“Do you have a smaller home somewhere, Cade. A little place, maybe a cabin?” She was wondering if it was somewhere they could go to be together, just on their own, to act like the rest of the universe.
“I have a couple. One in Montana and one in Alberta.” He looked at her quizzically.
“In Canada? Wow. That sounds nice, I’ll have to dig out my passport. I’d like to see Montana as well.” She took a bite and looked over at him. Something inside of her had shifted, softened, and she wanted to be more open with him than she was with most people.
“Maybe we can go when I can get away from this place.” He smiled at her and took a bite of his own biscuits slathered in sausage gravy.
“You have a really great chef, you know that?” She closed her eyes over the next bite. It was heaven.
“Rita is a great cook, I’ll give her that. So, I don’t know how to broach this with you so I’m just going to come straight out with it. How do you feel about getting pregnant?” He looked as if he was waiting for her to spit her food at him. A cross between terrified and resolute.
“Uh.” She put her fork down, her brain spinning. “I think maybe we should have thought about that a few days ago, don’t you?”
She might have been a virgin but she wasn’t stupid. She knew how babies were made.
“You weren’t on birth control?” He looked surprised.
“I didn’t need it.” Again she didn’t say the words but he took her meaning. She’d been a virgin, there was no need. That’s when the weight of the whole thing came down on him and he forgot about babies for a moment. She’d given him her virginity. He’d been her first, her one and only. Wow. She could see the thoughts going across his face and he didn’t need to say a word, she knew exactly what he was thinking.
“No, of course not. Well.” He looked lost and she felt sorry for him.
“I’m fine with having a baby if you are.” She gave him a reassuring pat on his hand and went back to eating. After spending so much time with Elspeth and knowing she was falling for Cade, she knew she wanted a child with him. “Is there any pressing reason?”
“There’s a rumor I’m gay. I need to show that I’ll pass on my DNA.” Okay, she thought as she looked at his guilty looking face. Not a romantic reason but logical.
“Well then, we’d best get to it.” She gave him a smile once more and went back to eating. Perhaps this wasn’t the romantic morning she was hoping for but it beat the previous morning. With a happy sigh, Jacqui watched Cade as he finished his own breakfast.
None of this was going exactly to plan but when did life ever pay attention to the desires of humans? Fate had its own plan and it seemed to have gone far off-course of her own.
Chapter Nine
Cade
Cade watched Jacqui laughing as Elspeth’s tiny fists reached for larger ones. Elspeth was three months old now, starting to focus and reach for things, her smile was actually a smile, whether doctors wanted to call it gas or not. Now that she was born her growth rate had slowed down to normal, according to the doctor’s latest report, delivered by Damesha this morning. That was a good thing and something that got Cade to thinking.
They’d been making love every night, day, whenever the mood struck, for over a month now. Jacqui could be pregnant. If she was pregnant he’d have to explain why her pregnancy was going quickly. Possibly. He’d have to explain why she could communicate telepathically with their baby, possibly. And he’d have to explain about the shifter world. Probably. He hadn’t thought about how to broach that yet.
Damesha and Kane were out shopping and Cade had asked them to leave Elspeth with them. Jacqui had picked up some pointers about caring for babies since she’d been here, she could change Elspeth in a flash, and Cade knew his way around babies so the couple had agreed. They’d been shocked but agreed.
Cade was just as surprised at the offer as they were, he hadn’t planned on babysitting his niece today but his mind had made that decision. They had the baby on a pile of blankets on the floor of a sitting room and were playing with her. Cade used his phone to snap some photos and sent them to her phone. He knew she’d wanted to see just how relaxed and happy she looked. He couldn’t believe this was the same ice queen that had walked in on the birth of the little girl she was now making baby noises to.
They’d both changed in dramatic ways and he was starting to see that as a good thing.
“You know your Aunt Jacqui is a miracle worker, Elspeth. Six months ago I didn’t even want to know about you, now I’m figuring out the cost of building a stable for a pony in the back yard for you.” Cade grinned down at the little girl while Jacqui swatted at his arms.
“Don’t tell her you didn’t want her. That’s mean.” She looked at him crossly but then leaned over to kiss him.
“I’m sure she can’t understand me.” But then again, she was a shifter, she might. She might shift too, which was why Cade knew he couldn’t leave the baby alone with Jacqui. Babies couldn’t control when or what they shifted into.
Elspeth had started shifting already, Kane had informed him. She was going to be a strong one.
Cade grinned at the baby and picked her up. Elspeth cooed and punched him in the nose. The tiny fist made him laugh and Cade gave her neck kisses until she giggled. He looked over at Jacqui and grinned.
“Yeah, I think I’ll love this.”
“I think I will too. It changes your life though. Even for the clan this is going to be a big change for both of us.” She looked afraid for a moment, wondering if she’d be as big a failure at being a responsible parent as hers had been.
Cade knew what she was thinking, they’d talked about her childhood one night a few weeks ago and he knew she was worried she’d change after the baby came. He knew he’d be there for her no matter what.
“I think your mother really loved you, Jacqui. Your dad did a lot to abuse both of you and take advantage. You aren’t going to experience that, I promise you.” He had been shocked to learn about the witch part, mainly because he hadn’t sensed it and still couldn’t, but he was fine with it. He still hadn’t told her his secret though. It was just too big to divulge without a really good reason and love, he was sorry to say, just wasn’t enough of a reason.
Feeling guilty for his thoughts, Cade looked away as she took the baby.
“Any news yet?” He’d decided to change the subject. Jacqui hadn’t wanted to invite anyone to train her and was still sporadically popping in coffee and treats but little more. She was happy the way she was and he wasn’t going to force her hand.
“I’ll hear back in a couple of hours. The urine test was positive but the doctor wants to be sure.” She looked at him with hope in her eyes and gave him a tentative smile.
“Either way, we’ll keep trying. I’d like to have a try now but we have company.” He kissed his wife and smoothed a finger gently down Elspeth’s downy head. Her hair was silky and black but her blue eyes just melted him.
A soft sound, almost a whisper but not came to Cade as he looked at Elspeth. He looked over at Jacqui but she was cooing to the baby.
“What?” He thought the word in his mind and a giggle came into his head. Awareness came with it. His daughter.
“Oh.” Cade stiffened with his sudden awareness of his child. He looked at Jacqui but she seemed unaware of it all. For now.
He’d be able to “hear” his baby in his mind until she was born, then the link could go or stay. It didn’t always happen with non-shifter mothers, and didn’t seem to have happened with Jacqui. It still might but until then he’d keep it to himself. He knew he had to tell her now, had been happy almost that he didn’t know because non-shifter babies could have been possible, and in that case, he wouldn’t have to tell her. But now, oh this changed it all. He’d have to tell her and he was terrified she’d run for the hills.
Even knowing she was a witch she didn’t know that the rest of the myths were true as well. There really were werewolves, shifters, vampires, ev
en things that had hidden themselves so well there were no longer human words for them. Things that hid in the darkness that used to have names but didn’t anymore as antiquity shrouded them in dust. Things Cade hoped never to see brought back into the world.
“What do you want, a boy or a girl?” Jacqui was smiling at him and his heart melted but he felt guilty because he already knew what they were having. But, in his heart, it didn’t matter. He was happy either way.
“Whatever we get, I’ll love it.” He looked away from her at that moment because they still hadn’t said that word to each other, the L-word. It was too much of a chance still.
“So will I. I just want a healthy baby. It’s more than I could have hoped for so it doesn’t matter to me whether it’s a girl or a boy.”
For a moment a surreal fog settled over Cade. He knew this was all happening but he just couldn’t believe it. Somehow he’d found this woman, his soul-mate, thousands of miles away and under totally unbelievable circumstances. He’d known when he’d seen her picture that she was the one, long before he’d read her file. He’d emailed her before he’d read it, in fact. He’d just taken a chance, an odd thing for him, and responded to her.
She’d looked perfect for the task at hand. He hadn’t looked forward to a long, loveless marriage but she’d been beautiful, and something about her had drawn him. Behind that cold gaze had been a sadness he didn’t understand. But then, she was looking for a mail-order husband, something had to be off. He’d expected a lesbian-in-hiding or a woman with mental problems maybe but she’d checked out on that front. He’d learned why she wanted an arranged marriage when she told him about her parents and that night, the night when she opened all of her doors to him, he’d finally admitted he loved her to himself.
He’d made the right choice then and he hoped he was making the right choice now by delaying the telling of his secret. Her phone rang and with a shaky hand, she answered it. He waited, knowing what the answer was but he was surprised by her look of disappointment. She looked so sad!
Jacqui turned the phone off and gave him a sad smile. “We keep trying I guess.”
“But…” He stopped himself. He couldn’t explain it to her without revealing how he knew. “You haven’t had a period.”
“They can change, sometimes it happens. Stress, who knows?” She patted his arm and gave him Elspeth. “I think I need to lie down, Cade. You can bring her up if you want to but I just, I need to lie down.”
“It’ll be alright, princess. I promise you.” He hugged her gently with one arm and watched her walk away. He’d let her have some time while he tried to figure out what was going on. “We’re calling that doctor back, Elspeth. His test is wrong.”
Cade’s name carried weight in town and when he called the doctor’s office the receptionist put him through. The doctor must have been with another patient because he was breathless when he answered the phone.
“What can I do for you, Cade?” The man sounded nervous. So he should be.
“Why did you tell her she’s not pregnant when she is? I can sense the baby.” Cade hadn’t wanted to divulge that information but it was necessary to explain to the doctor how he knew she was.
“That’s impossible, Cade. Unless she’s a witch these tests are very accurate. That would be the only way.”
Cade clammed up at that point, there was no need for him to tell the clan Jacqui’s secret through the doctor. “Well, she’s not a witch. But she is pregnant so I guess this is a fluke. You’re going to call her right back, right now, and tell her she is pregnant. Understand me?”
Cade’s voice held just enough menace that Cade heard him telling the receptionist to get Jacqui on the other line right away. Cade stayed on long enough to hear the doctor explain there must have been some mistake and to hear Jacqui running down the stairs before he hung up. He caught her just as she threw herself at him, careful of Elspeth in his other arm.
“They called back, the test was positive after all! We’re having a baby!” She was all but jumping up and down and Cade watched her with a heart brimming with joy of his own.
“We’ll start clearing a room for the nursery right away. We’ll get the builders in at the same time we get them in for Elspeth’s pony’s barn. That was a tough sentence to say. But yes, a nursery, a barn, a pony. Oh I need to sit down.” For a moment Cade felt overwhelmed.
He hadn’t really wanted a child of his own but from the moment he sensed her presence, he’d loved the baby growing inside of Jacqui. He wanted her and the joy she was going to bring to their family. He wanted this stupid war over and he wanted his wife to know everything. Including that he loved her.
“Jacqui, I know this might be an awkward time to mention it but I want you to know something.” He looked over at her as she sat on the couch, the words already in his eyes. “This might not be the life we had planned, and it’s certainly not what we were expecting to get but fate has brought us together. We’re meant for each other. You’re my reason for breathing, more and more every day and I just, well I just couldn’t imagine life without you in it, princess. I love you.”
Jacqui’s eyes welled up and she leaned over to kiss him, Elspeth giggling happily between them. “I love you, Cade. This hasn’t been easy but you’ve made it seem like it is. It is so easy to love you. So wonderful to love you. I couldn’t have imagined this life but now I don’t want anything else, just you, our baby, and to be with you.”
They were cuddled up on the couch, Elspeth asleep in Jacqui’s arms when Damesha and Kane came in.
“Now that is a picture moment! Hold still you two!” Damesha gave a wide grin as she held her phone up to snap a picture of the happy aunt and uncle with their niece. That one was going to be printed and framed.
Cade gave an embarrassed smile and hugged Jacqui closer. He wasn’t ashamed to admit he loved his wife but it was so new, private even, that he felt a little embarrassed to let others see it. Old habits can sometimes die hard and allowing people to see a softer side of him was going to take some getting used to.
Jacqui gave a wide smile of her own and looked at Damesha happily. They’d decided to let the family know but were going to ask that it be kept a secret for a while longer, just until Jacqui was comfortable letting others know. For Cade’s part, it was something to worry over, an Alexander baby was something to be bargained over if the baby disappeared. Especially the leader’s baby.
A pregnant wife also made Cade weak in the eyes of his enemies. He had something he valued and would act to protect at all costs. Something else to bargain over. With a sigh, he shook his head in agreement when Jacqui looked at him expectantly.
“We have news.” Her grin was infectious but for the first time, Cade noticed how anxious and tense Kane seemed. Damesha didn’t exactly appear to be her normal self either, despite her smile. There was a tenseness around her eyes.
“What’s up?” Cade was instantly on alert. Damesha was psychic after all.
“I’d like to speak to you privately.” Kane had gone all formal and that wasn’t a good sign. Even worse, he wanted to speak privately. This was about Jacqui then.
“Wait a minute princess, let me see what’s up, then we’ll tell them, alright?” Cade leaned over to kiss her gently before he left with Kane. Yes, he’d allowed others to see him kiss his wife, this really was a brand new world.
“What’s up?” Cade asked as soon as the door closed behind Kane once they reached his office.
“The Mungons are going to try to kidnap Jacqui.” Kane didn’t have to explain how he knew that.
“Did Damesha see when or how?” Cade’s chest tightened at the news and he wanted to pound someone’s face in. They would not touch his wife.
“No, but soon I’d guess. She noticed the leaves had turned. They’ll be turning any day now.” Cade was always impressed with Damesha’s observational skills.
“Alright.” Cade sat at his desk, his head nodding but he wasn’t sure at what. “Increase security, nobo
dy gets in here without a full check and scan, even you and our brothers. I’m going to take Jacqui away for a few days.”
He’d made the decision in the moment but he had a thought. “She was kidnapped from here right?”
“Yes, from her room. They can’t do that if you aren’t here. Good plan. Go to one of the unlisted houses.” They had houses across the globe, in a variety of locations. “Don’t tell me which but let me know when you get there. I’ll let the staff know to get some clothes packed. You get your wife.”
“She’s pregnant, Kane. We can’t let them put their hands on her.” Cade looked at his brother with pain in his eyes, a pain Kane understood. Kane clasped his brother’s hand and squeezed it.
“We won’t let that happen, brother. We’ll keep her safe.” They gave each other a deep look before breaking apart, their words a vow.
“Oh good, you’re both back, so we have news…” Jacqui’s words broke off as Cade came back into the room. “What’s wrong?”
“We have to go, now. Kane, forget the clothes, we’ll get something on the road. I’ll take the Hummer, it’s loaded.” By that he meant with money, a registered handgun, and fuel. It was always kept on standby.
“But Cade…” Jacqui looked terrified for a moment then her wall came down. He knew she understood and turned off her fear. “Lead the way.”
“I’ll call you from a payphone, Kane, later.” He sent a look to his brother and took his wife’s hand. It was going to be a long day but it would keep them safe. All three of them.
Chapter Ten
Jacqui
Jacqui had no idea where they were going or why but she knew that she was going to get answers one way or another. She let Cade drive in peace for now, the white-knuckled grip he had on the steering wheel told her to wait, but later there’d better be some answers. To a lot of her questions.
Cade (Alexander Shifter Brothers Book 2) Page 10