If only the baby inside her was actually his, and Piper was truly his mate, then his life would be perfect.
“I baked those for you to say congrats and welcome.” Anna motioned to the tin Carter was now holding. “I figured you’d appreciate them more than champagne right now.”
Piper laughed. “Yes, thank you.”
“They won’t be as good as mine,” Carter said, throwing her a wink.
“Is he trying to fatten you up?” Anna teased.
Piper’s smile widened. “Well, he does love to cook.”
“And what more could you ask in a man?” Carter slipped his arm around her waist and leaned in to kiss her cheek, wanting James and Anna to believe in the relationship as much as the baby.
She gazed up at him. “Nothing more.”
And his heart tightened.
“So, how did you guys meet?” asked Anna, the tone of her voice implying that she wanted all the juicy details.
“It’s crazy, really. Just out at a bar. One thing led to another ...” He gestured at Piper’s belly and they all laughed.
“I think we can guess what happened next,” James said.
“Yep.”
Piper blushed.
James clapped a hand to Carter’s shoulder. “Then congratulations are in order. I have to admit, we were all starting to get a little worried that you didn’t have it in you.”
“Gee, thanks.” He looked over to Piper, hoping she didn’t suspect anything. A couple of lines had appeared between her brows, so he rolled his eyes and jerked his head toward his second in command as though to say, ‘what can you do?’
“Well, it’s good to know you’ve got an heir now,” James continued. “Things start to get messy when we have to think about changing the alpha families. We could do without that sort of unrest, though I’m sure Liam and a couple of others will be disappointed to miss their opportunity.”
Carter could feel Piper’s gaze on him, the questions in her eyes. He gave an awkward laugh. “Nah, it wouldn’t have come to that. I just needed to meet the right girl, that’s all.”
“Your mate,” James said.
Carter looked over at Piper again. “Yes, my mate.”
A small smile tweaked her lips, and he hoped he’d done enough. He didn’t understand why he didn’t want Piper to know about his need to provide an heir, and that he had failed so far. Hell, yes, he did. He didn’t want her to see him how he really was—a man who used women to get what he wanted. Things had been different with Piper—he’d been different with Piper—and he knew that if she discovered who he really was, and that part of his reason for pretending the baby was his wasn’t all about helping her, then she’d see him differently. He’d had his own agenda, and after hearing the story about how her parents had used her in order to elevate their place in their pack, he didn’t want her to think he was doing exactly the same thing.
“I’ll put some coffee on to go with the cookies,” Piper said, turning away from the men to go back into the kitchen.
Anna followed. “I’ll give you a hand.”
Carter was relieved to have the moment broken.
James pulled him to one side. “I don’t remember you ever mentioning a Piper before.”
“It was a fling,” he said, dismissively. “I didn’t know it would come to anything—neither of us did.”
“Feel free to punch me in the face if I’m speaking out of turn, but everyone in town knows you’ve had... issues... when it’s come to...” He mimed the shape of Piper’s belly onto his own. “Are you even sure the kid’s yours?”
Carter growled in anger. “Yeah, I will punch you in the face if you start spreading those kinds of rumors. Piper’s not like that. Have you seen her? She’s as sweet as sugar, and anyway, the dates match up.”
He lifted both hands. “Hey, no worries. I didn’t mean to imply anything. I’m only looking out for you.”
“I know that, but you know what the pack is like. Start making those kinds of comments and it’ll be all over town before you can take a breath.”
“I bet Kimberly is gonna be pissed about you cheating on her.”
Damn. He hadn’t thought of that. The dates would have been when he’d first started seeing Kimberly. Even though it was a fabrication, she didn’t know that. He was right when he said she wouldn’t be happy, and rightly so. They might be broken up now, but she’d still be hurt at the news.
There wasn’t anything he could do about that now.
He shrugged. “Kimberly knew what she was getting into. She knew my history.”
“And what about Piper?” he asked, nodding over to where she stood. “Does she know your history?”
“Not exactly, but she’s met Kimberly, so that might give her a good idea.”
He chuckled. “Right.”
“Coffee’s ready,” Piper called from the kitchen, though he knew she’d have made herself a hot tea.
Not liking the line of questioning James had taken, he was glad for the distraction.
He could only hope the rest of the pack wasn’t having the same ideas.
Chapter Fourteen
AS THE DAYS PASSED, so her bump grew.
Piper learned her baby’s schedule—the times he or she slept, such as when she was walking around the house, lulled to sleep by the rhythm of her body, and the times he or she was kicking up a storm—normally when Piper was trying to get some sleep herself. The rolls and flutters became less as the baby ran out of space, and instead were replaced by an elbow or a foot jabbing against the inside of her skin, producing sometimes crazy distortions of her belly.
Carter was out that morning on pack business. As her size grew, Piper found herself wanting to take the weight off her feet more and more. She felt as though the pregnancy had turned her into an old woman, and she caught herself groaning each time she got to her feet, and shuffling around the house with her palm pressed into the middle of her back.
A sharp knock at the door caught her attention. Though she’d come to believe herself to be safe since she’d been here, the thought of her husband was never far from her mind. She’d never let her guard down completely.
Cautiously, she went to the front door and used the spy hole to see who it was. To her surprise, Carter’s ex-girlfriend was standing on the porch. Carter had taken Kimberly’s key back, so she’d been forced to knock this time. What did she want? Maybe she still had more belongings somewhere in the house that she needed to collect.
Piper plastered a smile on her face, and pulled open the door. There was no reason the two of them couldn’t be friends. Just because the other woman was Carter’s ex didn’t mean anything. After all, she and Carter weren’t even properly together, and she remembered Carter telling her that Kimberly had been the one to break up with him.
“Hey, Kimberly. What can I do for you?”
Immediately, her gaze dropped to Piper’s stomach, and instinctively Piper put a protective hand over her belly.
“So it is true, then,” Kimberly snapped. “I thought there was something off about you the first time I saw you.”
“Sorry?” she said, confused. Did Kimberly still have feelings for Carter? Was that why she seemed so angry?
“You realize you were fucking my boyfriend while he and I were still together.”
She blinked in shock. “What? No, I wasn’t.”
“How else do you explain that, then?” She pointed at Piper’s belly. “Because if it’s true, and the dates are correct, then you and he were together just when we’d started dating.”
Realization dawned, and Piper’s face burned hot. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“He was only screwing around because he was so desperate to get a woman pregnant. You know that, don’t you? It doesn’t mean he actually felt anything for you. The only thing Carter Reed has ever wanted is a baby so he can keep his damned title of alpha, and this ugly old house.”
Something clutched at her lungs, squeezing tight, making it hard for her to br
eathe. “What are you talking about?”
She gave a cold laugh. “You mean he didn’t tell you the rules of this pack—that the alpha must produce an heir in order to continue as alpha? Carter has already worked his way through half of the females in town. You were just the one who got caught. It’s amazing you did, really. There’s been word around town that he’s infertile. After all, half the women he wasn’t able to conceive with went on to get pregnant with other males in the pack. It’s surprising you got pregnant.” She paused and then added, “Assuming the baby is actually his, of course, and you’re not trying to trick him into taking on another man’s child.”
“Carter knows the truth about everything,” she blurted. Unlike me. “I’ve never lied to him.”
“Good.” She folded her arms across her ample chest. “Members of the pack don’t like to be lied to, especially not by some pale outsider.”
Piper had heard enough. She took a couple of staggered steps back, and then reached out and slammed the door in Kimberly’s face.
So, that had been the real reason Carter had helped her. She’d thought he cared about her, but she’d never come into it. It had always been about the baby. He only ever wanted the baby so he could pretend to the rest of the pack that he’d fathered a child. Had he scented the pregnancy on her when they’d first met? Was that why he’d been so kind to her?
Carter had tricked her. He’d promised to keep her safe, but that had nothing to do with him caring for her. He only wanted to keep his role as alpha.
Her heart thrummed, crawling up into her throat, and her hands trembled. Word would get around soon enough that Carter’s ‘baby’ most likely wasn’t his, and then her husband wouldn’t be far behind.
She couldn’t stay here. Not now. And she couldn’t stand to see Carter and hear more lies coming from his lips. She only wanted to get away from town and put as much distance between herself and Carter as possible.
Moving as quickly as she could, she hurried upstairs and gathered together the few belongings she’d acquired since being at the house. As a second thought, she went into Carter’s office. She felt wretched for doing so, but she’d tried to be truthful with him, and he’d lied. He could handle loaning her some money after what he’d done. She knew where he kept a bundle of notes hidden in a pot, so she pulled them out and stuffed them in the bag. Piper hardened her heart against the guilt. People had been using her for so long, it was about time she started using them. And besides, she was heavily pregnant now. He couldn’t expect her to sleep out on the street.
As a final thought, always with the fear that at some point her husband might catch up with her, Piper went to the kitchen and selected one of the knives from the block. She went for a smaller sized one, one she’d be able to move quickly with if she needed to, and added it to her bag. Not allowing herself to think any further, she let herself out of Carter’s house. She didn’t want to be seen, so she walked with her head down, though she was sure her bump gave her away.
She didn’t know exactly where she was going, so she let her wolf’s senses guide her. It wanted to go back into the forest, so that was where she headed. Her wolf had been quiet since she’d become pregnant, as though that part of her had needed to be silenced to allow her to concentrate on the new life growing inside her, but now, when it was needed, it rose to the surface again. She still had a number of hours of daylight—enough to get her away from town, through the forest, and out onto a road heading in a different direction. She didn’t want to make it too easy for Carter to come after her. He was bound to realize what had happened once he’d heard Kimberly had paid her a visit, and discovered all her things gone.
Piper kept walking. She left the road and stepped between the trees, heading deeper. Her back ached, and she wished she’d thought to bring a bottle of water with her. Her mouth was already dry. Her stomach gurgled, and the baby kicked. Damn, when was the last time she’d eaten? Hours ago, now. She’d been so caught up in emotion that she hadn’t planned this properly.
She’d expected too much from Carter. He hadn’t owed her anything. He’d found her, barely conscious, and had done his best for her. But he’d had his own motives, and she couldn’t stand the idea that he’d used her to his advantage. Her parents had done that with her when they’d handed her over to her husband, and the thought that she’d been used as little more than a prop hurt her heart.
Maybe she hadn’t wanted to admit it to herself, but over the past couple of weeks, she’d started to develop feelings for Carter, and it was the idea that he wasn’t the man she thought he was that hurt the most.
A sudden sharp stab speared her side, and she drew to a halt, gasping. She bent over as best she could around her bump and pressed her hand to the pain. Was it a stitch from all the walking? If so, it was the worst stitch she’d ever had, stealing her breath.
The pain faded, and she wondered if it had been as bad as she’d imagined. She was fine now, so she kept going. She wanted to make it to a motel before it started getting dark. Though she was healthier now than she’d been when she’d run from her husband—Carter had kept her well fed—she was also farther along in her pregnancy, and that meant she was moving more slowly.
A second stab of pain hit her in her side, wrapping around her belly to form a tight band. Piper gasped, the pain bringing her to her knees. Sudden realization about what was happening dawned on her. Oh, God. How could she have been so stupid? She’d been so caught up in the emotion of feeling like Carter had betrayed her that she’d only wanted to get away. She’d thought she still had a few weeks yet, but it seemed the baby had other ideas.
She glanced over her shoulder, back in the direction she had come. She needed to get back to town and ask for help, but could she make it? Once again the pain started to fade and she was able to move. On shaking limbs, she staggered to her feet. The pain had left her nauseated, her head spinning. Don’t panic, don’t panic, don’t panic, she told herself, but it was easier said than done.
Piper only managed a couple of dozen steps back when the pain caught her, once more bringing her to her knees.
She wasn’t going to make it back to town.
The baby was coming.
Chapter Fifteen
CARTER PUSHED OPEN the front door of his house. “Piper?”
He listened for any sound of her. Normally, she’d be in the kitchen, or reading in the family room, or even taking a bath, but the house felt strangely empty.
“Piper?” he called again.
He frowned, standing in his entrance hall with his hands on his hips. It wasn’t like her to go out without mentioning her plans to him first. She still didn’t really know anyone in town, and was understandably cautious about the possibility of her husband finding out where she was. Maybe she’d gone to see the midwife. She hadn’t mentioned an appointment, but perhaps something had happened. An unexpected punch of worry hit him. He hoped everything was okay with the baby.
Not wanting to waste any more time, he backed out of the house. Felicia only lived a couple of blocks from here, and he’d be there in a matter of minutes.
He arrived at the midwife’s home, out of breath, his anxiety increasing, but when he asked the older woman if she’d seen Piper, she only shook her head.
“No, sorry. She hasn’t been here. Is everything all right?”
Carter bit his lower lip. “Yeah, I’m sure it’s fine. I’m probably overreacting.”
She gave him a reassuring smile. “Perfectly normal for an expectant father.”
“Sure.”
Leaving again, his confusion deepened. Maybe she’d gone for coffee with Anna, but then he remembered she didn’t even drink coffee. What he’d told the midwife was probably right, and he was overreacting. Piper might even be home by now.
He picked up his pace, planning to head home as well, but a familiar figure walked toward him. His muscles tensed. It was Kimberly, and by the smirk on her face, he thought she might have some idea where Piper was.
They came face to face, both drawing to a halt in the middle of the street.
“Where is she?” Carter demanded.
Her eyebrows lifted. “Who?”
“You know who—Piper.”
She shrugged. “No idea. She was still at the house when I left her.”
“What were you doing at the house?”
“Just filling her in on a few details. Seems she didn’t know about how you needed to produce an heir to keep your place as alpha.”
His unease intensified. “What did you say to her?”
“Only that, and how you would have been cheating on me when you were getting her pregnant. I thought she deserved to know what sort of man she was having a baby with.” The smirk grew wider. “Assuming that’s even your baby, of course.”
Anger surged inside him, and he clenched his fists at his sides, trying to hold it in. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“No? ’Cause from the look on her face, I thought Piper had every idea.”
He didn’t want to get angry with Kimberly—after all, he understood why she’d be hurt, thinking he’d cheated on her, even though it wasn’t the truth. He couldn’t tell her what had really happened though, not if he was still trying to protect the story about Piper and the baby. And it wasn’t only his part he was trying to protect. He didn’t want the town to start asking questions about where Piper had come from either, or about the identity of the real father. Protecting her was more important than keeping his place as alpha.
The realization surprised him. Yes, Piper’s safety was more important to him. For the first time in his life, he didn’t care about the rest.
Leaving Kimberly standing in the street, he ran back to the house, blowing through the door like a sudden gust of wind, leaving it swinging in his wake. He took the stairs two at a time and hurried toward her bedroom. A quick scan of the room confirmed his fears. She’d taken the clothes he’d bought her, and the bag she’d been using was gone. Dammit.
A Baby for the Alpha_Bad Alpha Dads Page 7