by Meg Ripley
Delilah slowly lifted her head from the table. “You know, that’s not a terrible idea.”
“I like to think I have a few good ones every now and then,” Anita replied with a sly smile.
“If Vance doesn’t feel like I’m backing him into a corner, then he’ll have time to figure out exactly what he wants from this. No pressure, no commitment, just like it’s supposed to be.” Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she’d need a little extra protein for the next couple of months. Delilah obliged with another bite of chicken.
“From what you’ve told me, he seems like a good guy. Even if he doesn’t want to be an active father, your little one will always have her Auntie Anita to count on.” She grinned as she dug the fortune cookies out of the bag.
“You’re absolutely right. I’ve been so stupid about all of this. I’ll just send him a quick text to make sure he’s in town, and I’ll get it off my chest right away.” Her fingers flew over the touchscreen of her phone. Now that she’d made the decision, she wanted to get it over with as soon as possible.
Still, her hands shook when she pulled up to the garage door on Dragon Street. The SOS Headquarters was in an old building, squished in right alongside all the other shops on that road. The plain white front with a cracked concrete driveway was entirely unassuming. Vance was expecting her, and the overhead door rolled up slowly. Delilah pulled inside, peering into the dim interior. As much as she’d heard about the Force, and even though she knew exactly where their headquarters was located, she’d still never been inside.
The door rolled back down behind her as she swung into a parking spot. “This is the right thing to do,” she reminded herself. “Anita agrees, too. You’ve just got to tell him and get it over with.” Delilah turned off the ignition and opened her car door.
Vance had just emerged from a door off to her left, and he was striding casually toward her with that easy grin of his. Just being in the same building with him had a distinct effect on her. Delilah’s human side had been hard at work most of the day, combatting the animal instincts that had her so riled up. The cougar instantly sprang to life again upon seeing Vance, though, reminding her in exquisite detail of their time together. He was a man like any other, yet her very blood seemed to surge toward him.
His smile faded slightly as he got closer. “Are you all right? You look a little under the weather.”
Delilah wouldn’t doubt it; she certainly felt that way. “I’m okay, thanks. Listen, I’m sorry to call you on such short notice—”
“No, no. That’s fine. The gang’s all here anyway since we’ve got a meeting. Come on in and I’ll give you an official introduction, and then you can tell us just what President Whiteside wants.” He guided her into the building through the door he’d come through a moment ago.
At one point, the interior had been an ample open space, but someone had divided it off into living and work areas. Delilah hardly noticed the modern décor as she moved through the place. Vance’s hand was on her elbow, but she knew that was simply the Texan gentleman inside him. “Actually, I just needed to talk to you.”
The rancher stopped, turning to her with a crease in his brow. “Me?”
Her cheeks heated and her stomach threatened to drop straight through the floor. Delilah was a diplomat, someone who’d been elected to her position for good reason. She’d dealt with all sorts of people; even death threats didn’t bother her. Yet somehow, standing there in front of Vance felt like the worst torture in the world. “Yeah, just you—alone, if we could.”
He glanced over his shoulder down a hallway and rubbed the side of his cheek uncertainly, but he nodded. “Sure. I reckon I misunderstood. I assumed you wanted to talk about conclave business, so the guys are expecting you.”
“This won’t take long, and I don’t mind talking to them for a minute if it will make things easier on you.” That would be a small price to pay to save them both from a bit of embarrassment, especially if Vance didn’t like the news she’d brought.
Vance led them to a common area with comfortable couches, a coffee pot, and a window with privacy tinting that looked out over a backlot. “Can I get you a drink or anything?”
There were those Southern manners again. “No, thank you.” She could have used a cold glass of water, but Delilah wasn’t sure she would’ve been able to keep a good hold on it. Delilah stepped to the window and concentrated on the industrial area pictures below. It was hard and hot and utterly real, even though this moment felt like something out of a movie. “I wanted to tell you something.”
Vance perched on the arm of a couch. “I’m listening.”
“That night…” Delilah trailed off. Making the choice to tell him had been much easier than figuring out exactly how to do so. “You and I…”
He was at her elbow now and she hadn’t heard him walk up behind her. “Is someone giving you a hard time because of our little get-together? I know how tongues like to wag in these parts, but I wouldn’t pay it any mind if I were you. I’m sure there are plenty of other rumors that’ll start flying and everyone will forget it soon enough.”
“Oh, you might be right about that.” Yes, there would be plenty of rumors when the local shifters found out their vice president had not only slept with a member of the Force, but had gotten knocked up in the process. She knew that wasn’t what Vance meant, and he was trying to be nice, but it was hard to see the positive side of this just yet. She looked up into those green eyes of his and it was easy to remember how this had all happened in the first place. “Vance, I’m pregnant.”
The words had squeezed out of her throat with great effort, and then they hung in the air. Vance didn’t move, staring at her without so much as a blink, and Delilah thought she might have to push those words toward him to make sure he understood. “Are you sure?” he finally asked breathlessly.
Delilah nodded. “Completely. I was at the medical center today. Blood tests and an ultrasound and everything.” The odd blobs the ultrasound technician had pointed out hadn’t looked like much to her, but she had no doubt.
Vance was wearing the same black Stetson she’d seen on him when they’d met at the rodeo. By the end of that night, it’d been thoroughly covered in hay, but now it was clean again. He swept it off his head and ran a hand through his short hair. “I take it you’re telling me this because it’s mine.”
It was a silly statement, in a way, but Delilah understood why he was confirming it. She nodded, her mouth dry as she waited for him to yell or curse or even turn around and stomp off.
Instead, one corner of his mouth tweaked up as his eyes drifted down to her stomach. “Really?”
“Yes. One hundred percent.”
His eyes flickered in a double blink. “Wow.”
Delilah could tell he was stunned, and she couldn’t blame him. This was the very last thing he’d been expecting from her visit. “I don’t want you to think I came here looking for money or support or anything. You don’t have to be involved any more than you want to be. I know neither one of us was looking for this, Vance, and I’m sorry, but I can manage on my own.”
Now the other side of his mouth crept up, and he closed the distance between them. “Delilah, don’t be ridiculous. This isn’t your fault. Neither one of us was careful, and I’m certainly not going to just let you deal with this alone. This is our child, and I’m going to be there every step of the way.” He reached out and gently touched her belly with his fingertips.
Delilah felt a rolling sensation as the unborn child lurched toward its father. Her cougar was fighting this, demanding that she be alone and not have to deal with anyone else. She was the mother, and she knew best. She’d always thought her animal side was the most primal, but she realized as she stood so close to Vance that maybe her human half could be just as demanding. There was something appealing in that moment about knowing she truly wasn’t alone, and she let her head fall forward onto his shoulder. Vance took her weight easily as he wrapped his arms around her.<
br />
5
“Are you going to stare at your phone all day?”
Vance looked up from the screen and over to Max in the pilot’s seat. They were just returning from a mission. The action and adventure of saving a shifter from the human mob he’d accidentally gotten involved with should’ve been on the forefront of his mind, but lately, there was only one thought in his head. “Until Delilah goes into labor, yes. Every morning I wake up and wonder if today is the day.”
“Blows my mind that it’s only been a couple of months and you’re already talking about delivery plans,” the tiger said with a shake of his head. “You cougars sure work fast.”
“What do you know? You don’t have any kids. You and Sabrina ever talk about it?” He glanced down out of the helicopter at the map of rural homes that spread out before them. It was a beautiful scene, but it was one he hardly paid attention to these days.
Max shrugged. “A little, but she’s busy with the medical center. You know, the board was really trying hard to name it after her, since she put so much time and even some of her own money into it. She wouldn’t hear of it, although personally, I think she deserves it. She already opened a new surgery wing at the human hospital, but now she’s completely changing medical care for shifters. That’s a particularly important issue for you and Delilah right now.”
“Yeah, I reckon so.”
“What’s that mean?”
Vance sighed. He’d tried hard not to talk about it, but it was difficult not to mix their personal lives with business when they worked in such a small group. The other members of the Force were like brothers to him. “Well, that there is no ‘Delilah and I.’ I know we didn’t plan any of this, but it happened, and I’d like for the two of us to really be a team.”
“Oh, so she dissed your sorry ass?” Max asked with a grin.
“Asshole. I’d punch you if you weren’t responsible for my life right now.” Vance folded his arms in front of his chest. “Look, I don’t expect some whirlwind romance. It’s just that she's stubborn as a mule, not wanting to rely on me for anything. I asked her to move in with me right after we found out she had one in the chute. I thought it would be good for both of us. I could be there for her during the pregnancy, and then once the baby arrived, it would just make things simpler. She wouldn’t hear of it.” He felt sour about the whole thing, and it was clouding how he felt about having a child.
“Listen, I may not know a whole lot about this stuff, and I might not be the same species, but she’s hormonal right now. Just give her time, and know that you’re doing everything you can. It’ll all work out.” Max swooped the chopper toward the landing pad, set it on the roof of their headquarters, and began the long process of slowing down the rotors.
“I hope so. I don’t want to be one of those dads that only sees his kid every other weekend. I want to be there all the time, for everything. Delilah sure wanted me that night at my place, but she doesn’t want a damn thing to do with me now.” He felt like a heel for even mentioning the encounter, but it was too late now.
“Then why’s she calling you?” Max asked as he pointed to Vance’s phone.
“Shit!” He hadn’t heard the ring nor felt the vibration through all the noise and clatter of the chopper. Vance answered as he hopped out of the aircraft. “Sorry about the noise.”
“That’s okay.” Her voice was strained, but not with the usual amount of irritation she’d shown over the last couple of months. “I need you to come over.”
“What do you need?” he asked as he swung the door open to access the staircase that led down from the roof. Vance and Delilah had been at odds, but he’d still been more than game to bring her hot fudge sundaes in the middle of the night. “Pickles? Chocolate? Bacon?”
“No,” she panted. “I think I’m in labor.”
His boots froze underneath him as his claws shot out from the ends of his fingers and dug into the wooden railing. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure!” she snapped. “Or at least I’m as sure as I can get without being a doctor. I just need you to take me to the hospital.”
Vance swiveled and shot back up the stairs. “Max is just winding down the chopper. I’ll have him get it started back up and we’ll have you in two minutes.” His heart thundered in his chest, and he continued to fight the urge to shift. He could move so much more quickly if he were on all fours, his claws and paw pads gripping the pavement of Dallas as he pounced toward her.
“Please don’t do that,” she replied sharply. “You can’t get that big thing in here, and even if you could, I really don’t want that sort of attention.”
Vance cursed under his breath, wanting to argue with her. But he’d been to her place several times now. The condos were modern ones not far from the center of the city, and they faced a park area that was full of trees and gazebos and had a massive swimming pool. Max was an excellent pilot, but Delilah was right. “Roger that. I’ll be over there as soon as I can.” Vance dashed through the building and down to the garage, jumped in his truck, and flew out of the garage.
He laid on the horn as he threaded through traffic, maneuvering the large truck as if it were a sports car. Vance was desperate to get to Delilah. What if the baby came too quickly and they didn’t make it to the hospital? What if there were complications the doctors hadn’t anticipated? Delilah kept telling him everything was fine, but that hadn’t abated the worries that lingered in the back of his mind.
Pulling into the handicapped spot, Vance dove out of his truck without turning it off and charged up to her front door, covered in cold sweat. He reached for the knob just as the door opened. Delilah stood there, holding her overnight bag in one hand and her round belly in the other.
Vance darted forward and snatched the bag out of her hand. “You shouldn’t be carrying that! I’m not even sure you should be carrying yourself. Let me get you to the truck, and then I’ll come back for the bag.”
The look she gave him was both pitying and amused as she stopped him from scooping her up off her feet. “I can walk, Vance. It’s actually good for me if I want to make sure this labor doesn’t last all day. There’s no rush.”
“Of course. Right.” He fought to keep his feet at a reasonable pace as he ushered her to the parking lot when what he truly wanted to do was run. “Do you have everything you need?”
“I’ve been packed up and ready for almost a month now.” Delilah paused, gritting her teeth as another pain shot through her body.
Vance felt his heart constricting. “What can I do?”
“Ah! Nothing,” she panted. “It’ll pass in a minute.”
He knew it wasn’t a long time, but it felt like an eternity. Vance was helpless, standing there watching her, holding out a hand for support that she didn’t even need. He wondered for a brief moment if the child she was about to have would be just as stubborn as she was.
Finally, Delilah pursed her lips and let out a breath. “Okay. I think I’m good to go now.”
If things didn’t start moving faster, he was going to go crazy. Every horrid scenario he’d ever seen on TV flashed through his mind in an instant, including a traffic jam on the way to the medical center or even his truck breaking down. When they finally stepped off the curb, Vance dashed forward to open the passenger door and help her in. For the first time, he regretted having a big truck instead of a car. His nerves jangled as he helped her climb inside.
“Are you all right?” she asked when he hopped into the driver’s seat. “You look a little pale.”
“Me? I’m fine. You’re the one that’s in labor.” Vance clenched his fingers tightly as he put the truck in gear and backed out of the space so he wouldn’t see how much they were shaking.
Delilah let out a hint of a laugh. “Cool as a cucumber, eh?”
“Well, sure. I mean, I’ve delivered plenty of calves. I don’t imagine this will be much different except that we’re going to the hospital instead of a barn. I could probably deliver the baby m
yself, if need be.” He’d thought about that quite a bit, actually; wondering how much his ranching experience might help him in the delivery room.
“I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” she said with a shake of her head.
“No, but it’s a possibility. And you sounded pretty worried yourself when you called me.” Why did he feel the need to justify every tiny thing when he was around her? She’d driven him crazy over the last couple of months. Both of their cougars had been reacting in similar ways when they spent time together to make plans for the child, desperately seeking solitude once again. Everything past that first night had been so difficult, and he didn’t want it to be that way. Panic was flourishing in his bloodstream.
“I was in the middle of a contraction,” she snapped, rubbing her belly as she rolled her head back against the seat.
“I’m sorry. I’m sure that’s rough.”
“You’re goddamn right it is,” she growled.
“I’m just tryin’ to help.”
Delilah’s response was only a sigh as she looked out the window, unwilling to further the conversation. That was probably for the best, considering he wasn’t doing anything but making it worse. He clamped his jaw shut and promised himself a good long run in the back fields of his property as soon as he got the chance. He needed a moment to let out all the pent-up energy and anger that had been building inside him. He swept into the emergency driveway of the medical center.
To Vance’s surprise, an orderly instantly stepped through the sliding doors with a wheelchair. “What’s the situation?” he asked.
“We’re having a baby.” Vance dashed to open the passenger door and help Delilah into the waiting wheelchair. She didn’t need his help, but this time, she at least did allow him to do so. “I’ll just pull the truck into a spot and I’ll be right in,” he promised her.
As he parked his vehicle, the full force of what Vance had told the orderly hit him.