by Khloe Wren
Not that Tina wanted her to. Tina knew no matter how much of a changed woman Gloria was, she still had no idea what 'low key' meant.
The wedding didn't scare Tina at all. Not the organizing or the fact she was making a commitment to Conner. No, it was what was going to happen after the wedding that left Tina feeling a little lost. She had always been an athlete. That took up most of her time and energy. She'd never thought about doing anything else. Now she had her whole life ahead of her and no real idea what she was going to do with it. She knew she couldn't just sit at home waiting for Conner to return from work. She just wasn't wired that way. As much as she missed the actual gymnastics, now that she had real friends in her life, she didn't miss all the superficialness of high-level athletics. Maybe that's why her stomach was playing up? Could it be because she was so stressed?
"Well, it sounds lovely. And speaking of your man, looks like he's here to whisk you away."
She sat up straight in her chair, turning a pleading look at Nina. "Oh, please don't tell him I'm walking yet. I want to surprise him at the wedding."
Nina's face broke out into a huge grin. "That's a great idea. You're going to shock the socks off him when he sees you do it."
"Thanks, Nina."
With Nina holding the door open, Tina wheeled out to where Conner stood waiting for her. He leaned down to give her a quick but passionate kiss before he pushed her out to his car.
"How'd it go, baby doll? You're looking a little pale, your stomach still giving you trouble?"
"My tummy's still a little cranky, but I'm thinking it might just be stress. It'll be fine soon I'm sure. The rehab is coming along really well...But I'm desperately in need of a shower."
He chuckled at her. "Well, yeah, I wasn't going to say anything but you're rather sweaty."
"Gee, thanks. Are you telling me I stink?" Humor laced her voice. Conner could be so damn cheeky.
"Never would I do such a thing. I'm wounded you would think that of me." He said in mock horror. With a wink, he continued, "c'mon, let's get home where I can make sure you're all clean."
She allowed him to lift her into the car and as she buckled herself in, he packed up her chair and jumped in the driver's side. As they drove out of the car park, her thoughts turned to her future.
"Are you sure you're okay? You're not in pain, are you?"
"No, I'm fine. Well, my legs and neck ache a little, and my tummy's not overly happy with me but nothing major. Why?"
"Because you've got a nasty looking frown happening. What's up?"
"Oh, I've just been thinking about my future."
"Ah, hence the stress. Is it looking that bad? I thought I was a good catch."
She could hear the humor in his voice, and she appreciated his effort to cheer her up.
"Oh, you're definitely a great catch, honey. I mean with my career. I've only been an athlete, and that's not ever going to be possible again. I can't just sit around all day, every day, it will drive me nuts."
"Funny you should say that. I was chatting with Mum this morning when an idea occurred to me. You like working with numbers right?"
"Yeah, I've always been good at math. What are you thinking?"
"I was thinking you could have a go at accounting at Uni. You know, only if you wanted to."
Tina leaned back against the seat. Accounting. Suddenly she couldn't work out why she hadn't already thought of it.
"That's definitely something to consider, but I need something physical too. I don't ever want to get into the high level stuff again, but I want to keep my strength and fitness up. That is, once this rehab is over and I get back to normal."
"Actually, Adele suggested something a while back in that regard. I wasn't going to say anything until your rehab was further along."
"What idea is that?"
"You could teach. Just because you can't compete with gymnastics, doesn't change how much you know about it. You could teach classes or coach individuals. There is a club here in town. I'm sure they'd love to have someone with your knowledge and expertise on board."
Tina's head jerked back as she blinked in surprise. "I suddenly feel really stupid for not seeing that as an option. How could I have not thought of that? Or the accounting thing."
"Well, in your defense. You've been more than a little busy."
She chuckled. "Yes, there's nothing quite like a crazy woman coming after you to keep you distracted."
Looking out the windshield, she smiled as their house came into view.
"Home sweet home."
The car slowed to a stop and Conner's finger beneath her jaw turned her face toward him so his lips could take hers with a heated passion she felt all the way to her toes.
"I love you, Tina."
"And I you."
Tina felt lighter as Conner pulled back from her to hop out. She could go to the university, teach others at the gym then come home to her man. There was a good chance her life might have a 'happily ever after' included in it after all.
Conner opened her door and scooped her up in his arms. "I do believe I owe you a shower, my love."
"Yes, I do vaguely recall you mentioning it earlier."
Not bothering with her chair, Conner took her inside the house. The whole way she focused her attention on the sweet spot at the junction of his neck and shoulder, before nibbling her way up his throat. With a groan, he all but ran through the house to the bathroom with her giggling the entire way.
Life really was good.
~ * ~
Conner pushed open the front door and called out. His dad answered from the direction of his office so Conner headed that way, snagging a coffee on his way through the kitchen.
"Hey Dad- oh hi Dom, didn't know you were here too."
"Hi Conner, yeah, just catching up on Leap stuff with Dad."
"Hi son, what brings you over today? Tina let you off your leash?"
Dom roared a laugh. "Or you let her out of bed finally?"
Conner felt the blush stain his cheeks and he glared hard at his brother. "Piss off, Dom. I'm newly mated and have been off rotation at the station. You're no different with Adele." He moved his focus back to his dad as he cleared his throat. "Tina's gone dress shopping with Gloria. To be honest, I'm a little nervous about the whole thing. I thought if I was here you two can stop me from stalking them the entire time."
His dad shook his head as he chuckled. "Oh to be newly mated. Tina will be fine I'm sure. After everything her mother has done to her over the years, I think you should be more worried about what Tina will do to Gloria rather than the other way around."
"Nah, Gloria's safe. Remi's following them."
All three of them chuckled at Conner's statement.
"It seems Remi has become quite smitten with Gloria. So far, Gloria seems to be living up to her claims of wanting to be a better person. I hope it works out. Remi could certainly use some happiness in the romance department."
"You got that right Dad. Remi loves spending time with us, getting to know his daughter. But he needs more in his life. Hopefully Gloria can step up."
"Yeah hopefully. What were you two talking about before I came in? I need distracting, remember."
"We were beginning to make plans for a Search. We need to locate more lost ones. Including our comet shifters. They turned fifteen eleven years ago. That's a long time to be left out in the world alone."
"Kit and Jessie aren't ours?" Conner had always assumed Kit was Aussie.
"No, Conner. Kit's parents migrated from South America when she was small. Not sure what country. Jessie is the reason we're pushing up the search. He is a classic example of what can happen if a shifter isn't with other shifters. No one has ever educated him on any part of being a shifter. Kit's going to have her hands full for a long time. I'm just grateful that as a rally driver he travels all over and ended up here in Tassie."
"So who are you thinking of sending?"
"Xander will definitely head off. He'll lead the search. I w
as hoping the twins would join him. The three of them should be able to get the job done. I don't want to send out a massive group of men. That would just draw more attention than we want."
Conner totally agreed with his Dad on that one.
"Where are they focusing on?"
Dominic stepped forward, pointing to a map of the whole of Australia that was spread out on the desk. "That's what we were discussing when you came in, little brother. The logical place to start is Victoria, head up through New South Wales onto Queensland before heading west through Northern Territory to Western Australia. Then down the coast and over east again to South Australia. Then back to Victoria to come home on the ferry. They will hook up with Leaps as they go, to take on the care and training of any shifters they find."
"Just thinking out loud, but since they're touring all the Leaps anyway. Why don't we get the boys to take photos of all the unmated females? Make it easier for at least some of our males to find their mates."
"Not a bad idea, Conner. The women would have to give their permission of course. And we can't let it turn into a dating service. Maybe if just the alphas of the Leaps have access…"
"We're going to need to send out a letter or email to each Leap explaining about the Search. We might as well include this idea in with it. See what the reaction is from the Leaps."
Conner grinned as his father and brother continued to discuss his idea. The alpha and future alpha of the Australian Continental Leap had listened to and liked his idea. Even though they were his family, they didn't have to take notice of him. It was a great feeling. He also realized how childish he'd been to be jealous of his brother. Sure, he would never be the alpha like Dominic was destined to be, but he had his place in the Leap too. His brother and father would always hear him out if he had suggestions, and they always respected him and his opinion—as they did every member of the Leap. He guessed he could thank the fact he was now mated. It had mellowed him out enough that he could sit back and see what was right in front of him. Something he was beyond grateful of. His life felt complete. Well, nearly complete. When he and Tina had kids—then his life would be whole.
~ * ~
Tina wiped her palms down her thighs. She was so nervous, and the butterflies were not helping her stomach one bit. So far her mother had done all the right things but this was the test, a whole day with her shopping for wedding things. Would Gloria be able to accept that Tina wanted a simple gown? The wedding was going to be low key, elegant and private with just family and close friends. Tina most definitely didn't want to resemble a cream puff on her trip down the aisle. She chuckled quietly.
Conner won't know whether to eat me or marry me.
"Good morning, Tina, such a beautiful day. Early summer in Tasmania is always a lovely time of year."
"Yeah, it is a nice day. I'm glad you could make it."
Tina was sure her nerves showed through in her tone but her mother had sounded equally nervous so maybe she didn't notice Tina's.
"Of course I made it! This is your wedding dress we're buying. This is a vital mother-daughter shopping experience. And I was also hoping we could maybe chat a little over the day."
"Of course we will, Mother. How about you sit down and we start with a coffee before we hit the shops."
"You know, Mother sounds so formal. I want our relationship to be more intimate than what it was before. Would you be comfortable calling me Mum?"
Tina grinned a true smile. She'd always hated the whole 'mother' thing, made her feel like she was back in the 1800s."I'd like a closer relationship too. Mum."
"Okay, let's have that coffee. How do you have yours these days, Tina?"
"Same as always, black with one sugar. Thanks, Mum."
Gloria headed in to order their drinks and Tina smiled as she watched. Her thoughts had scattered with the 'call me mum' comment.
Minutes later they both sat sipping at their coffees.
"So, Tina, do you have any ideas about what you want for your wedding dress?"
"I have a few ideas. Even though it's the middle of summer I want a long dress, I don't want anyone seeing my scars. I want it simple, nothing over the top with frills and lace. I don't want a train either. That will get caught up in my crutches."
Her mum grinned broadly at her. She'd told her about her plan of walking down the aisle as a surprise.
"I can't wait to see Conner's face when you walk to him. So, have you looked at pictures? Do you want straps?"
"I've had a bit of a look, but I haven't been feeling that well this last week so haven't bought magazines like I wanted too."
"Oh, honey, why didn't you call me? I'd have brought some around to you."
She gave her mum a sheepish smile. "Guess I just didn't think of that."
Tina started fidgeting under her mother's sudden intense scrutiny, "what? Have I got food stuck between my teeth or something?"
"Your teeth are fine, but you are looking. Well, to be honest, glowy. How sick have you been feeling?"
"Oh you know. The usual, I'm really tired—but I've been pushing hard at rehab—so it takes me a while to get going in the morning. I'm off my favorite foods…"
Tina let the words hang in the air as realization dawned. "Oh my-Bloody hell. I'm pregnant aren't I?"
Her mum's smile was a true smile, her eyes glittering in the sunlight. "Well, it would be wise to take a test but I'm guessing that's what has you feeling ill."
"Well, I guess a trip to the Pharmacy is added to our places to go today."
"I think that would be a good idea. Tina, I have to ask you this and please don't take me the wrong way. As your mother I need to make sure. Are you happy? I mean this has all happened very fast."
Tina felt a warmth spread through her, at both her mother caring enough to ask and her complete happiness. "Mum, I have never been so happy. Conner is like my missing puzzle piece, a piece I didn't realize I was missing. And to be having his baby? It's my dream come true."
"I am truly happy for you, Tina. You know that right?"
"Yeah, I know you are. And it means the world to me that you're here and supporting me."
"Okay, well, let's get to that first bridal shop. And you know, if the one here in Rosebery doesn't have what you want, we can drive into Launceston or even down to Hobart."
"I'm sure I'll find one here in town. I'm just hoping I can find one that fits and doesn't need altering."
Half an hour later, Tina was standing in front of a bank of mirrors in the most gorgeous dress she had ever seen. An ankle length gown made of soft white chiffon. The shop assistant had described it as 'a sleeveless asymmetrical neckline, ruched bodice, sheath pick-up skirt which was pinched with a beaded detail.' The gown flowed over her shoulder, hugging her small breasts and made her feel beautiful. The simple jeweled design on her left hip was stunning with its silvery diamantes and silver thread. There were several thin layers to the skirt so even with the top couple of layers being pinched up at the waist, her legs were completely covered to her ankles. To make it even better it was the perfect size. As an added bonus, because it was apparently part of last year's collection and it didn't need adjusting, the shop was happy to discount it. Nine hundred dollars seemed like a lot to spend on one dress but her mother had said it was very cheap for a wedding dress and not to worry, as she'd cover it. Tina liked the new leaf her mother had turned over. This day had been more relaxing and easier than any other day they'd ever spent together.
Before Tina had come back down to earth from finding the perfect dress, her mother, no, her mum, had her in a shoe shop. Within an hour they had found the most superb white strappy sandals. They had a cute little kitten heel that she would need to test out while she had her crutches but she was pretty sure she'd be able to manage. The strap over her toes had an elegant pattern of diamantes, which would match up brilliantly with her dress.
"Well, that was all rather easy. Are you ready for some lunch?"
"Sure am. It might not have taken all that
long, but it's made me hungry."
"Yes, that reminds me. We need to drop into a Pharmacy on our way too."
Tina grinned like a fool the whole way down the street. Her mum truly had changed it would seem. She hadn't complained once about any of the wedding plans and had seemed genuinely excited about her choice of dress. Intense emotions threatened to have her heart burst from her chest as they entered the Pharmacy. She knew she was pregnant and was certain the test would confirm it. She was going to have Conner's baby. If she wasn't stuck in her chair, she'd be jumping up and down and squealing. Well, only if it didn't make her feel ill…
~ * ~
Conner arrived home after Tina. He'd been sure he would be home earlier than this, but he'd become engrossed with the discussions about the Search, and before he knew it the day had gone. It was now past dinnertime as he entered the house searching for Tina.
"Sweetheart? Sorry I'm late. Are you still up?"
With the long summer days, the house was bathed in the low evening light so the fact no lights were on, didn't mean Tina wasn't up and around the place somewhere.
The kitchen was empty, as was the bathroom. He crept down to their bedroom, not wanting to wake her if she was asleep. She had been feeling really tired lately. He'd tried not to worry, did his best to believe her when she said she was just pushing herself at rehab and was feeling stressed over her future career options.
One step into their bedroom and he stopped short.
"Oh, baby doll. You are gorgeous, and so damn sexy."
His precious mate sat on their bed, her head propped up on pillows as she read. She laid her book on the bedside cupboard. As she reached over, her dark pink nipple crept just past the edge of the sexy little scrap of lace she was wearing. He knew she hated that her breasts were small, but he loved them. They were high and firm and just right for him to suckle on. The fact she didn't wear a bra most of the time had him permanently aroused just thinking about it.
"Got a present for you."
"So I see."
She chuckled, low and husky and it sent a shiver the whole way down his spine. "I guess I have a couple presents for you."
He meant to ask how her day went, if she'd found a dress…but his thoughts scattered as he approached the mattress. She'd now thrown back the cover that had hidden her legs and torso and he was all but drooling. Her smooth toned legs were more temptation than he could resist. Quickly pulling his shirt over his head while he kicked off his boots, he bent to run his hands up her calves. As always, she tensed when he got to her knees. She didn't like the scars, Conner didn't like that his mate had suffered so much, but the scars themselves changed nothing about how he felt for her. He kissed each incision point and trailed his tongue up the longer cuts, as he got higher on her thigh.