The Jaguar's Baby (Honeypot Babies Book 2)

by Sophie Stern

  “I love you,” I repeat, more confidently this time. I haven’t always been the best boy-toy. I know that. I haven’t been a good boyfriend and to be honest, I should have pushed for a commitment sooner. I shouldn’t have waited this long. I shouldn’t have waited this late in the game, but it’s time.

  I’m done waiting.

  Selena doesn’t say anything for a long moment. Her eyes just search mine, as if she isn’t sure what’s happening, as if she’s not sure this is real.

  “Baby, I’ve loved you for a long time and I should have told you sooner. I should have been telling you every damn day,” I whisper. “You’re my favorite person in the world. I want to grow old with you. I want to love you. I want to be with you.”

  “I love you,” she says, and kisses me. She grabs my face and kisses me hard. We tumble backwards onto the bed together and roll around, making out like a couple of horny teenagers.

  “I love you.”

  “I love you.”

  We can’t stop saying it, and it’s a beautiful thing. It’s beautiful and wonderful and it makes us both so happy. I can tell by her scent that she’s not nervous or scared right now: she’s just happy. She’s content, and so am I.

  Selena Bertrand is the one for me and she’s going to be my mate. The first chance I get, I’m putting a ring on this girl because I can’t live without her and I don’t plan to for much longer.

  Chapter 11

  Selena

  After a leisurely morning, we head into town to have lunch at Bumble’s Diner. It’s weird not to be working. I actually can’t remember the last time I came here as a customer since I usually work every day, but I asked for the weekend off to take care of Colby.

  The three of us slide into a booth and Penguin appears to take our order. Her light blonde hair is pulled back in a ponytail and she’s got a big grin.

  “Hey! Who is this little guy?” She reaches out and tousles Colby’s hair.

  “This is my nephew, Colby,” I say.

  “Hi,” Colby says very seriously. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He holds out a sticky little hand, and Penguin grins and takes it.

  “The pleasure is mine, Colby. What can I get you to eat?”

  “A burger!” He squeaks. “And a milkshake!”

  “Ooh,” Penguin says. “That sounds delicious. What kind of milkshake do you want?”

  “Strawberry!”

  “One burger and a strawberry milkshake coming up,” she says. “What about the rest of ya’ll?”

  “I’ll have the same,” Alex says.

  “I’ll also have the same,” I tell Penguin. She nods and smiles, then heads to the back to turn in our order.

  Colby starts drawing on a coloring sheet and Alex snuggles against me. We don’t talk right now. We simply enjoy the moment together. I rest a hand on my tummy, realizing I still haven’t told him about the baby. I need to. I know that. I definitely need to. It’s just that now, suddenly everything seems so perfect and the world doesn’t seem so big and dark.

  Suddenly, everything seems like it’s going to be okay.

  The door jingles and Aidan and Mia walk in. Mia has their daughter, Katie, in a sling. I wave at them and they head over.

  “Hey,” I jump up and give Mia an awkward hug, careful not to wake her sleeping child. “How are you guys today?”

  “Good, just came in for lunch. Mind if we join?”

  “Of course,” Alex grins. I sit down next to him and Mia and Aidan sit across from us and next to Colby. Mia is in the middle, and Colby starts peeking at the baby in her sling.

  “Shh,” Mia whispers. “Let’s be careful not to wake her.”

  “Is she fussy?” Colby asks. “Sometimes babies are fussy.”

  “That’s right, Colby. Sometimes babies are fussy.”

  “Banana says that when the new baby comes, he might be cranky sometimes, but I have to be nice anyway.”

  Banana is Colby’s nickname for my sister. Sometimes he still struggles to say “Savannah.” I’m caught up in how cute it is to hear him try to talk about her, but suddenly, the impact of his words hit me.

  “She’s going to have a baby?” I ask. Colby’s face goes white, as if he suddenly realizes he wasn’t supposed to share that information. Quickly, he goes back to his coloring sheet and ignores me.

  “It’s okay,” Mia pats his hand. “We won’t tell. Will we?” She winks at me, and all of a sudden, I can’t breathe. Savannah and I are both pregnant together. We’re pregnant at the same time. We’re going to be mommies together.

  I’m a little hurt she hasn’t told me yet, but maybe she was waiting for the right time or perhaps she just wasn’t sure how to tell me. Either way, I can’t believe it. I’m so happy that I feel like my heart might burst.

  “She’s going to have a baby,” I whisper. Alex kisses my forehead.

  “So this is new,” Mia changes the topic abruptly and motions to me and Alex. “You guys finally decided to go public with your relationship, huh?”

  “Sweetie,” Aidan warns, but Mia just chuckles.

  “We all knew,” she says, rolling her eyes. “Nothing is a secret in shifter town for long.”

  “Apparently,” Alex says dryly, and we look back to Colby, whose picture features a mom, a dad, a little bear, and a baby.

  His family.

  He’s drawing his family because his mom is going to have a baby and he’s going to be a big brother.

  “How’s the bakery business, Aidan?” Alex asks.

  “I can’t complain,” Aidan says. He runs a little bakery in town that caters to shifters. This is nice because we can always get things we have weird cravings for, like meat pies and meat cupcakes and basically, anything with meat in it. “The increase in tourism has made selling a lot easier and specialty orders are coming in more and more frequently.”

  “Yeah, Micah said he was working with you on a website,” Alex says.

  “That’s right.” Aidan looks at Mia and kisses her forehead. “We’re going to start doing online orders, as well. We’re working on getting everything ready so we can start shipping specialty orders to shifters across the country.”

  “That’s pretty exciting,” I can’t help but share their enthusiasm. “I’m so happy for you guys.” Mia and Aidan are completely, super in love. Their relationship started off a little rocky, but I think they’re perfect for each other.

  Penguin arrives then with our milkshakes and food.

  “Sorry about the wait, guys,” she looks embarrassed. “Had a bit of trouble with the milkshake machine.”

  “Oh, sweetie, do you want me to come help you?”

  “Not a chance,” Alex says. “This is your day off.”

  I glare at him, but Penguin nods.

  “He’s right, you know,” she says. “You work too hard. You deserve a day to yourself.” Mia and Aidan order their meals, then Penguin disappears back into the kitchen. For a Saturday afternoon, the diner is surprisingly empty. Even though the lunch rush ends at one and it’s nearly two, there are usually a few stray shifters who wander in for meals.

  “I do not work too hard,” I protest, but everyone laughs.

  “Sweetie, the diner isn’t going to die if you take a day off or too.”

  “But-”

  “It’s okay, honey,” Alex kisses my cheek and slides his arm around me. I snuggle closer to him, happy at this new public affection we’re sliding into. “It’s one of the things I love about you.”

  Aidan and Mia both raise their eyebrows, but neither one of them say anything. Penguin brings their food and we all start digging in, except for Colby, who has already finished and is reaching across the table for my fries. I feel a sudden bout of morning sickness coming on and I realize I’m probably not going to be able to eat much, if anything.

  “It’s okay,” I say. “You can have as much as you want, bud.”

  Settling back, I lean against Alex and hope this baby starts to calm down soon. I don’t know if I’m going
to be able to take much more of this morning sickness. I know it’s common in the first trimester, but hot damn. I’m beyond ready to be past this.

  “Are you guys going to the parade this afternoon?” Aidan asks.

  “Parade?” I exchange confused looks with Alex. “No, I didn’t know anything about it.”

  Mia waves a hand around the empty diner. “Apparently, the rest of the town knew,” she comments. “It’s basically deserted.”

  “Parade! Parade! Parade!” Chants Colby. “I love parades. Can we go, Uncle Alex?” He bats his eyelashes. “Pretty please?”

  “Where is it?” Alex asks.

  “Cranshaw,” Aidan says. Cranshaw is only about a 20 minute drive from Honeypot. We could easily go this afternoon and be back in time for bed.

  “I’m down,” Alex says. “Are you guys going?”

  “No,” Mia shakes her head and points at her sleeping baby. “That’s way too much noise for Katie. She’ll freak out. You know, for being a polar bear, she isn’t too brave.” As if on cue, Katie yawns and stretches her tiny hand out at Mia, who chuckles. “It’s okay, baby girl. I’m not too brave, either. We’ll work on it together, okay?”

  “Nonsense,” Aidan kisses her. “You’re the bravest woman I know.”

  Mia places her hand on his cheek and smiles.

  “We should get going,” she says. “We have some cookies to bake this afternoon and orders to fill.”

  “Duty calls,” Aidan agrees. He shakes Alex’s hand and waves to me. They pay Penguin, then head out of the restaurant.

  “Well, what do you say?” Alex asks. “Parade?”

  “Parade!” Shouts Colby.

  “Parade,” I agree, laughing. I hold my stomach, glad Colby scarfed down my burger and no one noticed the fact that I didn’t eat a damn thing. There’s no way I’ll be able to keep anything down today and it’s not the right time to tell Alex. Not just yet. The moment needs to be perfect.

  Now that I’m not scared about him freaking out, now that I know he loves me, I want to make sure it’s special when I tell him.

  This knowledge is going to change his life and I want him to remember the moment I tell him about our little baby forever.

  I want it to be perfect.

  Chapter 12

  Alex

  The parade, as promised, is in full swing when we arrive. We manage to find a parking spot, then hurry over to get as close to the action as possible. Luckily, Cranshaw is a pretty small town, similar to Honeypot, though it isn’t necessarily a shifter town. As far as I know, there’s an even split of humans and shifters, and the shifters in town tend to be pretty discreet.

  The shifters in Honeypot are discreet, too, especially when it comes to outsiders, but almost everyone who lives there is a shifter. This means it’s not as big of a deal when there’s a shifter-related issue, like someone shifting and struggling to shift back or accidentally shifting in public.

  “Parade, parade, parade,” Colby chants as we approach the street and find an empty spot on the curb. We settle in and watch the floats go by. There are a couple with dancers, a couple of cowboy-themed ones, and even a float featuring polar bears.

  “Pity Aidan didn’t come,” Selena jerks her head toward that one. There’s a large polar shifter on top of the float. He looks big and ferocious and fantastic.

  “Pretty good,” I agree, commenting on the sheer size of the shifter. He’s not one I recognize, which is a surprise because I know most of the shifters around here. It’s hard not to.

  Honeypot is a pretty close-knit community which is something that’s important when you have little ones. I feel safe bringing Colby to the parade and knowing that even if we get separated, nothing bad will happen to him. Everyone looks out for each other. Everyone helps each other out. If a shifter parent needs a quick potty break or wants to run and grab a drink, pretty much anyone will help them watch their cub for a few minutes.

  “I like that one. Wow!” Colby points at the next float, where a group of wolf-shifters are posed like they’re on their way to battle. I don’t recognize the pack, but Selena smiles.

  “They’re a good pack,” she says. “Always helping each other out.”

  We settle in and watch the other floats come by. After awhile, Colby starts to complain that he’s thirsty.

  “I’m going to run and get a couple of drinks,” I tell Selena. “I’ll be right back, okay?”

  “Sounds good. Thanks, babe.” She gives me a soft kiss, then settles back down with Colby to finish watching the parade. I’m excited he gets to see this. It’s not every day there’s something this fun happening around here. Even though I wouldn’t trade life in Honeypot for anything, it’s nice to get out sometimes and do other things.

  I often feel like all I do is work and chase cattle. There are days when if I have to collect any more eggs, I feel like I’ll go insane. There are times when getting on an ATV and checking fences sounds like the worst damn hell I could ever find myself in.

  Then there are days like today.

  There are days where I’m surrounded by the people I love and get to do something fun, something new, something exciting. There are days when I get to feel like I’m on top of the world. There are days when everything feels good, special.

  There are days when it all feels magical.

  I pass a couple of vendors who are selling cotton candy, hot dogs, and drinks. I grab a soda for Colby and head back over. Today has been a lot of fun. Hell, this whole weekend has been fun. It’s been relaxing and chill and just incredible.

  Wyatt once told me that most of marriage is just hanging out. A lot of us get these fancy ideas in our heads about what a marriage should be like. We think there should be dating, romance, flowers, and gifts all of the time. We think every holiday has to be celebrated and every special event has to be taken completely seriously, but the truth is that sometimes it’s okay to just relax.

  Sometimes it’s okay to catch your breath.

  Marriage is about finding someone to share your life with and the fact of the matter is that real life isn’t often fancy. It’s kids having nightmares and middle-of-the-night feedings and diaper changes and messes. It’s broken dishes and messy houses and burnt dinners. Real life isn’t easy, but that’s okay because sometimes, some of us get lucky and we find someone who makes it seem a little bit better.

  Sometimes we get lucky and we find someone who makes things seem a little bit brighter.

  That’s how I feel about Selena.

  Our lives aren’t perfect and they never have been, but she makes me feel like I’m not so alone in this world. She makes me feel like no matter what happens, I’ll always have someone who’s got my back. I’ll always have someone who truly cares about me.

  I’ll always have a companion, a friend.

  I’ll always have my very best friend.

  I round the corner and push through the crowd. I’m almost back to Selena and Colby, but I realize something is wrong. Terribly wrong. Selena’s scent is strong and it’s not happiness or excitement: it’s fear.

  “Baby,” I grab her shoulder, but she’s shaking. She’s looking around and she looks confused and terrified. “What’s wrong?”

  “Colby,” she says, looking up at me with tear-stained eyes. “Where’s Colby?”

  Chapter 13

  Selena

  He’s gone.

  He’s gone and I can’t find him.

  He’s gone and I’m going to throw up because I can’t believe I lost my sister’s kid. I don’t even know what happened. One second he was right here and then he disappeared.

  Vanished.

  He’s gone and I’m the worst babysitter ever and I’m going to be a terrible mother. Holy dragons, what if I lose my kid? If I can’t even keep track of a big kid, how am I going to handle a toddler? Much less a shifter toddler?

  I’m going to puke.

  Alex is talking, but I can’t process what he’s saying. I don’t know what he’s saying and I can’t
handle this. I feel faint and I just know I’m going to be sick.

  “I’ll find him,” he says. The words manage to make their way through my brain, but everything is hazy.

  I run to a nearby trashcan and start vomiting. I throw up and I’m crying at the same time. It’s awful. I feel my hair move and realize someone is with me, holding my hair back.

  “It’s okay,” I hear her say, and she rubs my back. “Hang in there, honey. It’s going to be just fine. You just get it all out, you hear? Get it all out, and I’ll get you some water.”

  “Georgia?” I say, trying to control myself, trying to stop puking.

  “Yeah, honey, it’s me. I got you. Don’t you worry. No one’s looking.” Georgia is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. She’s Jason Edwards’ sister and one of the coolest shifters in Honeypot. I didn’t know she was going to be here. Hell, I haven’t seen her in forever.

  Finally, I stop puking and stand up, wiping my face with the back of my hand.

  “Um, gross,” she says. “You don’t need to do that.” She produces some baby wipes from her bag and helps me clean my hands and face. She’s careful and gentle and basically a big huge sweetheart.

  “You have a baby?” I ask, pointing at the wipes. Oh, shit. I’m going to have to start carrying those. Why didn’t I think of that? Oh, fuck. I’m going to have to start carrying all sorts of stuff. Colby is easy because he doesn’t need much. Oh, dragons. We need to find Colby.

  I start throwing up again and Georgia, once more, grabs my hair.

  “No, I don’t have a baby,” she says. “I just have friends who like to drink. We all have those, don’t we? Always best to be prepared, that’s what I say. Although, I didn’t see you drinking anything, so I’m guessing you’re either stressed about something or super fucking pregnant,” Georgia’s southern twang sounds awkward with the swearing, but somehow, she still manages to make swearing sound cute.

  Once more, I stop and get up.

  “I’m fine,” I say. “I’m fine. It’s just…” I lost Colby. I lost a kid. I lost my sister’s kid and I can’t find him anywhere and I don’t know what to do because no one ever prepared me for this. He’s lost and anything could happen to him and I don’t know what to do.