which worked out for us.
“Nothing important. You look beautiful,” I said, changing the subject. I wasn’t going to tell her I’d been mentally complimenting Tessa. That’d be just as bad as telling the witch.
“I look like I’ve doubled in size since last week,” she retorted.
I reached out to grab her hand, pulling her to where I sat at the edge of the bed. When she was nestled between my thighs, I ran my hands over her baby bump. I pressed a kiss to her stomach and looked up at her. “You are perfect and so are they.”
She rolled her eyes but her blush gave away the fact that she enjoyed the compliment. Not that I was just flattering her. I meant every word. She was perfect. The pink dress she wore clung to her chest, cinching under her breasts, and flaring at the stomach. It was one of those dresses that looked like tissues at the bottom. With baby’s breath flowers in her hair, she looked like a woodland goddess.
I ran my hand up from her stomach, never breaking contact, until I cupped her neck. My thumb stroked her cheek gently as I leaned forward to kiss her gently. “I know this isn’t how you imagined life going but I’m happy. I love you, Lil.”
“I love you, too,” she whispered as she met me in the middle for another kiss. The hand that still held her belly slid back to grip her ass. I tugged her closer, a low growl resonating from my chest. I always wanted Lily but now that she was pregnant? I’d live inside her if I could.
She placed her hands on my shoulders and pushed me away gently, breaking the kiss as she stepped out of my grasp. “We have to go soon. I’m not going to have time to fix my hair. We can’t.”
“I won’t touch your hair,” I said as I reached out to slide her dress up her thighs.
She swatted at my hands and backed away so that she was out of reach. “Not gonna happen, Hernandez.”
“I feel like I could change your mind,” I said as I rose from the bed. Her eyes moved down to my bare abs as she licked her lips. I grinned because I knew that I had her now.
The doorbell broke the moment though and I growled. “Your witch ruins everything.”
She threw her head back and laughed as the bell rang three more times in succession. She paused as she walked past me and patted my arm reassuringly. “There, there. You can get some later. Get dressed and come downstairs. I want to get the 4-1-1 as soon as possible so we get to the party.”
I sighed and turned my face to press a kiss to her temple before she left the room. She was right. We did need to get a move on. I threw on a blue button up and tugged on a pair of gray jeans. Lily and I were repping our guesses for the genders of the babies. She said two girls, and I guessed two boys. Neither of us wanted to back down on our original guesses so we didn’t guess one of each.
I was totally right though. Alex was the only Hernandez in generations to have a daughter. I definitely dropped Y-chromosomes.
23
Lilian
a
I pulled the door open and glowered at my bestie who still continued to ring the doorbell incessantly even after I had answered.
“Is that really necessary?” I asked as I grabbed her wrist and pulled it away with the button.
“Absolutely,” she responded, a wide grin splitting her face.
“You’re a child,” I breathed as I looked at Nate. “Don’t you have a key?”
He nodded. “Yep and I offered to unlock the door. Tess used magic to hold me in place.”
I frowned at her as I stepped back to let them in but he shrugged good naturedly. My eyes focused on the hand he pressed against her lower back as he let her enter first. My eyebrows damn near hit my hairline as my friend leaned into his touch and smiled flirtatiously over her shoulder. That was a big difference from when she’d first met him. I was totally going to have to grill her later. I knew they’d been spending a lot of time together since Sam had made Nate the pack’s witch liaison but they looked a lot more friendly than mere coworkers.
“Sam,” I shouted up the stairs. “Hurry up.”
“Werewolf hearing. You don’t have to yell,” he responded. He spoke in a conversational tone, but I still heard him clearly.
Nate laughed and I shot him a glare while Tess looked at us in confusion.
“I still forget sometimes. Leave me alone!” I snapped playfully.
“What are you talking about?” Tessa asked.
“Werewolf hearing,” Sam said as he walked down the stairs. “Lily forgets that we can hear each other throughout the house without yelling.”
“Sue me. Being loud is in my DNA,” I said, sticking my tongue out.
He shook his head as he reached the landing we were all crowded in. He kissed my forehead and turned to our friends. “Let’s go sit in the living room.”
Alpha's Compromise (Alpha Selection Book 2) Page 7